Hawai'i-just back
Mar 24th, 2008 | 01:01 PM
#1
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Hawai'i-just back
Returned this morning from our trip .
We visited
Maui-stayed at The Plantation Inn and ate at Lahaina Fish Co, Pacific-O, Kimo's and went to the Old Lahaina Luau.
Lanai'i-stayed at The Lanai'i Hotel and ate both there and at Pele's Other Garden.
Big Island-stayed at Hilo Hawai'ian in Hilo, the Honolua Inn in Honolua and Kona Bali Kai in Kona. We ate at Harrington's and Uncle Billy's in Hilo, The Kona Brewing Co., Jamiesons and Pancho and Lefty's in Kona and Roy's in Waikola.
Oahu- we stayed at the New Otani Kaimana in Waikiki and ate at Orchids in Halekulani and Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani.
We flew Delta(Manchester England )to ATL- Lax- Ogg and Hon-Lax- Jfk -Man. In Hawai'i we flew on Hawai'ian.
I've plenty of info if anyone is interested.
We visited
Maui-stayed at The Plantation Inn and ate at Lahaina Fish Co, Pacific-O, Kimo's and went to the Old Lahaina Luau.
Lanai'i-stayed at The Lanai'i Hotel and ate both there and at Pele's Other Garden.
Big Island-stayed at Hilo Hawai'ian in Hilo, the Honolua Inn in Honolua and Kona Bali Kai in Kona. We ate at Harrington's and Uncle Billy's in Hilo, The Kona Brewing Co., Jamiesons and Pancho and Lefty's in Kona and Roy's in Waikola.
Oahu- we stayed at the New Otani Kaimana in Waikiki and ate at Orchids in Halekulani and Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani.
We flew Delta(Manchester England )to ATL- Lax- Ogg and Hon-Lax- Jfk -Man. In Hawai'i we flew on Hawai'ian.
I've plenty of info if anyone is interested.
Mar 24th, 2008 | 08:43 PM
#6
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Well Frances, was it worth it ?
Did you like it ?
What didn't you like ?
Wouldn't a "polar" flight direct to Los Angeles or somewhere on the west coast be a bit shorter ? Just wondering, I know Air France has or maybe had, a flight CDG to LAX.
Probably sleeping off the jet lag, that's quite a trip they had
Did you like it ?
What didn't you like ?
Wouldn't a "polar" flight direct to Los Angeles or somewhere on the west coast be a bit shorter ? Just wondering, I know Air France has or maybe had, a flight CDG to LAX.
Probably sleeping off the jet lag, that's quite a trip they had
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Mar 25th, 2008 | 06:40 AM
#9
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Frances: What were your impressions of Big Island? We are hoping to visit Apr/May this year and since we didn't enjoy Kauai as much as Maui/Oahu do not want to make error in choosing Big Island. It will be our 3rd trip from the UK. We were also looking at Bali Kai
Mar 25th, 2008 | 07:08 AM
#10
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Odin, I guess the exchange rate makes Hawaii attractive now ?
A few years ago we met a German couple on Maui, said they came every year for two or three weeks (ah those EU vacation allowances); I said it must be expensive but they said once you got a decent fare "the rest is cheap" ! Must be even more so now
A few years ago we met a German couple on Maui, said they came every year for two or three weeks (ah those EU vacation allowances); I said it must be expensive but they said once you got a decent fare "the rest is cheap" ! Must be even more so now
Mar 25th, 2008 | 02:37 PM
#11
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Where can I start?
I think the answer to gyppielou is "yes". Does it mean do I like it?
I think Hawai'i is fabulous and a few days before we left to come home I was looking at the sea and thinking I'd be sorry to leave-and I was!
This was our second trip to Hawai'i and we'd returned because we enjoyed it so much. Four years ago we'd visited Maui, Kaua'i and Oahu.Last year two lots of friends had asked us about visiting because they fancied it and just talking about our trip made us re-book!
I wanted to go back to Lahaina. I loved the small town feel,the history, lots of restaurants and the ability to have a drink without having to drive. On the last occasion we had also spent two days in Hana and travelled up the volcano so I was happy that Lahaina was the place I wanted to be. On the other hand I couldn't see myself staying there for two weeks because there is only a limited amount of time that I can happily lie in the sun.
We found The Plantation Inn and it was lovely- I will stay there next time.
In deciding where else to go, we had seen Lanai'i across the water before, so we read up on it and decided to go. One of the attractions was that we could cross by boat- it's very strange to us in Britain that you can't easily travel in Hawai'i by boat.
Our first impression of Lanai'i City was that the ending of the pineapple plantations had struck a blow at the economy of the island . It didn't seem possible that the 3000 people who had lived there during the Dole era had all found employment in the hotels.I expected to see and hear of high levels of drunkeness and despair but didn't. We paid a visit to the Lanai'i Cultural Centre and had a huge amount of information from the Curator. I think we'd have kept him talking all day! The future for young people who don't want to work in hotels though may not be on the island . It remains to be seen I think.
We visited both of the 4 Seasons which were sumptuously luxurious. But for the Hotel Lanai'i I don't think we'd have visited the island because we wouldn't have felt justified in shelling out the readies for 5 star luxury!
I liked our hotel- it reminded me of the Fitzwilliam Hotel in N.H. if anyone is familiar with that.Being there was like being in a cabin in Finland as when you looked out of the windows there were rows of trees. It was very quiet at night and cool-I hadn't realised that the City was so high up.
It was a really interesting two days. Lovely beach and good food in both the restaurants. We had intended to walk the trail in the garden of The Lodge on the last day but we spent so long in the Cultural Centre we didn't make it. The Curator though directed us up the hill behind the hospital where we found the ruins of a mission church.
The thing I will probably remember most is the cultural mix on this island which is all down to its history.On the Square you heard a lot of a language which is not English and yet I understand that English is the language of instruction in school.
Do visit the Cultural Centre because I anticipate that any other tourist will be wondering the same things as me and the answers are there.
Having decided on those two islands the question was "where else"? We all agreed that the scenery in Kaua'i was the best, but having seen it did we want to go back? We had stayed at Waimea and Poipu last time. We liked Waimea(Waimea Plantation Cottages)but didn't think that there was enough to do in the village in the evenings to draw us back there.Poipu is one of those popular places without a heart. Good beach and restaurants, we had had a lovely condo but no centre to the place.We had travelled up to the north coast but didn't know of anywhere there we would want to spend a few days.
I had read here of people who liked Big Island the best so we decided to go there as we hadn't been. We flew into Hilo and spent two nights there. Our hotel was slightly too far to walk into town and there was also almost as much rain as Wales so we ate around Banyan Drive. Hilo is historic but with a slightly run down feel to it.
From here we drove up to the crater and then down to the seafront where the fresh volcano flow was entering the ocean. I will probably not see anything like that again!
We drove to Kailua around the north. The scenery from Hilo up to the Waipio overlook was comparable to anything on the road to Hana.
We hit seriously heavy rain in the mountains to the north of Waimea and I had to stop the car because my wipers couldn't cope with the water. 30 minutes later we were on the beach in temperatures of 80+!
Kailua was a small resort without the historical charm of other places we visited. Parking was seriously difficult.
The first two days we stayed in the Holualoa Inn. The location was spectcular and the accomodation wonderful.You are a LONG way above Kailua and looking down on it. The standard of the building and furnishings and amenities knocks your average British B&B into a cocked hat!I would love a home like that! One strange thing though was that when we arrived there was a note pinned to the door saying that as we had arrived after6pm there was no-one available and giving directions to our room. That was a bit odd but obviously the way they do it.The breakfast was fabulous. On the last day after our fruit plate(from trees in the grounds) we had French toast made with taro bread stuffed with coconut cream cheese and served with coconut syrup, maple syrup and orange maple syrup. My daughter was flying back to Britain that day and took three of the toasts with her to eat on the plane.
After she left we moved to the Kona Bali-Kai. This looked disappointing from the outside and we hadn't realised it was a condo. It was a pleasant surprise to open the door and find it comfortable and well furnished. Even better, there was a rock pool with turtles right outside so we spent hours on the lanai just watching them. Room 317 if you are interested. We had booked a sea view and I'm glad we did- I think the others which were bang on the road would have been noisy.
The drawback here was that it was 3 miles from Kailua and you couldn't walk at night. We did try but the road was badly lit.
This has got seriously long and I'm aware I haven't answered all the points so I'll have to continue tomorrow.
I think the answer to gyppielou is "yes". Does it mean do I like it?
I think Hawai'i is fabulous and a few days before we left to come home I was looking at the sea and thinking I'd be sorry to leave-and I was!
This was our second trip to Hawai'i and we'd returned because we enjoyed it so much. Four years ago we'd visited Maui, Kaua'i and Oahu.Last year two lots of friends had asked us about visiting because they fancied it and just talking about our trip made us re-book!
I wanted to go back to Lahaina. I loved the small town feel,the history, lots of restaurants and the ability to have a drink without having to drive. On the last occasion we had also spent two days in Hana and travelled up the volcano so I was happy that Lahaina was the place I wanted to be. On the other hand I couldn't see myself staying there for two weeks because there is only a limited amount of time that I can happily lie in the sun.
We found The Plantation Inn and it was lovely- I will stay there next time.
In deciding where else to go, we had seen Lanai'i across the water before, so we read up on it and decided to go. One of the attractions was that we could cross by boat- it's very strange to us in Britain that you can't easily travel in Hawai'i by boat.
Our first impression of Lanai'i City was that the ending of the pineapple plantations had struck a blow at the economy of the island . It didn't seem possible that the 3000 people who had lived there during the Dole era had all found employment in the hotels.I expected to see and hear of high levels of drunkeness and despair but didn't. We paid a visit to the Lanai'i Cultural Centre and had a huge amount of information from the Curator. I think we'd have kept him talking all day! The future for young people who don't want to work in hotels though may not be on the island . It remains to be seen I think.
We visited both of the 4 Seasons which were sumptuously luxurious. But for the Hotel Lanai'i I don't think we'd have visited the island because we wouldn't have felt justified in shelling out the readies for 5 star luxury!
I liked our hotel- it reminded me of the Fitzwilliam Hotel in N.H. if anyone is familiar with that.Being there was like being in a cabin in Finland as when you looked out of the windows there were rows of trees. It was very quiet at night and cool-I hadn't realised that the City was so high up.
It was a really interesting two days. Lovely beach and good food in both the restaurants. We had intended to walk the trail in the garden of The Lodge on the last day but we spent so long in the Cultural Centre we didn't make it. The Curator though directed us up the hill behind the hospital where we found the ruins of a mission church.
The thing I will probably remember most is the cultural mix on this island which is all down to its history.On the Square you heard a lot of a language which is not English and yet I understand that English is the language of instruction in school.
Do visit the Cultural Centre because I anticipate that any other tourist will be wondering the same things as me and the answers are there.
Having decided on those two islands the question was "where else"? We all agreed that the scenery in Kaua'i was the best, but having seen it did we want to go back? We had stayed at Waimea and Poipu last time. We liked Waimea(Waimea Plantation Cottages)but didn't think that there was enough to do in the village in the evenings to draw us back there.Poipu is one of those popular places without a heart. Good beach and restaurants, we had had a lovely condo but no centre to the place.We had travelled up to the north coast but didn't know of anywhere there we would want to spend a few days.
I had read here of people who liked Big Island the best so we decided to go there as we hadn't been. We flew into Hilo and spent two nights there. Our hotel was slightly too far to walk into town and there was also almost as much rain as Wales so we ate around Banyan Drive. Hilo is historic but with a slightly run down feel to it.
From here we drove up to the crater and then down to the seafront where the fresh volcano flow was entering the ocean. I will probably not see anything like that again!
We drove to Kailua around the north. The scenery from Hilo up to the Waipio overlook was comparable to anything on the road to Hana.
We hit seriously heavy rain in the mountains to the north of Waimea and I had to stop the car because my wipers couldn't cope with the water. 30 minutes later we were on the beach in temperatures of 80+!
Kailua was a small resort without the historical charm of other places we visited. Parking was seriously difficult.
The first two days we stayed in the Holualoa Inn. The location was spectcular and the accomodation wonderful.You are a LONG way above Kailua and looking down on it. The standard of the building and furnishings and amenities knocks your average British B&B into a cocked hat!I would love a home like that! One strange thing though was that when we arrived there was a note pinned to the door saying that as we had arrived after6pm there was no-one available and giving directions to our room. That was a bit odd but obviously the way they do it.The breakfast was fabulous. On the last day after our fruit plate(from trees in the grounds) we had French toast made with taro bread stuffed with coconut cream cheese and served with coconut syrup, maple syrup and orange maple syrup. My daughter was flying back to Britain that day and took three of the toasts with her to eat on the plane.
After she left we moved to the Kona Bali-Kai. This looked disappointing from the outside and we hadn't realised it was a condo. It was a pleasant surprise to open the door and find it comfortable and well furnished. Even better, there was a rock pool with turtles right outside so we spent hours on the lanai just watching them. Room 317 if you are interested. We had booked a sea view and I'm glad we did- I think the others which were bang on the road would have been noisy.
The drawback here was that it was 3 miles from Kailua and you couldn't walk at night. We did try but the road was badly lit.
This has got seriously long and I'm aware I haven't answered all the points so I'll have to continue tomorrow.
Mar 25th, 2008 | 02:49 PM
#12
Joined: Apr 2005
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Thrilled with your report on Lanai. I so love to talk story with the people of the island. Some miss the day of the pineapple, and others enjoy making a similar living at the resorts. What is different than any other island is the huge Philappeano and other implants. There are not that many native hawaiins on the island, but people who immigrated there for farmwork many many years ago.
Whereever I went on my two trips to Lanai, the locals loved to talk story and welcome me to their island. that makes a wonderful experience.
Thanks for the report Frances! Loving it. Although when you return, Hanalei on Kauai holds my heart. With Hana a close second, my little ranch on Molokai a close third and of course, the lovely Lanai.
Whereever I went on my two trips to Lanai, the locals loved to talk story and welcome me to their island. that makes a wonderful experience.
Thanks for the report Frances! Loving it. Although when you return, Hanalei on Kauai holds my heart. With Hana a close second, my little ranch on Molokai a close third and of course, the lovely Lanai.
Mar 30th, 2008 | 11:05 AM
#13
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To continue from my earlier post.
The reason we flew via Atlanta was in order that we could break our journey there. The thought of spending 17 hours in a plane which is what it takes via the west coast just didn't appeal to me.We flew this route on our last trip too and on that occasion it was coming in at about £200 cheaper per person than on Continental.
My daughter who decided after we had booked to join us flew straight out from LHR-LAX-OGG and something similar on the way back. She said it worked for her and once she arrived then her holiday started.
I found the return journey long in the extreme. We left Honolulu at 22.30, into Lax, about 3 hours on the ground there, on to JFK 3 hours on the ground there.It took almost exactly 24 hours and then another 2 hours home in the car.
I actually think I will try the straight out option next time- yes I will go again!
As far as Odin's question is concerned, I think I would say that Maui is my favourite followed by Kauai for its scenery. I'm glad I saw Big Island and my abiding memory of it will be of the 10 different climate zones which have such an effect on the vegetation. I'm sorry though that there was no one place where I will rush to return on that island - but that is because I've seen what I wanted to and so there would have to be something very special to make me go back (if that makes sense).
Although I've not made plans I will inevitably visit Lahaina again and matbe Molokai? Let us know what you decide Odin!
The reason we flew via Atlanta was in order that we could break our journey there. The thought of spending 17 hours in a plane which is what it takes via the west coast just didn't appeal to me.We flew this route on our last trip too and on that occasion it was coming in at about £200 cheaper per person than on Continental.
My daughter who decided after we had booked to join us flew straight out from LHR-LAX-OGG and something similar on the way back. She said it worked for her and once she arrived then her holiday started.
I found the return journey long in the extreme. We left Honolulu at 22.30, into Lax, about 3 hours on the ground there, on to JFK 3 hours on the ground there.It took almost exactly 24 hours and then another 2 hours home in the car.
I actually think I will try the straight out option next time- yes I will go again!
As far as Odin's question is concerned, I think I would say that Maui is my favourite followed by Kauai for its scenery. I'm glad I saw Big Island and my abiding memory of it will be of the 10 different climate zones which have such an effect on the vegetation. I'm sorry though that there was no one place where I will rush to return on that island - but that is because I've seen what I wanted to and so there would have to be something very special to make me go back (if that makes sense).
Although I've not made plans I will inevitably visit Lahaina again and matbe Molokai? Let us know what you decide Odin!
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