For some reason Hawaii had never been top of my list of places to visit. I envisioned it to be a coastline of mega resorts and beaches packed with American tourists eating at hotel buffets. Not that there is anything wrong with American tourists or buffets, but I had plenty of other destinations on my bucket list before these islands.
I was lucky enough to win a US$6k holiday package with United Vacations to any destination they sold, and as we wanted to use it over the Chinese New Year break San Francisco and Yosemite which was my first choice, wasn't going to happen…so Hawaii it was!
As we had $6k to spend, I proceeded to book just about every activity possible on each island (unfortunately before realizing I didn't need to spend it all on the one trip).
So for those first-timers to Hawaii, considering a couple of islands and some of the activities, here was our experiences…
We flew straight through Honolulu onto Maui, where we picked up our hire car from the airport and drove 1 hr to the west coast where the Ritz is.
Ritz Carlton, Kapalua (5*)
It's a huge resort with large grounds including a golf course. It's worth upgrading to the Club level as you get a continuous decent spread of food and drinks from breakfast through to dinner, so it's great value as there's no local restaurants nearby the hotel without a short drive.
If you eat breakfast on the Club Lounge balconies, cover your plates with a napkin if you leave them unattended, otherwise you'll have feathered company.
Hiring a car with GPS is a must on all the islands. We opted for a cheesy red mustang convertible - when in Hawaii! It took a few turns to get used to driving on the left side of the car and right side of the road, but once we got comfortable it was smooth sailing through some fantastic scenery. Simply cruising along with mountains on the right, the ocean on your left and above the clouds at some points, was definitely a highlight of the trip.
As a lot of you that know me, know I often travel for food with my eating-itinerary the first thing I research after booking my flights. To be honest, the food scene was a bit hit & miss, perhaps because we only had online forums as guidance….or perhaps it's more catered to an American pallet where the salty taste is favoured.
The highly commended 'mixed plate' at the Aloha Mixed Plate restaurant in Lahaina was a bland and flavorless disappointment of beef, chicken and fish. It's a cute open-air restaurant with free parking and OK service. Would probably suggest it only for a pittstop on your way down for coast, just for drinks at the bar instead, as it has decent ambience and is beachside.
A great way to see the island in all it's glory is from the skies! We went with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters (http://www.bluehawaiian.com/maui/tours/) who were profressional, safe and very informative.
The birds eye view of the volcanic geography showed off the natural lava flow.
Impressive hidden waterfalls
I'm not usually a fan of the ol' "dinner & dance show" combo (as I have mentioned in previous posts), as it's usually a tourist trap with average food, but the Drums of the Pacific Luau show at The Hyatt Regency was actually really entertaining and the buffet was decent. I even got up on stage with all the children to learn the hula-dancing (after making use of their free-flow bar of course!).
http://drumsofthepacificmaui.com/en/DrumsofthePacific.html
http://drumsofthepacificmaui.com/en/DrumsofthePacific.html
We actually had some of our best meals from food trucks! Head down to the south-west coast to Kinaole Grill Food truck for their sumptuous seafood plates. Their coconut shrimp and calamari was perfect to take as a picnic down near the beach. https://www.facebook.com/KinaoleGrillFoodTruck
We island-hopped on a small local carrier 45 min to Kona, Big Island. The terminal where our Mokulele flight departed from was a small open-air building, separate from where all the other flights were taking off and somewhat hard to find. We found with all the domestic flights, if you turned up early (30 min++) and asked to go on an earlier flight they'd let you you at no extra costs, if seats were available. This was great as they are all tiny terminals with little to do whilst waiting around.
Tip: Try and get a window seat on these domestic flights, and it's almost like going on a helicopter tour!
The volcanic and spacious terrain of the Big Island - very different landscape from Maui.
Look out for the local "Nene" geese when you're haring down the highway.
We stayed at Mauni Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, which was meant to be 5* luxury and to be quite frank, just wasn't. It was tired, outdated, below average food at the breakfast buffet and the food at the Ocean Bar & Grill almost inedible. Service was quite good, but then it generally is when working for tips. I'd only recommend this hotel if you're a golfer and you have a car. The only saving grace was the sunsets from their beach. Also, there was decent snorkeling over at the Beach Club once you got past all the rocks.
If you are staying on the west Kohala Coast, I suggest avoiding hotel food and head to The Shops, namely Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and Monstera Noodles & Sushi, but neither come cheap (http://www.shopsatmaunalani.com/dine/). Or, for live music and chill sundowners visit Lava Lava Beach Club where both locals and tourists alike enjoy the festive atmosphere and sunset (http://lavalavabeachclub.com/bigisland/).
Perhaps if we were to visit again, we'd stay on the East coast on Hilo side closer to the volcano and all the action in terms of black sand beaches, waterfalls and activities. Although, the coastal drive from West to East along the North coast was extremely scenic and had some fantastic lookout spots throughout.
Whilst on the East coast we packed in a full day starting with a Zipline Adventure over gullies and past waterfalls. Don't forget to wear closed in shoes, and if you want to take photos have your camera/phone on a string around your wrist as a few people lost iPads and iPhones on the course. Gavin and his team were professional and had great energy, so was a really fun few hours (http://www.kapohokine.com).
http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g60583-d2061191-Reviews-Bueno_Burrito-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html
Bellies full, we drove to Akaka falls which made for a nice stroll through the bamboo forest and leafy foliage. Park for free on the road just outside the car park and pay the $1 admission. The waterfall itself was impressive but only enjoyed from afar. If you fancy actually getting wet, Rainbow Falls is your best bet. Just climb up past the Banyan Tree and you're right on the waters edge. Not as grand as Akaka falls, but with free parking and admission, and if you go first thing in the morning you'll catch the rainbow making it worth a visit.
Heading further South we drove to Kilauea Crater just making it in time for sunset, to see the glow and vog spilling out. Aim to get to the lookout at the Jagger Museum from 6:30pm onwards. As it gets darker, the glow gets stronger.
Our final evening's activity was a sunset champagne dinner cruise. We were lucky enough to be visiting in Feb which is peak whale-watching season, so ended up getting 2-4-1; a gorgeous sunset dinner with champagne whilst accompanied by a herd of whales.
As a first-timer to Hawaii, it was great to experience all the activities and have a packed schedule. The thought crossed my mind that if we were to come back, we'd have nothing left to 'do' as we'd pretty much done all the activities on offer. However, in the end I left feeling like it's the sort of place that if you don't get bored, you're doing it wrong and misunderstanding the true meaning of the Aloha-spirit.
