Wednesday 8 May 2013
Our very last day in Hawaii.
Woke to another lovely day so we took a walk around the village. Were hoping to go for a swim but none of the pools were open early enough - so we had to have an expansive buffet breakfast instead.
After that, it was check out, catch our Chinese shuttle bus again and head off to the airport to catch our flight at 10.55 a.m.
A lovely holiday - over too soon......
Saturday 11 May 2013
Tuesday 7 May 2013
Our last day in Maui. Our second last day in Hawaii. The holiday is almost over!
The weather today was fantastic. Still, warm but not too hot. Sigh......
Flew back to Oahu in the afternoon - again another incredibly easy flight. Bags arrived on the carousel as we got to the baggage claim area. Wonderful!
At the airport, we were pounced on by a fast-talking Chinese fellow who assured us he operated an approved shuttle service which could take us to our hotel quick quick. We were a bit dubious, but he had an Hawaiian Airlines badge - so we took his word for it.
He also gathered up a group of Chinese speaking tourists and hustled us across the road, through the carpark, along a back road and to another carpark - talking to us all the time and completely ignoring the other tourists. Wonder if they were family members or something?
We were just beginning to think we had made a terrible mistake when we arrived at his van - very clean, new and professional looking. He took us to our hotel via lots of back streets - but as we paid a set fee, it didn't worry us. He told us all about his family and how his sister had a good friend in Sydney, who she visited every second year. (Every time you tell someone you are from Australia, they have a family member of some kind now living - or who used to live - in Australia.)
Our hotel is fabulous - the Hilton Hawaiian Village - and it really is like a village, with pools, a lagoon, lots of shops, bars and restaurants. The weather was absolutely sublime - still warm late into the evening.
We ate at a lovely Italian restaurant called "Fresco" on an outdoor table. How wonderful to be able to eat outside every night.
Our last day in Maui. Our second last day in Hawaii. The holiday is almost over!
The weather today was fantastic. Still, warm but not too hot. Sigh......
Flew back to Oahu in the afternoon - again another incredibly easy flight. Bags arrived on the carousel as we got to the baggage claim area. Wonderful!
At the airport, we were pounced on by a fast-talking Chinese fellow who assured us he operated an approved shuttle service which could take us to our hotel quick quick. We were a bit dubious, but he had an Hawaiian Airlines badge - so we took his word for it.
He also gathered up a group of Chinese speaking tourists and hustled us across the road, through the carpark, along a back road and to another carpark - talking to us all the time and completely ignoring the other tourists. Wonder if they were family members or something?
We were just beginning to think we had made a terrible mistake when we arrived at his van - very clean, new and professional looking. He took us to our hotel via lots of back streets - but as we paid a set fee, it didn't worry us. He told us all about his family and how his sister had a good friend in Sydney, who she visited every second year. (Every time you tell someone you are from Australia, they have a family member of some kind now living - or who used to live - in Australia.)
Our hotel is fabulous - the Hilton Hawaiian Village - and it really is like a village, with pools, a lagoon, lots of shops, bars and restaurants. The weather was absolutely sublime - still warm late into the evening.
We ate at a lovely Italian restaurant called "Fresco" on an outdoor table. How wonderful to be able to eat outside every night.
Monday 6 May 2013
Woke this morning to rain - and not just rain, but a downpour! Weather hasn't been as good in Maui as in Honolulu.
Drove to Lahaina and booked tickets for a Polynesian show tonight called "U'lalena".
By this time, the rain had eased up so we took a stroll around Lahaina. What a great little place it turned out to be! Lots of little shops along the beach front, some historical sites, an enormous banyan tree. Did a bit of shopping and wandered into two art galleries. Saw art work by Vladimir Kush and Robert Bissell and was blown away. Oh to have enough money to buy whatever I want! Will have to settle for downloading pictures for desktop wallpaper instead.
I thought the show in the evening was fantastic - although Jim wasn't very impressed. He was expecting a luau with hula girls etc whereas this was a Cirque du Soleil-based show trying to give an arty impression of the history of Hawaii - through lots of dancing and special effects. It could have done with some judicious editing - but the music and dancing were fabulous!
We were going to go back to the apartment afterwards and cook dinner but were tempted in to a restaurant in Lahaina which had great reviews, called "Longhi's".
Jim ordered a spaghetti marinara which was supposed to include a 1.5 pound lobster. The waitress was very concerned, as it was a dish for two people - but Jim insisted he could eat it. Ten minutes later, someone else came out and had another discussion about the size of the meal. They seemed very worried that it would be too much for him. After getting rid of him, the chef came out and said they had run out of lobsters! (It felt a bit like the Monty Python Cheese Shop sketch.) Finally, they agreed on the marinara without the lobster.
When it arrived, it was pretty large: -
But, unfortunately, it wasn't very nice - so he didn't finish it after all.
I had a penne arrabiata with a really nice Italian sausage - so mine was much nicer.
Woke this morning to rain - and not just rain, but a downpour! Weather hasn't been as good in Maui as in Honolulu.
Drove to Lahaina and booked tickets for a Polynesian show tonight called "U'lalena".
By this time, the rain had eased up so we took a stroll around Lahaina. What a great little place it turned out to be! Lots of little shops along the beach front, some historical sites, an enormous banyan tree. Did a bit of shopping and wandered into two art galleries. Saw art work by Vladimir Kush and Robert Bissell and was blown away. Oh to have enough money to buy whatever I want! Will have to settle for downloading pictures for desktop wallpaper instead.
I thought the show in the evening was fantastic - although Jim wasn't very impressed. He was expecting a luau with hula girls etc whereas this was a Cirque du Soleil-based show trying to give an arty impression of the history of Hawaii - through lots of dancing and special effects. It could have done with some judicious editing - but the music and dancing were fabulous!
We were going to go back to the apartment afterwards and cook dinner but were tempted in to a restaurant in Lahaina which had great reviews, called "Longhi's".
Jim ordered a spaghetti marinara which was supposed to include a 1.5 pound lobster. The waitress was very concerned, as it was a dish for two people - but Jim insisted he could eat it. Ten minutes later, someone else came out and had another discussion about the size of the meal. They seemed very worried that it would be too much for him. After getting rid of him, the chef came out and said they had run out of lobsters! (It felt a bit like the Monty Python Cheese Shop sketch.) Finally, they agreed on the marinara without the lobster.
When it arrived, it was pretty large: -
I had a penne arrabiata with a really nice Italian sausage - so mine was much nicer.
Monday 6 May 2013
Sunday 5 May 2013
Woke to the sound of the ocean right outside the apartment. We're on the 8th floor and we discovered in daylight that we have the most magnificent view through the balcony doors and lounge room full length glass windows! But boy, that ocean is loud - and it never stops!
Apparently you can sometimes see turtles and even whales from here - but not sure how I'd notice a turtle 8 floors down. Perhaps the previous tenants had really good eyesight?
During the morning, I discovered that what I thought was a bathroom cupboard was actually a washing machine and dryer. One of the most exciting things that has happened to me!
This morning, we decided to visit the Grand Wailea Resort - which is apparently the classiest most expensive resort on the island.
I was expecting something like this: -
Instead, as we drove up the long curving driveway we were greeted by the sight of an enormous inflatable animal tethered to the lawn - something like a cross between a kangaroo and a coyote. It turned
out to be Andy Armadillo - the mascot of the Texas Roadhouse chain - something like this: -
And, it also turned out, the Texas Roadhouse Company was giving all its
350 Franchise managers and their spouses a fully-paid holiday - complete with rockabilly music by the pool and compulsory wearing of large ten-gallon hats.
All the delegates had lanyards around their necks with cards proudly asserting their names and where they were from. There seemed to be a lot of Randy's from Arkansas and Bobby-Sue's from North Dakota. They were either just arriving - with lots of suitcases and hats in the lobby - or by the pool - with small bikinis or long boardshorts and hats. There were also banners hung up around the place with employees of the month's names and large grinning faces. Why are these people so loud - both aurally and visually?
Needless to say, "classy" was not the impression left by the whole experience - although it was rather entertaining.
We had lunch at a restaurant near one of the numerous pools - but as far away from the band as possible. Good food - mine was roast tomato and eggplant soup with an artisan grilled cheese sandwich. Jim's was fried calamari and a fancy roast turkey sandwich. We both had cocktails - mine was some kind of rum colada thing and Jim's was a pineapple flavoured drink served in a tasteful plastic pineapple. And, you get to keep the plastic pineapple as a souvenir! How lovely! It even has a slot in the lid for coins.
After this feast of culture, we decided to head back to the apartment and had a lazy evening indoors. I rummaged about in the cupboards and found a couple of puzzles - so had a happy evening doing a jigsaw and listening to a Stephen Fry talking book.
We headed off to the local supermarket at dinner time and bought some ingredients for a simple meal and for breakfast the next day. (You can have too much eating out.) Supermarkets overseas are fascinating. Everything is similar - but slightly different too.
Woke to the sound of the ocean right outside the apartment. We're on the 8th floor and we discovered in daylight that we have the most magnificent view through the balcony doors and lounge room full length glass windows! But boy, that ocean is loud - and it never stops!
Apparently you can sometimes see turtles and even whales from here - but not sure how I'd notice a turtle 8 floors down. Perhaps the previous tenants had really good eyesight?
During the morning, I discovered that what I thought was a bathroom cupboard was actually a washing machine and dryer. One of the most exciting things that has happened to me!
This morning, we decided to visit the Grand Wailea Resort - which is apparently the classiest most expensive resort on the island.
I was expecting something like this: -
All the delegates had lanyards around their necks with cards proudly asserting their names and where they were from. There seemed to be a lot of Randy's from Arkansas and Bobby-Sue's from North Dakota. They were either just arriving - with lots of suitcases and hats in the lobby - or by the pool - with small bikinis or long boardshorts and hats. There were also banners hung up around the place with employees of the month's names and large grinning faces. Why are these people so loud - both aurally and visually?
Needless to say, "classy" was not the impression left by the whole experience - although it was rather entertaining.
We had lunch at a restaurant near one of the numerous pools - but as far away from the band as possible. Good food - mine was roast tomato and eggplant soup with an artisan grilled cheese sandwich. Jim's was fried calamari and a fancy roast turkey sandwich. We both had cocktails - mine was some kind of rum colada thing and Jim's was a pineapple flavoured drink served in a tasteful plastic pineapple. And, you get to keep the plastic pineapple as a souvenir! How lovely! It even has a slot in the lid for coins.
After this feast of culture, we decided to head back to the apartment and had a lazy evening indoors. I rummaged about in the cupboards and found a couple of puzzles - so had a happy evening doing a jigsaw and listening to a Stephen Fry talking book.
We headed off to the local supermarket at dinner time and bought some ingredients for a simple meal and for breakfast the next day. (You can have too much eating out.) Supermarkets overseas are fascinating. Everything is similar - but slightly different too.
Sunday 5 May 2013
Maui - Saturday 4 May 2013
We flew to Maui in the late afternoon - a 37 minute Hawaiian Airlines flight which ran as smoothly as a bus trip. On and off the plane in 10 minutes flat. Not your average flight attendants either - solid clean-cut young men, looking very masculine and confident. Not an effeminate gesture to be seen! (Not like QANTAS at all.)
By the time we picked up the car and started driving to our hotel, it was getting dark - so we weren't sure what Maui was like at all. We didn't get GPS because Jim was confident there was only one road in Maui - which didn't turn out to be true at all! So I had to navigate using the rather poor maps in a "100 things to do in Maui" magazine - a rather stressful experience.
For the size of the island, there are a lot of hotels with very similar names. We are staying in the Aston Mahana at Kaanapali, which is not the same as the Aston Kaanapili Shores or the Aston Maui Kaanapali. For someone who is not expecting these minute differences, it caused considerable confusion for some time!
This place turns out to be an apartment, rather than just a hotel room. Very nice to have a bit of space and a kitchen that we'll never use. The receptionist told us there was a complimentary breakfast thrown in the next morning with an island orientation program and a free gift. We were just thinking "how nice" when she added that there was no timeshare presentation involved. Instantly, our suspicions were raised and, needless to say, we didn't go.
We have since learned that Maui is the king of timeshares and that our apartment block survives mainly on a timeshare basis. Everywhere we go now, we see offers and discounts which we've been warned involved sitting through a timeshare presentation. It's no problem, I suppose, as long as we avoid it. And we're not a very good timeshare proposition, I wouldn't have thought. Unlikely to make this long trip every year for a 2-week holiday in Maui!
We asked the receptionist where we should go for dinner and she recommended the restaurant at a nearby hotel because "it wasn't usually very busy". We should have known this wasn't a great recommendation. Very friendly staff, nice service - but very average and forgettable food. (I won't describe it, Barbara, not worth the effort.)
We flew to Maui in the late afternoon - a 37 minute Hawaiian Airlines flight which ran as smoothly as a bus trip. On and off the plane in 10 minutes flat. Not your average flight attendants either - solid clean-cut young men, looking very masculine and confident. Not an effeminate gesture to be seen! (Not like QANTAS at all.)
By the time we picked up the car and started driving to our hotel, it was getting dark - so we weren't sure what Maui was like at all. We didn't get GPS because Jim was confident there was only one road in Maui - which didn't turn out to be true at all! So I had to navigate using the rather poor maps in a "100 things to do in Maui" magazine - a rather stressful experience.
For the size of the island, there are a lot of hotels with very similar names. We are staying in the Aston Mahana at Kaanapali, which is not the same as the Aston Kaanapili Shores or the Aston Maui Kaanapali. For someone who is not expecting these minute differences, it caused considerable confusion for some time!
This place turns out to be an apartment, rather than just a hotel room. Very nice to have a bit of space and a kitchen that we'll never use. The receptionist told us there was a complimentary breakfast thrown in the next morning with an island orientation program and a free gift. We were just thinking "how nice" when she added that there was no timeshare presentation involved. Instantly, our suspicions were raised and, needless to say, we didn't go.
We have since learned that Maui is the king of timeshares and that our apartment block survives mainly on a timeshare basis. Everywhere we go now, we see offers and discounts which we've been warned involved sitting through a timeshare presentation. It's no problem, I suppose, as long as we avoid it. And we're not a very good timeshare proposition, I wouldn't have thought. Unlikely to make this long trip every year for a 2-week holiday in Maui!
We asked the receptionist where we should go for dinner and she recommended the restaurant at a nearby hotel because "it wasn't usually very busy". We should have known this wasn't a great recommendation. Very friendly staff, nice service - but very average and forgettable food. (I won't describe it, Barbara, not worth the effort.)
Saturday 4 May 2013 - Pearl Harbour
Our last day in Oahu. (I was extremely ignorant about Hawaii before I came.
I didn't realise that there are five main islands plus other smaller ones - and only one island is actually called Hawaii - or "The Big Island". Honolulu isn't even on The Big Island. It's on Oahu.
So, we were due to leave Oahu for Maui in the afternoon and decided to fit in a visit to Pearl Harbour before we left. Apparently that's the must-see tourist site.
The presence of the military is very obvious in Hawaii - and something we aren't used to. There were military bases along the beach in Honolulu and signs in shops saying 'military prices" and "general public" prices. They show a lot of respect to the armed forces round here.
At Pearl Harbour, the first thing we noticed was military personnel at the gate refusing to let anyone bring any bags of any kind on to the site. Seemed strange to me. Haven't they heard of scanners? If it's good enough for the airport, why not Pearl Harbour? Anyway, it meant carrying a purse, phone, camera, hat, sunglasses etc and juggling everything whenever you went inside and took hat or sunglasses off - or wanted to get money out to pay for something.
There were lots of moving exhibits - and it was free, unless you wanted to actually go out to the USS Arizona Memorial or visit the USS Bowfin - a restored submarine. We chose the submarine tour - and it was fascinating! I would have liked to spend a lot longer down there but there were people coming along behind and there's not a lot of room to loiter, as you might imagine!
And I managed to drop my camera and hat several times while trying to adjust the headphones on the audio tour and barked my shins on the door frame above.
I loved the officers' sleeping quarters - three layers of bunks. But these were the lucky guys. Some of the crew slept in temporary beds above the torpedos and others did the "hot bunk" thing - just like your "hot desks" Barbara.
You only need to sleep 8 hours a day, so your bunk is available to two other people for the other 16 hours. Why not?
The galley was an exercise in efficiency. How many cooks were in there at one time, I wonder?
But I did love the Captain's Office. Not much room for writing, it seems.
Our last day in Oahu. (I was extremely ignorant about Hawaii before I came.
I didn't realise that there are five main islands plus other smaller ones - and only one island is actually called Hawaii - or "The Big Island". Honolulu isn't even on The Big Island. It's on Oahu.
The presence of the military is very obvious in Hawaii - and something we aren't used to. There were military bases along the beach in Honolulu and signs in shops saying 'military prices" and "general public" prices. They show a lot of respect to the armed forces round here.
At Pearl Harbour, the first thing we noticed was military personnel at the gate refusing to let anyone bring any bags of any kind on to the site. Seemed strange to me. Haven't they heard of scanners? If it's good enough for the airport, why not Pearl Harbour? Anyway, it meant carrying a purse, phone, camera, hat, sunglasses etc and juggling everything whenever you went inside and took hat or sunglasses off - or wanted to get money out to pay for something.
There were lots of moving exhibits - and it was free, unless you wanted to actually go out to the USS Arizona Memorial or visit the USS Bowfin - a restored submarine. We chose the submarine tour - and it was fascinating! I would have liked to spend a lot longer down there but there were people coming along behind and there's not a lot of room to loiter, as you might imagine!
I loved the officers' sleeping quarters - three layers of bunks. But these were the lucky guys. Some of the crew slept in temporary beds above the torpedos and others did the "hot bunk" thing - just like your "hot desks" Barbara.
You only need to sleep 8 hours a day, so your bunk is available to two other people for the other 16 hours. Why not?
Saturday 4 May 2013
Friday 3 May 2013
We met up with one of Jim's colleagues who is going to the conference yesterday afternoon. (Almost forgot the conference is the real reason we are here.)
He's come with his wife so this morning she and I met up around mid-day and walked around the shops, had lunch and strolled about. The boys were off at the conference most of the day.
I'd had some time to myself in the morning and so had discovered a shopping area called the International Market Place which has lots of cheap stalls and interesting things - much less daunting than all those posh shops on the main strip. The main strip has lots of name brand shops and places without prices. (You know the type.) So, I ended up taking her to the market and she loved all that. I'd never met her before this trip but we got on well, which was lucky.
After lunch, we walked up to the convention centre to see what the boys were doing. (About a half-hour walk) and just as we got there, they texted to say they were back at the hotel - so we turned around and walked back.
We arrived hot and sweaty at the hotel to find them seated comfortably by the pool sipping long drinks.
We took this couple to "Il Lupino" for dinner - and had another great meal.
They have women at the front desk who check your booking and take you to your table - and they seem to only employ statuesque beauties. Each time we've come, the women have been taller and more glamorous. The waiters are ordinary mortals but these women are something else!
Ate and drank to beyond an elegant sufficiency and then staggered back to hotel to fall into bed.
We met up with one of Jim's colleagues who is going to the conference yesterday afternoon. (Almost forgot the conference is the real reason we are here.)
He's come with his wife so this morning she and I met up around mid-day and walked around the shops, had lunch and strolled about. The boys were off at the conference most of the day.
I'd had some time to myself in the morning and so had discovered a shopping area called the International Market Place which has lots of cheap stalls and interesting things - much less daunting than all those posh shops on the main strip. The main strip has lots of name brand shops and places without prices. (You know the type.) So, I ended up taking her to the market and she loved all that. I'd never met her before this trip but we got on well, which was lucky.
After lunch, we walked up to the convention centre to see what the boys were doing. (About a half-hour walk) and just as we got there, they texted to say they were back at the hotel - so we turned around and walked back.
We arrived hot and sweaty at the hotel to find them seated comfortably by the pool sipping long drinks.
We took this couple to "Il Lupino" for dinner - and had another great meal.
They have women at the front desk who check your booking and take you to your table - and they seem to only employ statuesque beauties. Each time we've come, the women have been taller and more glamorous. The waiters are ordinary mortals but these women are something else!
Ate and drank to beyond an elegant sufficiency and then staggered back to hotel to fall into bed.
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