Finally! Direct Mainland Flights to Hilo on the Big Island

ATA Airlines will start flying from Oakland, CA to the Hilo International Airport in Hilo, Hawaii in April. This is great news for all lovers of Hilo and Puna and Volcano (and those of us living in Hilo). ATA will also be flying to Honolulu and to Maui, but who cares! We are just happy to see a mainland flight coming directly into Hilo. Now, to see if anyone flies on it ...

Nice Writeup On Hawaiiana Hotel

The Hawaiiana Hotel in Waikiki is an older, low-rise building with kitchenettes and discount prices surrounded by new and big hotels. This review - writeup by a local tv station will convince some to reserve and others to run far away.

Go Hawaii Card Question

I am interested in the Go Hawaii card but the site I found does not go into detail as what it includes. Can you swim with the Dolphins at Discovery or only use card for admission to Park?

do you think it is worth it? I like the idea of the beach chairs and canoe ride each day.

my answer
Hi, I have the booklet here so I know exactly what it includes if you have any more questions. You cannot swim with the dolphins at Sea Life Park with the card as it only covers admission to the park and admission does not include the dolphin fee. As to is it worth it, that really depends - how many day card were you thinking of purchasing and what kind of things were you planning on doing each day? Lisa

Pro Bowl Package Deal a Deal?

question
We are visiting the island of Maui From Feb.9th to 19th. We just figured out (duh...lol) that the Pro Bowl is in Honolulu when we are down there. We have found a package deal that includes a flight, game ticket, and shuttle sevice to and from the airport. The cost is $350. We are wondering if this is a good deal, or are there cheaper ways of island hopping and getting game tickets?

answer
I am assuming this is per person. Well, after doing the math it sounds like a decent deal, but you could do slightly better if you were willing to do all of the footwork yourself. If you are flying on Aloha or Hawaiian the absolute cheapest flight you will get is probably $70 one way, but that's only if you order early and online. I did an actual search of flights on that day and am coming up with $80 one way - so total is $160. Then, a search for the tickets shows lowest price nosebleed tickets to be running $60 to $80 - with good seats going for $300 to $500. Let's just say you would buy $100 tickets and make our total $260. Well, that leaves $90 for a shuttle. You could get a cheap shuttle with questionable seatbelts and seat partners for $20 one way probably on that day, but a nice and reliable one would probably run you closer to $30 one way ... so we are at $320 if you do it yourself. If this company you are looking at is offering decent seating and a quality shuttle, I would go with them :). Lisa

Hawaii Newcomer's Guide

The Hawaii Newcomer's Guide at The Honolulu Advertiser should actually be called the Oahu Newcomer's guide, because there's nothing on there about the neighbor islands - but still, there is a lot of good information about working and real estate and local customs to get you off on the right foot.

Gift for Newlyweds and Kids Going to Hawaii

Sending your adult children to Oahu, Hawaii for spring break and don't just want to hand them a wad of cash?

Trying to think of a good gift for a newlywed couple planning on Honeymooning on the island of Oahu in Hawaii?

I have a great idea for both situation: The Go Oahu Card! They show this card instead of paying with cash and get into a large complement of activities for free. I've done a writeup on the card about whether it saves money (it can if you are an active person) in normal situations. The Go Hawaii Card is good on Oahu, and also in these other U.S. mainland locations: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. Click for other card locations

14 night Hawaii Cruise from Celebrity Cruises

Sailing Date(s): Mar 2006, Apr 2006, Sep 2006, Oct 2006, Dec 2006

14 night Hawaii Cruise

This cruise leaves from Los Angeles, spends 4 days at sea and then stops in Hilo on the Big Island for the day. After Hilo you swing around the Big Island to Kailua-kona for a day. Then from Kona you head to Kauai, then Oahu, then Maui, and then back to Los Angeles.

Most Recent Hawaii Deal from Orbitz

Orbitz:

Orbitz: Super Sand and Sea Sales on Vacations in Hawaii - ends 1-29-06

Orbitz is offering special deals on hotels and hotels plus airfare for Hawaii hotels. The deals look decent, for example, they have Resortquest Waikiki Beach hotel from $149 a night. It's a decent hotel in a great location and that's a good price.

Orbitz can sometimes offer the lowest prices available, since it is actually a partnership between these airlines: Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, American.

Most Recent Travelocity Hawaii Deal Offer

From Travelocity.com

$50 off Flight + Hotel: in Hawaii - ends 1-31-06



This is for any vacations lasting 4 nights or over. Read the conditions, but it seems you just need to book the vacation and then enter the promotional code when you are reviewing your package and they'll deduct the $50.00.

Travelocity is a booking engine and information providor using technology to assist in travel planning. Cars, flights, hotels, packages, and cruises are available.

Monthly Cost of Living On the Big Island

question
Hello. I found the website andhawaii.com and I was hoping to find an answer to a question. How much would it cost, on an average monthly basis, to live in or near Kona for a family of 3? This would mean a 2 bedroom apartment or small house. I'm looking for a ballpark figure for more than just rent, though, although if you could tell me how much rent is on average, it would be greatly appreciated.

answer
While housing is still cheapest on the Big Island out of all the Hawaiian islands, the Kona side is the most expensive part of the island. I would put rent at average $1500, maybe more these days with the recent real estate boom (it really drove land and property prices up). I myself am the CFO for a family of three on the Big Island :) and I pay between $700 and $1000 for food, depending on how careful I am about my spending. There is a Costco on that side of the island, so maybe you could improve on that (I'm on the Hilo side). Gas is $2.70 a gallon right now, and not likely to go lower, ever (that's what it was before Hurricane Katrina - we briefly went up to almost $4.00 a gallon, and then it came back down and settled there again). Utilities are expensive - I pay between $300 and $400 a month for electricity, depending on how much I run my two room air conditioners. I'm not sure what other utilities you would have to pay over there. Oh, and cars - bring your cars with you if you can, or buy from Oahu once you get here and have them shipped over. We pay really inflated prices for cars on this island. As for rent - maybe these classifieds will help you out a bit if you wanted to browse what's available

Let me know if you have any more specific questions! Lisa

Montebello boy, 3, killed in hotel fall in Hawaii

Montebello boy, 3, killed in hotel fall in Hawaii

I can't beseech you enough to set ground rules for children of all ages on balconies in Hawaii. This does not happen often here (this is actually the first news story I've ever read of a child falling from a balcony here) but man, when I was standing on our 31st floor Waikiki Banyan Balcony the week before Christmas I could see it happening to my 2 year old (even though he wouldn't have fit, I could still see it with my mother's eye - you know, that eye that keeps you up at night figuring exactly how you'll throw your child out the window if the house catches on fire). Scary.

My child was not allowed on the balcony unless an adult was with him. He was not allowed to set one toe on the ledge under the balcony railing. Constant vigilance is all that will keep your children safe, even on vacation. I would definitely set a rule that children are not allowed to play on a balcony that high. You never know what could happen. I think it is more likely that that child climbed on the back of another and flipped over the railing, than that he slipped through the bars.

I feel for that family.

Ono Kine Grindz Blog

I just found this fantastic blog, 'Ono Kine Grindz. If you are not sure what that means, it's a pidgen-y way to say 'really good food' in Hawaii. If you are interested in sampling the fantastic array of authentic ethnic foods found on Oahu, maybe read up at this blog first. Or, here's a rather easy recipe of my favorite Hawaiian food - Chicken Long Rice.