Kona Village is our favorite resort. A private thatched-roof hut (Hawaiian name is "Hale") on the Pacific Ocean, complete with all of the amenities, plus 3 gourmet meals a day.
This is the view from our hale. See Maui in the distance; it's about 100 miles to the north. The mountain in question is Mt. Haleaka, elevation about 10,400 feet.
Another view from our hale. This time, it's Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano about 60 miles northeast of Kona Village on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Mauna Kea is about 14,000 ft high. The bright light you see is the sun reflecting off of one of the observatories on top of the mountain. We visited those observatories in 2003.
Here Mike is kayaking out on the Pacific Ocean. We usually stayed in the bay, but others would kayak long distances in search of whales. The water is incredibly clear - we could generally see the bottom of the ocean, which was sometimes 50 or 60 feet deep!
The food is incredible. Here's a "first trip" to the Kona Village buffet. Fruit soup in the bowl, with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes in papaya seed dressing. A slice of pineapple and watermelon, plus 2 lychee (the fuzzy things; you don't eat the fuzzy shell!)
After eating WAAAAY too much, it's a good idea to take a walk to burn off a few calories. Fortunately, there's plenty of scenery to enjoy.
We took a day trip north to the Waipio valley for a trail ride. Very interesting, since Mike had never ridden a horse, other than the Merry-go-Round!
Here's Kelli on her horse, "Macho". Yeah, I know the picture is blurry. You try taking a picture with a camcorder while riding a horse for the first time, and see how good of a photographer YOU are...