Has anyone stayed at this resort lately and how did you like it.
We own next door at Maui Kamaole. Maui Hill is built up a steep hill -- quite a walk to either Kamaole III Beach Park (north) or Keawakapu beach (south). That wouldn%26#39;t bother me, as I would be driving to try several of the nice beaches to the south anyway.
It%26#39;s an older property, but has some very nicely refurbished units.
Did you look it up on www.wizardpub.com?
we are going to Oahu in February. we REALLY want to go on a Whale watching tour. We have done it while on Maui in the past but never in Oahu. ANyone have any suggestions to a good company to go to? is the whale watching any good around Oahu in Feb? any info very much appreciated!! We will be a party of 6, including two children ages 7 and 11. thanks.
Maui and Big Island are the best.....however some whales do pass by Oahu.... dont expect what you saw before... No suggestions
Check out hawaiifun.org and click on whale watching on Oahu.
Also on Oahu check Star Cruises...they have several boats of various sizes and prices.
You will see plenty of whales off Oahu, so don%26#39;t worry. It%26#39;s not like Maui but we have our share.
Seems like the most are seen between Maui %26amp; Lana%26#39;i in the Auau Channel. Sorry, not sure of any companies from Oahu. We saw the best show off coast of Maui. Pod of 4 doing full breaches. It was great.
Star of Honolulu is one of the better whale watching cruises on Oahu. Probably 50% chance of seeing whales.
Don%26#39;t know if I would pay for a whale watching cruise on Oahu for a party of six just for a chance to see whales.
You are probably just as likely to see whales from the Makapuu Lighthouse trail. Bring binoculars.
is there a website that lists the dates for the brunch on the beach in kapiolani park?
The calender for the brunch and other Waikiki events, put on by the Waikiki Improvement Association, can be found at:
http://waikikiimprovement.com/eventspage.html
A great site to thoroughly check-out for any Waikiki visitor.
However, the brunches are presently on-hold awaiting new corporate sponsorship. Unfortunately, belts are being tightened during the current tourism slump and they are having a hard time maintaining funding for some of the special events.
Seems they should be doing the exact opposite...
thanks for the fast reply, i%26#39;ll check the website for some other events.
They have not had Brunch on the Beach for a year or two.
They are looking for sponsors, but it was actually replaced by an annual event, Waikiki By Midnight.
I don%26#39;t think there will be any more Brunch on the Beach.
We had a blast! It was me (pzp) %26amp; DH, kalapakidooley %26amp; DW, beckster94 %26amp; friend, 3chihuahuas %26amp; DH, jebett, hula4me, 1delphi %26amp; DH and jpwhite %26amp; DW. We took over one of the small pavilions at Lydgate Park. Everyone brought their own main dish, but most had also brought things to share - hummus, popcorn shrimp, lomi salmon, fruit, lilicoi chiffon pie (!) and homemade chocolate chip/coconut cookie bars (yummm!).
The BYOpicnic format seems to work well. People brought huli chicken, fried chicken, salads, subs - anything easy and readily available.
Mahalo nui to all who attended. Here%26#39;s hoping we can continue this format with other visitors and residents.
Glad everyone had a great time. I missed it all by just a few days, having returned home earlier this week.
Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!
Glad that you all had such a good time - while I wasn%26#39;t able to make it over there - I was thinking of you all!
Food sounds really ono!
Malama Pono,
Janet
There were chocolate chip coconut bars? Oh shoot! I missed them.
Was fun to put a face to the name. What a gorgeous day we had too. I wish I could explain how beautiful the weather was. It just reminds me what a special place this is.
Mahalo for the get together.
No worries, jebett. I ate one for you.
Yes, mahalo to our organizers and to everyone for making time for our picnic. It was such fun. Loved the lilikoi pie!
Pictures. We want pictures.
Wish we were there! These picnic always happen just before or just after we%26#39;re there, too. Maybe we%26#39;ll make it to one in 2009 (Feb. 23-March 7)?!
Jebett...I have some chocolate chip coconut cookies left if you are in the Lihue area this weekend!
It was a great get together. Can%26#39;t wait to do it again in April when we are back.
It sounds wonderful! Glad you all had a great time. If I had known about the lilikoi chiffon pie, I%26#39;d have been there!
What a nice tradition for everyone.
The only disappointment is I guess pzp couldn%26#39;t get Caddy to show up in his pink speedo. I was so looking forward to a good laugh.
I hope someone who took the group shot knows how to download it onto TA. It was such a beautiful day.
The choices are overwhelming
I am looking for a house/web site to find a house
on the big island during easter week
Criteria: sleeps 10(4 to 5 bedroom) oceanfront, near town, non smoking, pool would be great
Any ideas?
hardly overwhelming......just a very few that meet this.
You want ';Kona Bay Estates';, ocean front...small beach, no swiming but all have pools, and you can walk to town. 24 hr security, manned gate ( folks like Paul Allen Sly Stallone have houses there.) Budget about 1500 to 2000 a day and a 400-500 cleaning fee. for 4 to 5 bed places
Search ';kona bay estates or Luxury Kona Homes
I used to manage and oversee homes their....but dont anymore.
?Aloha! I expect you will be able to find what you are looking for. We always rent privately, and while we do not need anything near the size you are looking for, I am sure I have seen homes like that when I have been browsing.
I would start with vrbo dot com (vacation rental by owner). It is the most popular website for private rentals.
trust me...you wont find the type of home/quality from a private party (VRBO)...
You are talking homes in the 4 to 8 million range. People with that sort of investment go with licenced/bonded/insured/ professionals to manage their property, and maintain it.... they dont do discount..do it yourself economy stuff....
Its your vacation however....if you have a problem, and they are common, who is going to be there at 2 am to fix it ????? Not an owner 6000 miles away..
Remember, '; a fool and his money are soon parted';
http://www.thedolphinhouse.com/poolarea.htm
www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p166216
vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/鈥ona-bay-estates
I%26#39;d besSURE there was an onsite mamager.
In about a month I will be stopping for over 6 hours in Honolulu and I would like some advice. My idea would be to find a hotel that would allow me and my wife to use their shower and restaurant possibly by the beach in Waikiki so that we don%26#39;t have to stand at the airport for so many hours. I will be very grateful for any suggestion. Thank you
Best Western Plaza Hotel 808-836-3636
Outrigger Ohana Honolulu Airport Hotel 808-836-0661
Both are less than 2 miles away. I have no personal experience with either one so I can%26#39;t give you any details.
Six hours doesn%26#39;t really give you enough time to get to Waikiki and back, much less to have dinner there. Traffic can be quite bad; it might take you 30 minutes just to get there. Say 1 hour round trip, plus an hour minimum for dinner, plus however much time it took you to get to the hotel, shower and get back wouldn%26#39;t get you back to the airport in time. You might be able to do one or the other, but Waikiki is still iffy, especially if you%26#39;re outbound international.
You could possibly take a taxi to the Fort de Russey part of Waikiki beach. The beach there has one area wtih public restrooms, outdoor showers, snack stand, picnic tables.
I do not think a 6-hour layover is enough time to go to Waikiki, get a hotel room (which you would have to pay 1-night%26#39;s cost to get), take a shower, and have dinner, and make it back to the airport in time for your next flight.
Aloha,
Yeah, 6 hours is too tight, couldn%26#39;t do both. If you chose to do Waikiki only - no shower then you would feel rushed and what would you do with your luggage? As luring as Waikiki can be, I would just get the hotel near the airport and relax.
It sounds like you would like a break between long flights.
Six hours isn%26#39;t long when you consider security ... customs? Immigration? I%26#39;m guessing here. It takes a good 30 or 40 minutes to get to Waikiki -- depending on the time of day.
Hmm ... what time of day will you be arriving?
I usually suggest a meal at the Aloha Tower. It%26#39;s a good place to walk around and stretch your legs.
But remember -- you%26#39;ll need to be back at the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight. Perhaps a little less if your bags are checked and you have your boarding passes.
.
Hi People,
I have no advice to offer on this one but I would like to raise the Question about why the Air
Ports do not have a shower facility available which in my case for example in the waiting game
of a transfer to Maui from Sydney and thanks
to my travel Agency I had to wait 5 hours to even be
on the plane to Maui after arriving in Honolulu 9.30
a.m.This would definitely catch on if initiated as a
financial venture. My Space cadet friend suggests that a ';Shawshank Redemption'; style hose down etc
for say $5 would really rejuvenate the cardio system.
In reality there could be an attendant based
operation put into place or a time/money mechanism
installed. Who knows?? All the best from NoelinOZ
No need to fret...there are several options.
Most convenient: there are shower stalls at the Admiral Club Lounge (American Airlines and shared with Qantas) at Ewa Concourse Level 3 above Gate 26. You can gain complimentary access with an American Express Platinum Card (affiliated plat credit cards DON%26#39;T apply) OR pay for a $50 one-day pass.
www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do鈥?/a>
No food for purchase though in the lounge, but there are OK dining options in the HNL airport and you can stroll around the nearby, tranquil Japanese garden within the airport.
You should also inquire with your particular airline if they have a club lounge or can access a partner airline%26#39;s club lounge (Star Alliance, One World, SkyTeam) that has shower facilities. Although I doubt most do at HNL.
Another convenient and cheap option:
Within 2 miles of the airport is the Nimitz Shower Tree mini hotel where you can freshen up; located at 3085 N Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu. No website but phone is (808) 833-1411. You can pay low rates (~$10) for shower only or $40+ for room. Don%26#39;t expect much though. You can even access it by taking the Alamo rental car shuttle to their rental location (3055 Nimitz) and walk to the Shower Tree.
Ohana Airport Hotel and Best Western are also near the airport but expect normal hotel rates.
Relaxing Waikiki Option:
As for going to Waikiki if you%26#39;re still interested, I%26#39;d opt for a day spa or a resort spa rather than a hotel room. You can make use of full shower facilities and be treated to a massage/relaxing treatment if you so wish. And some spas have dining options under a spa menu. Just leave the baggage (if any) with the bell desk and just lug a change of clothes and necessities in with your carry-on. With 6 hours layover, I think you%26#39;d have enough time in a spa to shower and freshen up rather than checking in/out of a hotel.
You might wish to look into day spas closer to the airport, away from Waikiki, if you%26#39;re really concerned about time.
noelinoz - I have seen shower facilities in a few airports (Frankfort, Amsterdam for example) but I am not sure they are viable in Honolulu. I have a feeling there is not all that many long layovers and yours (5 hours) seems odd. There are flights to Maui about hourly. Who did you get booked with? The showers work in the two airports I mentioned because they are connection destinations like from the US to Frankfort to Moscow with a layover in between. Hawii is more of a final destination with a short island hop maybe.
.
Hi B/Bill,
The situation was booked a few years ago and I
was on Air Canada to Honolulu and Aloha to Maui.
Last year I did 2 trips and went All HAWAIIAN
The 452 flights arrived at 10.40am precisely on
time.The 164 flight to Maui departed @ 1.30pm
and that is the best so far.
A few weeks ago I decided to go to Waikiki at
about 1pm,paid Escape for the tickets and full
insurance cover for the round trip and was at the
Mascot Airport at 6,20pm having a meal Before the
long check in queue which we all Enjoy..
I could not book a room on short notice but I
went around to the Hawaii Prince for the 4th time
and they found a nice room on the 23rd floor for
my tired aching bones.This was my 8th trip to
Hawaii and the last one?? Good luck...NoelinOz
There is no doubt about it. HNL could use a good airport hotel. And it could use showers, more shopping, food services and a better transport service between terminals. (That being said, I%26#39;m willing to tough it out!)
If you are connecting to a neighbor island flight on Hawaiian or another local airline, you can check if you can get on an earlier flight for a change fee.
I like the SPA idea, although you need to figure out if 6 hours is enough time to get through airport (immigration as needed), travel to and from Waikiki (figure 1 hour round trip outside the rush hour time periods), have nice relaxing spa treatments, then go through airport security again (which could be anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours pre flight depending on destination.)
Im really not the type to have a set schedule, I like to do things as I go. Do you think we would have trouble booking with lets say trilogy or paragon for one of the sailing/snorkling trips when we are in Maui? Or is it a good idea to do it beforehand?
You might consider doing a search on this topic as it has been discussed countless times.
Having said that, My general rule of thumb is, If I ABSOLUTELY am going to do the activity, I book ahead. Otherwise, wait till you arrive.
the more advanced notice you can give the better the price. On line -direct best.
You never know what else is going on that can crowd out an activity. Large groups, families ... don%26#39;t count on availability. If you really want to go, then book it.
If it is the kind of activity that you will go home feeling gyped and disappointed if you can%26#39;t get a reservation, then by all means book it in advance.
Book the two or three things that are absolute ';must haves'; for you and fill in the rest of your daily agenda as the vacation develops and the mood allows.
I would book things in advance, even if it%26#39;s not your ';style';... you know you won%26#39;t miss anything! Also, I think another reader posted, you can get a discount on most/many activities on the island if you book on-line/ahead of time!
Book in advance. Most places have a 48 hour cancel policy. If your plans or the westher changes, you should be able to re-book.
