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Published: August 5th 2007
This was a trip that we wanted to make for the Labor Day weekend itself.
We could not make it for several reasons.
In fact we came so close to booking a package with Hilo Hattie travel agent in Orange County. We got our first feel of Hawaii from an authentic Hawaii travel agent.
The travel agent was very good in communication. She was so polite and gave a very pretty picture of Hawaii. We would have discussed for around 1.5 hours with her talking about the Islands of Hawaii, our preferences, time and cost.
Talking to her gave a better first hand idea about Hawaiian Islands. At least, it was a good start from nothing to something.
We dropped it at the last moment because of cost and other issues.
But we made up our mind to visit Hawaii, the Island Paradise for the July 4th weekend.
After discussing with the Hilo Hattie agent and reading books, we decided on 3 islands in Hawaii over 1 week (1st July to 7th July)
Actually the agent suggested 2 islands would be a relaxed one and three islands in 1 week would be a bit hectic.
Neways we made up our mind....It
was Maui, Big Island and Kauai.
The preparation this time also started a bit late only. We were a bit lethargic at the beginning. As the days were approaching, we got serious.
We discussed about going back to Hilo Hattie, booking everything individually by ourselves, cruising the islands and looking for a vacation package with an airline. We started enquiring with Hilo Hattie in about just less than a month from July 1st.
We were also discussing the pros and cons of cruising through the islands.
Initially we were so much towards cruising, because we wanted to experience a long cruise for once. Especially NCL is very famous cruisers and it is so luxurious and lively inside the cruise. We gave up that idea because were restricted by the cruise schedule and timing and we wanted to spend more time in the islands. The option was costly compared to other options.
Booking everything individually requires extensive research if at all we wanted to reap any benefit. It seemed impossible with less that a month in hand and the time we could spare for the same.
So finally the option we tried was a package from airlines. After trying with couple
of airlines we finally got convinced with the vacation package offered by Aloha Airlines....
The package took care of everything from airfare, car rental to accommodation. It was a one stop shop.
We chose a normal hotel because we knew we would be outside most of the time.
In Kauai, we chose Kauai Sands Hotel
In Maui, we chose Maui Sea Side Hotel
In Big Island, we chose Kona Seaside Hotel
All the three hotels were operated by the same family.
Except for Maui sea side where there was a bad smell on the hall way (not in the room) the other two hotels were very good.
Only Maui Seaside serves complimentary breakfast, not the other two.
But all these hotels have lots of restaurants nearby.
Coming back to the trip planning, we were relieved that finally we made all the arrangements.
We were not water sport people, our only purpose was to get close to the nature at its best, experience the spirit of Aloha (he...he), relax and enjoy.
After booking the package, we totally forgot about Hawaii until the weekend before the D-Day. We had to start on July 1st (Sunday) and be back on July 7th
(Sunday)
We packed everything like clothes, warm clothes, sunscreen essential medicines etc...
The D-Day arrived. We booked a shuttle and went to the airport by shuttle
Following was our itinerary
ALOHA AIR
Orange County/Anaheim, California (SNA) to Kahului, Hawaii (OGG)
Kahului, Hawaii (OGG) to Lihue, Hawaii (LIH)
Lihue, Hawaii (LIH) to Kona, Hawaii (KOA)
Kona, Hawaii (KOA) to Orange County/Anaheim, California (SNA)
Aloha Airlines
Flight AQ 483W
Coach/Nonstop
Depart: Sun, Jul 1 (8:35 AM) Orange County/anaheim, California, USA (SNA)
Arrive: Sun, Jul 1 (11:22 AM) to Kahului, Hawaii, USA (OGG)
Total travel time: 5hr 47min
Aloha Airlines
Flight AQ 63T
Coach/1 Stop
Depart: Wed, Jul 4 (8:55 AM) Kahului, Hawaii, USA (OGG)
Arrive: Wed, Jul 4 (10:42 AM) to Lihue, Hawaii, USA (LIH)
Total travel time: 1hr 47min
Aloha Airlines
Flight AQ 216T
Coach/1 Stop
Depart: Fri, Jul 6 (8:55 AM) Lihue, Hawaii, USA (LIH)
Arrive: Fri, Jul 6 (10:43 AM) to Kona, Hawaii, USA (KOA)
Total travel time: 1hr 48min
Aloha Airlines
Flight AQ 486H
Coach/Nonstop
Depart: Sun, Jul 8 (12:35 PM) Kona, Hawaii, USA (KOA)
Arrive: Sun, Jul 8 (8:55 PM) to Orange County/anaheim, California, USA (SNA)
Total travel time: 5hr 20min
We were supposed to catch a flight @7.55.
We started from home by 6 in the morning.
We happily went there, got the boarding pass and went to the gate.
We bought some cookies, muffins and coffee for breakfast as we had already found out that there is no breakfast service in the earlier part of the flight.
We were waiting for the boarding call.
We were surprised to get an announcement that there was some mechanical problem in the flight and the technicians are fixing it. We were asked to wait for some more time.
45 minutes later, there was an announcement that the flight might get cancelled and if that is the case they could try to accommodate us only in the flight for tomorrow as there is no flight that day to Hawaii in any airplanes in any of the airports nearby.
We got pissed off...We would miss 1 day in Maui if we flew the next day. We had planned for 3 days in Maui, 2 days in Kauai and 2 days in Big Island.
We were waiting...15 minutes later we were told the flight got cancelled. We
were given lunch coupons to get lunch in airport and go to the check-in counter to find out options.
We went there a stood in that long queue.
Some people cancelled the tickets. Some people booked for the next day flight.
There was one travel agent who started selling tickets for people who desperately wanted to go that day. (Some were going for their wedding ceremony!!)
We waited patiently in the queue for 1 hour.
Meanwhile we were given a pass for 50% off for any ticket purchased with Aloha to any of its destinations.
After some time an attendant came and told that there is a possibility that the flight may fly that day.
Everyone was happy.
After so much of a wait and drama, we finally boarded the flight by 1.45 and the flight finally took off by 2.40. After that, the journey was quite uneventful. We checked-in @ the hotel @ 8.30 and started for dinner to Kihei which is an area where there were lots of restaurants around. We ate in a Thai restaurant. It was a good one. We had 2 days in Maui. We had researched a bit and short listed top 15 picks
in all the islands. We had a good night’s sleep that day.
The next day was completely planned for Eastern side of Maui.
Road to Hana is really awesome. It reminded me of some Kerala pictures I saw (In fact I have never been to kerala)…
So green, drizzling always….It was heaven on earth indeed. Somehow I felt I came far away from the world in an isolated paradise, all for myself…
It has many views, waterfalls etc. Hana was just 35 miles from our place. We were told that it would take 2 hours to reach Hana. We were wondering how…Then we realized that because of so many hairpin bends you cannot go fast. Our first stop was at Twin falls…IT had a fruit stand at its entrance with native coconut juice and other fruit juices.
Out next stop was Garden of Eden. I just fell in love with this place. We saw lots of peacocks here. It opens itself beautifully into the ocean…An amazing view…. It also has on of the spots that appear in the Jurassic park.
After spending a while with peacock and admiring the ocean view, we continued our journey towards Hana…
On the way
we saw, lots of falls...Wainapapa state park is also worth mentioning. It has a black sand beach…
We had lunch at Hana. We proceeded beyond Hana. Wailua falls was very good.
Our final stop on the eastern side of Maui was the Oheo Gulch.
We did not have time to do the pipiwai trail and we were not prepared to walk that long too…
We returned back with wonderful memories of the famous Road to Hana.
We planned to go to the Bamboo forest trail. But we were told that because of the bad weather, it was not safe to go there as the water could get knee deep at times inside the forest…
There ends our trip to eastern Maui. We had lunch at Dragon, a Chinese restaurant nearby.
We got up @ 2.30 A.M the next day to go for Haleakela sunrise. Initially we thought of booking a tour. Then we realized that we could do it by ourselves. So we started. The drive to Haleakella was very good. As it was dark, I could not see much while going up. We reached that top to the spot where the sunrise is viewed. It was pinching cold
outside.
We were already prepared for the cold weather. In spite of putting the jacket, we still felt very cold.
We were waiting for the sun to rise.
The sun slowly began to rise.Wow!!!!I cannot explain my feelings in words. I saw the sun rise above the clouds, standing above the clouds….I admired God’s beautiful creation…I found myself so small in front of God’s power I saw a group of Indian people chanting Gayathri Mantra as the sun rose….:-)
As I turned back, I saw the Sun’s rays hitting the Haleakela observatory (Home to lots of astronomical research and viewing) while the full moon was shining on the other side…An amazing experience.
We saw the endangered silversword and started our way back down.
We did not plan to hike in the heat in the crater. We just had a view of the crater from a lookout and started our descent.
We had breakfast at Denny’s and had 2 hours of good sleep….We refreshed and started again by noon.
Next our plan was to see the western side of Maui. We went to Iao valley state park first.
Wow….I just fell in love with this place…So full of greens and mountains
around us.
After spending some time there we drove through Lahaina town.
We spend that afternoon mostly in the beaches of the west, especially the Kanapalli beach. It has lots of resorts…I wished that I has a timeshare there
After enjoying the west Maui we returned back to the hotel.
We slept early that night because we had to start to Kauai the next morning. We cursed Aloha airlines once again for spoiling one more day that we could have had in Maui...Neways, all in the game
The next day we reached airport on time, bid goodbye to Maui and reached Kauai safely.
We picked up our rental car at the airport and drove to our hotel. Our hotel was near the Lihue airport in Kapaa. By the time we checked in, it was 11.45 in the morning. We liked Kauai Sands hotel very much. It was so close to the ocean. We refreshed quickly. Our plan that day was to see the northern part of Kauai.
We had lunch at Mema’s, a Thai restaurant nearby (Hawaii had lots of Thai restaurant than any other)
We stopped at the Wailua falls, Opeaka falls, Tunnels beach, Kilauea Light house and Kee’s
beach.
We spent lots of time in Kee’s beach…Balaji just loved that beach because it was very calm and had very few people. In fact Kauai as such is very small and had very few people. It is an ideal spot for relaxation.
Balaji liked it so much than me. He made up his mind for visiting Kauai alone and stay for one week next time We got to meet another photographer and a professional budding videographer there. They came there to practice their skills as it is away from crowd and gives more opportunity for experimenting…
It was interesting to find out about his gadget. It was a high definition gadget….A huge one
Hanalei requires a special mention. It was a magical town on the way. So beautiful. There were only 2 shops on the way
Next day, our plan was to first go to waimea canyon and visit other places in western Kauai.
Waimea canyon never interested me as I had seen Grand Canyon already.
Neways it was a good one. By the time we came out of the canyon road, it was noon.
We came back to kapaa, had lunch and went for fern grotto cruise.
It
was a wonderful experience. The fern grotto as such did not impress me so much. It is the cruise that took us there which impressed me so much.
I was asking Balaji to take me to a lauau. But I got Hula dance at least. There was this native Hawaiian music and Hula dance. It was very entertaining. They also sang the traditional Hawaiian wedding song.
There was a couple who had come to Kauai for their 58th Anniversary They looked so sweet together
We were also taught few steps in Hula dance…
The evening was well spent in Kauai sands beach enjoying its serenity sitting on a beach chair…
Time flew by so fast. I should definitely mention about the Blossoming lotus hotel in Kauai. It was the best vegan restaurant I had ever been. This is a must try if one goes to Hawaii.
The next day we started to Big Island.
After bidding a final good bye to Kauai, we started to Big Island… We reached Big Island by noon again.
Kona seaside was a different hotel compared to the other two. It had 6 floors and was more modern.
We luckily got 5th floor room.
I
should say I liked Kona seaside better than the other two.
We refreshed, had lunch and started our trip to the beaches on the west.
I especially liked Kukui beach and the ambience. We also went to Hapuna beach, Waikui Beach and waialae beach. Our final stop was at Pololu valley lookout. It was a nice place. I especially liked the drive to it.
We came back to Hapuna beach and stayed there till sunset…. The day passed by very fast.
The next day we started our trip to Hilo. We went north to reach Hilo. Our first stop was Wapio valley lookout. It was a wonderful place. The horizon was especially different in this place. So magical.
We proceeded towards Hilo. Our first stop was UmaUma falls and the world botanical garden….The place was so good. I felt like going into a deserted village full of lush green trees and flowers. It is managed privately.
The falls was very good. We then proceeded towards Akaaka falls. The trail to the falls was good.
It was followed by the 4 mile scenic drive and the Tropical botanical garden... Nothing was less than awe inspiring.
We looked for Indian restaurant in
Hilo and found one. But unfortunately it was closed because of the Holiday.-(. We ended up in subway…
We proceeded to volcanic national park. We were unfortunate because when we went there, the volcano was already on a week’s pause There was no lava visible anywhere but we went around the crater Rim Trail. We were explained about the volcano by the park ranger... It was interesting. But I was kind of scared because of the pause. We were told that a similar pause followed by a huge explosion in Kileau crater years back throwing Lava to a height equivalent to a 19 storey building!!!!
We saw smoke coming out at many places. We could also smell sulphur Dioxide. We were indeed lucky enough to step into one of world’s most active volcano that has been creating new land on earth everyday.
We looked with amazement, the kilaeau crater and read about its history and the largest explosion that occurred there...
We were anyways happy that we stepped into that volcano...
We had to be satisfied with what we got and turned back happily.
We went out for shopping memento, that night.
We had to start from the beautiful Hawaii
the next day morning.
It was a great trip.
As I read somewhere, this is what truly does reflect my thoughts on Hawaii trip.
“I feel privileged to have seen such beauty
and felt such joy
I feel blessed that my life has taken me
to this island of tropical treasures
and turquoise waters”
Until the next experience, ciao!
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travelbuffs
Transient Sapiens
Loads of fun! Cool experience, huh.