honeymoon in june

I%26#39;m coming to Hawaii for my honeymoon June 1st, splitting time between Maui and the island of Hawaii. We%26#39;ll be on the big island for four days: day 1- west coast, day 2- north coast, day 3- Volcano National Park, day 4- Hilo. Based on the vog levels and how soon we%26#39;re coming, should we still come to the big island, or just stay on Maui? I know this is a commonly posted topic right now, but I%26#39;d just like some input. Thanks!

honeymoon in june

Aloha Hula Girl or should I say hey neighbor, I am from Missouri also. I am not and expert but I have been to 3 islands and the big island is well worth seeing. I will alos be there in June. My daughter has a vacation home there. I am coming with 2 daughters and 3 neices. Congratulation on your marrige.

honeymoon in june

Well, first off let me say that to me, moving locations every night is not very relaxing. I would stay in one place, or maybe choose two locations if you must. But it just doesn%26#39;t make sense, IMO, to split 4 days into 4 different areas.

There are several questions, what%26#39;s your budget, and what do you like to do? The BI is known for its snorkeling and diving. Do you like to do that? Beaches? Hiking? What?

Aloha, Hopefully you are not moving 4 times in 4 days on your honeymoon! You can easily get that down to 1 move at most. I would not change my plans because of the VOG, things change so fast.. or not... but I would not change my plans, there is so much to enjoy and discover on the island.

I also agree that moving four times is going to be very tiring and will put big constraints on your actual play time because you need to be in and out of a lodging every day.

You may not realize that rental cars with luggage in them are targeted by thieves at all the typical beauty stops, so that any time you carry all your luggage around you add a concern. When you are checked in, so is your stuffs safe and sound.

sorry, truly cannot predict the vog levels. If Kilauea stops pumping out these extra high concentrations of gas, things will be normal again, and that could happen tomorrow or never, but when exactly, not even the scientists can say, much less the folks at TA.

we leave next tuesday

and i dont think this has ever been done before-- we are staying at hale pau hana and they have a web cam -- i will be in front of the web cam on wed 4/23 at 12 noon hawaii time and if you are interested in peeking - here is the site

http://www.mauicondowebcam.com/

we leave next tuesday

lougee,...... I%26#39;ll be waving!.... have a great trip!

we leave next tuesday

I%26#39;m leaving next Tuesday too! I have no idea where we%26#39;ll be on Wednesday, but perhaps we%26#39;ll stop by. :)

I_Love_the_Sea

I%26#39;m leaving next Tuesday too%26gt;%26gt;

where are you staying -- do you know where hph and the camera is located

We%26#39;re staying in Haiku, I have no idea where anything is in Maui. I need to print some maps and directions to everything, ha!

How much better can your life be.....you live in the most gorgeous area in the northwest and you vacation in Maui. You lucky dog!!!!

We%26#39;ll all being looking for you! And of course we%26#39;ll be very jealous. Have a great trip!

Lougee, I know some people that can%26#39;t remember time or place...unlike you!

You be damn sure I be watching for you Lougee! From one MF to another! And you gonna have a great time Lougee! :)

Lol! You are hilarious! have a great time!

That is so fun! My daughter, daughter in law and I did that last year. We wrote a message in the sand and called some friends and had them pull up the webcam at HPH. We talked and waived. It was so fun!! (Well for us, I don%26#39;t know about the people sitting back in Ohio) I%26#39;ll be looking for you Wed. Have a great time. I%26#39;ll be back at HPH in two weeks-can%26#39;t wait!!!

BTW-were you HPH last July. Don%26#39;t know if you are really a cop but we had an officer and his family in the condo below us. My son was in love with one of his daughters-from a distance. Just thought I%26#39;d ask.

2bkelia

BTW-were you HPH last July%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;

no -- we were there last nov

McBryde and Allerton Gardens

Is it possible to do both the McBryde and Allerton Gardens in one morning, or is that too much?

McBryde and Allerton Gardens

Um, I think you could do both in one DAY, but probably not one morning. We spent about 2 hours in McBryde - the tram (it was a van when we were there) only comes around every 1/2 hour to take you back to the visitor center, so you can%26#39;t just up and leave when you decide you%26#39;ve seen everything. I haven%26#39;t been to Allerton but I understand it is more structured as you take a tour. According to the website, tours leave at 9 am, 10 am, 1 pm and 2 pm, and you should allot 2 1/2 hours.

It would also be an expensive day - McBryde is $20 pp and Allerton is $40. Take sunscreen, water and bug repellent.

www.ntbg.org.

McBryde and Allerton Gardens

Thanks blueflamingo.

Do you think an 11 and a 12 year old would enjoy McBryde?

McBryde is BIG, and you have to walk a lot to see it all (it%26#39;s a one mile loop). That said, you also have the freedom to loiter in areas that you like, and stretch your legs more than on a guided tour (i.e., if they were driving you nuts and there weren%26#39;t a lot of other people around, you could send them on a scavenger hunt for ';the most alien like plant you can find'; or just have them race up to the next giant palm tree, or play ';count the mosquito bites'; if you%26#39;re like me).

Here%26#39;s the link to my KodakGallery album (I know, I need to switch to Picasa!): www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp鈥?/a>

Photos 11-42 are from McBryde.

Beautiful photos, blueflamingo! Thank you for sharing with all of us. You know I lurk in these forums to vacation vicariously with all of you. Kauai is my favorite destination and I wish I could go more often. Reading these posts and seeing pictures like that helps to ease the wanderlust...

McBryde it is.

You have a good eye for a great photograph!

Allerton Garden Tours is the one we chose...it was very informative and beautiful...This is the one with the Jurrasic Park trees!

McBryde is self-guided...we did not do that one..but I heard it was nice too.

Not sure if a kid would like either one though...

Blueflamingo, thank you for sharing the link to your photo album. Beautiful pictures! You do have a great eye for capturing the flowers.

DH showed me how to use the macro feature on the camera and I was off and running. I think I took about 100 pictures that day! I love tropical gardens, so we go to one on each visit. The botanic garden near Hilo on the Big Island is gorgeous.

I think it%26#39;s always hard to tell someone else if their kids will like something - I know kids that would be bored to tears in two seconds if you took them to either garden, where others would spend hours exploring. We don%26#39;t have kids but I personally have a 10 minute attention span (in any activity) and DH gets antsy if he has to sit still for any period of time (you should see us on the plane!), so for us to enjoy the gardens so much may tell you something...

Thanks, blueflamingo.

My niece and nephew are 11 and 12 and while they might prefer being at the beach to the gardens, I think I will encourage them to go to one of the gardens. They%26#39;ve always enjoyed nature walks with 2 of my brothers (who will be going with us) and who are experts on Calif. native plants and edible plants (I%26#39;ll encourage them not to eat the plants as we walk along - they have been known to ';graze';). I%26#39;m always amazed at their knowledge. One day I went to the U.C. Berkeley Botanical Gardens with one of them and we wandered through it while he told me about all of the plants, and the medicinal, culinary, and ceremonial useages of the various plants and herbs by the Chinese, American Indians, etc. After a while I heard some noise behind me and turned around and there were about 20 people following us and hanging on every word - they thought he was the guide!

Anyway, as a child I was always a little bored by garden tours, but I still remember them all to this day and I am glad that I went. I think seeing the local gardens when you travel gives you a wonderful sense of where you are. And the hawaiian plants in particular are so spectacular! I think it will be something we will all remember.

How about Limahuli Garden%26#39;s by Kee? Although I did enjoy wandering around McBryde, I actually enjoyed Limahuli more. I believe kids 12 and under are free there, too. Adults were only charged $15 when I went there. The views of the mountains are pretty amazing there. I have a few pictures of each in my album 鈥oogle.com/slabeaume/KauaiPicturesFromTrips鈥?/a>

Things to do at an airport while waiting for your flight?

My husband and my flight will be leaving in the middle of the morning, while my mothers flight leaves at 9:30 p.m. She is traveling alone. Are there things to do at the airport or close by that will occupy her time until her flight leaves? We will be dropping of the car before our flight so she will be without a ride.

Things to do at an airport while waiting for your flight?

On Kauai ?!?!?! Leave your poor mother at the hotel (pay for a late check-out) and arrange for her transportation to the airport later that day. There is NOTHING in the immediate vicinity of the airport that someone without a car can get to.

That being said - you could arrange for her to take some sort of tour (Fern Grotto, etc) that would be relaxing on her last day on the island.

Things to do at an airport while waiting for your flight?

Our resort is up in Princeville, so I really think she would not be comfortable doing that but I can ask. About how much would a taxi be from Princeville to the airport? That is if the resort will let her have a late check out..We are staying at the Pahio at Ka%26#39;Eo Kai..

hmmmmmmmm I was afraid of that. How about arranging for a tour that will allow her to bring her stuff with her and will drop her off at the airport? An acquaintance did it on Oahu when she went skydiving (not that I advocate jumping out of perfectly good airplanes....shudder) but maybe one of the movie tours?

I agree. There is absolutely nothing to do at the LIH airport.

If she feels more comfortable at the airport, arrange for her to have an earlier flight to Honolulu if you have a stop over there on your flight home. There is a small shopping mall basically at the Honolulu airport or she could arrange to have a taxi drive her to see the Pearl Harbor memorial.

I know that when I was at LIH early, I was flying US Air with a connection through Honolulu on Hawaiian. Hawaiian said I could take an earlier flight for $25 (no free standbys). If it had been more than an hour, I would have definitely done that. I was bored out of my mind at the LIH airport.

Another alternative is to set her up with a portable DVD player -- at least then she can keep herself entertained.

Unfortunately, she is flying on Alaska Air with a direct flight from Lihue to Seattle..Guess she might have to have a good book to read to keep herself entertained.

I would arrange for her to book a tour and they could pick her up right at the airport. The seats at the airport are not comfy. The waiting rooms will be cramped with other passengers waiting to leave and the restaurant closes down early. If you book her The Movie Tour that is an all day tour. I%26#39;m sure they could drop her off at the airport.

I know the Marriott has a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Its complimentary for guests, but I don%26#39;t know if they will pick up/deliver non-guests. Depending on your budget, they might offer a day pass. There%26#39;s Kalapaki Beach and Dukes there to kill some time. Also, if she can drive you can get a cheap Priceline/Hotwire rental for her that one day.

A couple ideas: she could check her bags and go to the mall? Or, I have heard good things about the museum in Lihue ... both would require taxis. I%26#39;m thinking that she should romp a bit before that long flight.

If I was the mother, I would not want to sit at the Lihue airport for 10 hours, nor would I want to tour all day.

I%26#39;d first try to get a day pass at the Marriott, (or even for the whole day) following that, I%26#39;d book a room at one of the local low budget hotels. I%26#39;d want a place to freshen up before a flight, and have a taxi pick me up and take me to the airport in the evening.

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Gad! No way should someone sit at the Lihu%26#39;e airport for 10 hours - your sanity could be compromised!

There is NOTHING to do at our airport - believe me --

the chairs are hard and the whole place is not meant for long-term sitting I%26#39;m afraid.

I too would suggest a day-use room at one of the properties closeby - then a taxi to the airport -- please don%26#39;t leave your mother at the airport for 10 hours - that sounds like such a nightmare!

Malama Pono,

Janet

transfer file

Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside

Searched and didn%26#39;t find it. Does anyone know if the restrooms at Pua%26#39;a Ka%26#39;a State Wayside are re-opened yet?

Thanks!

Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside

Well, when I was there in April 2007 they were closed. I%26#39;d think they would be open by now, but it%26#39;s Hawaii Time, ya know.

Video/DVD rentals in Princeville area?

My husband is bringing his laptop with us on vacation and is wondering if there are any video/dvd rental places near by. He likes to watch movies late at night. Since we are not big into doing the night scene we do like to watch an occasional new dvd. Do any stores carry dvd rentals? I prefer to read a good book but he doesn%26#39;t like to do that on vacation. He prefers watching movies.

Video/DVD rentals in Princeville area?

If memory serves me there is a place in Ching Young Center. Maybe in the music store???

Video/DVD rentals in Princeville area?

I%26#39;m almost positive that the Foodland in Princeville offers movie rentals. I think they%26#39;re over by the customer service desk where the souvenirs are?

Also, iTunes is now offering movie rentals via download plus you can watch a limited amount of movies and TV shows for free on Hulu.com.

Have a good trip!

Thanks for the information. I just went to Hulu.com and am surprised with the full episodes. Hopefully we have free wifi at our timeshare.

makeup help

Just Back

My husband I just returned yesterday after 10 days on Kauai. We had an absolutely perfect trip which I will post about in more detail as soon as I recover from jet lag and airplane woes.

Our only negative the whole trip was on the way home, we flew out of Lihue On Sunday at 10:30 only to have to make an emergency landing in Honolulu because our fuel pump was damaged. We landed to firetrucks on the runway, sat in the plane for an hour and a half while they determined if we could fly again-what? ARe you crazy? We were finally shuttled to a hotel where we got 3 hours of sleep. They originally told us they couldn%26#39;t get us home until THURSDAY (of this week) but several calls later we made it out on United (original was through US Airways) so we made it home a day late.

But like I said that was our only mishap! A quick rundown and I%26#39;ll give more detailed posts later:

Stayed at an oceanfront condo at Kiahuana Plantation, we did the helicopter, zipline, sunset cruise, luau, snorkeled, hiked and ate ourselves silly. We ate at Keoki%26#39;s, Casablanca, Plantation Gardens, shrimp station, polynesian cafe, hanalei dolphin, puka dog, tropical burgers, Humura Saimen, and i%26#39;m sure there are others.

Can%26#39;t wait to relive the memories, my pictures were sent in for development today, took 300! We saw tons of whales, some seals, dolphins, turtles. What an amazing time. Hope to post more details soon.

Just Back

Other than the fuel pump incident (and real sorry to hear about that), how was the US Airways flight from Phoenix? On time? Pretty smooth? Friendly?

Thanks!

We%26#39;re flying US Airways to Kauai in July through Phoenix.

Just Back

cueball,

We got bumped from Hawaiian last May and had to take a U.S. Airway flight from Phoenix. The good news is we%26#39;re going back to Kauai again this year with the vouchers we got. Bad news was the U.S. Airways flight.

After Hawaiian called to confirm that we would be able to get 2 seats together, the ticket agent made no effort whatsoever to try to make that happen. Then they announced that we probably ought to bring our own food on board since they had a limited number of meals. The 757 is much smaller and more crowded than the 767%26#39;s Hawaiian flies. And to top it off we got some really rude flight attendants. Luckily 2 weeks in paradise was enough to wash away all the stress the flight created. Hopefully you%26#39;ll have better luck.

Sorry to hear that.

FourForMe, I%26#39;d still like to hear what your experience was...and anyone else%26#39;s for that matter.

Can%26#39;t wait to hear the rest of your report. Rest up! :)

FourForMe

We are staying at Kaihuna Plantation in Sept.And are doing the kipu Falls zipline, Blue Hawaiian Helicoter ride, Smiths Luau,Na Pali Lucky Lady catamaran and the waimea, fern grotto trip. Can%26#39;t wait to hear about your experiences on Kauai! And also, if you have done any of the excursions that we are doing.

KDgardens