Lowest interisle fare ever, Marriott Bans Smoking, more

Happy Monday! Here's what's new in Hawaii:


Inter-Island Airfare rates have dropped to an unheard of $29 one-way. Tickets must be purchased by tomorrow and used by September 30th, 2006. Go! Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines made these latest cuts and Aloha is thinking about what it will do. Gotta love this airfare war. Go Go!
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jul/31/ln/FP607310329.html

Marriott has banned smoking in all their hotels. Marriott has several hotels in Hawaii. As a matter of fact, I'm planning a trip in October to the Waikoloa Marriott with my girlfriends. Hey, as a non-smoker, this is great news, in my opinion.

Now, for what's new at andHawaii.com

I wrote a review of the Maui Revealed book. I wrote a guide to Moving to Puna for those of you thinking about relocating to the Big Island, and I started a new What's New page so you can always keep track of my newest articles. Oh, and I started a survey - win a $100 gift cert for 5 minutes of your time. :)

Lisa

Sharks seen in Hawaii

question
What is the latest on the sharks in Oahu and Maui? We're coming in late July - Aug.

answer
Hmmm, I don't know that there is a latest. There were sharks seen and the beaches were closed, but reopened after the sharks seemed to have moved on. I haven't heard anything in several days so these issues are probably over for now.

Indian Restaurants in Hawaii

Sanjay over at thingsindian.com has put up a page advising of Indian Restaurants in Hawaii. Right now they are all on Oahu, so if you know of any on the other islands head over and let him know.

Welcome Go! Airlines to Hawaii for Lower InterIsland Fares!

Well, it won't start till June 9th, but man I can taste those low fares already! Go! airlines has started selling $39 one way inter-island tickets between all the major Hawaiian Islands (maui, oahu, the big island, and kauai). The cheapest tickets you could get from Aloha or Hawaiian for years now is $71 one way normally, so that is practically half-price!. Of course, if you go to Aloha or Hawaiian now, they are selling seats for $39 too. That makes me mad, actually. Either you can afford to sell seats for $39 Aloha and Hawaiian, or you can't. And if you can ... why have we been paying so much these last few years?!?

I welcome Go! with open arms, and am excited about the new, cheaper fares.

Waimanalo Beach Feedback

After writing an ezine article about the best Oahu Beaches I got some reader feedback about one I did not include. Here's what she said.

" ... Waimanalo (Beach). The beach is beautiful, the water is great for swimming (even with keikis), there are trees for shade, there are no crowds, and there is plenty of local flavor. Of course, it may not appeal to all tourists, depending on what they're looking for, but 'Nalo epitomizes Hawaii for me."

keikis = kids
'Nalo = nickname for Waimanalo

Thanks again Lori, I agree with you.

Perfect Picture of Waimanalo Beach

Directions to Waimanalo Beach from the Airport
Take H1 East and exit at the Pali Highway exit, take a left onto the Pali Hwy (61), go through 2 tunnels and at the fourth stoplight after the tunnels, take a right at the sign reading "Waimanalo". After about 10 minutes, you can follow your nose to the beach.

Waikiki as a Family with a Young Child

We stayed in Waikiki for one week at the Resortquest at the Waikiki Banyan. It was me, my husband, and our two (three months from three) year old child.

I can definitely recommend the Resortquest. The location (one-block walk to the beach) and the room (full kitchen, divider between "bedroom" and living room) were top-notch for the price. Plus, on the fifth floor roof they have a pool, a playground, barbeque grills, and a small putting green.

The full kitchen was a lifesaver. Anyone with a small child knows you don't want to be doing three meals a day in a restaurant. We went grocery shopping the first day and had a normal breakfast and dinner each day at the hotel. There were no ... diaper issues, no restaurant issues, and no food issues.

We did a lot of beach and pool play. The beach just one block down is the small section called Kuhio Beach which has a sea wall protecting it from any waves. Joe (the two year old) just loved all of Waikiki Beach and especially that protected section.

We went to the Honolulul Aquarium and that was good for about two hours of entertainment. We did not go to the Honolulu zoo because we've been there before and were not impressed. We spent one evening at a nearby Chuck E. Cheese's (a phone book check showed three on the island). We drove out to the North Shore and checked out the Dole Pineapple Plantation - there is a nice train ride there that our Thomas fan just loved.

Basically, all three of us really enjoyed Waikiki. One warning to you - bring the stroller. Our normally perfectly-behaved child who never goes in the stroller (I generally do not like them and do not use them) turned into an absolute monster on this trip (traveling does that to children, I've heard) and we actually bought an umbrella stroller two days into the trip to contain him.

Best Day at the Beach Shore Excursion

question
We are a family of three (m/f/daughter 10 years old) arriving for just a day on the Pride of America cruise ship (March 22). The excursions offered by the ship seem to not include the "day at the beach" options we've often used on cruises.

Can you offer some ideas for us? Any hotels with day-use fees? Any beach parks with modest facilities (bathrooms/snacks)?

We will be docking at The Big Island, Kona side port, and Kauai - Nawiliwili Harbor.

answer
OK, for Kona, the Hilton Waikoloa has day-use fees - 4 people for $80 the last time I checked. It's a 25 minute or so drive from the port but the hotel is fantastic. They've got water slides, two big pools, a lagoon, and boats and a tram take you around the huge grounds. My favorite hotel. It's first come first serve, maybe calling first will help:

IMO, the best Kona beach is probably Kahaluu Beach - not because of the beach itself, but because the snorkeling and turtle watching are good. This is about a 5 minute drive from the port - or maybe they will have a shuttle. It's likely there will be a shuttle or some option to get there, you probably just won't find out about it till you get on the ship.

If you have time for a Fairwinds trip to Kealakekua Bay, or any trip to Kealakekua Bay (swimming with dolphins kealakekua bay) the snorkeling is the best in probably the world. The only thing is, trips out are best in the morning and will take 3 to 4 hours usually. I know time is limited on shore excursions.

As for Kauai, if you can arrange the Na Pali Coast Zodiac excursion, that's really fun and dolphins are likely.

If you want to stick close by, Kalapaki Beach is really close to Nawiliwili Harbor and has decent activities.

I just found this site: http://www.shoretrips.com/common/search2.asp?rcode=HAW Looks interesting, might help you out.

Good luck making a choice :) and have a great time! Lisa