There’s nothing like palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze! We had a restorative, relaxing vacation on the Big Island. It has been over a year since we’ve been on an actual vacation.  Our dear friends Annabelle and Paku are tremendous hosts. They somehow kept a surprise from us in the weeks leading up to the trip. They picked us up at the Hilo airport and we spent the first night at their place in Volcano.  Volcano is the village right outside of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park near the Kilauea crater at 4000’ on the mountain.  The next day we were instructed to pack a bag and get in the car not knowing what they had in store for us. We drove over the Saddle Road to the leeward side where it is usually warm and dry. The leeward side (Kona) gets an average of 18.9 inches of rain per year, in contrast with the windward side (Hilo) which averages 145 inches.  Imagine our delight when they pulled into the Mauna Lani Resort! The Mauna Lani Resort is 3,200 acres on the coast near Waik