Before I start, Jen and I thank Jill for taking Cassidy and Kendall for 3 days! Toni, Nicole, Mom and Dad we appreciate and all assistance you gave to her during this time as well. Both of our girls are great, but they definately are a handful.
We really psyched to getaway for a couple a nights in such a beautiful place, and with the added excitement about Turtle Bay being in the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. We didn't know this when we booked or at that point hadn't even seen the movie, but still . . .
We totally pampered ourselves . . . valet parked the car, checked in and headed to our room. We had a suite (Pakiki or something like that) - a really nice room with king bed, sitting area and a beautiful view of the lagoon (see pics below) . . . the only area that we were disappointed in was the bathroom . . . pretty standard. We headed down to one of the outside bars for lunch, where we drank some local fare, caught up with one and other, and watched as a few surfers went by . . . pretty cool! We had dinner that evening at one of the restaurants and it was good, but honestly can't remember what had that night. We went to the room to find a bottle of champagne there from the resort - nice touch.
Next morning, I headed off to the golf course and Jen to the Spa. I was scheduled on the Palmer course but they were a bit behind, so I played the Fazio course . . . in less that 2 and 1/2 hours, and because Jen still had another 3 hours before her spa day was over, I played again. With my quick first round the starter wanted to figure out a way to get me back on the Palmer course, but they were still behind, so I let him talk me into playing first thing in the morning on the next day! Talking about beautiful courses, both courses are perfectly manicured, challenging hazard locations, and the ocean breezes make certain club selections difficult to say the least. I did reach the 4th (I think that is the first par 5 on the Fazio course) in two. I easily hit my drive 325 with a very strong wind behind me and only had a 7 iron in! About a 15 foot put for eagle (first attempt of life putting for eagle, chipped for one in the past but never putted) and lipped out and tapped in the birdie. Played pretty well and shot a 92 on the first 18, and on the second 18 shot a 87! Jen enjoyed her spa treatment a lot, but she can blog about that later.
After finishing the second round, I still had about an hour before Jen would be done, so I decided to enjoy a couple of beers at the clubhouse. Hung out with a couple of other guests and spoke with the staff members . . . really nice and friendly and they talked us into dinner at the clubhouse later that night.
Caught up with Jen back at the room and headed down to the restaurant on the beach . . . really good! I enjoyed multiple flavored beverages, we read, listened to music, took a couple naps, swam a little and just enjoyed each others company. Tired from the sun, golf, beach, and spa treatment, we headed back to the room for a couple of hours of napping. I understand that this might seem like a lame thing to do with some many things out there to do, but with 2 little girls at home, we seldomly if ever take naps any more, and we both like napping.
After our nap, we ordered a little cheese plate and enjoyed the bottle of Pineapple Champagne we had bought at Dole earlier in the week. It was really good, and we keep meaning to see if they ship, cause we would like some of our friends to try it. Headed to the clubhouse restaurant for dinner. One of the best atmosphere's that I have ever enjoyed at a "non-themed" restaurant. The staff and guests seem to understand a partake in a lively, but no loud, dining experience that is just fun. Jen has a really delicious piece of fish, and I had a perfectly cut and cooked prime rib . . . Good stuff!
The next morning the alarm clock went off a bit early, but I will do some silly things to play golf and there have only been a couple of opportunities to play 54 holes in less than 24 hours! Headed down to the clubhouse for the first tee time, and beat all but the starter to the clubhouse. He was ready for me, and a great example of outstanding customer service! The clubhouse wasn't even open and he was ready with my cart, a bag of balls for the driving range, and even had a few of the flags in for the putting green . . . literally for me (for helping him out the day before by giving up my tee time). I played the 18 holes as quickly as well as I have ever played a course. A lot of shots stand out (only of which is below and if you squint one shot is a pic of the 14th green from my approach shot, which landed about 2 and 1/2 feet from the hole . . . birdie! Most remember hole was the 18th, a 506 yard, par 5 with water on along the entire left side of the fairway, a break in the fairway around 250 yards out with water directly ahead, a large sand trap at the beginning of the dogleg right. Hit a hybrid right to the edge of the fairway . . . perfect! The green is a fortress with water in front, and 4 bunkers surrounding the rest of the green. As I was scoring well, I laid up with a 9 iron to ensure that I would have a full swing to the green. 3rd shot was with my loft wedge from just under 100 yards. Left it on the bottom of the green and 2 putted for par. Shot an 86, equalling by best round ever, and played on a PGA course fro the middle tees!
We headed out after some breakfast to meet up with everyone for our next adventure!
RON
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