oahu and big island report
Dec 6th, 2005, 06:17 AM
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oahu and big island report
We missed the action at the Volcano National Park but still had a great time!
Facts...stayed at the Radisson Prince Kuhio. We got a great rate ($150 inc car hire) and from the 31st floor a stunning mountain view. Yes, the bathrooms are small but we coped.
We had only one full day on Oahu and chose to snorkel at Hanauma Bay then head to Duke's for breakfast. It's about $13 for the buffet/$8 for kids and worth it for the view, ambience and food..(eggsellent omlettes!).
We got caught in a few showers in the morning but it cleared enough to walk on Waikiki beach after breakfast and we hiked to Manoa Falls in the afternoon. I forgot the mosquito spray but didn't get bitten but the rest of the family did so they are out there!
Sunset on Waikiki beach was a lovely end to the day followed by dinner at Chilli's (hmmm..sadly gave in to pressure from 8yr old daughter to skip Thai food!)
Early start on Thanksgiving morning and got to Diamond head at 7am.
Great day, clear,beautiful views of Waikiki we were amazed by the stunning scenery and by the number of Japanese tourists hiking in kitten heels!
and by 9am we were at the airport, heading to Hilo.
Arrived in Hilo and the sun was shining so we headed to Akaka falls. Last year we were here in the rain so I wanted be here while the sky was clear and it was picture perfect.
We had lunch at Ken's house of pancakes in Hilo (banana pancakes with coconut and mango syrup were very good!) and then drove to Puna to check in at Art & Orchids B&B.
We discovered this place on Tripadvisor and just read the reviews.... it's been open about a year and is very reasonably priced ($100 for large family room inc breakfast for 4). Marky made us some fantastic pineapple-coconut pancakes and we tasted some Surinamese? cherries for the first time.
There are cooking facilities if you need them plus a lounge area and plenty of dvd's, books, board games to entertain you.
My daughter loved the chickens in the yard and petted the goats. They pick their own coffee and fruit plus eggs from the chickens and hopefully goat cheese from the goats. There's also a hot tub.... we would have liked to have stayed here longer!
We explored Puna for the first time.... more later I need a break!
Facts...stayed at the Radisson Prince Kuhio. We got a great rate ($150 inc car hire) and from the 31st floor a stunning mountain view. Yes, the bathrooms are small but we coped.
We had only one full day on Oahu and chose to snorkel at Hanauma Bay then head to Duke's for breakfast. It's about $13 for the buffet/$8 for kids and worth it for the view, ambience and food..(eggsellent omlettes!).
We got caught in a few showers in the morning but it cleared enough to walk on Waikiki beach after breakfast and we hiked to Manoa Falls in the afternoon. I forgot the mosquito spray but didn't get bitten but the rest of the family did so they are out there!
Sunset on Waikiki beach was a lovely end to the day followed by dinner at Chilli's (hmmm..sadly gave in to pressure from 8yr old daughter to skip Thai food!)
Early start on Thanksgiving morning and got to Diamond head at 7am.
Great day, clear,beautiful views of Waikiki we were amazed by the stunning scenery and by the number of Japanese tourists hiking in kitten heels!
and by 9am we were at the airport, heading to Hilo.Arrived in Hilo and the sun was shining so we headed to Akaka falls. Last year we were here in the rain so I wanted be here while the sky was clear and it was picture perfect.
We had lunch at Ken's house of pancakes in Hilo (banana pancakes with coconut and mango syrup were very good!) and then drove to Puna to check in at Art & Orchids B&B.
We discovered this place on Tripadvisor and just read the reviews.... it's been open about a year and is very reasonably priced ($100 for large family room inc breakfast for 4). Marky made us some fantastic pineapple-coconut pancakes and we tasted some Surinamese? cherries for the first time.
There are cooking facilities if you need them plus a lounge area and plenty of dvd's, books, board games to entertain you.
My daughter loved the chickens in the yard and petted the goats. They pick their own coffee and fruit plus eggs from the chickens and hopefully goat cheese from the goats. There's also a hot tub.... we would have liked to have stayed here longer!
We explored Puna for the first time.... more later I need a break!
Dec 7th, 2005, 01:27 PM
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Just a few things to add..
We liked Nings in Pahoa (Thai restaurant). The red curry was very good with lots of eggplant and bamboo shoots which I love. O's in the same strip mall as Safeway in Kona has great fusion food too....
We hiked down into Pololu valley and risked a quick dip in the ocean. Almost lost our shoes when a big wave went 'too far'! This is a much easier hike than Waipio (less steep).
We didn't get to star gaze as the top of Mauna Loa was lost in clouds for 3 nights in a row....maybe next time.
The Marriott at Waikaloa was under renovation and the construction was very unobtrusive. We did see the newly renovated rooms and they're very minimalist with Japanese influence. Nice natural toned decor. Watch for price increases!
We liked Nings in Pahoa (Thai restaurant). The red curry was very good with lots of eggplant and bamboo shoots which I love. O's in the same strip mall as Safeway in Kona has great fusion food too....
We hiked down into Pololu valley and risked a quick dip in the ocean. Almost lost our shoes when a big wave went 'too far'! This is a much easier hike than Waipio (less steep).
We didn't get to star gaze as the top of Mauna Loa was lost in clouds for 3 nights in a row....maybe next time.
The Marriott at Waikaloa was under renovation and the construction was very unobtrusive. We did see the newly renovated rooms and they're very minimalist with Japanese influence. Nice natural toned decor. Watch for price increases!
Dec 7th, 2005, 01:56 PM
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highflyer, now I want to go to Ken's, and it's your fault! 
#39;( Thanks for the info on the Marriott Waikoloa ... I love the location of that hotel, and have enjoyed staying there a couple of times in the past. For the money, I don't think you could beat it. I hope the rates don't change too much ... Looking forward to going again. Thanks for all the details on your B&B, and the restaurants. You're making me want to jump on a plane ...
#39;( Thanks for the info on the Marriott Waikoloa ... I love the location of that hotel, and have enjoyed staying there a couple of times in the past. For the money, I don't think you could beat it. I hope the rates don't change too much ... Looking forward to going again. Thanks for all the details on your B&B, and the restaurants. You're making me want to jump on a plane ...
Dec 7th, 2005, 04:59 PM
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Hi Bonnie!
I want to jump on that plane too...
We had such a great time and now it's 20F in Massachusetts and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than in Hawaii!
We liked the Marriott's location too. One change I noted was that the remodelled rooms no longer have the bar area where the refrigerator was and that's something I'd definitely miss!
I want to jump on that plane too...
We had such a great time and now it's 20F in Massachusetts and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than in Hawaii!
We liked the Marriott's location too. One change I noted was that the remodelled rooms no longer have the bar area where the refrigerator was and that's something I'd definitely miss!
Dec 7th, 2005, 07:16 PM
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Hi!
Thanks for taking the time to do a report! I too appreciated hearing about the Marriott as I am planning a 1st Big Island trip and we usually use Marriott points. We always want a great beach with gentle surf and I just snorkeled for the 1st time so we are looking forward to more of that. Is the beach there a safe swimming beach? Is it good for snorkeling?
Thanks for taking the time to do a report! I too appreciated hearing about the Marriott as I am planning a 1st Big Island trip and we usually use Marriott points. We always want a great beach with gentle surf and I just snorkeled for the 1st time so we are looking forward to more of that. Is the beach there a safe swimming beach? Is it good for snorkeling?
Dec 8th, 2005, 05:05 AM
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Hi Mary,
The Marriott is on 'A' Bay which is a safe,sandy beach with very gentle waves even in winter. We've seen several turtles there and last year we saw plenty of fish too.
This year, although the turtles were still swimming around the water was pretty churned up even in the early morning so we didn't see many fish. I'm not sure why the water was murky but someone attributed it to the Kona winds....?
We went to several other beaches to swim/snorkel but by far the best was Kealakekua Bay.
We took the Fairwinds boat trip out of Keahou again this year. We love this trip and as it's difficult to reach the bay except by water and we didn't want to kayak it was a great option for us. It's like swimming in a crystal clear aquarium filled with fish!
The Marriott is on 'A' Bay which is a safe,sandy beach with very gentle waves even in winter. We've seen several turtles there and last year we saw plenty of fish too.
This year, although the turtles were still swimming around the water was pretty churned up even in the early morning so we didn't see many fish. I'm not sure why the water was murky but someone attributed it to the Kona winds....?
We went to several other beaches to swim/snorkel but by far the best was Kealakekua Bay.
We took the Fairwinds boat trip out of Keahou again this year. We love this trip and as it's difficult to reach the bay except by water and we didn't want to kayak it was a great option for us. It's like swimming in a crystal clear aquarium filled with fish!
Dec 8th, 2005, 06:18 PM
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Thanks highflyer! I am hoping for a short trip in March. I am really looking forward to it, we already love Oahu and Kauai and have talked to lots of folks who are crazy about the Big Island. I am sort of phobic and was always afraid to snorkle but my husband convinced me to try it when we were in Kauai in October. I am so glad, because I got a huge thrill seeing a sea turtle and quite a few fish the very first moment I stuck my head in the water. Now I can't wait to go again!
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