Just when you think this trip couldn’t get any better, it does. After a quick planned resort room change, I awake to calm breezes and soothing echoes of golfers enjoying a predawn game at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club—King’s Land. Now not to confuse you, we are still on the Hiltons sprawling 62-acre Pacific playground, we have just relocated our rooms to enjoy a two night stay at the resorts newest hotel venture.

Currently, phase one is opened with limited activities available to its guest. But not to worry, once completed visitors can fully indulge in championship golf courses, pools, barbeques, water activities and outdoor exercise classes, all while experiencing a truly lavish home away from home stay. With choice one-and-two bedroom suites, we each received the royal treatment and stayed in our own brand new two-bedroom suite. I don’t think I have ever been the first to stay at a hotel before.

Upon entering, beautiful dark wood floors lead you though the fully-equipped kitchen affixed with stainless steel appliances to the living room and out to a fully furnished lanai. The master suite, located just off the living area, has a plush king size bed and bathroom that ladies—we all need. Well, the tub for sure. The second bedroom offers plenty of sleeping with two double beds and a much deserving second bath. No need to share a bed with you sibling on this vacay. The kicker, all rooms are affixed with flat panel televisions. Yup, I thought that would win over the kids.
As I gear up for our final full day on the island, I realize it involves an 11 hour excursion to the Volcano National Park. Not bad knowing we will walk on lava. With our naturalist Danny behind the wheel, we were on our way. Roughly three hours in, and a few stops, we reached the park and wow was it breathtaking–green, lush and cooler in temp. (Hawaii has several different climatic zones, all of which we eventually traveled through during this trip) And it really didn’t feel like three hours with Danny telling stories about Hawaii and its culture along the way. We spent the next several hours touring the park, walking through lava tubes, checking out Hawaii’s rain forest and overlooking a volcanoes culver. I found it fascinating to actually witness plumes of white smoke billowing out of an inferno more than 2,100 degrees two miles deep in the earth. And to know one day that volcano will erupt again and possible take out the landscape we once walked on.

With the clock striking noon we decided to break for lunch and set a plan for the afternoon. We agreed to load into the van and drive towards the parks shoreline. As we winded down the mountainside we saw just what Mother Nature is capable of doing—miles and miles of black lava now covering a once green landscape. At the edge of the park, along the shore, the road ends in part due to an active lava spill that’s flowing into the ocean and causing scolding steam to rise hundreds of feet in the air. If you are daring, you can walk a little ways down the road for a closer view but park officials eventually stop everyone at a certain point.

As we load into the van for what we think is the final time, one can only assume the car ride home was quiet, (and you are correct) until we pulled up to small donut shop only known by natives. There we enjoyed warm sugary doughnuts called malasades. Wow, were they yummy. Now back to the resort for our final dinner.

Written by Christine Whitton

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