Go Visit Hawaii

This time saving idea will help you if you check your luggage and you are traveling with someone else.  When you arrive at the airport in Hawaii, rather than waiting on your luggage and then heading to the rental car desk, divide and conquer.  One of you should collect the luggage while the other picks up the car. 

So this is how this time saving idea generally works.  We’ll use two fictitious Hawaii travelers, Andy and Sheila to illustrate how the scenario works:

• Plane lands in Hawaii.  Andy and Sheila high-five each other, de-board the plane and then head towards baggage claim and ground transportation.
• Sheila goes to baggage claim while Andy goes to the rental car desk
• Sheila collects the luggage, takes it to the nearest curb, and waits for Andy.
• Andy completes the rental car paperwork, then inspects and picks up the car.
• Andy drives to curb nearest baggage claim to pick up Sheila and the luggage.  And they vacationed happily ever after. 

If you’d like to try this tip, bear these points in mind:

• Not only with this tip save you time, but it will save you from having to carry the luggage on shuttle buses, etc.
• To help you find the correct baggage claim area, make note of the baggage claim area and what it’s called. Try to pay attention to where the baggage claim is relation to the rental car desk.  With the exception of Honolulu (HNL) airport, all other Hawaii airports are relatively small and easy to navigate.
• In case of any mixed communication, it helps to have cell phones.  So, make sure they are switched on when you land.
• This situation doesn’t work if both you and your travel partner both need to be listed as drivers on the rental car contract. Both of you will need to be present to sign the contract.

Have you used this tip?  How did it work for you?

One of the top things I wanted to do on my recent trip to the Big Island was to tour the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm in Kailua-Kona. (In fact, I blogged about how I wanted to visit this farm a year ago.) This seahorse farm was the first one in the world and is the only one in the US.

The guided tour lasts about an hour. Our tour guide was a biologists and she shared many facts about seahorses as toured the various tanks of seahorses to watch them swim, hook tails and dance. We even had an opportunity to have a seahorse hook their tail around our fingers.

Here are some of the interesting seahorse facts I learned on the tour:

• Seahorses are nearing extinction. They’ve been over harvested for two reasons.
  • Some cultures believe that seahorses have medicinal qualities.
  • Aquarium pets - the problem here is most ocean harvested seahorses die within two weeks. The farm raised seahorses are much better suited for being an aquarium pet.
• Seahorses mate for life.
• The male seahorse fertilizes and carries the eggs. He actually becomes pregnant.
• Seahorses are voracious eaters and hunters. They enjoy hunting their food.

I thought the tour was interesting, though possibly a tad bit pricey at $35 per person.  Children ages 4-7 pay $25.  (One point to consider about the price of the tour is that the money goes towards research and development of seahorse aqua-culture and preventing extinction.) There were about 25 people in total on our tour, but it didn’t seem to be too crowded. The tour guide used a megaphone so everyone could hear what she was saying.

Here is a video with clips from our tour:

If you’d like to take this tour, here are some tips for visiting this farm:

• Tours are offered weekdays at 10am, noon, and 2pm.
• You should call ahead and reserve a space. Their phone number is 808-329-6840.
• Wear comfortable shoes, a hat, and sunscreen.
• The farm is located just about a mile South of the Kona Airport on the Natural Energy Lab Road, which is a much longer road than it appears. Here are directions.

If you are going to be on Oahu for Memorial Day weekend, consider these ideas to honor the meaning of the day.

Lantern Floating Ceremony- this annual event takes place on Memorial Day from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at Ala Moana Beach Park. Lanterns are released on the water to honor those who sacrificed their lives in war. They have a great website with all the details.

Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at Punchbowl - The ceremony begins at 8:30am with the mayor’s address. Cannons will be fired and each tombstone will be draped in a lei. Read more about public transportation and parking options here.

See the Arizona Memorial - Though there aren’t any specific events, visiting this memorial is certainly a worthy way to honor Memorial Day. Read more about planning your visit.

Tour the USS Missouri- This retired battleship is also known as the Mighty Mo and also makes a great place to visit to honor the day. See my article with advice for touring the Mighty Mo.

Photo credit to Dave Zuls.

Are you anxious to see the new Indiana Jones movie like I am? Did you know that there’s a Hawaii connection to the film? The beautiful rainforest of the Big Island’s Hamakua Coast plays the role of the Amazon jungles. So what brought Indiana Jones to Hawaii? According to this article, “One of the things they were looking for was old-growth jungles for this chase scene they wanted to do. You might think they’d find it in the Amazon, Costa Rica or Mexico, but no. They found it here [on Hawaii].”

When I was recently on a hike along the Hamakua Coast, I asked some local folks if they knew where Indiana Jones was filmed last summer. They said they didn’t know for sure and it seemed to have been kept rather secretive. I was told that helicopters flew in some of the supplies into one of the valleys between the Pololu Valley and the Waipio Valley. The photo above was captured around the Waipio Valley of the Hamakua Coast.

So, now you know the truth about some of the Amazon scenes. The movie is in theaters this Thursday, May 22nd.

What do you do with the keikis (kids) when mom wants a massage while dad wants to golf? Let the kids spend a day in a fun and educational kids program. Many Hawaii resorts have kids clubs that are available for their guests. These programs are set up for kids generally aged five to 12 years old. Most programs include lunches.

Here are some examples of kids programs that you can find across Hawaii:

Oahu

Waikiki’s Hilton Hawaiian Village Children’s Program - Since this resort was recently named a top family beach resort by Parents Magazine, they’re bound to have a good kids club. Kids enjoy either full or half-day programs including activities like fish feeding, supervised swimming and visits to the zoo, aquarium, and museums and more. Price start at $60 per child and vary based on full or half-days and excursions.

Waikiki’s ResortQuest KeikiQuest Kids Club - This program is open only during summer months and is very well priced at $50 for a full day of activities including museum and aquarium visits, fun cultural programs, catamaran sailings and more. This kids’ program is open for ResortQuest guests at any of the eight ResortQuest Waikiki hotels and condominium resorts.

Big Island

Hilton Waikoloa Village Kids’ Camps - This resort offers day and night camps for kids. So, if mom and dad want a to have a romantic dinner on Friday and Saturday, the night camp that runs from 5:30pm to 9:30pm would work out perfectly. The charge for day camp starts at $100 per child and the night camp starts at $85. When there’s availability, they open this camp up for families staying outside the resort.

Maui

Westin Kids Club is open to the public, though guests of the Kaanapali Westin and Sheraton get a price break. They also have an evening program operated every night from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. Prices start at $45 for a half day.

Also see Camp Hyatt listed below in Kauai. This program is also available for guests of the Kaanapali Hyatt

Kauai

Camp Hyatt is open for kids a bit younger than most programs that set a minimum age of five years old.. Children ages 3.5 to 12 can participate. You can choose from full or half-days with prices starting from $45 and up. They have a pretty nicely done website.

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This list is by no means an exhaustive list of all the kids programs in Hawaii. This list is meant to give you a sampling of what’s available and how much to expect to pay. Have you used any of the Hawaii kids clubs? If so, please share how you and your kids like it in the comments.

I hope you had a great weekend.  There’s so much news to catch up on, so let’s dive in.

• Fodor’s has an article on airline fees that you should know.  There have been several changes in recent months, so if you haven’t flown in a while, it might be a good idea to review that article to avoid or minimize fees.
• The Polynesian Cultural Center held the Samoan Fireknife dancing competition this weekend.  You can read their blog for complete coverage of the event.  There’s some neat photos and videos. 
• The vog (volcano produced smog) has been quite heavy in recent days, but luckily the trade winds are back at the moment.  Bobbie has developed an excellent collection of vog resources. 
• Check out this amazing underwater video of lava flowing into the ocean just off the Big Island.  Scuba divers captured the film.  (They are way more brave than I am!)
• The Outrigger Reef on the Beach in Waikiki on Oahu completed a $120 million renovation. 
• Keahou Beach Resort on the Kona Coast of the Big Island finished a $6 million remodeling project. 
• Another Big Island resort, the Hilton Waikoloa Village, just finished a $100 million renovation. 
• Orbitz listed Honolulu as the fifth most popular summer destination based on bookings. 
• If you are going to the Big Island you might want to consider one of these new photography tours that combines a scenic guided tour along with a professional photographer.  That’s a brilliant idea. 

Here’s a really neat, two-minute video featuring Hilo’s Sig Zane. He’s a well known Aloha (Hawaiian print) shirt designer. In this video he talks about how nature inspires his designs. He also takes us on a brief tour of Hilo.

Do you have an Aloha shirt? What colors and designs do you like best?

I completely understand the daunting task of planning your Hawaii vacation. If you’ve never been to Hawaii, it’s difficult enough to select which island(s) you want to visit. Once you’ve selected an island, you have brief sense of accomplishment before you realize that you’ve got to plan your itinerary. Can I get an amen?

We all want to make the most of our vacation time. So, how do you get to see all the best sights and do all the best activities? How do you plan to see it all logistically? To find your ideal itinerary that suits your tastes, you’ll have to do a bit of researching. The good news is that there are some useful free online resources to aid you in your personal research. I’ll list some of the top resources that make a good starting point. Though these online recommendations may be self-described as perfect, I hesitate to describe them as being perfect. There can’t be a perfect once size fits all.

So, let’s take a look at some good websites to use in your research:

Hawaiian Airlines has useful vacation itineraries. If you click on their “trip details” button, the website will provide you with estimated time to allocate for each activity. Here are links to their suggestions:

• Kauai
• Maui
• Oahu
• Big Island

Fodor’s has itineraries that are a bit more general, but still quite good. Here are their free suggestions:

• Kauai
• Maui
• Oahu
• Big Island

Frommer’s also have itineraries suggestions for one-week Hawaii vacations. Their recommendations are quite a bit more specific - even to the point of recommending a few businesses. A big caution I have about Frommer’s plans is that their day one arrival suggestions are way too ambitious! For example, on Maui they suggest you go to a luau on your arrival day. I can tell you from much experience, if you are coming from the Midwest or East Coast, there is absolutely no way that you’ll have the energy to enjoy a luau on the day of arrival. Still, I think their free vacation plans are still worth reviewing, though I wouldn’t necessarily take all their recommendations on blind faith.

• Kauai
• Maui
• Oahu
• Big Island
• Lanai
• Molokai

If you haven’t already seen my suggestions of what to see and do in Hawaii, be sure to review these budget friendly recommendations. Almost all the activities are free. They aren’t necessarily in itinerary format, but you could easily use them for that purpose.

• Maui’s Top 7 Free or Nearly Free Things to Do and See
• Top 5 Things You Should See and Do on Maui
• 10 Best Free Activities and Sites on Oahu
• Best Free Activities on Kauai
• Best Big Island Budget Activities

If you’ve been to Hawaii on vacation, please share what resources you used to help you develop the ideal itinerary that worked for you. What seemed to work? What didn’t work?

I finally saw the movie “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” yesterday. I was looking forward to seeing it only because it was being filmed at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu while I was there last June.

I recognized many of the scenes in the movie. Sarah stayed in one of the high-end beach cottages. The couples dined at Ola. I recognized the entrance and the lobby. A mock front desk (photo on the left) was set up for the movie. There were many other scenes I recognized, too. In general, this movie made me want to go back to the North Shore of Oahu as soon as possible. (Sigh!)

If you’ve seen the movie and you’re interesting in checking out the scenery for yourself, then please see this helpful information:

• My review of Turtle Bay Resort
• My review of Turtle Bay Resort Spa
• My review of Turtle Bay Resort Restaurants
• Photos taken at this resort.

By the way, the movie was okay. Some of the language was crude and there was some nudity. It’s rated R.

Before we dive into this week’s best Hawaii deals, I wanted to let you know that Expedia.com is offering a free $50 gas card if you book a hotel stay of three or more nights. You must book by Friday and complete your travel by September 30, 2008. See Expedia for more details and restrictions. You’ll need to attempt to book a hotel before you’ll see the offer at the top of the results listing. By the way, this offer is also valid for all destinations, not just Hawaii.

Here are the top Hawaii deals to catch my eye this week.

Sheraton Maui Resort
The Deal: $275 for a room, which is advertised as 45% off. I checked directly with the hotel’s official website and based on their rates, I’m assuming this is for a garden view room.
Why I like this deal: This four-star hotel is very well located on Kaanapali Beach by Black Rock. Kaanapali makes a great base for a Maui vacation.
Offer Valid Through: May 21 - June 30; September 2 - November 20; November 28 - December 23.
Special Rate Code: None specified, but you must book through the link below.
For More Information: See this link.

Aqua Prince Honolulu
The Deal: Remember how I mentioned yesterday, that I’ve seen rates as low as $60 per night? Well, here’s a deal for $57 per night! If I’m reading all the fine print correctly your entire stay must value $350. So, with that in mind, you must stay for a minimum of 7 nights for this deal.
Why I like this deal: It’s $57 per night! This two-star hotel gets high praise from TripAdvisor reviews.
Offer Valid Through: Now through September, 2008
Special Rate Code: AQUA50
For More Information: See this link for all details and restrictions.