Go Visit Hawaii

Where should you stay on the Big Island?  That’s a challenging question.  In fact of all the Hawaiian Islands, choosing where to stay on the Big Island may be the most difficult choice of all because of its size and diversity of climates and terrain. I know how it’s so easy to get your brain all balled up in a knot when trying to choose where to stay because I’ve been faced with the same quandary.

I’ve spent an extensive amount of time on the Big Island, so I can speak from my own experience. In this article, I’ll provide suggestions for what I think may be the ideal plan, particularly for first time Big Island visitors.  Here’s what I suggest:

Plan to divide your time between the Hilo side and the Kona side.  If you have a week on the Big Island, plan to spend 2 to 3 nights on the Hilo side and 4 to 5 nights on the Kona side.  By staying on the Hilo side for 2 or more nights, you’ll be able to explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and possibly watch lava flowing at night - two things that are not to be missed, in my opinion.  From the Kona side, you’ll have more time for relaxation mixed in with cultural and historic sight seeing. Here are some logistics for making this split work.

• Fly into one airport and leave from the other.  You may have to pay an added fee for returning your rental car at a different location, but it’s worth the fee in order to maximize your vacation sight seeing time.
• Ideally, I suggest that you to fly into Hilo (ITO) first and then fly out of Kona (KOA).  I like staying on the Hilo side first because I’m always anxious to see what’s going on with the volcano activity. I tend to be on the go and exploring more on the Hilo side. I’d recommend that you spend the second half of the vacation on the sunny Kona (KOA) side where I find it is  easier to mix in relaxation with sight-seeing.
• When driving from the Hilo side to the Kona side, I recommend taking the northern route around the island along the Hamakua Coast and through Waimea. To me, this is the more scenic route compared to driving along the southern route. 

From the Hilo side, I prefer to stay in a B&B in or near Volcano.  There are plenty of B&Bs between Hilo and Volcano. I like staying in Volcano because it is so close to the Volcanoes National Park and it’s in a rainforest which is a significant contrast to the dry lava fields of the Kona side.

On the Kona side, I prefer to stay on the Kohala Coast either in a condo or hotel.  I like the Kohala Coast because it feels a bit more remote and relaxing.  Another plus to staying on the Kohala Coast is that you are less likely to experience rain and VOG (volcanic smog).

I hope that you’ll find these suggestions help you narrow down the many decisions to something that’s more manageable. If you have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.  For those other experienced Hawaii travelers, what do you think of these suggestions? What recommendations do you have? 

Taking a cruise around Hawaii is a great way to see the best of all the major islands in one week.  The only downside to a cruise is that you really only get to scratch the surface of what each island has to offer as your time is very limited on each island.  So, you really need to make the most of almost every minute when you come to shore.  (See my suggestions for what to do with only one day on each Hawaiian island.)

In the October 2008 issue of Budget Travel a reader from Arizona shares this savvy time saving idea in the 20 Tips section.

On our last cruise to Hawaii, most of the passengers rented cars to get around.  When we got off the ship, everyone else began loading onto the rental-car bus, but my wife and I hopped into a taxi and paid a small fare to get to the rental-car agency.  We were the first to get a car.  As we drove off to explore, we noticed a long line of people from our cruise waiting for their wheels. 

Have you cruised around Hawaii?  Did you rent a car?  What do you think of this idea?  What other tips would you recommend? 

The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that the popular Diamond Head State Monument Summit Trail will be closed from Monday,October 20 through November 20, 2008 for trail maintenance.  The park area inside the crater floor and parking lot will remain open to the public during most of the work.

Photo per DLNR

If I had to pick just one favorite Hawaii vacation photo from our personal collection, I think it would have to be this one.  Andy shot this photo at sunset in Lahaina on Maui. The shades of pink were were so unexpected.

If you’d like to go to Hawaii on vacation, but you’re searching for the right excuse and opportunity to go, you’re in luck.  Pick any one of these plausible or quirky excuses and start booking!

1.  Hawaii is great for your health. I mean, you’re health is very important, isn’t it?

2.  The last massage you had was in a chair at the Brookstone in the mall.

3.  Three words: active lava flow!  Of course, you must make it sound more intellectual by saying you’d like to increase your knowledge of geology by studying the active volcanoes.

4.  You’d like to learn more about marine biology by snorkeling and diving in Hawaii’s clear waters and abundant coral reefs.

5.  You’d like to watch the sunrise and sunsets over the Pacific Ocean or on top of volcanic craters rather than over the new Taco Bell on Main Street.

6.  You want to find out if geckos really talk and if they have English accents.

7.  Have you seen the hotel deals?  Oh my, they are the best I’ve seen in a long, long time!

8.  You want to stargaze at one of the top spots on earth.

9.  You’d like to ski in the morning and sunbathe in the afternoon.  You can do both on the Big Island.

10. You need to rev up the romance with your sweetie. (See my list of most romantic things to do in Hawaii.)

11. You’d like to get married on a beautiful beach, go on a tropical honeymoon, or renew your vows or celebrate a significant event.

12. You’d like to learn about Polynesian culture. Um, we’ll say this excuse is you’ve developed an interest in sociology.

13. You need to earn some frequent flier miles.

14. You’re scared of snakes.  (Hawaii doesn’t have snakes.)

15. You love rainbows.

16. You’d love a cup of fresh roasted Kona coffee.

17. You want to make your friends jealous by sporting a nice tan.

18. Getting highlights at the hair salon is very expensive, so go to Hawaii and get them for free.

19. The weather is starting to get cold and you need a warm up.

20. Your local bar just doesn’t mix a good Mai Tai.

21. You’ve been reading Go Visit Hawaii for a while and now you just need to go see for yourself why Hawaii’s a great vacation destination.

22. You need a little Aloha in your life.

23. You love to hike to see rewarding views.

24. You want to see what kind of splash a 35-ton humpback whale makes when it leaps out of the water.

25. You’d like to pretend you’re a world class golfer and play on some of the top tournament courses.

26. You’re a budding meteorologist and you’d like to study the many micro climates on each island.

27. And, last but not least, you need a vacation!

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So, which excuse will you use?

It’s funny how news ebbs and flows. Today, it’s flowing!

• The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa offers some special rates starting at $239 per night.  This resort is located in South Kauai, which you may recall is one of the sunniest areas to stay on Kauai.  If you like to bask by the pool, then you’ll be happy to know this resort’s pool was rated the best in the US in the 2008 TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice awards.
• CheapTickets has listed the 10 most popular Thanksgiving and Christmas getaways.  Oahu is the fifth most popular destination.  With Oahu being a popular holiday destination, make sure you know these Hawaii holiday travel tips.
• Kudos to the Wyland Waikiki for their green initiatives. I love that they provide guests with in room recycling receptacles.  I’m such a recycling nerd at home and I like to be able to recycle when traveling, too.
• The Outrigger Reef on the Beach in Waikiki Beach has unveiled the first phase of their $110million transformation project with the opening of the new Pacific Tower.
• Conner Gorry, author of “Lonely Planet: Hawaii The Big Island” answered questions about the Big Island on Budget Travel’s trip coach Q&A.  You can read the full transcript.
• Saturday, September 27th is National Public Lands Day. There are several opportunities to roll up your sleeves and help out in Hawaii.
• If you’re a baseball fan, you might be interested in catching some up and coming stars and first round picks playing in Hawaii.  Hawaii Winter Baseball starts this weekend.  I’d like to give a shout out to Andrew Brackman who will play for the Beach Boys.  He played for my alma mater, North Carolina State University.

Most hotels or luau grounds have a tiki statue. We took the photo above at the Old Lahaina Luau in Maui. These wood carvings can look pretty intimidating. They are supposed to represent the gods and ancestors. They were usually placed at entrances of temples and sacred places. You can see authentic carved ki’is (the Hawaiian word for these carved scupltures) on the Big Island at the Place of Refuge.

Some of you wrote me to tell me how much you enjoyed the Kauai hula and chant video I posted a couple of weeks ago.  Well, if you liked that one, you’ll love this new video even more.  It shows scenes the same hula school practicing along with an interview with the hula teacher and beautiful scenes from Kauai.  Enjoy!  It’s two minutes well spent!

The 2008/2009 humpback whale season is fast approaching.  The official season goes from around mid-December through about mid-April.  Some whales must not have calendars because they have been known to be in Hawaii as early as September 16th.  Who can blame them for being anxious to get to their Hawaii vacation?

Almost any day now, I’m expecting to hear news that the first humpback whale has been seen frolicking in ocean around Hawaii. The first reported whale sighting last year was October 7th and in 2006 it was October 11th. 

I thought it would be fun to have a little contest for you to predict the first reported whale sighting.  Here’s how the contest will work:

• Pick the earliest date you think the first whale sighting will be this fall.  Enter your prediction in the comments for this blog post.
• The closest prediction without going over will win a prize.
• In the event of a tie, I will randomly select a winner from the tied predictions.
• We’ll use Hawaii newspapers and news stations as our source to determine when the first whale has been seen this season. 
• Entries will be accepted through October 3, 2008.  In the event that the first whale sighting is before October 3, 2008, valid entries will accepted through the day before the reported sighting. 

The Hawaii themed prize (shown above) includes:

• A package of 10 vintage art postcards.  (They are gorgeous!)
• A hula workout DVD that was filmed on the beautiful beaches of Maui.
• Two hand painted magnets.

So, let’s hear it - when do you think the first humpback whale will be seen in Hawaii this fall?

Though Autumn hasn’t official begun, before you know it, the holidays will be here.  If you are thinking of spending Thanksgiving or Christmas in Hawaii then you’d be wise to firm your air travel plans now.  Here’s a roundup of suggestions for getting the best airfares and minimizing stressful situations of holiday flights.

• Minimize potential inconveniences with these holiday air travel strategies.
• Rick Seaney lists the the cheapest dates for holiday travel for 2008.
• The planes will likely be packed, so make sure you know where the best seats on the plane are and reserve them as soon as possible. To find the best seats, check sites like SeatGuru and SeatExpert.
• To try to be as comfortable as possible, see my checklist of flying necessities and read my article on long haul flight comfort tips.

I hope these tips will help you to have happy holiday travels.