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Two weeks in Hawaii -- highlights and pictures

Two weeks in Hawaii -- highlights and pictures

Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 07:19 AM
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Two weeks in Hawaii -- highlights and pictures

Hi all,

I just returned Friday from two weeks in Hawaii. I want to thank everyone who has posted information about their trips, as well as those lucky residents who take the time to help out us visitors. There is a wealth of information here, so I thought I'd add to it.

Just a bit of context to start, because this was not the typical Hawaiian vacation. I traveled with my mother (age 70). This was her third trip to the islands, and my fourth. She has wanted to return to Hawaii for some time, with the primary intent of sightseeing and scenic drives. She was not interested in lounging all day at the beach/pool, snorkeling or major hikes, so I just took notes for my family's future trips. She has been on a tour before but didn't want to go that route again; rather, she wanted to take an independent trip that provided more flexibility and the opportunity to see more things than a typical tour would. Therefore, I planned this with her budget, tastes, and preferences in mind.

The pace of our trip is NOT what I would recommend for most people. Nevertheless, I hope some of the information, reviews, observations, etc., will be helpful to others.

Planning

In addition to all the helpful input from this board, I relied heavily on tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews and the Wizard Publications books and the DK Hawaii guide for driving/sightseeing ideas. One of my other favorite planning resources is the series of "Three Perfect Days" articles from United's Hemispheres magazine. There are previously published articles for the Big Island and Honolulu on the hemispheresmagazine.com website, and I pulled a number of ideas from these as well.

Logistics

We flew from Phoenix to Maui and returned from Honolulu (both via LAX) on United for $520. I probably could have done a little better, pricewise, but this gave me the opportunity to use some of my many Mileage Plus miles for upgrades on the outbound flight. I can't think of too many better uses for 15,000 miles than a domestic upgrade for a nearly-six-hour flight.

I booked interisland airfare with Aloha Airlines several months in advance. This included three interisland segments (most of which involved a connection through Honolulu) for a total of $250 per person. I booked all early morning flights so that we would have at least a half day at our destination. Everything went like clockwork. No delays, missed flights or lost baggage. I'm impressed by how quickly Aloha turns its flights. And how they provide beverages on flights of just 20 minutes.

I was not spending my own money here, so I made hotel choices based on mom's preferences and budgetary comfort level -- so, no luxury hotels. I chose not to use Priceline or Hotwire to book hotels so that I had some flexibility to change plans if necessary, but I did look to see what comparable rooms were going for. My goal was to stay under $200 (before taxes) per night, which I did -- about $175. Because we were on the go most of the time and were not staying more than a few days in some places, I chose mostly hotels over condos.

I used rentalcodes.com to find car deals on Maui and Hawaii through something called Vacation Outlet. For example, with the included coupon, National's weekly rate for a midsized car on Maui was about $175, including all taxes.

I generally planned on one substantial meal for lunch and cocktails/pupus for the evenings.

First stop: Maui (next post)
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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 07:41 AM
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Maui:

Hotel -- Outrigger/Marriott Wailea Resort. I've stayed at the Kea Lani before and love this area and the walking path. I really wanted to return to Wailea, but at a reasonable cost (this is high season, and rooms at the Kea Lani and others were going for $350 and up per night). I booked a Marriott Rewards special at $199 per night for a garden view room and got everything I requested: non-smoking, two beds, and a high floor. From our lanai, we could see a little bit of everything: up Haleakala (on a clear day), down to the Four Seasons, and some ocean including Koho'olawe and Molokini, as well as the hotel lobby and part of the driveway. It wasn't the stunning kind of view that made me want to hang out on my lanai, and if I were to do it over I would probably dig a little deeper and get an ocean view or ocean front room. The room was standard but spacious and included amenities such as robes and a refrigerator. All in all, we had no complaints with this hotel. The sprawling grounds made it feel less crowded than some of the other hotels, and I like the relaxed atmosphere. The pools are not fancy but nice enough and didn't seem as crowded as those at some other hotels. There are two nice bar/lounge areas with great views. We had appetizers several times, but otherwise did not try the hotel's restaurants. I would absolutely stay here again, with the one caveat being a conflicting desire to stay up at Napili Bay where we honeymooned 15 years ago. One other thing, since it has been asked here: there is construction next door. We were situated away from it, but you could hear the noise every day but Sunday. Not a big deal for us, because we were usually away from the hotel during the day, but I would not want to be in one of the rooms right near the site.

Food

Feast at Lele. I don't often drop $100 per person on a meal, and I'm not sure my mother ever has, so I was a little hesitant to book this, particularly given that she doesn't like much seafood. I wanted something that was "in the spirit," and since we've both been to luaus before I wanted it to be at the high-end of the quality range. Good call. We both liked it a lot. I booked about a month in advance, and we ended up with a table in the front row, right next to the stage (seating is based on when you book). The food and entertainment were excellent. This had a much different feel than a luau. The only issue was that we were there on a very windy and somewhat cool evening. You can't do much about the weather, so we just had to be tolerant of the small projectiles falling from the palm trees and the fact that food didn't stay warm for too long.

Kula Lodge. We stopped here for lunch on our way down from Haleakala. The food was excellent, but the view was even better. I'd recommend this for breakfast, lunch or early dinner when you can absorb the great view. We arrived just before they opened for lunch, enabling us to get a table right at the window.

Highlights

Road to Hana/Ohe'o Gulch. This was my third time making this drive. I can say that the suggestions in Maui Revealed makes it much more interesting. We left Wailea about 6:30am to beat the traffic, and that worked out pretty well. We ordered a very nice picnic lunch packed in a cooler from the Marriott, and had lunch on the cliffs at Ohe'o Gulch. On this trip we went as far as Ho'omau Church and Lindburgh's grave then returned the way we came, arriving back in Wailea around 4pm.

Day trip to Molokai. I booked the ferry/drive package in advance with Maui/Molokai Princess. There is a 15% AAA discount available on this trip. The car was a bit worn, but it served its purpose. We drove out to Halawa Beach and back with a few stops, then up to the Kalaupapa Lookout. The weather at the lookout was bad -- rainy and so foggy, you couldn't see a thing. I felt bad for those who had opted for hiking or mule rides (the weather on the rest of the island was clear for the most part, and sunny at some points). With some extra time, we also drove out to the west to Mauna Loa and the Sheraton, which would be my pick if I choose to stay on Molokai in the future. This island definitely has a different feel, with no huge resorts and no traffic. The ferry trip doubled as a whale watching tour. At one point, the captain had to stop the boat for a couple of whales about 100 feet off the front. But one interesting note: we happened to do this on a very windy day and it was quite a rough ride. Only a few people got sick, but it was interesting watching everyone try to get up to the breakfast buffet bar. To give you an idea of how bad it was, one of the catamarans going to Lanai that day capsized, and the 10 poor people aboard spent three hours soaked and huddling on the underside of the boat before they were rescued.

Drive up to Haleakala. I've done this before, but I forgot what a beautiful drive it is with the changes in scenery. We didn't do the sunrise or sunset, but we did have the benefit of a beautiful, clear day with just a few clouds drifting into the crater. I would have liked to have done some hiking but will have to wait until next time. If you are going up and down in the morning, be prepared to work around many groups of bikes on their way down.

Warren & Annabelles. This was a fun show, and very unique. I pre-booked this, as is required, and had planned to spend the rest of the day up in Lahaina and Ka'anapali. However, those plans changed, and we ended up making a special trip up to Lahaina just for the show. Traffic was bad, and I wouldn't recommend driving from Wailea to Lahaina just for the evening. I booked the show only and we arrived well after the 5:00 opening. Some people arrived as late as 6:15.

Wailea walking path. I just can't get enough of wandering between the resorts here. Good shopping, restaurants and scenery -- all without the hassle of driving/parking. I did think the beaches looked a little smaller than when I last visited 10 years ago.

Lowlight

Traffic and parking. The highways to Lahaina and Kuhului can get very congested at peak times. Parking in Lahaina is difficult. There are some pay lots, but even these can fill up.

Other

If you take a lot of pictures, like I do, there are Ritz camera stores around, including one in the Shops at Wailea. I filled up one of my CF cards in the first five days there. I took it to Ritz, and in less than an hour I had all the pictures transferred to a CD-ROM for $7, enabling me to clear the card and start over.

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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 07:54 AM
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Second stop: the Big Island

Hotel -- Kileaua Lodge, Volcano Village. We spent one night here. This is a charming place with nice rooms and great food. The rate for our room was $135, which included breakfast. We had one of the more basic rooms, but it was comfortable and nicely decorated. Some of the better rooms have fireplaces. The hotel is only about 30 minutes from Hilo, so it is convenient for sightseeing in that area as well as around Volcano National Park. The only drawback was no TV (this was right as the Madrid terrorist attacks happened, so we were anxious to hear some news). Highly recommended!

Hotel -- Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort. We spent our other nights on the Big Island here and used it as a base for exploring the west and north parts of the island. Mom had fond memories of Kailua-Kona, thus my decision to base here rather than on the Kohala Coast -- well, that and the generally lower cost. The hotel seems to be upgrading. The rooms are fairly basic, but generally comfortable. I noticed some rooms undergoing renovation. Our bathroom could have used a bit of work, but overall it was fine. The setting was very scenic, and there are some historical sites on the property. The pool is small but wasn't crowded. Breakfast was good. I paid $150 per night for a partial ocean view room with breakfast. We were able to leave the window open at night and hear the waves. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Overall, I thought it was reasonable and a good choice for the area. The downside is that traffic in the Kailua-Kona and South Kona areas can be bad, to put it mildly, and we weren't wild about the area in general. Mom was disappointed in the town, based on her previous memories. Nothing against this hotel, but next time I will stay further north at Waikoloa or one of the other Kohala resorts.

Food:

Bamboo, in Hawi. Good lunch.

Kileaua Lodge. Known for its food as much for its lodging, the Kileaua Lodge was great. It has more of a mountain lodge feel than a tropical beach feel. We had dinner there after exploring Volcano National Park. The ahi was excellent. Portions are large, and include soup, salad and bread. Breakfast was the best on the trip. The french toast is to die for -- three different types of specialty breads, with coconut syrup.

Highlights

Volcano National Park. Again, this was my third visit, but following the suggestions in The Big Island Revealed makes it much more interesting. Unfortunately, seeing the active lava flows requires either a helicopter ride or a very long hike, so we settled for a few steam vents. The lava tube was interesting.

Volcano Winery. This was an interesting little diversion for about 30 minutes. It isn't often that you get to try things like honey macadamia nut wine (actually, it has won awards; I brought some home as a dessert wine).

Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. South of Kona, this is a former place of refuge. The setting is beautiful, and the self-guided tour is interesting.

North Kohala drive. We spent a day driving through Waimea, up the Kohala Mountain Road (which, interestingly, was washed out in a major rainstorm the day after), out to the Polulu Valley lookout and beach, through Hawi and then down the coast by Lapakahi State Park and past all the Kohala resorts. This was a very scenic drive. We only went part way down the trail to Polulu beach, but the views were quite nice. Hawi was a nice stop for lunch and shopping. We stopped at a few of the Kohala resorts and thought the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel looked especially nice.

Lowlights

We ended up skipping some planned things around Hilo (Akaka Falls, Onomea Bay, etc.) because we were strongly warned by National not to park and leave luggage in the trunk. The agent said they had experienced recent break-in incidents in such areas.

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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 08:07 AM
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Next stop: Kauai

Hotel -- Best Western Plantation Hale. Because we didn't have a lot of time on Kauai and wanted easy access to all parts of the island, I chose to stay in the Kapa'a area. This is a timeshare property (we avoided the pitch) and the rooms are one-bedroom suites. It is not on the beach, but that wasn't important for this trip. It was relaxed and quiet. Best of all was the price: $125 per night for the room and a mid-sized car from Hertz (through Expedia). No real complaints about this property; it satisfied our requirements for this trip, and I knew exactly what I was getting. When I return with my husband and daughter (hopefully sooner rather than later), we will want to stay at a beach property, but I will have trouble choosing between Poipu Beach area and the north shore. The Princeville Hotel was gorgeous, but I may have to win the lottery first!

Food:

Duane's, in Anahola. Great burgers, especially the ones with avocado.

Keoki's Paradise, in Poipu Beach. Fun atmosphere (except for the rooster camped out at my feet looking for handouts) and pretty good food.

Shave ice at JoJo's in Waimea. Try the tropical rainbow on mac nut ice cream.

Highlights

Limahuli Gardens. We wanted to visit Allerton Gardens, but its hours didn't really fit with our schedule. Instead, we took the self-guided tour at Limahuli Gardens -- also part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It is a beautiful setting on the north shore, near the end of the road. Of note is the terrace system built by ancient Hawaiians.

Driving the north shore. We took our time and made number of stops, from Kileaua Lighthouse all the way out to Ha'ena Beach. However, the parking lots at Ke'e Beach at the end of the road were jammed.

Drive up Waimea Canyon and to the Kalalau Valley lookout. The road to the Pu'u O Kila lookout was closed and the two-mile roundtrip hike was a bit too much, but the view from this point was also spectacular. We left early and beat a lot of the traffic up the canyon. However, it seemed like I was shooting into the sun and that photographic conditions might be better in the afternoon??

Wailua Falls. Worth the detour.

Lowlights

Traffic, again, particularly through Lihue in the early evening. Kauai Revealed discusses a bypass; I should have looked into it.

Biggest Surprise (what I didn't remember from my last trip to Kauai 20 years ago)

Chickens running rampant all over the island. I hadn't even made it out of the airport before I nearly ran over a bunch of chicks trying to follow mom across the street. And no need for an alarm clock here: the resident rooster will take care of that (at 3:30am, just to make sure you're up on time). On our drive up Waimea Canyon, we pulled into one overlook with a lone car whose occupants were out hiking; there were about a dozen chickens surrounding the car, waiting...
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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 08:18 AM
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Last stop: Oahu

Hotel -- Waikiki Parc Hotel. We spent our last few days in Waikiki before returning home, and this was a great choice for us. I reserved a deluxe ocean view room for $220 per night, including a very good breakfast buffet. The rooms are small, but that was fine for a few days. The hotel is smaller than some of its neighbors and only has about 12-15 rooms per floor, so it has a much quieter feel in the public areas. It is a sister to the Halekulani, so we had signing privileges there (but we could not use the Halekulani's pool). The Parc does have a small, quiet pool on the eighth floor. We were very happy staying here, and I would certainly do so again.

Food:

Café Hale'iwa, in Hale'iwa. Good stop for breakfast/lunch on a drive around the island.

House Without a Key, at the Halekulani in Waikiki. We liked this so much we went there two nights in a row. We sat in the open terrace, near the musicians, and had drinks and pupus. The best mai-tais on the trip.

Highlights

Drive along the north and east shores. Very scenic and not a huge amount of traffic, at least when we went.

Sitting on our balcony at the Waikiki Parc.

Wandering through the Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider. If you are interested in a brief history lesson on Waikiki, the Moana Surfrider offers a free tour -- I don't know if it is every day, but there were two times on the day we happened to be there.

Foster Botanical Garden. If you are into trees, there is a very interesting collection in this once-private garden that was started over 150 years ago. It is right on the fringe of Chinatown and could be combined with a walk through that area.

Note: we've both been to the Arizona Memorial on previous trips, so we skipped it this time. It is a must-do, and I will definitely go when I take my daughter to Hawaii.

Lowlight:

Trying to drive into Waikiki and read the map at the same time. There are a number of streets that named after former rulers that start with K and have multiple syllables. If you aren't careful, you can end up on the wrong one. I would recommend reading the map and writing down the specific streets and turns before making the drive.

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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 08:29 AM
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Sorry for the long length. I hope this is helpful to future visitors, and I'm happy to try to answer any questions.

I've also posted some pictures at our Webshots site, and will add more as I get a chance:

http://community.webshots.com/user/go_family



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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 08:56 AM
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Aloha ms,

Wonderful report!

Thanks for sharing all the details... good and bad.

I'm leaving in 2 days for O'ahu, and your report has been a preview of heaven.

Mahalo.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 09:27 AM
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Aloha again, ms,

Just had a chance to enjoy your photos... WOW!

They're beautiful... I've been to the places you shot, except Molokai, and now you've really given me the inspiration to explore there as well.

Mahalo, again, for a well written report & lovely photos.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 11:08 AM
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Your pics are fantastic. I'm drooling and ready to plan a trip!

What kind of camera did you use?
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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 01:41 PM
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Thanks, makai1 and elburr.

I used a Canon A80. It's actually a brand new camera and this is my first trip with it. I haven't had time to master the manual settings yet, so this was pretty much a point-and-shoot trip.

Hope you have a great time on your trip, makai1. We had terrific weather for the most part. It was 16 this morning in Chicago, so of course I'm ready to turn around a go back.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2004, 04:27 PM
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Hey ms,

We're flying out of good ole' ORD ourselves... coming from Antioch.

Mahalo... I'm now counting the hours!
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Old Mar 25th, 2004, 07:20 AM
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Hi Ms go:

Great report! We are traveling to Maui in October and this forum has been fantastic with all the help. Your pictures are wonderful. Makes me want to leave right now!
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