BIG ISLAND TRIP REPORT:
Hello, I just returned from Kona on the big island of Hawaii.

We stayed at the Hilton Waikolea Village and had a wonderful time.

Flights out of Dorval Airport in Montreal for the unbelievably low price of $450 US. Direct flight to LAX then we overnighted in Burbank and flew direct to Kona the next morning. (I highly recommend this for east coast travelers.) Flying into Kona Airport is like flying over the surface of the moon. There is almost no vegetation due to the lava flows. It was a bit displeasing after traveling such a distance. The Hilton is about 20 miles from the airport and the road travels through the lava flow within sight of the coast. After departing the shuttle my first impression of the hotel was "this reminds of Disneyland" and I later found it was designed by Disney! The resort is divided into three towers and spread out over 60 acres. The towers are connected by a canal system, a tram and walking paths. We walked everywhere, and enjoyed the picturesque setting.

Our room was located in the Lagoon Tower overlooking the dolphin pool and the ocean (very nice). The rooms are large and have private lanai. (Note: the birds outside the front door are very loud when they roost at dusk.) The grounds and landscape are wonderful and the walking trails lead you through waterfalls (manmade) and along the coast where you can view whale breaching in the distance (Feb and March best months for whales). We saw many whales!

Excursions: We took the two hour helicopter tour of the island. It was amazing and the highlight of our trip! It is an expensive trip, $320 per person for the two hour tour or $160 for one hour. The one hour tour skips the volcano part but you do see the breathtaking views of the waterfalls and canyons. This side of the island offers the lush rainforests. I would recommend not taking this trip if you have a tendancy towards airsickness or are afraid of heights.

I also went scuba diving with Ecotours out of Konda. It was good, but not spectcular. I would recommend diving with Red Sail Tours right out of the hotel and save yourself a one hour round trip to Kona. ($95 for a two tank dive, rental equipment a $5 per item.) I would strongly recommend bringing your own snorkeling gear as the snorkeling in the man made (fed by the ocean) lagoon. It is surprisingly good, many different types of fish, sea turtles and even morey eel. Get up early and you will have the whole place to yourself.

We also took a caamaran trip around the bay and saw at least a dozen whales breaching. Great side trip during whale season.

I would also recommend a day trip to Hapuna State Park. Nice soft sand beach, snack bar and boogie board rentals. Warning the swells are large (8ft) or more and the current is very strong. If a wave breaks on you it could cartwheel you several times.

I am going to end this report with this advise. Hawaii is as great as everyone says, but it is also very expensive, bring half the clothes and twice the money. See both sides of the island because the diversity of landscape is totally amazing and you will enjoy the trip that much more!!

Maloha!! Erich

I'd like to add a few comments to the previous poster's observations. Hawaii doesn't need to be all that expensive - we stayed on a coffee plantation about 20 minutes from Kailua, which is the main town on the sunny side of the island. We spent about $75 per night. It was wonderful, certainly much nicer for us (just a matter of taste, really) than a resort would have been. We got to pick papayas, avocados, macadamia nuts, etc. - all we wanted - and it was so lovely and cool at night that air conditioning wasn't even thought about. We had been advised against the helicopter trip that goes over the volcano, because volcanic fumes can interfere with the copter's engines and we had been told (by a pilot) that it really isn't safe. There are lots of excellent small restaurants there that don't charge exorbitant money for meals. If you go to Hang Loose in Kailua around sunset, you'll get a lovely view, and the possibility of seeing a "green flash" - the whole town turns out to watch for it. If anybody would like to hear more details, please post a message on this thread and I'll tell you more.

Hi Erich and Cindy,
We are from Ontario and going to Oahu and the BI in June1-18th. Erich you sound rested and revived! Any snow left in Montreal. We still have lots!
Cindy-I would like to hear more about your trip also. and you too Erich. We are staying in Kona, and I am planning to book the chopper so we can do our own video. I don't snorkel, but I have a cheap mask and fin set I may take. I could try it, at least once. Thanks for all the good tips, from both of you.

One of the best things we did on the Big Island was renting a kayak to take to Capt Cook's Monument. The paddle across Kealakekua Bay to the monument is maybe a mile, but it was very calm. There is good snorkeling near the monument. The bay is home to wild spinner dolphins, I had never seen dolphins in the wild before - it was awesome. It was fun to just sit and watch the dolphins around us. We rented our kayak from Kona Boy's and couldn't have been happier. The guys we dealt with were great and made sure we had all the extra gear we needed (a cooler & wet suit booties - all at no extra charge).

It's nice that somebody wants to hear more about our trip! I think the family is getting bored with all our vacation stories. Okay - the highlights as far as we were concerned: the trip up to the summit of Mauna Kea was truly amazing. We went with a group called Hawaii Forest and Trail. (We had a regular rental car, not like Erich's SUV, so we weren't allowed to drive it up the road called the Saddle Road which is pretty tricky.) It was great; the driver had parkas on the van for when we got up to the top, which was very cold. Definitely go for the sunset - it's incredible and you're way above the clouds. The only thing to be aware of is the oxygen scarcity at that altitude. Just don't move around too much and you'll be fine. They stop at the 9000-foot level for an hour so you can get acclimatized. After we saw the sunset, we came back down to 9000 feet and our driver got out his telescope and we star-gazed for a while. It was wonderful. So were the hot chocolate and cookies he gave us! We also went to see the volcano - couldn't see much that day but the volcano park is incredible. You must see the Thurston Lava Tube - a big tunnel naturally formed by lava, with a beautiful tropical rainforest all around it. There are other astonishing things to look at that are often missed - South Point is a beautiful drive; there's a green sand beach at the end of it but that requires a strenuous hike, which we didn't do. But you can look down from the top of the cliffs and see tropical fish in the water - the water is that clear. There's a windfarm on the way that looks absolutely surreal. Akaka Falls is gorgeous, and we also had to drive to one place near Hilo just to take a picture of the street sign - "Peepee Falls St." - just to make my grandson laugh! There actually is a Peepee Falls, near Rainbow Falls, and it's much prettier than its name. We went parasailing a couple of times which was also amazing. In terms of beaches, there are lots, and all of the shoreline on the Big Island is public so you can go to any beach you want, even at the upscale resorts. I'm running out of time here - must get to work - but there's probably lots more to tell. If anybody has any specific questions I'll be happy to answer them.

Hi Dona,

Plenty of snow left here I can barely see out of my window. You will have a tough time videoing your helicopter flight due to the closeness of the cockpit. They cram 6 people plus a pilot in there. (don't wear white as it reflects off of the windows)also don't worry about fumes from the volcano. They fly over the active part at about 1400 feet, and can go much higher if neccesary. They are very safety consious and you will be in a million dollar modern chopper. Have fun and consider a day trip to Maui if you can swing it. Erich

Hi Cindy,

I agree with your view that Hawaii doesn't have to be that expensive. I should have said the resort area is expensive. We were on a business trip, and were confined to the resort for several days. Excellent bed and breakfast deals in the area can be found; which I would take advantage of on any subsequent trips. Aloha Erich

Hi, Erich - we definitely saw the Big Island from different perspectives! But obviously we all had a great time. I'd go back there in a heartbeat, wouldn't you?