I’m still working on what we will do during the day while in Vancouver, as this will be our third visit to this beautiful city. Some sites to see, however, include beautiful Stanley Park and the Seawall (Stanley Park is nearly 1000 acres). What makes it unique are the amazing views on the wrap-around Stanley Park seawall, the dense rainforests, marshland, and beaches. Other sites include Grouse Mountain, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Gastown and Chinatown.
Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises
We
board the Celebrity Solstice in Vancouver and have five gloriously relaxing sea
days before arriving in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. We've booked Aqua Class as we really enjoy dining in Blu, the aqua class restaurant. Get ready for some fun and games on our sea days; I am bringing Mexican Train and Left Right Center games!
We
have all day in Kona and I’ve reserved a tour for both Kona and Hilo with Island Wide Family Tours
From the tour website: Things
to Do in Kona and Potential Sights to See:
·
Scenic
Ali’i Drive
·
Greenwell
Farms (tour and tasting)
o 100% Kona coffee and
locally made products
·
Historical
Kona sights
o Panoramic Keauhou Scenic
Lookout
o Kealakekua Bay (“Captain
Cook”)
o Painted Church
o Pu’uhonua o Honaunau
National Park (“City of Refuge”)
·
Big
Island Bee and Honey Farm
·
Local
Farmers Markets
·
AND
MORE…
I
think Keoki’s Ono Fish and Chips will be our stop for lunch! Yum! And, of course, we will be stopping for some of that famous Kona coffee!
The
following day, we will be in Hilo and have our second day tour booked with
Island Wide.
Photo Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises
Things
to Do in Hilo and Potential Sights to See:
·
Scenic
Banyan Drive
·
Liliuokalani
Gardens
·
Coconut
Island
·
Hilo
Farmers Market
·
Akaka
Falls
·
Rainbow
Falls
·
Hilo
Coffee Mill
·
Hawaii Volcano National Park
o Jagger Museum
o Kilauea Iki Crater
o Past eruption sites
o Nahuku (aka: Thurston)
Lava Tube
o Steam Vents
·
Akatsuka
Orchid Farm
·
Mauna
Loa Macadamia Nut Farm
·
Richardsons
Black Sand Beach
o Turtles
·
AND MORE…
There’s
an excellent newspaper article about Hilo that you can see here.
After
two days on the Big Island, visiting Kona and Hilo, we arrive in Lahaina, Maui
for two full days!
Lahaina
was once the first capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, as well as a whaling port
and plantation settlement. For one of
our days there, I plan to take free self-guided
historic trail walking tour. You can
pick up a map at the courthouse and go at your own pace.
An
icon and highlight of Lahaina is what is possibly the world’s largest banyan tree,
which was planted in 1873 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of
the New England missionaries. It was
imported from India and stands 60 feet tall.
The
main street is Front Street, which has has dozens of jewelry shops with silver
and gold and pearls fashioned in the shape of whales, turtles, palm trees, pineapples,
and probably surfboards! Evidently you
can load up on souvenirs and such at one of the many ABC stores in Hawaii. They
offer everything from Hawaiian shirt-shaped notepads to Hula girl calendars to
hibiscus flower towels and sand castle gear to groceries, sunscreen, and liquor.
If you're a fan of the band The Eagles like I am, a couple of miles north of town on Front
Street there is a giant neon sign (at the Apostolic Faith Church, 1211 Front Street) that says "Jesus Coming Soon." It's been
there for years, and is mentioned near the end of the Eagles song "The
Last Resort," where Don Henley sings
"You can leave it all behind and sail to Lahaina
Just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is Coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign"
We'll just have to see if the sign is still there!
"You can leave it all behind and sail to Lahaina
Just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is Coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign"
We'll just have to see if the sign is still there!
A
big attraction in Maui is the Road to Hana, but I’m not sure that I want to
spend nine hours to do this, especially since you have to return the same way
that you go there. This adventure will
perhaps be saved until my next trip to Hawaii when I spend several days in
Maui!
Since
a luau is on my to do list, I have made a reservation for the Drums of the Pacific Luau for our evening in Maui. The setting is said to be
beautiful, on the grounds of the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, Ka’anapali
Beach. We will experience culture, food, and
entertainment with everything from the beating of drums to the lighting of
torches to authentic dances and even a fire-knife dance finale!
As to the Luau menu, I don't think we will go hungry! Mai Tai's, Kalua pork, Huli huli chicken and pineapple cake, here I come!
Drums
of the Pacific Menus
Open
Tiki Bar
·
•
Mai Tai’s
·
•
Beer, Wine, Standard Cocktails
·
•
Tropical Fruit Punch
·
•
Juices and Sodas
All-you-can-eat
buffet features:
·
•
Kalua Pork
·
•
Huli Huli Chicken
·
•
Island Fish
·
•
Polynesian Rice
·
•
Seasonal Vegetables
·
•
Makamaka w/Medallions of Molokai Purple Sweet Potato
·
•
Creamed Taro Leaf w/Coconut Milk
·
•
Fresh Sliced Tropical Fruits
·
•
Pancit Noodle Salad
·
•
Roasted Wedges of Maui Onions
·
•
Lomi Lomi Salmon
·
•
Poi
·
•
Pacific Ahi Poke
·
•
Tossed Green Salad
·
•
Taro rolls w/Whipped Lilikoi Butter.
Dessert
bar features :
·
•
Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cream Brownie
·
•
Haupia with Toasted Coconut
·
•
Pineapple Cake
·
•
Bread Pudding
Honolulu: Following our two days in Maui, we arrive in Honolulu, where we disembark the ship.
We are booked at the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk, which gets great reviews on Tripadvisor. At Embassy Suites, there are no resort fees and we can get complimentary breakfast with cooked to order omelettes every morning (how nice to know after disembarking a cruise!) and happy hour with complimentary drinks and snacks each evening.
Courtesy Private Tours Hawaii
What’s
on our must do list while on Oahu? Well,
a visit to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial is one. I also want to have a fun trip around the
island to see the North Shore, experience the beach, see the turtles,
blowholes, surfers and more. A foodie
tour would also be right up my alley!
Our
first day, we will check in to the hotel and explore on our own, finding a
perfect spot for dinner.
Day
2: I’ve booked a tour of PearlHarbor/Arizona Memorial with Roberts Hawaii.
I know that you can get free admission tickets online; but we need to
get there and get back and I thought a tour would eliminate the hassle. Our tour is with Roberts Hawaii and is a 6
hour tour, giving us plenty of time to enjoy this historic site.
Day
3: I’ve reserved a private tour with
Private Tours Hawaii for an 8 hour circle island course of Oahu. We will make our way around the beautiful
southern shores of the island, then up the eastern shores, and finally the
northern coastlines. We will have lots
of choices for scenic stops and photo ops.
Here is part of our tour itinerary:
Leonards Bakery for breakfast (must try their famous Malasadas!) (photo courtesy Private Tours Hawaii)
Diamond
Head Lookout
Halona
Blowhole
Sandy
Beach and Makakpu’u Point
Byodo-In
Temple
Macadamia
Nut and Coffee Farm for a snack
Chinaman’s
Hat
Kualoa
Ranch
North
Shore beaches: Sunset Beach, Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay
Laniakea
Beach, the turtle basking beach
(photo courtesy of Private Tours Hawaii)
Haleiwa
Town (famous surfing town/shopping/Hawaiian shave ice
Oh
what a day this will be!
Day
4: And yet another fun day planned! What could be better than a foodie tour!? To be exact, The Hole in the Wall Food Tourfrom Hawaii Food Tours. The Famous
Hole-In-The-Wall Tour is a Fun and Social food experience designed by
Matthew Gray, one of Hawaii’s most well-known food and wine experts. Matthew is
a former Celebrity Chef, and was the Food Writer and Restaurant Reviewer for
Hawaii’s largest daily newspaper for several years.
Courtesy Hawaii Food Tours
From
the website: "This special tour is not
about traditional Hawaiian Food; rather, it’s more about the Local-style
comfort foods of Hawaii, which you’ll see is a combination and fusion of
Asian and local flavors. Oh, and to gild the lily just a bit more, the tour
includes a very special 2-hour behind-the-scenes walking and tasting
tour inside Honolulu’s amazingly exotic Chinatown! Your foods may include the following
delectable cuisines: Local-Style Grinds, Hawaii-Famous Bakeries, the best
Korean barbecued chicken in the world, juicy-sweet Hawaiian pineapple, Baked
Manapua, a visit to a Chinese Noodle Factory, Dim Sum Treats, Sweet & Juicy
Tropical Fruits, Luscious Hong Kong Barbecue, Portuguese Donuts (Malasadas),
the Mysterious Crack Seed (a genre of snacks of Hawaii), and perhaps a
fantastic cocktail!"
And Day 5: We have to check out and get to the airport for our 9:30 PM flight to Seattle, where will stay for two days at the Inn at the Market. A highlight will be visiting with Ken's brother and his family!
