Joeann's View

What a lucky grandma I am! Lily and I are having lunch together once a month. She turned 17 last fall. Busy as a junior in high school and working at Panera, she is making time for us to spend together every month. This month we ate at Sauce. One of Lily’s favorite places, located at Ina and Oracle, we…

Lunch in Waimea The farm to table concept is strong on The Big Island and there are some very good restaurants. For 20 years, Merriman’s has been right up there at the top with it’s locally sourced food prepared with fresh island flavors. Most of our trips to the Big Island include an indulgent lunch or dinner that never disappoints!…

The view today starts with tennis at the Bay Club. We’ve stayed and played at many of the courts at the Waikoloa Resorts. The good news is there are several, giving you lots of choice. Since we like to start our mornings with a set of tennis, finding courts when booking a room or resort is important to us. Some…

The view on January 10 is all about whales. From November through April, Humpback Whales frolick in the waters off the Big Island. They come to the warm waters to birth their babies. Going out on one of the whale watching tours to see them close up is certainly an option, however, the whales can usually be seen from the…

The view today is still filled with glorious 80 degree sunshine, the sounds of the sea and warm aloha vibes. From the Bay Club and Hilton Waikoloa Village there is an easy beach walk over lava, coral and sand that meanders down to Waikoloa Marriott Resort   We spent the morning with a hard-fought set of tennis (6-3). Then for…

Today’s view is our “almost” second home in Waikoloa on the westside of The Big Island. The weather here is sunnier than any other spot in Hawaii. Even when the rains are coming down in Hilo or the vog has blown into Kona, Waikoloa offers cloudless blue sky with year-round moderately warm daily temperatures. Hilton Grand Vacations has four timeshare…

The view today is pure aloha magic at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, about 30 miles up the road from Kona. We were wide awake about 4:30 because of the difference in time zones (and our early to bed from the 27 hour day yesterday mixed with Mai Tais!). The room was quiet and comfortable and Bub was delighted to…

The view today takes me from chilly Phoenix to tropical Kona. We are a little late leaving Sky Harbor Airport, but there doesn’t appear to be any issues with TSA. Our very full American Airlines flight makes up the time and we land a little after 3 to a bright sunny afternoon. On my Granddaughter Lily’s first trip to the…

Hilton Honors and Doubletree Benefits Today’s view…Nothing is better than a warm chocolate chip cookie! And, we get two as we check into The Phoenix DoubleTree Suites . Less than two miles from Sky Harbor Airport, it is a perfect place for us to stay the night before our flight to Hawaii. Using my Hilton Honors points for the room,…

The view to start 2019 in Tucson And you thought it was always warm in Tucson! Gorgeous overnight snow has blanketed the mountains for a chilly welcome to a new year. We even had some on the back patio that lasted until the sun burned it off.