pablus in Hawai'i

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh the islands.

Getting a much needed 8 day jaunt there and wanted to get some advice from the Islander Ohana and others who are in the know.

We'll be on Oahu for a couple of days in November - like between the 5th and the 8th. Then it's off to the Big Island just in time for the Waimea Ukulele and Slack Key Institute.

I know nothing of either place. Except that I will love it.

I'd like to get some advice on a couple of things.

I know The La Mariana and South Seas Arts and chilling with filslash are a must, but what else is a must on Oahu. Where is the best place for diving/snorkeling? I've never liked resort hotels and usually find a rental house in the hills when I go to Kauai - but for Oahu - the Wahine wants to be pampered. Is there one hotel that stands out there? Waikiki? Too crowded with something better on the north coast? Auwe! Help!

Also, on Hawai'i, the institue/concert is in Waimea, but where should I stay for 4-5 days? What city or town is the equivalent of Kapaa, Kauai? I like smaller, less touristy areas - even remote. Is there a place near Waimea that will fit that description?

I would appreciate the moderators leaving this post up here for a few days before moving it to Beyond or creating a new special forum called Tiki Travel. :wink:

[ Edited by: pablus 2005-10-10 10:44 ]

You must go to several places while on Oahu! Shrimp boats on the north shore (Giovannis)(get the scampi plate!) Matsumotos Shave ICE, GO to the PCC while on the North Shore too, tons of tiki stuff and cool shows! Have a Mai Tai at the "Mai Tai" bar at the Royal Hawaiian! Go diving!!

I miss it alot, we were just there last month!

Ka Maka

• Have a Mai Tai at the house without a key (my favorite mai tai of the isle) in the Halekulani hotel in Waikiki and listen to the wonderful bands at sunset with the most wonderful view
• Meet Gecko at La Mariana
• Go to the north shore, look at the turtles and swim or surf
• If you like japanese food, go to Tokyo Tanaka (several locations)
• The Hawaiana hotel on west Waikiki is really nice, full of tiki and vintage. You can stay there.

I'm jealous sir...

Aloha Gang! Here's the part where I say: "Check out this thread and then post your experiences when you get back."
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=216&forum=1&hilite=hawaii%20vacation%20tips
Have a great trip, Pablus. Aloha!

-Weird Unc

I think that making plans to stop on the West Coast instead of just flying over it is a must. :P

Mahalo for that great thread.
Is the jab great or what?
Tiki Chris, I think I'll utilize the services of your friend.

Thanks to all for their great info.
The most tiki-ish places, the dive sites, the food joints, it's all terrific stuff.

Mods, feel free to take this to Events or Beyond or whatever you want to do.

one more time... great.

[ Edited by: pablus 2005-10-10 18:52 ]

Pablus ----

I would most definitely do the sunset booze cruise in Waikiki. It is an awesome catamaran that cruises around the island and you view Diamond Head and everything from the water. Too much fun! Drinks flow! We loved it --- we did not want to leave the boat.... they had to boot us off!!!! I do not remember the name of the boat --- the captain had a weaner dog with him (that might be like looking for a needle in a haystack!) ....Of course after the cruise we were starving.....we went to the International Marketplace to grab a bite --- the crew went there too!

Also, for snorkeling.... Hanauma Bay is the best. You have to get there early because it gets really crowded. It is so beautiful with tons of sea life and turtles!

Can we stow away in your baggage? I am really ready to go back!!!!

Great seeing you last weekend Pablus!!!!

Neptune Wahine

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-15 15:08 ]

On the Big Island (Hawaii) definitely snorkle at Kahaluu Beach (shallow & extremely colorful) near the Keauhou Beach Hotel in Kona. If you have time take a boat to kealakekua Bay (Lots of Dolphins & great snorkling). Whales will be here soon too! Kealakekua is where Capt. Cooke "bit the big one".

On Oahu, the North shore waves hit 18 feet today! The North shore is not good for snorkling this time of year! NOT.

I work at Hanauma Bay on Oahu. Great snorkling when the winds and South swell are light. Make sure you get there by 7 a.m. or it's a real circus. Good Tikis near the Polynesian cultural center, and in Haleiwa (at North Shore marketplace on Oahu, and at the Kamehahmeha Hotel in Kona.

Help! We need more Tikis.

Oh yeah, almost forgot the best snorkle/dive experience of all. Definitely look for the Manta Ray night trips in Kona. Swimming with these dudes is the very best thing you'll ever do.

I will be visiting Maui about the same time you will be visiting Oahu and the Big Island, Pablus. I arrive Nov 1 and head back to California on the 10th. If you see any signal lights coming from Haleakala (the big volcano on Maui), it's just me signaling Aloha to you! Have a great time! If you get to Maui, I can give you some choice spots to go for snorkeling, but I don't know the other islands too well for suggestions.

While on the Big Island, don't forget to check out the City of Refuge (Pu'uhonua O Honaunau), near Captain Cook. It's the BEST tiki spot ever! And a choice spot for snorkeling too!

Too bad we will be just ahead of the annual whale migration to see many of those critters.

Aloha!

On the Big Island, Kona side, lives tikidug. He has a great bed and breakfast there. Awsome tiki collection, great ocean/sunset view overlooking the pool...knows where to find tikis...you can find info under tikidug. aloha,hoku

Contact Gecko and let him show you around. That's the best.

Probably a little late but whatever:

If you're spending days in Waimea you'll probably want to stay up at Waikoloa- the hilton or outrigger are both kind of spendy but nice places. I sometimes spend a day or weekend at the hilton for my kids- there are some pretty epic pools with slides and a lot of room for the kids to run around. It's kind of disneylandesque though- the kind of environment I normally avoid- but it's an easy commute to waimea.

There are probably a couple B&Bs on the Hamakua side- Honokaa maybe. Also Waipio has some neat B&Bs in the valley- which is one of the must sees that everyone raves about- but you need to remember to rent a 4wd. It's not so much rough as it is super steep entering and exiting the valley.

There are tons of places to stay in Kona. Mike and Simi McMicheals at Pacific Vibrations (Surf shop in town) have a place right near Kahaluu (no pool but excellent diving just across the street and a super cool beach pad- very polynesian and funky) that I think goes for around $150 a night and sleeps two or three couples. Also Mike and Simi are fantastic people and super nice- just a killer family to be around and do business with.

In Kona at the Coconut Grove Marketplace is Kanaka Kava. You can get killer Hawaiian food and bowls of kava in their open dining area or at the bar. No booze- just killer grinds and buckets of kava. Tell them Toby sent you. The owner (Zack) is a big Hawaiian guy who shares the same scottish last name as I do and we've agreed that we're related somewhere in the distant past. Possibly his ancestors bludgeoned some of mine at Kealekekua bay. Zack's cousin Kalani runs a beach concession in front of the King Kamehameha hotel. He'll hook you up with snorkel gear and the snorkeling to the North of the hotel- just outside of the heiau up to Kukailimoku point- is pristine and rarely gets used. Kalani can also take you out for a sunset cruise (or anytime) on a Hawaiian outrigger canoe. He actually just purchased a big expensive boat to do tours, but I don't know if he's up and running with that yet.

The Palace- Hulihee palace. Right downtown across from Hawaiis oldest church (Moku'aikaua Church). Both are pretty and cool. Stop in at Na Makana and check out Uncle Bo and Uncle Lee (Incidentally- right next to Pacific Vibrations- mentioned earlier- and a two minute walfk from the palace.)Na Makana sells hand crafted Hawaiian art and crafts and things. Not cheap stuff and not from china or indo- and not way super expensive (The uncles live next door to me so I gotta give em a plug :wink: )

Kona has the best Thai food around. Orchid Thai in the old industrial and Bangkok house behind the king kam. For Japanese it's Kenichi Pacific in Keauhou (Down past Kahaluu- five miles from the pier in Kona.) Kenichi is just off the scale- so good. Unbelievable. Super nice staff. Bring your credit card- it doesn't come cheap. BUT! way worth it.

For breakfast I'm an orphan- we lost our best little secret spot when the owner- Aki had to return to Japan to take care of his ailing father. WE MISS HIM! best donburi in town and his eggs benedict rocked.

CHEAP SUSHI!!!! You make the roll. like $4 a roll, max- for eight pieces. Long line at lunch. The owner- Mitsu Hayashi- is super cool and never drops in on me at Pine Trees on Sundays (His family works the restaurant diligently all week but close Sundays. Sundays are for surfing Pines. Cool people. SUPER nice (nice is a recurring theme here, isn't it?)On Sunday you can get killer mexican at Pancho and leftys (You make the roll is just behind and across the alley from Pancho and leftys, which is a two minute walk from the palace.) The other GREAT mexican place we have is in Keahou and that is Jabaneros- and yes, the people there are amazingly nice and treat me super great. Like family. and their food is off the hook. They'll make you stuff that isn't on the menu.

For coffee- pardon my language but f*ck Stabucks- we never asked for em but they came anyhow. Corporate yuck. In Lanihau center you can go to Cruisin copffee and talk to Tom. He'll tell you where the surf is and when (Thanks Tom for not dropping in on me at Lymans!) Their shakes are ono times ten.

Oh- in Lanihau canter is a little shave ice kiosk that has the super secret local kine flavors. Ask for Kona Flavors- Haupia and Watermelon. Broke da mout- times six cubed!

And speaking of the bay (at one point I was!)- Kealekekua bay has the absolute best diving around. As you pass through Kainaliu on your way there you can stop at Teshimas- a locally owned japanese family restaurant- and get some killer Donburi. Unreal people and even better food.

Also down that way- at Captain cook (South of the Kealekekua bay turnoff but North of the Pu O Honua O Honaunau turn off (That's the city of refuge- another one tiki fanatics must spend an hour or two at)- geez- I do get sidetracked. Well anyhow- in Captain Cook is the Manago Hotel- totally funky and old and super cool hotel- worth staying at for a night- order the Pork Chops with onions, rice and long rice- you wont be disappointed. The hotel is a LOT like the Plaza Hotel in ensenada. You're there because it's funky- it's not the Four Seasons :wink:.

On your way to kealekekua bay you can also get kayaks, boards and snorkel gear from Kona Boys Kayaks. They are super nice and will set you up with all your gear.

The Volcano is way worth seeing. Check to see if it's flowing into the ocean before you go- that's pretty neat to see an island actually forming before your eyes. Kinda Humbling. There's a lodge you can stay at up on the caldera but make reservations- pretty limited accomodations. There's okay food too- nothing to scream about. Take hiking shoes and warm light clothes- it gets hot and cold there a lot. Mornings are chill.

Hilo- downtown is neat. Historical resto. I'd say 3 hours is about it for Hilo though- not a ton there. I stay at the NaniLoa Hotel in Hilo when I stay there. Kens House of Pancakes is where you eat in the A.M. Nori's Saimin in the afternoon. Harrington's on the ice ponds for dinner.

From Kona to Oahu is a two hour drive, minimum. I take family across that way because the Hamakua Coast is so gorgeous. There is a scenic rout that winds along the ocean- starting a few miles outside of Hilo- and it's way worth seeing. Gorgeous. Stop and walk out to the center of the big bridges. Hakalau valley is worth seeing- Akaka Falls. Kalopa botanical park. KoleKole Beach Park. Stop at Tex's Drive in near Honokaa for Hot Malasadas (Hawaiian Portuguese donuts). Drive through what my daughter calls "hobbitland" just outside of Waimea. Beautiful place.11 different climates or something like that, I read once. Laupahoehoe is a neat detour also but you have to backtrack. It is the site of the disastrous tsunami that killed more than 50 people- wiped out a whole town- and it was the disaster that prompted officials to put the bouys in place that we check every day to see if the surf is coming up. Sad story, dramatic place.

Honokaa is where the entrance to Waipio Valley is- I wouldn't skip Waipio.

In Waimea- Aiolis Bakery has great soups and salads. Just behind Merrimans. The Lilikoi Cheescake is so good it isn't even believable.

The drive over the Kohala Mountains to Hawi is really nice. Pastureland and farms. Hawi is a little artsy community with some decent restaurants. Bamboo is supposed to be good and John Keawe plays there on weekends. I eat at a little mexicantakeout tucked into the back of a building on the main drag. Polulu Valley is near there- it's the other end of Waipio- and I love that place. Bring your hiking boots- beautiful beach but no lifeguards.

Just South of Kawaihae is a very large Heiau (Pyramid size) that was the stepping off place for Kamehameha when he set out on his campaign to unify the islands (He never got Kauai, by the way- Kauai boys are made of tough stuff.:wink:) Right below that heiau is a beach and off of thatbeach is a submerged heiau that is described by Hawaiians as a "shark heiau". I'm not certain what is meant by that but daily you see sharks cruising there and it's pretty neat to see. I regularly stop there for lunch when I'm working that way and just sit really still until my eyes get used to the texture of the windchop and then I begin to pick them out- just the tips of little grey and black fins cruising along. Pretty neat for people who have never witnessed sharks. I've seen tons and I still totally dig it.

Down South there isn't a whole lot but Naalehu is a pretty litle farm town and green sand beach is pretty epic- but it's a long drive with not a lot else between.

Also- if you can get someone to take you to halape it's really pretty. a seven mile hike in to a very secluded beach.

So anyhow- hurry up and come to Kona because Kona is disappearing faster than we can say "California developers raping the land". We're experiencing the biggest building boom Hawaii has ever experienced and Kona is getting all kinds of messed up on the deal. Our county council is too weak to put the brakes on and so here we go. Come visit and look for all da nice people with da smiling faces. Ignore the Humvee driving, obnoxious newbys (and yes- it can be bred out of them. It can even be learned!) and can you make the mean ones go back and you nice, normal tiki obsessed folk can come over instead?

Hope some of this info helps someone! Aloha- TLH

Very cool advice. Wish I could have hooked up with you over there.

I'll be back. Mauna Kea has me in her spell.
I even learned Beamer's "The Beauty of Mauna Kea" on the uke and have a new one worked up I'll post in a few weeks when I get back to the States. (I'm in Dubai right now. Flat and dry. blecch. I left Indonesia for this?)

Yeah- it's a shame we didn't talk sooner. I play with some really sweet people over here. You could have gotten a chance to kanikapila a little. I have a young friend that is kind of a prodigy- he's a son of one of my close freinds and his family is from Niihau- and he's just a hoot to play with. Put any instrument in his hand and he's proficient. Also occassionally a couple hip-hop guys I know come home from playing on Oahu and revert back to their outer-island personas and we just jam all night on my lanai. There's a long list of talent roaming around here- mostly carpentering or gardening and generally taking their gift for granted but whatever- fame and fortune isn't always what it's supposed to be anyhow. They'll probably live longer doing things the way they are. But yeah- it's pretty fun playing uke and guitar here- you get a LOT of opportunities in all sorts of places.

There's a guy here that builds the sweetest ukes- I can't remember his name but I'll dig up his web address. I think it was Kailua-Kona Ukelele company or something generic like that. I do interviews and photography and I was interviewing Gaylord Vermilyea (old surfer/shaper/hobie guy and all around great tenor UKe guy also- learned along with Peter Moon from a Haole by the name of Frank "Tex" Cash. That's a piece of trivia most people dont posess- an underground uke legend.) and anyway Gaylord turned me on to the guy that makes the sweet sounding Ukes. I had a chance to play one and it was not too far removed from the sweet sound of a 40s Martin Tenor (My favorite ride and no- I don't have one. It's high up on the wish list.) Also there's a guy named elvin here- local guy- that builds really sweet solid body electrics. Super perfect little pieces of work. Iz had two of em. (Incidentally- the kid Zack that is the prodigy is one of Iz's second cousins- grand nephew to the late Moe Keale. No wonder he's got it in his blood, yeah?)

Too bad.
Oh well- next time.

http://ukulelesofkona.com/

This is the web address for the uke-builder guy I was talking about- Berard.

[ Edited by: T_lifehater 2005-11-27 09:06 ]

On 2005-10-13 19:43, Neptune Wahine wrote:
Pablus ----

I would most definitely do the sunset booze cruise in Waikiki. It is an awesome catamaran that cruises around the island and you view Diamond Head and everything from the water. Too much fun! Drinks flow! We loved it --- we did not want to leave the boat.... they had to boot us off!!!! I do not remember the name of the boat --- the captain had a weaner dog with him (that might be like looking for a needle in a haystack!) ....Of course after the cruise we were starving.....we went to the International Marketplace to grab a bite --- the crew went there too!

Neptune-

Da Boat is named the Mai Tai'i .

We went out last June.

Remeber Fil???

Arrrr!!!

It's in front of the Sheraton.

The crew rocks!

Good friends with my father in law.

On 2005-12-13 21:48, RevBambooBen wrote:

We went out last June.
Remember Fil???
Arrrr!!!

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-15 15:27 ]