Stoked Wanderlust, Rehoboth Beach, DE (2026)

04/10/2026

Day 8: slow morning, small wins, and surprise gifts 😂

We woke up in Hilo and took our time. Breakfast, then the farmers market… which was hands down the best one we’ve been to so far (and of course I took zero pictures).

It’s also Merrie Monarch Festival week in Hilo, so the hotel was hosting a craft fair. We wandered through before checking out, and saw some cool local vendors. My lack of a checked bag is really helping me not buy souvenirs since I will have no where to put them! We did see some hula dancers practicing for the hula competition in a park, which was cool to watch (I'll post a separate video).

Next stop: Lavaloha Chocolate Farm. The chocolate? Incredible. The prices? Painful. BUT I did win a sticker for guessing the number of cacao beans in a jar and only being off by 5 (not bad since it was over 1200 in the jar!!), which I’m counting as a major personal victory. Would have preferred free chocolate, but we’ll take what we can get.

We made our way back toward Kona with a stop in Holualoa, which is such a cute little town. We grabbed some incredible baked goods from Sundog Bread… and then Rob somehow managed to secretly buy me a bag I had been eyeing. It was handmade by a local vendor and every bag they make is different fabrics so it's the only one of its kind. ❤️

And yes, he revealed it using his signature move… placing it on the back of the toilet seat 😂

Now we’re back on the Kona side, and with rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, it looks like we’ll be pivoting to some indoor (or at least covered) adventures for the next couple of days.

04/09/2026

Day 7: ignoring the advice of TLC and we did, in fact, go chasing waterfalls!

We headed over to the Hilo side to explore the east coast, and started the day with a full waterfall tour:

Stop 1: Rainbow Falls
The sun briefly showed up just long enough to give us a tiny rainbow moment (see pic 3). Blink and you miss it. But beautiful nonetheless.

Stop 2: Boiling Pots
Just up the road from Rainbow Falls. Super cool to see the water moving through the lava rock formations.

Stop 3: ʻAkaka Falls
This one had about a half-mile walk through lush jungle to get there, which honestly made it even better. And fun fact, it’s nearly twice the height of Niagara Falls 😲

After the waterfalls, we made a very necessary stop at a local farm stand where I lived my best life drinking fresh coconut water straight from the source. We also grabbed fresh pineapple and sugar cane, which hit perfectly after sweating through the humidity.

Then we headed to Hawaiʻi Tropical Botanical Garden. My mom and I explored while the guys had their own adventure, and this place was so good it earned its own reel!

We’re expecting a few rainy days ahead, so today was all about packing in as much outdoor exploring as possible.

Spending the night in Hilo, then heading back to Kailua-Kona tomorrow!

04/08/2026

Day 6: Today was a beautiful, sunny day and we were feeling some “let’s just keep driving and see what happens” energy ☀️

We headed north for a little exploring and started at the Hāmākua Macadamia Nut Company. Between the generous samples of mac nuts and coffee, we were already winning… and then we decided to get macadamia nut ice cream, because who doesn't want ice cream at 9:30am when on vacation?!

From there, we kept driving and made a couple of stops at random scenic spots for photos and giving Rob another shot at figuring out the drone (progress… is happening... sort of).

We made our way to Hāwī, which is such a cute, artsy little town with local shops and a really laid-back vibe. Definitely worth the stop.

Next up was Kohala, where we saw the statue of Kamehameha, which felt like one of those “you should probably see this while you’re here” moments.
Then we kept going… all the way to the end of the road (literally) at Pololū Valley. The views there were unreal, cliffs dropping into the ocean, just one of those “stand there and take it in” places.

There’s a trail down to the beach, but it’s steep and we were not mentally or physically prepared for that kind of commitment, so we admired from above and called it a win.

On the way back, we grabbed fresh smoothies and wrapped up the day with dinner at Sunset Kai Lanai. The best part? The sunset views were incredible… and with the exception of the drive-thru window, you’d never guess it used to be a Wendy’s.

Today was a glorious, low key day! Sometimes not having a plan is the best plan of all.

04/07/2026

Day 5: finally… a warm, sunny beach day 🙌

After a few cloudy moments earlier in the trip, this felt like the Hawaii we had been waiting for. We headed to Maniniʻowali Beach (Kua Bay), and even though it was pretty windy, it exceeded our expectations!

It’s a white sand beach, but what makes it really stand out are the lava rocks surrounding parts of it. We did a little climbing to get to our spot, which made it feel like we found our own private space amongst a crowded beach.

The water was unreal. Super clear, that perfect blue, and one of those places where you just stop and stare for a minute because it doesn’t even look real. Pictures don't even do it justice. 10/10!

Ps: the last picture features Rob's new favorite food: masubi (basically Spam sushi) 😂

04/06/2026

Day 4, Part 2:
After Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, we wanted to make the most of being on that side of the island instead of immediately heading back.

So we stopped at Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach… and wow. Even with the clouds rolling in, it was still stunning. We skipped swimming, but walked the shoreline and took it all in.

The sand was the biggest surprise. It felt cool, almost soft, and somehow cleaner than regular sand? I fully expected to walk away with black feet like I had just walked through charcoal… but nope. Science? Magic? Still unclear.

We were missing Aurora so we wrote her name in the sand and took a picture to send to her. ❤️

Earlier that morning we showed up way too early for Punaluʻu Bake Shop (pro tip: they open at 8:30am), but we made it back in time for lunch.

They’re famous for their sweet breads and malasadas, and yes… it absolutely lives up to the hype. We went a little overboard (no regrets), and while they had sold out of a few things by the afternoon, there were still plenty of dangerously good options left (the lilikoi (passion fruit) malasada was to die for!)

Also, I may or may not have purchased what felt like the largest loaf of guava sweet bread ever created!
10/10, would plan my day around this stop next time.

04/06/2026

Day 4, part 1: alarms went off before sunrise because we had a 2-hour drive ahead of us to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park… and it was absolutely worth it. We left a little too early unfortunately because we planned to stop at Punaluʻu Bake Shop for breakfast… and arrived before it opened. Rookie move. But we hit it up on the way back!

The wild part? Kīlauea is brewing right now, and they’re predicting a possible eruption in the next week or so. Standing there knowing that… slightly terrifying, very cool.

A few highlights from the day:
Pic 2: Steam vents that felt like the earth was literally breathing
Pic 3–5: Kīlauea oozing steam and lava… unreal to see in person
Pic 6–7: The hike down to the lava tube, which felt like walking into another world. Inside of the lava tube reminded me of caverns.
Pic 8: Up-close view of dried lava… smooth, textured, and mesmerizing to see up close
Pic 9: Hōlei Sea Arch at the end of Chain of Craters Road

This was easily one of those “pictures don’t even do it justice” kind of days. Stay tuned for part 2...

04/05/2026

Day 3 was our day to check out the local area and take it easy because day 4 is going to be a marathon!

We started by hitting up a local farmers market just a couple blocks from our resort and found banana pineapple bread that was so good!

From there, we spent the morning strolling through Kailua-Kona, checking out some shops, taking our time, and fully leaning into island pace.

And then dinner… we went up to Rebel Kitchen, which completely lived up to the vibe. Great food, super laid back, and tropical sangria that was a perfect ending to a low-key day.

Not every day needs a packed itinerary. Sometimes it’s just good food, a little exploring, and accidentally living your best life.

04/03/2026

It has been a while! We’ve had a lot of life events over the last couple of years, but this is the first real trip we’ve taken since June 2024… and we can finally check Hawaii off the bucket list 🌺

We’re staying on the Big Island (and yes… sadly not in an Airstream this time 😅)

Day 1 was all travel, so these are mostly from Day 2.
Let me just say… adjusting to a 6-hour time change is no joke. We were up at 3:30am, which felt like 9:30 back home, so naturally we were the first ones at breakfast.

We went to 808 Grindz Cafe and I’m very glad we got there early because by the time we left, the line was out the door. The food absolutely lived up to the hype. I had macadamia nut pancakes and Rob had some kind of corned beef and eggs situation that he is still thinking about.

Later, we visited Greenwell Farms for a coffee tour. Unfortunately, the floods a couple of weeks ago caused millions in damage, and the bridge to the coffee groves was washed out, so we didn’t get the full experience.

That said, our guide was amazing and we still got plenty of samples, so no complaints there. We’re definitely rooting for them as they recover ❤️

After that, we kept it low-key and spent the afternoon exploring the resort and getting our bearings.

So far: incredible food, very little sleep, and zero regrets.

If you’ve been to the Big Island… drop your must-do recommendations below 👇

04/12/2025

Oooh the weather is getting good! Got the new DC to DC to install and maybe an Airlock ionizer. Can't wait!

07/30/2024

Sometimes you need to pack up your dogs (or in this case, Koa packed up himself...) and just stay in one place for a couple of weeks. Love spending a couple of weeks with our toes (and paws) in the sand! 🐾 ☀️ 🌊

07/03/2024

Erin got to summit her first mountain - Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park! It was quite the hike but we could not have asked for better weather! Low 70s with almost no humidity!

We parked at Berry Hollow instead of the main lot since it was closer to our Harvest Host. From there it was only about 0.8 mile to get to the main trail. From there we bounded up the mountain! Ok, bounded may be a bit of an exaggeration... But we made it! Total time up was about 2 hours.

Once we got up there, we did the obligatory photo op and then found a place to sit and eat "lunch"... A piece of a Panera baguette! Then we bounded back down the mountain (less of an exaggeration), making it down in about an hour. As a bonus, we found some wild raspberry bushes which made for a nice sweet snack as we got near the bottom!

The total hike was about 3:20, 7 miles round trip, and 17,505 steps! We definitely got a workout in!

07/03/2024

An entire post about a Harvest Host... Because it was that awesome!

We stayed at DuCard Vineyards and it was by far the nicest HH we have stayed at so far! We arrived early (9:30ish... Way before they opened) but they let us set up so we could detach and then go explore the park. They even gave us a box of wine filled chocolates!!

After we climbed Old Rag Mountain (another post to come on that...) we went back and had some wine. They have a gorgeous property with indoor, outdoor, and a covered area for seating options. They also have some cute little patios set up around the property for a more intimate setting.

The vintner is from France and they have mostly dry wines, however we had a glass of the Shenandoah which was surprisingly sweet considering. We also bought a bottle of the port wine for to cook with, and we had mussels cooked in it for dinner that night! Followed, of course, by the amazing chocolates!

We cannot recommend enough! Their hospitality, wines, and amazing location make for a wonderful experience, whether for the day or overnight!

Stoked Wanderlust

04/10/2026

04/09/2026

04/08/2026

04/07/2026

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

04/05/2026

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04/12/2025

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