Photos of Waikoloa Beach With Eels and Spotted Eagle Rays

Elizabeth Weintraub enjoys a Huggos Mai Tai at Lava Lava Beach Club on Waikoloa Beach

Say what you may about restaurants that cater to tourists, Huggos does it right. And the Lava Lava Beach Club is part of that chain. I discovered this restaurant by accident, walking up a path years ago from the Marriott. I’m sure most guests at the Marriott don’t venture this far. They are lucky if they can crawl from their room to the beach.

I’m not sure where the customers come from for this restaurant because it’s rather isolated and off the service road to the Marriott, if you turn left at the Kings Shops of Waikoloa. It’s kick back, relaxed dining on the water, either sand or deck seating.

Spinarugula at Lava Lava at Waikoloa Beach

They used to offer fish specials at lunch but the menu changed from a few years back. Still, the spinach and arugula with strawberries, blue cheese, red onions, nuts and topped with poke hit the spot. We sat in the shade under an umbrella by tiki torches. Plus, you can park for free at Lava Lava Beach Club, which beats the Marriott parking lot.

Cat at Waikoloa Anaeho’omalu Bay

A couple years ago I wrote a blog with a bunch of photographs of the cats at the Waikoloa Canoe Club at Anaeho’omalu Bay, and when I clicked on that link to insert it here, I noticed this is the same cat. Except this cat has lost a lot of weight since December of 2015. He is the most friendly cat, which means he is probably the strongest surviver.

My husband accused me of wanting to show him this area just so we could visit the cats. OK, that was part of it.

Cabanas at Marriott Waikoloa Beach

I had to show you a picture of the cabanas at the Marriott. It’s a low-level building, two stories, comprised of 16 units, 8 up with balconies and 8 down with lanais. This building is separate from the rest of the Marriott, which is stacked boxy rooms, piled on top of each other, like any other hotel. I’m not personally a big fan of Marriott hotels and view them as mostly mid-level hotels. Although I will say the Marriott at Marco Island is a superb hotel, especially if you get a corner room, much nicer than other Marriotts.

The reason I am pointing out Marriott cabana rooms is because you can request this specifically, and it’s really economical, far as luxury hotel rooms go on Big Island. When I stayed there for a month a couple years back, it was about $400 a night. It’s much closer to the water, too. More intimate and private. I could see construction going on now, so I imagine this little secret might not be a secret for long and the rates might increase.

Waikoloa Beach separates ancient fish pond from ocean.

We didn’t venture into the hotel but look at this landscaping! The Marriott at Waikoloa is a bit run down and in need of remodeling. It does not compare, for example, to the Four Seasons at Hualalai or the Fairmont, which are gloriously over-the-top resorts that transport you to a magical place in some other world.

Still, I love the grounds of the Marriott. This is what that hotel has going for it. The history, the superb location and beautiful Anaeho’omalu Bay and striking beach. The staff is friendly, helpful. And like I said, the cabanas are the place to stay.

Windsurfing kite falls into fish pond at Waikoloa

We had been watching the windsurfing kites and paddle boarders from the Lava Lava Beach Club restaurant. The guy with the striped kite routinely left the water, with his feet secured to the board. When he neared the fish pond, both he and his buddy lost control. Their kites fell into the fish pond. Uh oh.

Eel in the fish pond at Waikoloa Beach

Let me be straight about this. I do NOT like eels. They scare the shit outta me. I would hate to encounter an eel while snorkeling. They would definitely freak me out. But when I am above the water with an iPhone ready to shoot a photo, I will gladly do so. Eels tend to lurk behind rocks and in caves and they poke out their heads to study the situation before emerging.

I think eels know the power they carry and they maximize it. Truly, one scary looking serpent thing.

Elizabeth Weintraub on the beach at Waikoloa.

Lounge chairs with towels is how the staff at Marriott knows if you are a guest. Each hotel has its own color-coded towels, which they make you “check out” with your name and room number, as though you were a common criminal. The staff at the Marriott is not very large, and they don’t harass you at Waikoloa, like they do at Four Seasons Hualalai and The Fairmont.

Spotted Eagle Ray at Waikoloa Beach fish pond.

I’m fairly certain this is a spotted eagle ray. It might not be, but I’m 90% sure so I’m gonna go with it. There are only 2 other places I have been in the world where rays are so clearly visible in the water, and that would be Rangiroa in the Tuamotus and San Felipe in Baja. It’s hard to shoot fish in the water when they are moving. But you can’t miss the shadow of a ray maneuvering about.

Adam Weintraub Anaheo’omau Bay at Waikoloa Beach

And last, here is my patient and adorable husband, Adam Weintraub, carting my beach bag with towels and water, putting up with my enthusiasm for Waikoloa Beach. He wasn’t with me when I spent December of 2015 on Big Island at this resort. He’s not a Sacramento Realtor like me who can work from anywhere. He works for the state of California and stays home to hold down the fort.

I’m coming back to our house in Hawaii right after Thanksgiving. I’ll be here for 2 months, still selling real estate in Sacramento from Hawaii. I don’t stop working just because I happen to live some of the time on the most beautiful and friendliest island in the world, the island of Hawai’i.