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Post by Owen on Sept 7, 2014 6:32:34 GMT
1 ~ Hawaii 4 Island Adventure Feb. 20-March 5 2014
Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014:
This travel tale was written by Hockeymom and relates to a Trafalgar Tour.
It was originally posted on the Trafalgar forum.
We were on time for our 9 AM flight on Hawaiian Air in spite of horrible traffic and getting there while boarding was in process. The seats are really generous for coach and the seat back TV's worked great. The food was just OK but the 11 hours of flight nearly killed me with boredom. The Oahu airport is bigger than I thought and we had to take a shuttle to get our bags. They were already on the carousel when we arrived at baggage claim so no hassles at all. The taxi stand was a bit difficult to find but we only waited 10 minutes for a ride. The total cost was $55, this included tip and a mandated baggage charge. The traffic to the hotel was terrible and took about 50 minutes to get there.
The Waikiki Beach Marriot Hotel and Spa is a spectacular hotel. The rooms are quite spacious and our POV was true to form. There are flowers everywhere and the people are especially nice. We ate at the Moana Pool Side Grill and had our first Hawaiian drink. The entertainment was terrible. By this time, we were so exhausted, being up for me about 37 hours, we went to bed at 8PM.
Friday, Feb. 21.
Of course, going to bed so early was not such a great idea as I woke up at 3, then 4 and finally got up at 5 to just hang around the room. We had breakfast at the Kio Beach Grill and boy is food here expensive. Over $18 for cereal and coffee. We had Todd as our server and he was a joy, very lively and sweet.
Next, we went to get our rental car at Hertz and lucky us we had a reservation made several weeks earlier. The entire fleet was booked so people trying to get a car for the day were out of luck. But holy cow, $230 for one day use of an intermediate size car including the gas plan. Highway robbery or the proverbial "we have you over a barrel and can charge anything we want" situation. The only extra we took was the GPS. Recommendation: Reserve early.
We started our free day by going to Scofield Barracks to check out Lou's battalion from Viet Nam. It was OK, nothing special but he needed to check it out. Then we drove to the Pali Highway which cuts south to north to the other side of the island. There are several lookout points. The mountains are very high, almost look like the saw tooth mountains. The view is interesting and pretty and it is a short drive so well worth doing. Then we set out for Diamond Head. Surprisingly, you park in the crater and then walk up the trail to the rim of the volcano. Well, we walked 3/4 up but then I gave up. Just couldn't do the stairs. Didn't have any energy left to give at that point so we came back down and headed for the hotel.
We had a couple of pool side drinks while waiting for our meet and greet with the TD. His name is Joseph Breithart and he seems to be fun and interesting. Betsy was also with Joseph as a tour director in training . We also began to meet our group which so far seem to be a great bunch of people.
What is interesting about this group is that there are 3 different tour groups on the same trip, The Hawaiian Discovery (won't meet these people until late Sunday), the Best of Hawaii who will leave us after Maui, and the 4 Island which is ours. Same TD throughout. The levels of trip include different hotels accounting for the premier, 1st class and moderate levels. All get the same experience except for 2 different hotels, several different start and end dates and in the other 2 hotels, we are in different wings. So in essence, we had 46 people from 9 different tours all on one bus. We had 4 couples from Canada, one girl from Russia and the rest from the US. Our oldest was 80 travelling alone, and our youngest were a couple of kids about 29 yo. We had one single man, one single woman, one honeymooning couple, and 2 women who were single but travelling together.
We all went across the street for our reception cocktail hour, (plenty of food for our dinner), Joseph talked for only a few minutes to tell us about our first day, time to meet etc. and then hung around until 8:00. The Hilton sets off fireworks which can be seen from the restaurant terrace but are pretty lame. People started heading back to their rooms and so did we.
All in all, a very fulfilling day. We have to meet Joseph in the morning at 8 for our full discussion i.e. optionals, so breakfast starts earlier.
Sat. Feb. 22,
Today is our half day tour of the island. After a fairly good included breakfast, we had our optional talk for about an hour and off by 9 for the tour. The bus driver, Kani, did most of the talk, he was very good, quite funny and knowledgeable. We did go to the Pali Highway and the lookout, got a real education on the role of the mountain in conquering the island as well as in WWII, drove to the Dole Pineapple Plantation (which is not a plantation anymore, just a gift shop) and had some pineapple whip. This is an ice cream without the cream, melts very fast so have plenty of napkins. We then went to a small town to eat,Hale'iwa, plenty of restaurants. We drove around the north side of the island to Sunset Beach and observed some minor surfacing as the Bonsai Pipeline was very quiet. There was a turtle on the beach at Turtle Beach but we couldn't stop, no place for the bus. Joseph took us to his "special place". It was a sacred birthing ground where all the Oahu royalty, were born. The story is really interesting but I don't want to spoil it if anyone goes here on their trip. So this 1/2 day island tour lasted all day. We returned at 4:30.
Now, we have been here about 3 days and have not stepped foot on Waikiki beach yet so we walked the beach this afternoon. What a busy place! Amazingly narrow but soft sand and warm water though not as warm as I had thought. We went back to the hotel and rested for an hour and went to dinner at Wolfgang Pucks Express. We went to the market and bought our desert of Mochi, green tea flavor. Now this is an adventure for the taste buds, Green tea ice cream wrapped in sweet rice dough...you have to really love ice cream for this one! Tomorrow is our free day which I had previously reserved the Turtle Tour.
End of part 1
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Post by Owen on Sept 7, 2014 6:33:24 GMT
2 ~ Hawaii 4 Island Adventure Feb. 20-March 5 2014
Feb. 23, Sunday
Today was the Hawaiian Turtle Tour. Mike picked us up only 5min late and we were the last ones on. A 25 passenger van, which really only holds 22 comfortably. The back bench is very suitable for a family with a small child who doesn't care about what she is looking at but an adult in the middle seat would not be too happy. Also, the seats we ended up with were the dreaded wheel hump seats which were excruciatingly tight. Thank goodness, it was not a full bus so Lou sat on the aisle seat across from me and I sat on the aisle seat leaving the hump seat to hold our belongings. Other than this, the tour was wonderful.
Mike is a happy, energetic guy with a very warped sense of humor that suited us and I think the rest of the bus. He was very knowledgeable and was able to tell us the info in really fun ways. We Kept the coast to our right (passenger side) as we cruised passed multimillion dollar homes, many being explained in detail. The rest of the trip included stops at Eternity Beach, The blow hole (which wasn't blowing), many scenic overlooks, a coffee/macadamia nut store with the sole purpose of buying coffee and macadamia nuts, the area of the bonsai pipeline, Hanaamu Bay, Turtle beach for snorkeling (only one turtle on the beach but at least we saw one), lunch at Fumis Shrimp Truck and the a visit to the Dole Gift store.
The snorkeling was really worth it though fins would have made it less exhausting and for me, only an adequate swimmer, could have covered more ground. Unfortunately, the area is so shallow in some parts that fins may damage the reef and I suppose it is safer though more difficult without them. My camera bought on Amazon did not work so missed quite a few good shots of angel fish and others. No turtles spotted in the water, though 2 of our group who were able to make it down further in the reef did see one swimming.
Up on the beach though was a nice big turtle half buried in the sand. I almost stumbled on it but caught myself just in time. No one else was around it so that's why I almost missed it. Took a few nice pics.
The tour was over by 4 and so we met up with Pat B. (Purvis) at the elevator and welcomed her to our group. We gained another 10 people today. When we get to Maui, 10 of the original 32 who are actually on the tour will be leaving us. So very interesting how they do this. Is it usually like this, yes according to Joseph who has been doing this tour since the 1990's. Well, the new people had to meet Joseph for the orientation/reception so could not have dinner with Pat.
We met up with Lily and Bob from Calvary, Deb and Larry from Indiana and us and we walked the streets until we found a likely dinner place, OK food, don't remember the name but it was empty so no waiting and cheap. What a great group we have. I have not laughed this much in really, many years. We came back to the hotel and I went to the hot tub at 8. It was filled with kids so not really relaxing like I wanted it to be. My legs were burning and I finally figured out I got sunburn on the back of my legs from the position I was in while snorkeling. Mind you, we only snorkeled about 20 minutes, didn't even think of sunscreen!
Feb. 24, Monday
A Day At Pearl Harbor We slept a bit later today however I was up as early as ever. Just cant sleep beyond 3-4 hours at a time. Oh Well, down to breakfast at 8 and off on the bus at 9 for Pearl Harbor. We had Koko as our driver today and very nice narration from him all day. The Pearl Harbor excursion was extremely well organized. There were 2 scheduled outings of 10:45 and 11:00. We were in the first group, had plenty of time for the museum and started the Arizona outing by first watching a very moving, sad documentary...about 20 minutes. Then off on the boat to the Memorial. It is beautiful in its simplicity. The smell is what you notice first,,,,oil which is still leaking after 72 years, and then the oil slick, Next you notice that you can actually see the ship underwater with the fish and the algae in all its sad glory...as if it was alive. You get about 1/2 hour on board then back to land. There is a bookstore there but not much more time to see anything else.
We then bused around the town, a different part again. (there are many different faces of Honolulu) with a commentary from Koko. Punch Bowl was next but it was a drive through, not a stop. Very nice place and some surprising information given.
We drove to the capital building, a very beautiful architectural masterpiece. Also in the same block, we saw the old palace and the golden statue of King Kamehameha We had our group photo here. Off to the hotel for rest and relaxation before the dinner.
The included dinner was at the Aston in the Coconut Room, a private club at the top floor with a great view. We saw a very pretty sunset, great views of Waikiki dressed in lights and whales frolicking. The food was decent, 2 included drinks, and Joseph acknowledged the return Trafalgar guests as well as handed out the included group photo. This was a nice touch since in the past, we have had to pay for the photo. Bed time was early as we have a 5:15AM suitcase pickup and a ride to the airport for 6AM.
Feb. 25, Tuesday Off to Hawaii, the big island. We had a very early bags out by 5:15 AM, a quick breakfast and then on the bus for 6:00AM. The process for boarding our plane was quick and painless, which is good since I only got about 3 hours sleep.
Our bus met us at the airport and we immediately started our journey to Volcanoes National Park. Very interesting the topography of the island. Volcanic soil and vegetation sometimes sparse and sometimes thick.
We had our first stop at a coffee farm and got a bit of an education on coffee production on the island. It is a very small family run business. They gave us tastings of various coffees and of course a chance to buy a coffee milk shake....hmmm hmmmmm good!
We had our next stop at Thurston's Lava Tube. An easy walk through a jungle area and then through the tube. It was dark and brown but very cool. I don't know why I was expecting vibrant colors but this was not to be. We then stopped a little ways further out at the volcanic crater, Mt Kilauea, and museum. WOW!! The sulfur is rising everywhere from the crater, a really fantastic view. Of course, all the way up to the crater you get teased by many roadside fumerals venting steam!
We then went for a quick lunch, which is included this day, pre ordered to save time. Driving further, we stopped at the most southern bakery in the US and TT treated all of us to either a pastry or an ice cream. The soft dough M??? was exceptional! We then enjoyed a bit of a ride down the volcano area onto sea level and stopped at the Black Sand Beach.
Here we encountered a lone sea turtle resting on the beach. The sand is highly unusual, like tiny seeds of black, which is really volcanic ash. The water is really dark here and splashes loudly against the volcanic boulders.
We were lucky in that the weather held for us and not a drop of rain fell even though it is the rainiest part of the US. It was cloudy and at times chilly but doable with a light sweater or wind breaker. An hour and a half later, we dropped off the Premier class tourists at their hotel, the Sheraton. The dinner is included tonight, (who wants to eat after all the food we had today) but the premier group are on their own at the hotel restaurant. 20 minutes later, the rest of us arrived at our hotel, the Royal Kona. We sure didn't need a premier tour since all of us have a 4th floor room facing the ocean- so close you could touch the water and the sunset was beautiful in spite of the clouds. I think the premier people must have other amenities than just a view because ours can not be beat. We have dinner together tonight at the hotel restaurant with Joseph. We arrived at 6:15, being on the bus for total of 9hours and now being awake for 14 hours.
Dinner is at 7:15 Hotel dinner buffet style.
Feb 26, Wed.
Up very early, 4:20 AM, for our first optional Big Island Spectacular helicopter tour of the volcano and Kohala Mts. $450 each. a truly wonderful 2 hour flight. We had an easy flight, the pilot made sure both sides of the copter had equal chance to see the sights. The lava is flowing though right now only small sections can be seen in bright red glow, most of the lava is cooled on top so is black but still burning under the light crust. We flew through the valleys and the Hawaii cliffs and saw dozens of sky high waterfalls. As an added bonus, as we flew over the coast we spied humpbacks breaching: from above: incredible!
Back at the hotel, the wind picked up and was starting to get cool. Not a pool day! Had a glass of wine on our incredible deck overlooking the water and then rested for a couple hours before our next optional.
Dinner for us is our 2nd optional: Evening at Kahua Ranch Sunset Dinner. $130 each, pick up at the hotel at 3:45. Took a while to get there but it was worth it. The ranch is way up on the mountain(extinct volcano). They run beef and some sheep. We had really good country western music, pretty good food of steak and chicken and the sides and later we were able to practice roping and branding...walked away with our very own cedar shingle which I branded with the K for the Kahua Ranch. We also saw the most spectacular sunset!
Feb 27, Thursday,
This is another flight day from Kona Hawaii to Maui. Our bags needed to be out by 7:15AM, we had plenty of time for breakfast and on the plane to take off by 9:00AM The flight was 20 minutes. We were met by a bus, all our suitcases were taken away by TT, (don't need to wait around baggage claim) and they will be waiting for us at the hotel (2 hotels again today for the group)..We were now on 2 smaller vans since the roads are narrow and windy and do not accommodate the larger bus. We visited the Haneakula Farm and had a nice lunch (Be My Guest Lunch) with a little tour of the place. We drove quite a bit, had some treats along the way and finally got to our hotel, the Royal Lahaina. Beautiful.
Our view is spectacular! 9th floor with a balcony facing the beach. We can see the whales swimming by our window and watch entranced on the balcony. We had dinner in the lounge, very light fare since neither of us was hungry from all the food during the day.
End of part 2
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Post by Owen on Sept 8, 2014 11:31:38 GMT
3 ~ Hawaii 4 Island Adventure Feb. 20-March 5 2014
Feb. 28 Friday:
Another early day for the Premium Snorkel Adventure to Molokai and Turtle Bay-6:15 pick up. A fairly long van ride to the harbor but well organized and on the boat swiftly. We set out and were immediately instructed on the snorkeling, getting our masks, later getting our flippers and off we went. Lots of whale sightings, good warm clear water for the snorkeling but no turtles seen. Many colorful fish and coral. Had a nice lunch cooked right on the boat. Extra costs for the wet suit use, getting pictures taken which includes a take home CD and if you want to snooba.(we did not) We made it back to the hotel by 2:00 and unfortunately it started raining so did not get to the beach to hang out. We did see a mom and baby humpback whale off our balcony playing around!
4:15 we have a lecture on the flora and fauna of the area. This is a very nice young fella, name unknown, who really demonstrated his excitement and love for the area. His enthusiasm was wonderful to experience and gave us an insight to the area that was welcome. Joseph handed out delicious chocolate covered macadamia nuts, a very nice treat!
6:15 We then went over to the Luau which is right on the grounds of the hotel. A quick walk over and the seating is reserved. But really, there were only about 200 people in a place that probably could accommodate 3 times that many, and there did not seem to be a bad seat in the house.
The setting was beautiful and as the sun set, a hula dancer would dance on the wall with the sun behind her,,,,,,beautiful! The show was very good and we enjoyed it. The food was also surprisingly good and plentiful and it was open free bar. The waiters never let your glass get empty.
March 1, Sat.
Still on Maui, we signed for the optional of the Hana Adventure for $ 120 each . This was another early pickup. Many of us signed up for this one but I think it was more hype than it was worth. We did travel all day around impossible roads and saw unbelievable scenery. We saw many whales off in the distance on one side of the island and traveled along cliff roads of very dangerous quality. Our bus driver was non stop talking, Larry Offen, but he really knew his stuff from the trees and flowers to the history to the very famous Hollywood people who make Maui their home. And there are a lot!
The trade off to doing two optionals is that we did not get any beach time and Maui is really the beach island. I thought we would have more time but between the all day tour and the Luau we just did not and that was a real miss in my book. We are off to Kaui tomorrow and we have optionals signed up but we are cancelling them so we can have two days of relaxation!
March 2, Sunday
Off to an early flight to Kauai though not terribly early. The flight runs very smooth and we get on our Kuaui bus. We stop at the Waialua River for our cruise. I thought this would be really Kitschy but was surprisingly nice. The boat ran up the river to the fern grotto where people sometimes say their wedding vows. There is a waterfall and beautiful flowers and other vegetation. Along the way, we were entertained by Hawaiian music, live, and dancers. They were good and the girls have such sweet faces that they are enchanting to watch. The commentator was quite funny, (Hawaiian jokes are very unusual and are done quite masterfully, you cant help but laugh even though the commentator may appear to be very serious). We all took a lot of pictures. The trip to the hotel was easy and short.
The hotel, Kauai Beach Resort, is absolutely gorgeous. We are on the 3rd floor with a pool view but is so beautiful it is like being in paradise. The premier group are on the other side of the hotel and some have a partial ocean view as well a poolside view. The whole hotel is open air, including reception and the hall ways. The only four walls we see are actually the bedrooms and we have a big balcony. The hotel has 2 pools and a third with sand to look like the beach mostly for the little ones. It has 2 hot tubs, nightly entertainment provided as well as a nightly open fire pit to hang out at. So this is where we will be spending the next two whole days and are we glad of it. We are exhausted!!! We ate dinner with a few of our tour mates at the lounge and then walked around to explore. There is nothing in this small town to distract us from relaxing at the pool/beach.
March 3, Monday
We spent the entire day at the pool, though the water was too cold for me to go in, I did take advantage of the hot tub and the poolside service. Towels provided, drinks and food available. Just read and enjoyed the sun and service. Unfortunately, even though my sunscreen worked, I must have been allergic as I broke out in a rash all over my arms. Thank goodness its blends with my tan.
March 4, Tuesday
Today is another free day to be spent at the pool. Today we walked along the beach and did manage some time to swim in the ocean. The water is clean and clear and actually warmer than the pool. It is best to wear some kind of water shoes however since the bottom is not altogether sandy. There are many huge lava rocks and boulders all about .and the waves tend to push toward them. With the shoes on though, we were safe and sound and enjoyed the surf.
Back at the pool, we again enjoyed the service though I stayed covered since I couldn't use the suntan lotion. We had poolside entertainment at 5:00 including free drinks, a two man band and male and female hula dancers. At 6:oo, we gathered for our farewell dinner with our group, Joseph and Betsy. The food was decent and Joseph gave a nice good bye. He really was a good tour director. We gave him his tip at this time in private. We asked the front desk agent to pull up our boarding passes on her computer which she did graciously. We even paid for our baggage right at the desk. We walked around the place for a while but needed to finish packing so up we went to our rooms. We got ready for our 11:00 bag pick up service.
March 5, We had breakfast leisurely in the hotel and made sure our bags were ready for 11:00. We left the hotel with several of our tour mates at 12:20 with Joseph accompanying us to the airport. He made sure our bags were secured, he paid our baggage handler and said his good byes. We didn't wait long as all flights were on time and we boarded. Betsy ended up being with us on this return flight to Honolulu. We said goodbye to her at the airport and we all went our separate ways to catch our connecting flights. The flight was long and exhausting but uneventful. Arrived home at 6:50AM on March 6.
End.
This travel tale was written by Hockeymom and relates to a Trafalgar Tour. It was originally posted on the Trafalgar forum.
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