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New Trip 9740326
Family Adventure Travel in Hawaii: Hot Lava(My Sho
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Hilton Waikoloa Village
Adjoining rooms close to the monorail. Was told that HHonors upgrade will be honored.
Hawaii Big Island
Pu uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park - Honaunau, Hawaii
Snorkeling at Two Step right next. But, no rentals - rent on the road
Mauna Lani Golf Villas - North Course - Kohala Coast, Hawaii
9 am tee time booked- check with Ted (staying at the Hilton)
Dolphin Quest - Waikoloa, Hawaii Big Island
Make sure to reserve as soon as we get to the hotel
The Four Seasons Resort Hotel & Spa - Hualalai (Big Island), Hawaii
Full day spa + golf for Mom and Dad. Kids at Hualalai Camp
Hapuna Beach State Park - Big Island, Hawaii
Start the day here before it gets hot.
Hawi, HI
Do not come here if we are in a rush. Great health food place.
Waipio Valley - Hawaii Big Island
Black Sand beach. Short hike down. No showers there - closest ones are 5 miles down the road.
Mookini Heiau - Hawaii
May need local help getting there - maps are unclear. Near airstrip
Akaka Falls State Park - Hawaii
May be the only waterfall of the trip - don't miss. Lots of driving today.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Hawaii Big Island
Check flow conditions at ranger stations. Skip helicopter. Day one - see main sites. Day 2 - 4mi hike across crater, night lava view (end of road). Day 3 - morning hike to flow (lots of water!).
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Suite on business floor - confirmed with Malani at front desk
Oahu
Ala Moana Center Mall - Honolulu, Hawaii
Great food court - spend a few hours shopping for souvenirs. Walk there and see canoe races on canal on the way. Cab back. Check into shuttle at hotel.
Waikele Premium Outlet Mall - Waipahu, Hawaii
souvenirs??
Sea Life Park - Waimanalo, Hawaii
Skip it if too busy or not enough time
Waikiki, Honolulu - Oahu, Hawaii
Surf lessons - bargain and get a package deal. Probably go back every day at some point.
Lanikai Beach - Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii
Stop on the way to the other side of the island
Polynesian Cultural Center - Laie, Oahu, Hawaii
Try to get discount coupons from car rental. Highlight is show at night.
USS Arizona Memorial - Pearl Harbor (Honolulu), Hawaii
Get there by 8am and expect a long day.
Halekulani Hotel & Spa Resort - Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii
Just for mom.
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park - Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii
Total Items:
2 Hotels
, 2 Regions
, 19 Attractions
About my trip:
It was our third trip to Hawaii, but the first one with the kids. I always say that the only problem with Hawaii is that it is not a 2 hour flight from Boston! Or maybe, thats good. Anyway, we started the trip the way we start them all - Free tickets courtesy of AAdvantage. 4 people - 6 seats. Its hard planning a trip to Hawaii - too many islands, not enough days. How do you choose between the unique green of Kauai and the flowing Lava of the Big Island? The resorts of Maui or the untouched ares of Molokai? Honolulu vs. Kona? We figured lets start the trip with places unlike anywhere the kids have ever been to (Big Island) and end up in a more familiar, urban area (Honolulu). The same reasons we avoided Honolulu on our honeymoon convinced us to take the family trip here. In case you don't get to the end of this (or in case I forget) - the trip was great - voted best family trip ever! Big Island - we had to decide where to stay - the side with rain or the side without rain. So, it was Kona. Great place, amazing pool area. No rain. First day - at the hotel and swimming with Dolphins. I got up at 5am and played golf with Ted King and his buddies (Ted paid!) Second Day - headed south for the City of Refuge (Puu.....) and snorkeling at two step (massive turtles coming right up to you) Third Day - drive trip to the northern tip. First stop, the beach. Next the temple - the road to get there was dirt but we had the whole place to ourselves. We expected to see whales on the way, but we saw Maui instead. Lunch in Hawi - its very different from where we were staying. And great ice cream. Finally, the highlight of the day - Waipio Valley - amazing lookout, easy hike down and we get our black sand beach. First ever black sandcastle built by Todd and Jamie! Fourth Day - off to Volcano. Stayed at a B&B. There is not much to do in Volcano, so we drove into Hilo every night. We got there pretty late after we stopped at the waterfalls on the way to Hilo. We did not take the saddle road and we definitely enjoyed the road via Hilo. Next Day - all day exploring the park - stopped and did some short walks and a serious one across the crater floor. At night, with what seemed like everyone on the island - we drove down to the eruption zone and saw the red lava flowing down the hillside and flowing over the cliff into the sea. Thanks to the Japanese group with their serious viewing equipment. Amazing Day - we got up early and hiked to the Lava (again after a drive down to the eruption zone). Hardest hike we ever did, but at the end we stood 5 feet away from red lava cracking out between the rocks. You could not only fry and egg on the ground - you could vaporize it. And, my Rubber Soled hiking boots lost most of the tread. It just softened and peeled off. IMPORTANT TIP to the next guy reading this - if you are one of the first people out on the lava in the morning - you are ON YOUR OWN. Trail is unmarked, the rangers don't get there until later in the day and there is no stream of people returning from the lava area to follow. We were ready to turn back, not having seen the lava, when someone came by and pointed to a spot a few hundred feet away and there we saw one of the most amazing natural phenomena that we have ever seen. We ended the day exhausted, back at Hilo's little airport on a flight to Honolulu. We really wanted to spend some time in Hilo, but just managed to get to the airport. As Grandma always says "lets leave something for next time". Honolulu was very, very different. Beach and surf lessons every day, a trip or two to the mall and peeking into all the hotels to see what is happening. One day they were filming something on the beach, next a beauty contest and hula shows everywhere. We did some sightseeing - Pearl Harbor, of course. One day we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We still are not sure what this is - theme park? cultural museum? Broadway show? we had a good time and spent a lot of money Hoping to update this some more before next trip.
OK
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