Well, here's another travelogue:
The Missus and I just got back from Hawaii a couple of days ago, and now that we're recuperated from the jet lag, here's the details:
Day 1 Oct 26th
We flew Hawaiian airlines for all of our travel and I have to say that everything was pretty nice. Our flight from the mainland was on a huge plane with plenty of room. Beverage service included Trader Vic's Mai Tais --pre-mixed cocktails in a bottle, like TV Mai Tai mix, but with the rum included. The airline provides pineapple and orange juice for mixing, but if you want a real Mai Tai, just drink it straight out of the bottle. The airline music channels included a channel of old Hawaiian favorites such as Elvis' Blue Hawaii and some of the old Hawaii Calls recordings. There was also a channel of Exotica hosted by Fluid Floyd of Don Tiki. Loops were about an hour, with a little variety in the middle of the playlist. The Exotica channel began with Les Baxter's Quiet Village, and ended with Martin Denny's version. Very cool. After landing, we had lunch at a little place that's inland from the University campus on University avenue. I wouldn't say it was much better than L and L, but plate lunches are pretty hard to mess up.
We stopped at the Walmart near Waikiki and picked up a few nice leis and also some Aloha wear. I've been suprised with the quality of Walmart aloha wear, with most of it not only being made in Hawaii, but also being pretty decent quality.
We went to the Waikiki aquarium which has very well maintained exhibits and contains excellent fish and coral specimens. Why not just go snorkeling, you ask? Well, at any given beach, you may not see all that there is to see. The aquarium is a good chance to see what may otherwise escape you while snorkeling or diving. The octopus display is especially good.
That night we hit the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian, where the Mai Tai contains fruit juice and really isn't that good. The occasional glass does have their logo screened on it. Cool. Drinks were a little overpriced, but the view was spectacular. Service was just okay.
Dinner was at Da Big Kahuna near the Waikiki Wave Hotel. I had a Kalua Pork sandwich, which was very tasty, and a Mai Tai, which also had fruit juice. It was served in a souvenir tiki mug for like $6 more, available only at the restaurant, manufactured by Tiki Farm. I think Holden posted a pic of it at some point. Decor has lots of tikis, but is set up more like a sports bar type place. All things considered, it's a fun place, and worth a visit. If you're looking for a more serious atmosphere, probably not the place for you.
Day 2 Oct 27th
We tried some shore diving in the morning at Hanauma Bay. The swell coming in from the south messed up the conditions pretty badly, so the visibility was probably 15 to 20 feet in a place where it should have been 50 to 60 feet or more. The swell also made it dangerous to go to the outer reef, so we didn't stay long. That afternoon we went to La Mariana and had Mai Tais. Very nice, although I think mine had fruit juice. The decor is fantastic. There are few places in the world with as good a feel as La Mariana. We were there during Happy Hour, so drinks were extra cheap. If you go to Oahu, you have to stop here.
Additional drinks at the Sheraton's Sand Bar are not worth mentioning. Probably the worst Mai Tai I've had, ever. I'm not even sure what was in it. Actually, I don't want to know. It was bad, and overpriced.
Dinner at Tiki's Bar and Grill. I had the Kalua Pork, very tasty. Mai Tai served in a souvenir hurricane glass, but they actually have screened tiki mugs. They've got 'em hidden somewhere, so you have to ask, but they will sell them to you. Not bad at $6. The decor here is also very cool. Torches everywhere, along with many tikis and tons of Shag paintings. Near the entry of the restaurant are Mark Ryden's Pele and Exotica paintings. Fun atmosphere, but crowded. Suprising, service was good for the number of people. Parking can be a pain, and expensive.
Day 3 Oct 28th
We went to the Aloha Stadium Swapmeet in the morning. I found a Hawaiian quilt, made in the Philippines (go figure) for about $80, the cheapest I saw anywhere by easily $80. Not the best quality, but I didn't want to pay $1500 for a genuine hand made beauty. I'm using it to cover the tool cabinet that currently resides in my tiki bar, so I was just buying something cheap. The design is a brown Honu pattern, very cool. Similar patterns all over Waikiki for at least double the price. Probably even from the same manufacturer. Other tourist items available, usually cheaper than other souvenir outlets. Admission is 50 cents, increasing to $1 in the next month or two, I think, but no parking charge. Not bad to walk around. The Missus found a couple pairs of boardshorts, too.
After the swapmeet we hit the Aloha Tower marketplace. Lunch at the Don Ho Island Grill. Mai Tais are good, but contain fruit juice. The Kalua pork sandwich is very tasty.
Did a little driving tour later on, up the Pali Highway. Very nice views, and very fun. Dinner was just an open fast food joint in Haleiwa. It was late, and all the good places were closed.
Day 4 Oct 29th
Went diving in the AM with Breeze Hawaii. Very friendly people, even with tourists. Dive boat was suprisingly uncrowded, which was nice. Dives were excellent, with turtles, leaf scorpionfish, whitetip reef shark, schools of moorish idols.
That evening we went and saw Don Ho. He's pretty old, and not looking so hot. Still, he's got tons of aloha spirit. We had him sign our Tiki Farm Don Ho tiki mug. During the show, he sang about 5 songs, and other acts filled in the rest of the time. Drinks were not very good. One of the worst mai tais anywhere. The Hinano tahitian beer is better.
Day 5 Oct 30th
Went snorkeling at Hanuama Bay. Conditions were mildly better than the day before, but it still beat being at work.
Later that day we went to the Dole plantation for a Dole Whip. We'd done the tour on a previous trip, so we skipped that, but when on Oahu, you should at least stop by and pick up a Dole whip. They used to have them in the Honolulu airport, but not anymore. A friend going to the University said that some movie theaters serve Dole whips, too. A Dole whip, for those that don't know, is sort of like a pineapple sorbet dispensed from a frozen yogurt machine. It is not frozen yogurt, and it is not ice cream. At least, I don't think it is. Hawaii and Disneyland are the only places in the world I know of that you can get these things, and they're awesome.
We also stopped by Matsumoto's shaved ice on the north shore. Make sure you get the ice cream in the bottom. Also, purchase one of the plastic orange cups for 25 cents. They work a little better than the paper cone.
That evening we went to House without a Key for drinks. This was probably the best Mai Tai on the island. Made with the traditional recipe, using rum, curacao, orgeat and lime juice. The only one I found. I also tried the tropical itch (served with all the garnish and an 18inch backscratcher!). Awesome! There was also live music and hula dancing. Very nice. A little on the classy side, but we didn't feel underdressed in sandals and jean shorts. No worries. The Halekulani hotel, where the bar is located gets a little fancier at night, and requests resort wear.
Dinner that night was at the Cheeseburger Waikiki. Food was okay, if you want a burger, it's a good place to go. The mai tai is good, but made with fruit juice. Served in a souvenir mug of a tiki holding a cheeseburger. Made by Tiki Farm.
Day 6 Oct 31st
Went to the airport to fly to the Kona Coast of the Big Island. In the airport we stopped for breakfast at Stinger Ray's. The mai tai here was also made using a traditional recipe, almost as good as the mai tai at House without a Key.
After arriving on the Big Island, we stopped by our hotel, the Royal Kona Resort (home of Don the Beachcomber's). Our room wasn't ready yet, so we decided to head down to the Puuhonua O Honaunau (place of refuge). It's about 45 minutes or so south of Kailua town on the kona coast. The site itself is awesome, the temple reconstructions are fantastic, and carved tikis are everywhere. Since the site itself is sacred, no sunbathing is permitted on the beach. We went snorkeling from a little beach just to the north, where the dive site "Two Step" is located. Snorkeling was excellent here. We saw tons of turtles in the shallow water, and schools of fish everywhere. Conditions were very nice compared to Oahu. The island was blocking the swell, so conditions all along the Kona coast were excellent.
That night was dinner at Don the Beachcomber's, but the original Mai Tai contains pineapple juice. The Huli Huli chicken is good, and the Kalua pork quesadilla in the bar is a good appetizer.
Day 7 Nov 1st
We went to Island Lava Java in the morning and had a huge cinnamon roll for breakfast. It's also an internet cafe with two computers, an hour's access it about $4 or so.
We drove down to the volcano park, and made a brief stop at the Punaluu Black Sands beach, very pretty. Not much going on, but there were some people swimming and snorkeling.
At the Volcano park, we stopped and had lunch at a cafe in Volcano town.
Once in the park, I would recommend a stop at the visitor center just to see what's going on that day and chat with a ranger. We drove around the Kilauea caldera and stopped to check out Halemaumau (the reputed home of Pele, the fire goddess). The walk through of the lava tube is also fun. Make sure to bring a flashlight so you can explore the tube after the trail ends.
After doing the drive, we went down the 20 mile chain of craters road to the active lava flows. The weather in the park was cloudy and cold, but was hot and humid down by the coast where the lava pours into the ocean. At the point where the lava blocks the road, you can park and walk across the lava to see the steam plume where the lava hits the water. After parking, the walk to the point closest to the steam plume is about 3.5 to 4 miles. The trail is L-shaped, going about three miles towards the lava flow and then a mile towards the water (give or take). You'll wind up about a mile or so away from the steam plume at this closest point. They don't allow visitors any closer since the steam is poisonous, and contains hydrochloric acid and sulfur and nasty stuff like that. If you choose to go this way, there are reflectors over the first 1/2 mile or so of the the trail to help you find your way over the rough lava. Stay to the left of the trail, as there will be a split about 1/4 mile in. The left fork is the trail that goes closer to the steam plume. At the end of the first 1/2 mile or so of the trail, the reflectors disappear, and there's a big giant orange light that flashes when the sun goes down. At intervals of about 3/4 mile or so (I don't know exactly), there are additional lights on top of poles to help guide you along the way to the point where you can view the steam plume from close up. There are a total of 6 beacons/markers, including the first at the 1/2 mile mark. The Missus and I got to the fourth beacon, but I would say the best view of the steam plume is between the third and fourth beacon. The closer you get, the more the lava blocks your view. This walk is very difficult, over rough terrain. We tried to time it so that our journey out occurred before sunset. We stopped and watched a bit of the lava flow after it got dark and then headed back to the car the way we came. I would guess that we walked out about 2 miles to the 4th beacon. This took us about 2 hours, one way, but we were going slowly and being careful. You should definitely wear tennis shoes. Pants make the trip very hot, but if you fall on lava, getting scraped up wouldn't be much fun either. I would not recommend doing any of this walking in flip flops. Make sure that you plan ahead and leave yourself enough time.
I suppose conditions change a bit, so this information may change over time.
For those that don't feel like hiking 4 miles one way over rough lava terrain, there's a gentler walk that hugs the coastline and gives a pretty good view of the steam plume. This easy walk takes about 20 minutes or so, one way. While walking the part of the trail with reflectors, at the fork about 1/4 mile in, take the right fork. This trail heads down to a point near the water and gives a very good view of the steam plume.
If you're going to be down near the lava flow after dark, you should plan out your dinner strategy. Packing a cooler with water and sandwiches is probably the easiest. The drive back to Kona can take 2.5 hours or more, so you may not get back that way until after closing time for most dining options. If you don't pack dinner, you can always try to eat at the Volcano House, located within the park itself, or you could try going to Hilo and getting food there. The drive out of the park will take you at least 30 minutes though, and Hilo is another 30 miles away, so you're still looking at an hour drive just to get food.
The Missus and I tried packing a cooler, but the sandwiches we purchased had mayonnaise on them, and it looked a little funky after being in the cooler all day. We decided not to take our chances, and went to Hilo for dinner. We left the park around 8pm, and didn't get back to our hotel in Kailua until around 11 or 11:30.
Day 8 Nov 2nd
In the morning we walked around Kailua town, and saw the Ahuena heiau near the Kailua pier. A very cool structure with tikis. The mortuary platform where King Kamehameha's body was prepared for burial is also located nearby. In the afternoon, we went to Honokohau Harbor and caught our dive boat for the Manta Ray night dive. Awesome! We only had one manta show up that night, but it was quite possibly the coolest thing underwater. If you're not a certified diver, you can always snorkel at the surface. The mantas frequently come up very close to the surface, so snorkeling is still very cool.
After the dive, we stopped and got a pizza from a local Dominos. Not great, and not tiki, but the Don the Beachcomber's in our hotel had already shut down for the night.
Day 9 Nov 3rd
In the morning we took a tour of Greenwell Farms, one of the coffee farms on the Kona Coast. We also went snorkeling at Kahaluu beach park, a very nice place with tons more turtles, and a very friendly spotted pufferfish.
That evening was dinner at the Kona Brewing Co. Very good beer, if you like microbrews.
Day 10 Nov 4th
We went kayaking at Kealakekua bay. The kayak was a double, cost about $65 for the day. Since the earthquake, all foot-trail access to the Capt. Cook monument at the north part of the bay has been closed off. The only way to get there is to kayak, and it's well worth it. In addition to the monument, the snorkeling here is some of the best I've seen. The reef is in pristine condition, and has a very nice gentle slope down to about 100 feet. The visibility was in the 80 foot range the day we were there.
That night we went over the Kanaka Kava bar in the Coconut Grove marketplace. Kava is some funky stuff. Has a very earthy (read:dirt) flavor, and gives an alcohol-type buzz but without the alcohol. Dinner at Lulu's in the same place, some tikis around the restaurant. The place turns into a live music club later in the evening. They serve Kona Brewing Co. beers. Didn't try the mixed drinks.
Day 11 Nov 5th
We did the day-time circle drive around the island. We went north to the Mauna Lani resort area to the Puako Petroglyph preserve. Tons of petroglyphs in a very small concentrated area. The walk is pretty easy, but there are some tree roots and that kind of thing sticking out of the ground. The reddish dirt will stain flip flops so shoes are a good idea. Almost all the petroglyphs (they claim to have a couple thousand) are people shaped. There's another petroglyph preserve in Waikoloa near the Kings shops complex, but we didn't go to that one.
We then went north into Waimea, and stopped for a late breakfast and an early plate lunch. There's an L and L on highway 19 in a shopping center with a grocery store (or it might have been a Long's Drugs, can't remember).
North of Waimea, we took a detour to Honoka'a, a little west towards the Waipio valley. The Honoka'a trading company has some excellent antiques, vintage aloha wear, etc. One of the other posts mentioned this place too. Definitely worth a stop. The lady who runs the shop is very nice and says she was a hula dancer at the international marketplace. She's usually closed on Sunday, but she happened to be there when we drove by and was willing to open up for us.
Continuing clockwise around the island we drove through Hilo, but most of the places we were interested in were closed on Sunday. The Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory just south of town has a self guided tour through the factory, but operations weren't going when we were there Sunday afternoon.
After Mauna Loa, it was back to the Volcano Park for a nice dinner at the Volcano House. Drinks are reasonably good, but the mai tai has fruit juice. Dinner is good, and the restaurant is nice. The restaurant is fronted with windows for views of the volcano, but it was very voggy the night we were there. There's a sitting lounge between the lobby and the dining room with a nice sized tiki next to one of the sitting chairs.
Day 12 Nov 6th
On our way to the airport we stopped at the Kona Coffee and Tea Company, in a shopping center with a Chevron Gas Station just north of Kailua town. The reason for the stop was the infamous Mac Pie. If you've never had one, you've gotta try one. Small 6" pies are about $10 and they'll ship anywhere in the world. My brother brought some back from his trip last year, and they're definitely worth getting a few and bringing back for friends and family.
If you're interested in any of the places I've mentioned, send me a PM and I'll provide you with as much info as I can dig up (i.e. phone number, address, web site).
