Hawaii 2008.

HAWAII 2008

Normally we use Lonely Planet guides (or Rough Guide) as our main guide, but many people had raved about the “Revealed” series of books for Hawaii by Andrew Doughty.

Since we weren’t concerned about accommodations or walking maps so much we smartly took this advice and bought the books for each island.  They really are the best guides for the islands.  They’re very detailed, but unfortunately they don’t make one comprehensive guide for the whole state.  Normally we would not have considered a cruise for a trip to a place like Hawaii, but when we started to think of the hassle of checking luggage and going through security in order to fly from island to island it just started to make a lot of sense (and with food being a bit expensive in Hawaii it was nice to just have it included).  Had we just waited a year to go the prices went down about 40-50% (our $1,200 inside cabin in 2008 goes for about $800 in 2009).  Born on December 7, I had always wanted to be in Hawaii on Pearl Harbor Day, and since we had exactly the right number of frequent flyer miles to cash in it was the perfect time (the miles were a great value from the East Coast).

All over Hawaii there are lots of freebie books, mostly advertising but a few okay coupons, decent maps, and good ideas for what to do.  (titles such as Maui God, 101 Things To Do in Kaui, etc)

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For advice on how to book a budget trip to Hawaii, please see the very bottom of this trip report.

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27 November 2008

Thanksgiving Day spent flying (no turkey meal on Continental).  $15 round/trip shuttle (or $9 one way – too slow and too crowded, but economical, but for a party of more than 2 it would be best to just take a taxi) to the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Honolulu.  While the hotel is not right on Waikiki Beach, it is just across the street, and the Sheraton Waikiki sister property has its own beach.

The weather is just perfect, and we arrived in the evening in time to sit on our private balcony overlooking the pool area and enjoy the live music (which changes nightly).  We walked around to the little tourist shops to buy some water and garlic-flavored macadamia nuts.

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28 November

Downside to our hotel is that there aren’t enough elevators for a high rise when the hotel is busy, and we often have to wait quite a while to get upstairs.  Lots of teens from a marching band from Wyoming in town for a Thanksgiving parade, but at least they were polite.

We walked to a local tourist office that advertised in many of the freebie coupon/guide books available on every street corner.  The catch to the low advertised prices is that they do not include a 4.7% sales tax and a 4% “service charge” plus 3% if you want to pay by credit card.  Using another coupon we walked over to “Smorgy’s” on Kuhio Blvd. for an $8.95 breakfast buffet – the usual suspects though the fruit looked a bit like grocery store rejects.

We set up our LL Bean sun shade tent and relaxed and swam and read most of the day.  There are lots of small shops that rent boogie boards or inflatable rafts for the day.  We took a long walk to the Hilton Hawaii Village to catch their “free” Polynesian show.  25 years ago when my wife had stayed in this hotel it was entirely free, but now the choice seats go for a price, and if you don’t get there far in advance you won’t get a spot where you can see much.  It was so incredibly boring with a long winded play about Kamehameha that it was just as well that we left anyhow, happy not to have paid the $20 for a ringside seat.

Splurged on dinner buffet at the hotel so we could relax and watch the poolside show, which was mostly hula students.  I wondered if Hawaiian women originally went topless until a foreign influence made them strap on coconuts.

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29 November

At the wise suggestion of the “Oahu Revealed” book we had breakfast at Duke’s Restaurant, right “on the sand on Waikiki Beach.”  At $14.95 a great value and a big step up from Smorgy’s.  Beautiful view of the beach and good food – papaya, omelette station, etc.

I took the shuttle to Pearl Harbor, and the tour guide Zach said that tourism has been battered by the economic downturn though Pearl Harbor seemed rather crowded.  There were survivors around to tell their stories.  Since Annabella had been here before she read her books poolside at the hotel and walked around the area, stopping at Puka Dog for a $6.50 hot dog with banana and mango relish and a papaya smoothie for $3.75 from a stall in the food court at the International Marketplace.  Puka means “hole” (remember puka shells?), and they spear the Hawaiian bread roll on  spike to make a hole for the sausage.

In the evening we called upon Zach (a real character who had played in the heavy metal band “Angel”) to drive us down to the pier to catch our cruise.  We boarded Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Pride of America,” and headed for dinner.  We sat next to an older couple, Tilda and Hans, a couple of square dancers from British Columbia.  We’ll be dining alone the rest of the cruise.

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30 November

Morning docking in Maui.  Slow breakfast and a decision to have the breakfast buffet on the upper deck from now on.  Happy that we rented the Bio Beetle so that we could just walk over to our car and not have to wait for a shuttle bus (though a few rentals were close to the pier).  We paid $55/day, a little more than a compact rental but an experience to drive both a bug and a biodiesel car (it did NOT smell like french fries).

Everyone said not to miss the “Road to Hana,” so we set off.  It’s VERY twisty-turny.  Stopped at the stand the “Revealed” book said has great banana bread, but it was $5 and a bigger piece than we wanted so we opted for $5 glass of cane sugar juice, squeezed in front of our eyes.  It was obviously very sweet and tasty, but it probably added to the car sickness that was to follow.

Probably the best recommendation in all the Revealed books was for Ching’s Pond, along the road.  Crazy locals jump from the top to a small spot between the rocks that is just deep enough so that you don’t kill yourself.  The water was quite cold, and there were some mosquitoes, but it was still great.  Overall the waterfalls and scenery along the way are not all that exciting.

We stopped for mahi mahi tacos with a sweet garlic pepper sauce, $6 for a large one.  We were quickly regretful that we didn’t buy chicken from Eric’s bbq because he gave us a sample, and it was moist and delicious.  The adjacent farm stand had giant avocados for $1, noni juice, coconut candy, and other things. Everyone was very friendly.

We continued along to Hana and the black rock beach at Waianapanapa State Park.  Saw Germans taking black rocks – we only wish we were there to see the God Pele smite them later!  The rocks make a terrific sound when the water goes back in.  We walked through a lava tube to take some pictures, but the surf came up a bit strong and took us by surprise.  There’s also a blow hole that mesmerizes.  In another part of the park were some caves where crazy college kids from the mainland were jumping into the cold water, far too dangerously close to the rocks (especially considering their blood alcohol levels).  We were obviously cramping their style.

We were so ill from the drive when we arrived in Hana town that we just turned back and stopped at a few lookouts along the way that had been too crowded earlier.  On the ship we went to an Eagles Tribute concert with our on-board entertainers for the week, the one hit wonder RCA recording artist Toby Beau.  Corny, but pretty good, and would have been better without the dumb cruiseheads who wouldn’t shut up and yelled “When Hell Freezes Over!” when Toby asked what their top album ever was. Er, ever heard of “Hotel California” you numbnuts?

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1 December

Gas prices have decreased since we booked our BioBug, but diesel prices didn’t so we ended up losing out.  Based on one of the freebie books we picked up at the pier we decided to go on the Reef Dancer.  We took the hour long $33 tour http://www.mauiglassbottomboat.com/

It’s a bit of a tourist trap, and surely Atlantis submarine is better (but more than double the price).  The rudest service worker in the state of Hawaii answers the phones and hands out the tickets, but the people on board were nice.  The  boat has some divers who round up fish and urchins with some food – we even saw a baby octopus that latched itself onto the diver’s mask.

We wandered around the town of Lahaina for a while.  We’d arrived early enough to easily find free parking near the pier.  The Visitor Center is in an old jail that has an art gallery in the old cells.  The friendly folks there gave us a historic map of the town.  Since we can’t let a thrift shop go unvisited, we stopped at the Salvation Army on our way out of town.  There was a good selection of Aloha Wear, and we bought two boogies boards for $5 each, the same cost as renting them for a day.  The best thing about the shop, though, was the recommendation for lunch from the guy who worked there.

The best lunch we had in Hawaii was at Aloha Mixed Plate.  Very good prices, great service, local food, tasty chiecken, beef teriyaki and mahi mahi plate and a lomi lomi (taro leaf), coconut pudding, pork plate.  The passion fruit smoothie was too watery.  Stopped at a Safeway across the street for water and macadamia nuts.

Frustrating search for the road to Kaanapali Beach  (lots of construction, misleading signs).  The benefit of the bad economy was finding a free parking spot, probably murder when things are good.  Boogies boards weren’t much fun because the surf was pretty weak.  Back to the ship to attend the White Hot Lava dance party.

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2 December

Morning arrival in Hilo, on the Big Island, and a shuttle bus to the airport to get our car (booked through the cruise ship for $35/day).  We had planned to visit thermal pools but due to the high surf on the North Shore we decided against it and instead headed straight to Volcanoes National Park.  The volcanoes have been very active, so Crater Rim Drive had been closed off for more than 6 months, therefore closing off much of the park.  We drove to the steam vents and for our first glimpse of the large crater of Kilauea with its rising smoke.  The Jagger Museum has great views of the crater and some interesting interpretive exhibits.

Drove to the Thurston Lava Tube, which you walk to through a rain forest type of ecosystem.  It was taller and wider than expected.  Near the park (down Highway 11, past the park) we stopped at Volcano Winery.  They told us they had laid off a lot of people due to so few visitors now and the fact that they do not distribute their wines to the mainland (making them entirely dependent on on-site sales to tourists, though we note from their website that they now ship!).  We tasted each wine (2 dry, the rest sweet).  We like the macadamia nut honey wine, which is technically a mead made from the flower blossom rather than the nut, but we bought the less sweet guava wine and some honey. We also stopped at a coffee place, but it was very expensive and not too friendly.

The Mauna Loa Factory, where 65% of the world’s macadamias are processed, has self-guided tours where you look through windows and watch a video explaining what is happening on the factory floor.  On the drive up from the road we saw workers in hard hats picking nuts from the ground, which it turns out is the only way they are harvested (they are never picked from the tree).  They are also the toughest nut to crack, requiring 100 lbs of pressure.  No wonder they’re so expensive!  At the suggestion of “Revealed” we got cheap gas at Costco before returning the car.

A big highlight of the cruise is the evening sail past the volcano – it’s orange and smokey and just beautiful, with a star-filled sky, too.  Less exciting but still okay is the Toby Beau Beatles tribute concert.

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3 December

We knew from reviews that Kona was a tender port and a bit far from the airport and car rentals, so this was the one place we opted for a shore excursion with the ship.  Researching options on our own showed that there was only about a $7 price difference per person anyway, so it was easier just to go through NCL.

 

We took the morning Body Glove Snorkel trip. ($89 per person).  It included an okay continental breakfast, including good papaya, on their nice catamaran.  The staff was really friendly and helpful with the snorkeling equipment.  We lowered into the water on ladders very easily.  We were in a protected cove area, but there were quite a lot of surges.

There was a decent variety of fish and coral, and I saw an eel close to the reef.  They have fresh water showers on board, and the deli lunch was pretty good (though the water tasted terrible).  We saw a lot of dolphins, too, jumping up from the water.  Evening on the ship we took a ballroom dancing lesson with Dianne and then went dancing to the Big Band orchestra.

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4 December

Short ride to the airport in Kauai to get the rental car for a beach day.  We started at Poipu Beach (Lawai)  for snorkeling as recommended in the Revealed guide.  Went to Boss Frogs for the $1.99 snorkel rental advertised in one of the coupon books, but of course it was a bait and switch, and I ended up paying $10 (a little extra for prescription goggles – Annabella had her own equipment purchased over the summer at a yard sale).

Getting in and out of the water is a bit scary because of lots of rocky areas and waves, but once in the water it was well worth it.  Luckily we arrived early ahead of the Snuba people and other snorkelers, and we had the water mostly to ourselves.  Saw lots of yardstick fish, puffer, bright blue, and cool little ones that look like they have tail lights.  We stayed out a long time and were happy to be away from the main hub of Poipu.  Food options were pretty bad, so we just grabbed small snack from McDonalds and ate our oranges, eggs and trail mix packed up from the ship.

Headed to Hanapepe Beach, stopping at an area before the state beach where there were only 6 other people on the whole beach.  We set up our LL Bean sunshade, supplemented with our UV Blocker umbrella, and stayed all afternoon.  The water was arm and calm, and we had a terrific afternoon.  Even as we packed up before sunset there were only about 8 people there.  Despite being very tired we found enough energy to hit the country line dancing night on the ship.  Enjoyed chatting with a very drunk couple honeymooning from Mexico (the man was about 20 yrs older than the woman but equally wasted).

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5 December

Second day in Kauai, and since the ship docks for just a ½ day we just took a free shuttle bus over to Kalapaki Beach, actually walking distance from the ship once you realize the way.  There are a few shops and a large Hilton there.  It’s a decent beach with a medium sized crowd, but we walked to the far end and for early swimming had the water almost to ourselves.  There are fresh water showers, but there are lots of cigarette butts where the sand meets the grass (which was the only shady area).  We went back to the ship for lunch and for trivia contests (we won both, really annoying the obnoxious older couple from NYC).

A highlight of the entire trip was sailing past the gorgeous Na’apali Coast, which can only be seen by boat.  It was too hazy to take pictures, but it was stunning.

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6 December

Disembarked leisurely and took a cab to the Sheraton Waikiki.  The cabbie charged us extra for each bag, including our little day packs, plus charged for each boogie board and keep the meter running while he was parked.  Then he looked surprise when we handed him exact change down to the last nickel without so much as a penny as a tip.  Rip me off buddy, and your tip goes down the drain!

Service at the Sheraton is excellent, and even at 10 am they gave us our room as well as a 4 pm checkout for the following.  Our room that had been $439/night when the economy was better when we booked the trip ended up costing $199 for an oceanfront room with a great view of Waikiki, the pool, and Diamond Head from a good-sized balcony.  We sat by the pool until lunch and went to Me’s Bar-B-Que, a dinky cash only Korean place on a small side street (151 Uluniu Ave., near the corner with Kuhio) for some decent bibimbap and some tasty, though slimy, seaweed soup (the place is known for its breakfast, and others swear by its spam and eggs).  Grabbed an Oreo milkshake at the Coconut Café next door.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on the hotel’s private beach.  Jack hammering from the Royal Hawaiian construction wasn’t the best, but later the live music from Duke’s took over, which was a pleasant touch as we swam until sunset.  The tide is very low, and as far out as you can walk you’re still barely waist deep.  It’s best to wear water shoes because there are lots of rocks.

Tried to go to the recommended Legends Chinese, but it seems to no longer be there.  We walked a little and found a no name Japanese stand, where we tried octopus balls and yaki udon – great noodles but really not too keen on the bbq sauce and mayo on the egg.  How are these Japanese people so thin?  A Japanese lady told us these are common street snacks that people eat all the time.  We were still hungry so went to International Marketplace to hear a live show in the food court while eating a Tiki burger and a papaya smoothie.  We caught the end of the free hula show from our hotel balcony, including a few Christmas hulas.

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7 December

Pearl Harbor Day and my 40^th birthday!  Woke up for a sunrise swim with the tide at an ideal depth, overcast but still warm with intermittent sun and just a few waves and not a lot of people.  Went to breakfast at a place on the corner of Seaside and Kuhio, a coupon book place with a $3.75 bacon and eggs and pancakes deal, but we upgraded to a coconut pancake special with home fries.  We opted against the 2 for 1 OJ because it looked watery at the neighboring table.  The service was funny but good.

We walked to the U.S. Army Museum and talked to a Vet (probably Vietnam, a French man named Pierre Martin, born in Bruyeres, Alsace in 1948 who wrote a big book on Bruyeres during WWII, which is a sister city to Honolulu).  The museum is small but excellent and focuses on the military history of Hawaii.  Just the night before on the news we had seen the museum on TV because of its exhibit on General Shinseke (a Japanese-American Hawaiian), who had just been appointed as Secretary of Veteran Affairs.

We rested at the hotel and enjoyed our last balcony views before going to Yummy Korean BBQ at the shopping center across from the hotel before heading to the airport for our flight home.

Planning a Budget Trip to Hawaii

The economy is terrible, and Hawaii depends heavily on tourism, so Hawaii’s economy is terrible.  This means there are great deals to be found.  If you have some flexibility on the travel dates and are able to travel last minute, there are round trip fares from the West Coast for less than $300 per person.  Hotels are a bit desperate as well, so last minute bookings through any of the major travel sites/hotel reservations will find rates at good quality hotels for around $100/night.

 The thing with Hawaii is that there are many hotels and condo rentals at a good value (in the $100/night range).  But most of these accommodations will lack many amenities.  They are likely to have a pool or even be located directly on the beach, but that might be about the extent of what they have to offer.  To book yourself in a hotel with organized activities or other extras, you’re going to start looking more around the $300/night range.  Some hotels offer meal and activity packages that have attractive pricing, but Hawaii isn’t like Mexico or the Caribbean where all-inclusive deals are easy to find.  A helpful article on this subject:  http://travelwithkids.about.com/od/hawaii/p/hawaiiallinc.htm

 If you cannot wait until the last minute, your best bet might be to try to find an air/hotel/car package deal through a site like Expedia, Orbitz or Travelzoo.  I’d also highly recommend visiting http://www.budgettravel.com/, Frommer’s budget website and online version of their Budget Travel magazine (which may have some Hawaii deals in its latest issue).  The website will post good package deals regularly.  The day I looked OHANA hotels were offering a night in Honolulu for $159 per night including breakfast and dinner for two.  Another source for package deals is directly with the airlines.  American Airlines vacation department, for example, often will have one or two hotels offering terrific deals that can save you 30% or more than booking all the components separately.  The Entertainment Book has a 10% off coupon for AA Vacations – the coupon alone will more than make up for the $25 cost of the book itself. 

Hawaii gets expensive – food, gasoline, and many of the attractions are considerably higher than on the mainline.  It’s tempting to take glass bottom boat rides and dolphin swims, but even the simplest 60 minute activity will start out at $50.  Make good use of the ubiquitous coupon booklets you’ll find all over the place, but caveat emptor and double check the fine print.

One alternative that few people consider, which is what we did, is to take the Norwegian Cruise Line’s cruise around the islands.  Read all about our cruise experience in our trip report– we couldn’t recommend more highly this efficient, and even cost effective, way to see most of the islands in one stress-free trip.  Prices have dropped precipitously (the inside cabin we paid $1250 for in 2008 now goes for $800 per person).  NCL is giving away onboard credits and upgrades like Halloween candy, and now cruising can be even cheaper than a land vacation.  Consider that all your food is included, and the wide variety of entertainment (something for every age, including a kids’ club that gives parents time alone together while their children are in the safety of the ship’s staff – really, where can they go aboard a ship in the middle of the water?).