Oahu/BI/Kauai Trip Report-long long
May 5th, 2004, 03:44 PM
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Oahu/BI/Kauai Trip Report-long long
Day 1-Oahu
-Flew into Honolulu, got rental car and drove over to b&b.
We stayed at Santa's by the Sea on the North Shore in Haleiwa. This is a great place with a very nice host named Gary. The patio has a gazebo overlooking the sea and it is just a short flight of stairs down to the beach. A Santa theme throughout the place, but not overbearingly so.
Went to bed early due to time change and slept with the sound of the surf in the background.
Day 2
-Woke early and drove over to Hanauma Bay. We got there just after they were opening, and since the people running the cash registers had not opened the cash drawers yet, they told us just to go on in. It was calm where we snorkeled, but there were tremendous waves out at the bay mouth. We saw quite a few fish, but water conditions were a little cloudy. It wasn't too crowded with people because the main roads were closed for a marathon and people were having trouble getting out to the park(or so one of the park staff told us). We sat on the beach and watched the waves for a while and saw our first mongoose. We ate Maui Onion Burgers at the snack shop here. They were good but pricey.
After we left here, we drove around the island stopping at scenic overlooks, the Halona Blowhole, several beaches, and basically taking our time driving back to the North Shore. I did see an unusual sign for someone selling "Fresh Ukuleles" on the side of the road.
We had dinner in Haleiwa at a place called Halwiwa Joe's. Appetizers-coconut shrimp, grilled scallops Dinner-coconut Ono and grilled Marlin. The food was good, but the Ono was better than the Marlin. They did have the best lava flows we had the whole trip though.
Day 3
Woke early and drove out to the USS Arizona Memorial. We got tickets, spent a little time looking around the museum, and got the ferry out to the memorial. It was very nice out there, and one of the veterans was out on the memorial to answer any questions anyone might have had. We took the ferry back and got an egg salad sandwich and a turkey sandwich from the snack shop there for lunch. I was very pleasantly surprised as the sandwiches were very good and served on fresh croissants. We then took the self-guided tour of the USS Missouri. It was impressive itself.
From here went went down to Wakiki Beach. DH wanted to take surf lessons. We just went to one of the booths on the beach. They teach you the techniques of standing up on the board while you are still on the beach,(which was a little amusing to see for those of us who weren't doing it) and then take you out in the water to actually surf. DH did very well, standing up and riding his wave in the very first try. He did get tired out quickly though, from having to paddle back out to catch the next wave, and he stopped after several times. He was a little embarrased that his teacher was a woman, probably in her 60s, who does this all day and doesn't get tired.
After resting and people watching a while, we decided that we needed to go eat dinner at Duke's Canoe Club. We ate at the Barefoot Bar. GOOD Mai Tais. Appetizer-crab and mac nut wontons (YUM) Dinner-Ahi Fish Taco and Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwich. The food was very good, and they had two guys playing guitar and singing for entertainment. We did some shopping and headed back to the North Shore.
Day 4
Using the beach chairs provided by the b&b, we set up on the beach for the morning. Even though it was very late in the season, we were rewarded with the sight of some whales off shore. They were way off shore, but we used the binoculars, also provided by the b&
and our cameras, of course) We probably saw two or three groups of three or four whales. No big jumps, but blow spouts and flipper spashes and sights of their backs. We will have to go back and do a whale tour next time.
We drove back into Honolulu and did the Manoa Falls hike. It is definitely in a rainforest. The rain wasn't too bad to walk through, but the video camera did finally shut down due to excessive moisture, fortunately after we made it to see the falls. It wasn't a hard trial, and it was a pretty to get there as well as a beautiful fall.
We drove back to the North Shore and picked up dinner at a place recommended by our host, called A Taste of Paradise. My DH said the place reminded him of an old hippie bus with a delapidated greenhouse attached and some picnic tables. The food, however, was very good. We got some plate lunches and took them back to the room-grilled Ahi with salad and black beans and grilled Mahi Mahi with fried rice. It was almost too much to eat, especially since we got the mud pie too.
Day 5
We got up early to snorkel in Shark's Cove before we had to fly to the Big Island, but when we got there the tide was out and it was too shallow to snorkel. We still saw quite a few fish and sea urchins by wading in the shallows.
We packed up and flew into Kona on the Big Island. We rented a 4WD from Harper's Trucks because they let you go on Saddle Road. It is much more expensive, but we decided that we didn't want to take a chance with using a rental company that didn't let you on Saddle Road, as we were planning to go to the observatory. We drove around the island to Volcano to the Hale Ohia cottages. We stayed in the Ihilani Cottage. This place is about a mile from the entrance of the Volcanoes National Park. It was a very relaxing and quiet place. They provided fresh fruit and a different flavored nut bread each morning. Once we got settled in, we went to dinner at a place called JP's Cafe. DH had a hamburger with gravy and I had hamburger steak over rice. Nothing fancy, but good food. Back at the cottage, it was cool, so we built a fire in the fireplace before going to bed.
Day 6
We drove over to Hilo for our helicopter tour of the volcano. We arrived a little early so we drove down Banyan Drive and stopped by Rainbow Falls. It was a little cloudy that morning, so no rainbows for us, but it was beautiful anyway. We took the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour and it was very good. There was no red lava flowing at the time we were there, but we overflew the vent where it is coming from and got to see the glowing red vents there. You can buy the video of your flight for $20.
After the flight, we had the only food on the whole trip that wasn't really good. We ate at Cafe 100, in order to try out some of the local food. I had Loco Moco and DH had a hamburger with gravy. It would have been ok, but the hamburger patties reminded me more of "mystery meat" or soy burgers than hamburgers.
From here we visited the Boiling Pots, Pe'epe'e Falls, Akaka Falls, and Kahuna Falls. As we were leaving the area, we stopped at a local grocery store to get something to eat later since we were going up to the summit of Mauna Kea for the sunset. I got something called a Manapua. It was if they took some pork bar-b-q and put it in the middle of some raw bread dough and then baked it. It was a round loaf with the pork baked right in the center and it was sooooo good.
We drove up Saddle Road, which wasn't too bad and stopped at the visitor center(9600 feet) to get used to the altitude and to put on more layers of clothing. It is COLD up there. Then we drove up through the clouds to the summit (13,796 feet)and watched the sunset. It was spectacular. After it got dark, we went back down to the visitor center and looked through the telescopes they have set up there. We could see some constellations there that are not visible in our home town, like the Southern Cross. We also saw 9 shooting stars. (I wished for lava flows...at the volcano, and in my glass!!) Back to the cottage for a little sleep.
Day 7
We toured Volcanoes National Park. Steam vents, sulfer vents, several different craters, the rift zone, and devastaion trail were some of the many things we saw there. The different colors and shapes of the lava flows and the amount of lava that is everywhere is amazing.
Against the recommendations of the Blue Book, we did eat lunch at the Volcano House buffet and were pleasantly surprised that the food was good. The rain came up halfway through our meal, so the view was blocked, but we still enjoyed it.
After lunch, we did the Thurston Lava Tube and drove down the Chain of Craters Road. We saw the Sea Arch there and walked down to the end of the road where the lava had covered the road in past flows. We hiked out onto the lava for a little way. There was some lave coming from the volcano over the hill, but it was 5 or 6 miles away and you couldn't see any red glow. We did see all the steam rising up from it where the light rain was hitting the hot lava. A really big rain storm was coming up, so we decided it was time to go get some dinner and get out of the rain.
We went to the Kiawe Kitchen in Volcano and got dinner to take back to the b&b. Appetizers- roasted portabella mushrooms on toasted italian bread and crab salad stuffed artichoke Dinner - Fire roasted mushrooms and pepperoni brick-oven baked pizza. I prefer a thick crust on my pizza, but it was really good anyway.
Day 8
We set the alarm to get up at 3am in order to hike to an overlook of the vent to see the red glow. Oops, I didn't set the alarm right(subconscioulsy didn't want to get up, maybe?) but DH woke up at 4am anyway. So, up we get and hike in the dark with flashlights up this STEEP hill to the overlook. We got there just as the sun was rising, so we still didn't get to see the red glow, but we did see a beautiful sunrise. After the sun was up, we saw another thread of steaming lava going down the hill, but no red glow still.
Back to the cottage to check out and into the truck to drive back to the Kona side of the island.
We stopped at Punaluu Black sand beach and saw a sea turtle sunning itself there. We hung out there ourselves for a while.
We didn't get to stop and South Point or the Green Sand beach because we were running out of time and gas, and we had a dinner reservation in Kona. Oh well, something else for the next trip.
Dinner reservations were at the Four Seasons Resort for their Surf and Turf and Stargazing Buffet on the beach. There was live music and a hula dancer to entertain and more food than space here to describe. We stuffed ourselves till we could eat no more. I even left half a cookie....that tells you how stuffed we were!!!It was expensive(I think around $50 a person), but worth every penny. Watching the sunset on that great beach, eating all that excellent food was a great experience. We saw a few things through the telescope before it clouded up and we went back to the condo.
Day 9
The condo in Kona was the only one that disappointed me somewhat. We stayed at the Kona Magic Sands. The view was wonderful, with the waves crashing right under the lanai, but the owners of the unit we stayed in (Unit #202)had let it run down some. It needed a paint job and the cushions on the couch were torn and the washer in the unit didn't work. I don't know how the other units in the complex are, just that this one needed a little work. However, they did have snorkel equipment and beach towels and a boogie board available for our use.
We were going to do a whale watch tour this day, but the boat company didn't know if they would still be running this late in the season before we left home. The answer was...NOT. It turned out to be a good thing though. We had a whole day to rest and relax and enjoy the waves crashing outside our lanai.
We went to Huggo's on the Rocks for lunch. DH had fried Mahi Mahi and chips and I had the Mahi Mahi grilled with herb bread that was out of this world. Also, the ever present lava flows and mai tais. While we were there we saw a Kingfisher and a Seal right off the deck.
We spent the rest of the day at the condo and had dinner at Jameson's by the Sea in Kona. DH had grilled Ono sandwich with dill tarter sauce and I had Opakaka with hollendaise sauce. It was very good.
Day 10
We went down to Kahalulu Beach to do some snorkeling. We saw many, many sea turtles and actally swam with several. There were probably ten at one time in the surf when we counted. We also saw many more fish here than when we were at Hanauma Bay. After snorkeling for a while, and sitting on the beach for a while, we went to eat lunch at Oodles of Noodles. DH had Fettuccini Alfredo and I had the Meat Samin. Lots of garlic in the fetticcini and BIG bowl of Samin. The bowl was dinner plate size around and probably 4 inches deep, if not more. Very good.
We then drove to Hapuna Beach. It was a nice setting with soft sand. We sat and watched the waves and the sunset before going to dinner at the Beachcomber's in Kona.
DH had Crunchy Coconut Shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes and I had Macadamia nut crusted Ono over a peanut sauce. YUM YUM
Day 11
We drove up to Pololu Valley Lookout and did the short hike down to the black sand beach. It was a muddy, slippery, STEEP path. My bottom and the muddy path only met once. Thank goodness it is not a long path. It was worth it though. The black sand and the palm trees were a stunning sight. Driving back, we stoped at Anaehoomalu Bay to relax on the beach and watch the sunset. There were several outrigger canoe club groups out practicing that evening.
We had to stop and take a picture of the Donkey Crossing signs on the way back into Kona. That is not something you see around here.
We had dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company in Kona. It was and interesting experience. The food was good too. The appetizer was a hush puppies with pieces of shrimp, mahi mahi, and corn in them. Dinner was fried shrimp, fried pieces of mahi mahi, and pieces of fried lobster tail. These were served in a little metal bucket. If you wanted to get the servers attention, you put up a little sign that said "Stop, Forrest, Stop".
Day 12
We packed up and sat on the balcony to watch the waves until it was time to fly to Kauai. We stayed at the Wailua Bay View Condominums in Wailua. This was my favorite place of all, though I think DH liked Santa's by the Sea best. This place was very nice, with a great view of the bay and the beach right below our balcony. We went to a place across the street called The Whole Enchilada and got enchiladas and a stuffed burrito to bring back and eat on the balcony while the sun went down.
Day 13
We woke up and went on the balcony and saw a pod of dolphins swimming around the bay outside our room. There must have been at least 15 or 20 of them. We had to leave the dolphins playing and drive around theisland for our helicopter trip over Waimea Canyon. Our flight was delayed until later that morning, so we went and did a little sightseeing.
We saw the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge,the mouth of the Waimea River where it meets the ocean, and Salt Pond Park.
The helicopter trip through the canyon was breathtaking. We went with InterIsland Helicopter with no doors, so that we wouldn't have the reflections on the pictures. I ended up sitting in the front middle by the pilot....great view, but still window reflections in my pictures out the front. Halfway through the flight we landed in a wooded area, took a short tral to a lagoon with a waterfall in it and had a picnic lunch.(Sandwiches and chips) We swam in the pool (only briefly because it was COLD), and enjoyed the view. Unfortunately, no videos for sale on this flight.
After the flight, we drove up into the canyon and stopped at several overlooks. Beautiful. The greens of trees and the reds of the dirt were gorgeous.
We stopped at Jo-Jo's shave ice on the way back and had the mac nut ice cream on the bottom. I liked it, but it seemed like a snow cone to me. I don't know if I didn't get a good one, but.....
We went and saw the spouting horn and watched the sunset at Kukuilua Harbor. We drove back and had dinner at the Hula Girl Grill in the Coconut Marketplace in Wailua. They had a woman playing the guitar and singing and another woman doing hula for entertainment. We had onion soup, grilled Mahi Mahi with teriaki sauce and sauted Mahi Mahi with a white wine cream sauce. It was all very good. (The singer, however, was ok)
Day 14
Our boat tour of the Na Pali coast was cancelled due to the weather, so we drove up the coast to stop at a few beaches. The one lane bridges were interesting. We stopped at Ke'e and Tunnels, as well as the wet and dry caves. When we got to the Hanelei Valley Lookout, it was misty so the view wasn't too clear.
Lunch was at Bubba's Burgers. The burgers were ok, but the chili was great.
Back to the room to rest and relax and watch more turtles swimming around in the bay.
We went back to the Hula Girl Grill for dinner and tried the surf and turf combo. It was grilled skewers of Ahi and steak and was very good. They also had a different singer that night who was very, very good.
Day 15
Our flight back home wasn't until 8 pm, so we packed up everything in our trunk and checked out a last few things before we had to go home.
We saw the Opaekaa Falls and the Wailua Falls. We went to lunch at the Cafe Hanelei at the Princeville Resort. Shrimp Quesidillas and a Salad with grilled chicken. It was good, but not my favorite. However, the view was impressive. The bay on one side, Bali Hai on the other...it was quite a sight. The waves were very big that day and there were several surfers out in the bay.
After lunch we drove to the Kilauea Point Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. We happened to go on the 1st Saturday in May which is "lighthouse day". The only day of the year that you can get in free and take a tour of the lighthouse. It is also the only day of the year that they actually turn the lighthouse light on(there is now an automated beacon and the lighthouse is no longer in use) We were amazed at all the birds around..nene geese, frigate birds, red-footed boobies. The waves crashing on the surrounding cliffs were awesome too. We stayed as long as we could and wished we could stay longer. As it was, we got our rental car back only 15 min before it was due!! Unfortunately, we had to fly home.
I know this was a long report, but if anyone happens to have any questions, or would like more details, I will be happy to help.
-Flew into Honolulu, got rental car and drove over to b&b.
We stayed at Santa's by the Sea on the North Shore in Haleiwa. This is a great place with a very nice host named Gary. The patio has a gazebo overlooking the sea and it is just a short flight of stairs down to the beach. A Santa theme throughout the place, but not overbearingly so.
Went to bed early due to time change and slept with the sound of the surf in the background.
Day 2
-Woke early and drove over to Hanauma Bay. We got there just after they were opening, and since the people running the cash registers had not opened the cash drawers yet, they told us just to go on in. It was calm where we snorkeled, but there were tremendous waves out at the bay mouth. We saw quite a few fish, but water conditions were a little cloudy. It wasn't too crowded with people because the main roads were closed for a marathon and people were having trouble getting out to the park(or so one of the park staff told us). We sat on the beach and watched the waves for a while and saw our first mongoose. We ate Maui Onion Burgers at the snack shop here. They were good but pricey.
After we left here, we drove around the island stopping at scenic overlooks, the Halona Blowhole, several beaches, and basically taking our time driving back to the North Shore. I did see an unusual sign for someone selling "Fresh Ukuleles" on the side of the road.
We had dinner in Haleiwa at a place called Halwiwa Joe's. Appetizers-coconut shrimp, grilled scallops Dinner-coconut Ono and grilled Marlin. The food was good, but the Ono was better than the Marlin. They did have the best lava flows we had the whole trip though.
Day 3
Woke early and drove out to the USS Arizona Memorial. We got tickets, spent a little time looking around the museum, and got the ferry out to the memorial. It was very nice out there, and one of the veterans was out on the memorial to answer any questions anyone might have had. We took the ferry back and got an egg salad sandwich and a turkey sandwich from the snack shop there for lunch. I was very pleasantly surprised as the sandwiches were very good and served on fresh croissants. We then took the self-guided tour of the USS Missouri. It was impressive itself.
From here went went down to Wakiki Beach. DH wanted to take surf lessons. We just went to one of the booths on the beach. They teach you the techniques of standing up on the board while you are still on the beach,(which was a little amusing to see for those of us who weren't doing it) and then take you out in the water to actually surf. DH did very well, standing up and riding his wave in the very first try. He did get tired out quickly though, from having to paddle back out to catch the next wave, and he stopped after several times. He was a little embarrased that his teacher was a woman, probably in her 60s, who does this all day and doesn't get tired.
After resting and people watching a while, we decided that we needed to go eat dinner at Duke's Canoe Club. We ate at the Barefoot Bar. GOOD Mai Tais. Appetizer-crab and mac nut wontons (YUM) Dinner-Ahi Fish Taco and Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwich. The food was very good, and they had two guys playing guitar and singing for entertainment. We did some shopping and headed back to the North Shore.
Day 4
Using the beach chairs provided by the b&b, we set up on the beach for the morning. Even though it was very late in the season, we were rewarded with the sight of some whales off shore. They were way off shore, but we used the binoculars, also provided by the b&
and our cameras, of course) We probably saw two or three groups of three or four whales. No big jumps, but blow spouts and flipper spashes and sights of their backs. We will have to go back and do a whale tour next time.We drove back into Honolulu and did the Manoa Falls hike. It is definitely in a rainforest. The rain wasn't too bad to walk through, but the video camera did finally shut down due to excessive moisture, fortunately after we made it to see the falls. It wasn't a hard trial, and it was a pretty to get there as well as a beautiful fall.
We drove back to the North Shore and picked up dinner at a place recommended by our host, called A Taste of Paradise. My DH said the place reminded him of an old hippie bus with a delapidated greenhouse attached and some picnic tables. The food, however, was very good. We got some plate lunches and took them back to the room-grilled Ahi with salad and black beans and grilled Mahi Mahi with fried rice. It was almost too much to eat, especially since we got the mud pie too.
Day 5
We got up early to snorkel in Shark's Cove before we had to fly to the Big Island, but when we got there the tide was out and it was too shallow to snorkel. We still saw quite a few fish and sea urchins by wading in the shallows.
We packed up and flew into Kona on the Big Island. We rented a 4WD from Harper's Trucks because they let you go on Saddle Road. It is much more expensive, but we decided that we didn't want to take a chance with using a rental company that didn't let you on Saddle Road, as we were planning to go to the observatory. We drove around the island to Volcano to the Hale Ohia cottages. We stayed in the Ihilani Cottage. This place is about a mile from the entrance of the Volcanoes National Park. It was a very relaxing and quiet place. They provided fresh fruit and a different flavored nut bread each morning. Once we got settled in, we went to dinner at a place called JP's Cafe. DH had a hamburger with gravy and I had hamburger steak over rice. Nothing fancy, but good food. Back at the cottage, it was cool, so we built a fire in the fireplace before going to bed.
Day 6
We drove over to Hilo for our helicopter tour of the volcano. We arrived a little early so we drove down Banyan Drive and stopped by Rainbow Falls. It was a little cloudy that morning, so no rainbows for us, but it was beautiful anyway. We took the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour and it was very good. There was no red lava flowing at the time we were there, but we overflew the vent where it is coming from and got to see the glowing red vents there. You can buy the video of your flight for $20.
After the flight, we had the only food on the whole trip that wasn't really good. We ate at Cafe 100, in order to try out some of the local food. I had Loco Moco and DH had a hamburger with gravy. It would have been ok, but the hamburger patties reminded me more of "mystery meat" or soy burgers than hamburgers.
From here we visited the Boiling Pots, Pe'epe'e Falls, Akaka Falls, and Kahuna Falls. As we were leaving the area, we stopped at a local grocery store to get something to eat later since we were going up to the summit of Mauna Kea for the sunset. I got something called a Manapua. It was if they took some pork bar-b-q and put it in the middle of some raw bread dough and then baked it. It was a round loaf with the pork baked right in the center and it was sooooo good.
We drove up Saddle Road, which wasn't too bad and stopped at the visitor center(9600 feet) to get used to the altitude and to put on more layers of clothing. It is COLD up there. Then we drove up through the clouds to the summit (13,796 feet)and watched the sunset. It was spectacular. After it got dark, we went back down to the visitor center and looked through the telescopes they have set up there. We could see some constellations there that are not visible in our home town, like the Southern Cross. We also saw 9 shooting stars. (I wished for lava flows...at the volcano, and in my glass!!) Back to the cottage for a little sleep.
Day 7
We toured Volcanoes National Park. Steam vents, sulfer vents, several different craters, the rift zone, and devastaion trail were some of the many things we saw there. The different colors and shapes of the lava flows and the amount of lava that is everywhere is amazing.
Against the recommendations of the Blue Book, we did eat lunch at the Volcano House buffet and were pleasantly surprised that the food was good. The rain came up halfway through our meal, so the view was blocked, but we still enjoyed it.
After lunch, we did the Thurston Lava Tube and drove down the Chain of Craters Road. We saw the Sea Arch there and walked down to the end of the road where the lava had covered the road in past flows. We hiked out onto the lava for a little way. There was some lave coming from the volcano over the hill, but it was 5 or 6 miles away and you couldn't see any red glow. We did see all the steam rising up from it where the light rain was hitting the hot lava. A really big rain storm was coming up, so we decided it was time to go get some dinner and get out of the rain.
We went to the Kiawe Kitchen in Volcano and got dinner to take back to the b&b. Appetizers- roasted portabella mushrooms on toasted italian bread and crab salad stuffed artichoke Dinner - Fire roasted mushrooms and pepperoni brick-oven baked pizza. I prefer a thick crust on my pizza, but it was really good anyway.
Day 8
We set the alarm to get up at 3am in order to hike to an overlook of the vent to see the red glow. Oops, I didn't set the alarm right(subconscioulsy didn't want to get up, maybe?) but DH woke up at 4am anyway. So, up we get and hike in the dark with flashlights up this STEEP hill to the overlook. We got there just as the sun was rising, so we still didn't get to see the red glow, but we did see a beautiful sunrise. After the sun was up, we saw another thread of steaming lava going down the hill, but no red glow still.
Back to the cottage to check out and into the truck to drive back to the Kona side of the island.
We stopped at Punaluu Black sand beach and saw a sea turtle sunning itself there. We hung out there ourselves for a while.
We didn't get to stop and South Point or the Green Sand beach because we were running out of time and gas, and we had a dinner reservation in Kona. Oh well, something else for the next trip.
Dinner reservations were at the Four Seasons Resort for their Surf and Turf and Stargazing Buffet on the beach. There was live music and a hula dancer to entertain and more food than space here to describe. We stuffed ourselves till we could eat no more. I even left half a cookie....that tells you how stuffed we were!!!It was expensive(I think around $50 a person), but worth every penny. Watching the sunset on that great beach, eating all that excellent food was a great experience. We saw a few things through the telescope before it clouded up and we went back to the condo.
Day 9
The condo in Kona was the only one that disappointed me somewhat. We stayed at the Kona Magic Sands. The view was wonderful, with the waves crashing right under the lanai, but the owners of the unit we stayed in (Unit #202)had let it run down some. It needed a paint job and the cushions on the couch were torn and the washer in the unit didn't work. I don't know how the other units in the complex are, just that this one needed a little work. However, they did have snorkel equipment and beach towels and a boogie board available for our use.
We were going to do a whale watch tour this day, but the boat company didn't know if they would still be running this late in the season before we left home. The answer was...NOT. It turned out to be a good thing though. We had a whole day to rest and relax and enjoy the waves crashing outside our lanai.
We went to Huggo's on the Rocks for lunch. DH had fried Mahi Mahi and chips and I had the Mahi Mahi grilled with herb bread that was out of this world. Also, the ever present lava flows and mai tais. While we were there we saw a Kingfisher and a Seal right off the deck.
We spent the rest of the day at the condo and had dinner at Jameson's by the Sea in Kona. DH had grilled Ono sandwich with dill tarter sauce and I had Opakaka with hollendaise sauce. It was very good.
Day 10
We went down to Kahalulu Beach to do some snorkeling. We saw many, many sea turtles and actally swam with several. There were probably ten at one time in the surf when we counted. We also saw many more fish here than when we were at Hanauma Bay. After snorkeling for a while, and sitting on the beach for a while, we went to eat lunch at Oodles of Noodles. DH had Fettuccini Alfredo and I had the Meat Samin. Lots of garlic in the fetticcini and BIG bowl of Samin. The bowl was dinner plate size around and probably 4 inches deep, if not more. Very good.
We then drove to Hapuna Beach. It was a nice setting with soft sand. We sat and watched the waves and the sunset before going to dinner at the Beachcomber's in Kona.
DH had Crunchy Coconut Shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes and I had Macadamia nut crusted Ono over a peanut sauce. YUM YUM
Day 11
We drove up to Pololu Valley Lookout and did the short hike down to the black sand beach. It was a muddy, slippery, STEEP path. My bottom and the muddy path only met once. Thank goodness it is not a long path. It was worth it though. The black sand and the palm trees were a stunning sight. Driving back, we stoped at Anaehoomalu Bay to relax on the beach and watch the sunset. There were several outrigger canoe club groups out practicing that evening.
We had to stop and take a picture of the Donkey Crossing signs on the way back into Kona. That is not something you see around here.
We had dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company in Kona. It was and interesting experience. The food was good too. The appetizer was a hush puppies with pieces of shrimp, mahi mahi, and corn in them. Dinner was fried shrimp, fried pieces of mahi mahi, and pieces of fried lobster tail. These were served in a little metal bucket. If you wanted to get the servers attention, you put up a little sign that said "Stop, Forrest, Stop".
Day 12
We packed up and sat on the balcony to watch the waves until it was time to fly to Kauai. We stayed at the Wailua Bay View Condominums in Wailua. This was my favorite place of all, though I think DH liked Santa's by the Sea best. This place was very nice, with a great view of the bay and the beach right below our balcony. We went to a place across the street called The Whole Enchilada and got enchiladas and a stuffed burrito to bring back and eat on the balcony while the sun went down.
Day 13
We woke up and went on the balcony and saw a pod of dolphins swimming around the bay outside our room. There must have been at least 15 or 20 of them. We had to leave the dolphins playing and drive around theisland for our helicopter trip over Waimea Canyon. Our flight was delayed until later that morning, so we went and did a little sightseeing.
We saw the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge,the mouth of the Waimea River where it meets the ocean, and Salt Pond Park.
The helicopter trip through the canyon was breathtaking. We went with InterIsland Helicopter with no doors, so that we wouldn't have the reflections on the pictures. I ended up sitting in the front middle by the pilot....great view, but still window reflections in my pictures out the front. Halfway through the flight we landed in a wooded area, took a short tral to a lagoon with a waterfall in it and had a picnic lunch.(Sandwiches and chips) We swam in the pool (only briefly because it was COLD), and enjoyed the view. Unfortunately, no videos for sale on this flight.
After the flight, we drove up into the canyon and stopped at several overlooks. Beautiful. The greens of trees and the reds of the dirt were gorgeous.
We stopped at Jo-Jo's shave ice on the way back and had the mac nut ice cream on the bottom. I liked it, but it seemed like a snow cone to me. I don't know if I didn't get a good one, but.....
We went and saw the spouting horn and watched the sunset at Kukuilua Harbor. We drove back and had dinner at the Hula Girl Grill in the Coconut Marketplace in Wailua. They had a woman playing the guitar and singing and another woman doing hula for entertainment. We had onion soup, grilled Mahi Mahi with teriaki sauce and sauted Mahi Mahi with a white wine cream sauce. It was all very good. (The singer, however, was ok)
Day 14
Our boat tour of the Na Pali coast was cancelled due to the weather, so we drove up the coast to stop at a few beaches. The one lane bridges were interesting. We stopped at Ke'e and Tunnels, as well as the wet and dry caves. When we got to the Hanelei Valley Lookout, it was misty so the view wasn't too clear.
Lunch was at Bubba's Burgers. The burgers were ok, but the chili was great.
Back to the room to rest and relax and watch more turtles swimming around in the bay.
We went back to the Hula Girl Grill for dinner and tried the surf and turf combo. It was grilled skewers of Ahi and steak and was very good. They also had a different singer that night who was very, very good.
Day 15
Our flight back home wasn't until 8 pm, so we packed up everything in our trunk and checked out a last few things before we had to go home.
We saw the Opaekaa Falls and the Wailua Falls. We went to lunch at the Cafe Hanelei at the Princeville Resort. Shrimp Quesidillas and a Salad with grilled chicken. It was good, but not my favorite. However, the view was impressive. The bay on one side, Bali Hai on the other...it was quite a sight. The waves were very big that day and there were several surfers out in the bay.
After lunch we drove to the Kilauea Point Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. We happened to go on the 1st Saturday in May which is "lighthouse day". The only day of the year that you can get in free and take a tour of the lighthouse. It is also the only day of the year that they actually turn the lighthouse light on(there is now an automated beacon and the lighthouse is no longer in use) We were amazed at all the birds around..nene geese, frigate birds, red-footed boobies. The waves crashing on the surrounding cliffs were awesome too. We stayed as long as we could and wished we could stay longer. As it was, we got our rental car back only 15 min before it was due!! Unfortunately, we had to fly home.
I know this was a long report, but if anyone happens to have any questions, or would like more details, I will be happy to help.
May 7th, 2004, 04:04 PM
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Hello
SOunds like you had a wonderful trip. May I ask of the restaurants you ate at, which were the best for the price. We are going and bringing the kids need good food at great prices.
Thanks again
SOunds like you had a wonderful trip. May I ask of the restaurants you ate at, which were the best for the price. We are going and bringing the kids need good food at great prices.
Thanks again
May 7th, 2004, 05:56 PM
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Momof5
The following prices are before tip. Some (probably most) of the restaurants have a lava flow and a mai tai included in the price!!
Jameson's By the Sea - $115
Duke's Barefoot Bar - $55
Huggo's on the Rocks - $45
Oodles of Noodles - $28
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co - $65
Four Seasons Resort - $150
Hanelei Café - $45
Haleiwa Joe's - $90
Kiawe Kitchen - $40
Beachcomber's - $75
Volcano House buffet - $28
Hanauma Bay Snack Shop - $20
A Taste of Paradise - $20
JP's Café - $16
Café 100 - $8
Hula Girl Grill - $60
The Whole Enchilada - $15
Bubba's Burgers - $15
My favorite places were Duke's Barefoot Bar, Huggo's on the Rocks, and Oodles of Noodles for lunch. My favorite places for dinner were the Hula Girl Grill(on the night with the good singer) and Jameson's by the Sea. The best places for kids would probably be Bubba Gumps, A Taste of Paradise, and JP's Café. If you happen to be in Kapaa on Tuesday, the Whole Enchilada had kids 12 and under eating free. Bubba's Burgers does have a web site and you can check it out at www.bubbaburger.com. The burgers are served with a ketchup based relish with onions that I don't know if your kids would like. However, they do have other things, we just didn't try them.
We actually did do McDonald's a couple of times when we were just driving through, so that is always an option too.
The following prices are before tip. Some (probably most) of the restaurants have a lava flow and a mai tai included in the price!!
Jameson's By the Sea - $115
Duke's Barefoot Bar - $55
Huggo's on the Rocks - $45
Oodles of Noodles - $28
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co - $65
Four Seasons Resort - $150
Hanelei Café - $45
Haleiwa Joe's - $90
Kiawe Kitchen - $40
Beachcomber's - $75
Volcano House buffet - $28
Hanauma Bay Snack Shop - $20
A Taste of Paradise - $20
JP's Café - $16
Café 100 - $8
Hula Girl Grill - $60
The Whole Enchilada - $15
Bubba's Burgers - $15
My favorite places were Duke's Barefoot Bar, Huggo's on the Rocks, and Oodles of Noodles for lunch. My favorite places for dinner were the Hula Girl Grill(on the night with the good singer) and Jameson's by the Sea. The best places for kids would probably be Bubba Gumps, A Taste of Paradise, and JP's Café. If you happen to be in Kapaa on Tuesday, the Whole Enchilada had kids 12 and under eating free. Bubba's Burgers does have a web site and you can check it out at www.bubbaburger.com. The burgers are served with a ketchup based relish with onions that I don't know if your kids would like. However, they do have other things, we just didn't try them.
We actually did do McDonald's a couple of times when we were just driving through, so that is always an option too.
May 8th, 2004, 01:52 AM
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Momof5: Here are a few more suggestions for your family:
Basil's (in Kailua): $15/person. Italian fare. Try the cheese ravs with meat sauce. Very ono.
Rocky's (in Keauhou): $15/person. Italian fare. Not quite as good as Basil's but still a decent family meal.
Kona Inn (Kailua): $25-$30/person. Stunning oceanside setting. Very tropical feeling. Try their Thai-Curry-Lemongrass soup.. If you like sweet-hot, this stuff is beyond amazing.
Outback Steakhouse (Kailua): $20-$30/person. Same as other Outbacks in the chain, one of the best bets for a consistently good steak in town.
Paniolo Country Inn (Waimea): $10/person for breakfast. If you're staying in Waikoloa it's worth the drive to Waimea. Good food, lots of it, and very inexpensive. Modeled on older classic American coffee shops of the 1960's and 70's.
Basil's (in Kailua): $15/person. Italian fare. Try the cheese ravs with meat sauce. Very ono.
Rocky's (in Keauhou): $15/person. Italian fare. Not quite as good as Basil's but still a decent family meal.
Kona Inn (Kailua): $25-$30/person. Stunning oceanside setting. Very tropical feeling. Try their Thai-Curry-Lemongrass soup.. If you like sweet-hot, this stuff is beyond amazing.
Outback Steakhouse (Kailua): $20-$30/person. Same as other Outbacks in the chain, one of the best bets for a consistently good steak in town.
Paniolo Country Inn (Waimea): $10/person for breakfast. If you're staying in Waikoloa it's worth the drive to Waimea. Good food, lots of it, and very inexpensive. Modeled on older classic American coffee shops of the 1960's and 70's.
May 8th, 2004, 12:32 PM
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ANTS430, enjoyed reading your trip report, loved the details. How great that you were to take a long trip and see 3 islands. Big Island and Kauai are next on my wishlist. What would you say is the minimum amount of days one should allow for a trip to the Big Island if they want time for exploring Volcano park, visit the Observatory, maybe see a waterfall or 2 and designate a few days for relaxing and snorkel/water activities?
May 8th, 2004, 03:51 PM
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ggrtist:
Yes, we were lucky to be able to take a long trip. This was our 10 year wedding anniversary and we decided to do it up right!!
In my opinion, you need at least one day to do the Hilo area and the waterfalls around there, and that evening for the observatory. It does make for one very long day though.
I wish we had more time for the Volcanoes National Park, but that also will depend on what you like to do. I would have liked to hike some of the many trails in the area. I would say at least two full days to explore everything on Crater Rim Drive and the Chain of Craters Road, (especially if the weather doesn't permit you to see the lava clearly on one day), and then extra days for any longer hikes you would like to do in the area.
I know that many people on this site say that you only need one day to drive around and see everything, but we did like to get out and spend some time at most of the different places that we stopped.
We enjoyed looking at the different lava shapes and colors in the flows.
Two or three days on the "sunny" Kona side of the island will give you some time for snorkeling and beach relaxing time. We tended to snorkel or do the active stuff in the morning and then spend the afternoon and evening relaxing.
I am sure that however long you are lucky enough to visit, you will find many things to do.
Yes, we were lucky to be able to take a long trip. This was our 10 year wedding anniversary and we decided to do it up right!!
In my opinion, you need at least one day to do the Hilo area and the waterfalls around there, and that evening for the observatory. It does make for one very long day though.
I wish we had more time for the Volcanoes National Park, but that also will depend on what you like to do. I would have liked to hike some of the many trails in the area. I would say at least two full days to explore everything on Crater Rim Drive and the Chain of Craters Road, (especially if the weather doesn't permit you to see the lava clearly on one day), and then extra days for any longer hikes you would like to do in the area.
I know that many people on this site say that you only need one day to drive around and see everything, but we did like to get out and spend some time at most of the different places that we stopped.
We enjoyed looking at the different lava shapes and colors in the flows.
Two or three days on the "sunny" Kona side of the island will give you some time for snorkeling and beach relaxing time. We tended to snorkel or do the active stuff in the morning and then spend the afternoon and evening relaxing.
I am sure that however long you are lucky enough to visit, you will find many things to do.
May 9th, 2004, 08:13 AM
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ANTS430 -
I'm afraid I've been guilty of that myself in the past. I've never had the good fortune to be traveling with people who like to hike as much as I do. I'll bet you can really spend some time exploring that place if you have an adventurous spirit and some good shoes! Mahalo.
I'm afraid I've been guilty of that myself in the past. I've never had the good fortune to be traveling with people who like to hike as much as I do. I'll bet you can really spend some time exploring that place if you have an adventurous spirit and some good shoes! Mahalo.
Aug 16th, 2004, 12:56 PM
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Can you let me know a little more about Santa's by the Sea. My boyfriend and I are heading to Hawaii in February 2005. I am looking for someplace to stay for 4 nights of our stay on the North Shore. I have seen this B&B in several place. I would love to hear your thoughts. Is there a better location than this to be in that area. We will already be in Waikiki for 5 nights. Thanks!
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