Yesterday, we drove from Clinton to Nashville, so we could catch a decent flight to Hawaii with just one layover. We spent the night at an Avid Hotel near BNA and took their shuttle to the airport at 5:00 a.m., leaving our car parked in the hotel lot.
The journey begins!
Dinner last night: Homegrown Taproom & Kitchen on Old Lebanon Pike. They have a two-for-one beer special on Tuesdays – Hooray! – and we enjoyed the food as well. We're sure going to miss the Tennessee prices when we get to Hawaii!
Homegrown Taproom & Kitchen, Nashville, Tennessee
Our flights were on Delta: 7:00 a.m. Nashville to 10:15 a.m. Seattle and then 2:00 p.m. Seattle to 6:13 p.m. Kona, on Hawaii's Big Island – 13-plus hours of flights and layover. It was already past 11:00 p.m. at home when we finally arrived, but we still had things to do. This was a looong day.
Nashville from the air
We took a taxi from the airport to Hawaii Lifted Jeep Rentals, four miles away, where we picked up a silver Jeep Wrangler 4x4. The rental included a 30-quart cooler and a couple of beach chairs for no extra charge. All arrangements were made via email and text, and we picked up the Jeep in an unattended parking lot. Easy-peasy.
We then had to make our way through Hawaii's VERY DARK streets to our airbnb, another six miles away in Kailua-Kona. They keep it dark on the island to avoid light pollution, but it makes driving at night a bit hazardous. We managed to find our way without hitting any wild goats, pigs, turkeys, mongoose or anything else along the way, all of which are a genuine possibility.
Lodging: Kona Town Oasis airbnb, Ala Onaona Street, Kailua-Kona, for two nights. This was a downstairs room, with the owner living upstairs. We had a private entrance and off-street parking in the driveway. There was a shared outdoor kitchen and laundry just outside our door. Nothing fancy, but all we needed for a couple of nights.
After dropping off our luggage, we headed back out for dinner. First brewpub of the trip: Kona Brewing Co. How nice to enjoy pleasant outdoor dining in November! The pork tacos and smashburger were fine, but the beer was even better! We recommend the Lavaman Red and Mahea Haze IPA.
Kona Brewing Co., Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Time to relax
Hanging loose