? for chisue--aquarium

I%26#39;ve hiked out to fishbowl several times and enjoyed the hike and the great snorkeling. You mentioned having gone to aquarium and fishbowl. Maui revealed describes the aquarium experience as similar to fishbowl, though the hike seems to be a bit more confusing. Which would you choose. Where do you park when hiking to aquarium?

Thanks for your input; appreciate reading your posts.

? for chisue--aquarium

Well, silly me! I%26#39;ve thought they were one and the same! I think you%26#39;ve already BEEN there!

Perhaps someone ON Maui can %26#39;splain it to both of us...

Trip Report

We were on Maui January 9-13th. Our flight over was uneventful on American Airlines. We took a DVD player, noise cancelling headphones, and the first 5 seasons of 24 to watch for the 8 or 9 hours in the air and in airports. Hubby planned the whole thing and ordered on Amazon. It was a great idea! Time flew...pardon the pun. We also take our own sandwiches and snacks, books, a travel pillow, soft ear plugs, and most importantly pack in our carry-on bags swimsuits, a change of clothes, meds, and toiletries just in case our luggage is delayed as once happened on a trip to Berlin. Since this is a business trip and the first night is our opening reception and dinner it is necessary, but I do it regardless just in case.

Our oceanfront room was in the Napili Tower of the Hyatt Regency. Most of the property and grounds are very lovely but some aspects of the rooms needed upgrading for this peoperty to be considered a 5 star accommodation. I would consider it a 4 star resort. The staff was wonderful, 5 stars, the food was 3 and 4 stars. The grounds, 5 stars. One of our favorite things to do at the resort was to rent a cabana out on the beach, pull the tent-like top down, and relax to the sound of the waves...just the two of us. Marvelous!

We chose three activities from the list of about 20 to do. The first day we were provided a car which we drove around the island, starting with the north loop by the blowhole and ending at the summit of Haleakala around sunset. The clouds did not cooperate this year so we didn%26#39;t get the photos we wanted, but it was a fun day of driving, hiking, and talking all day...just the two of us which is one of the great luxuries of our vacation time. The second day we signed up for a kayak/snorkel tour. It was with Julie%26#39;s and was first rate, including our guide. Very professional and fun. He took us out a ways from the shore, we paddled to our first snorkel site, he anchored his kayak to a buoy and we all tied up to him in line. We entered the chilly water and immediately saw turtles. Got some great pictures! We then paddled to another snorkel site, same procedure, and saw reef fish and a spotted eel. He then passed out bottled water, juice, and granola bars which we snacked on before paddling back to our launch site. Our third day was a snorkel/sail aboard the Teralani. The boat and crew were terrific. The food and drinks was great. The snorkeling was not. We went to a site that was really too deep to snorkel and the viz was really bad. We should have gone to another site, but the captain chose to stay. As I always say, though, a day diving or snorkeling is always better than not so we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Our captain then took us on a whale watch which was tremendous. We saw many whales and got some great pictures. We had a nice dinner with collegues at one of the Hyatt%26#39;s restaurants, the Swan Court. It was pricy, but delicious and the ambiance was lovely. Our final night dinner and reception featured Henry Kapono and his band. Kapono, a Hawaiian singer/songwriter, born and raised on Oahu, was fabulous! In 20 years of going to on these trips, this night was the best entertainment we%26#39;ve ever been treated to. If you want more information about him, his new album, or where to go see him in concert go to www.henrykapono.com. Another great trip put on by the firm my hubby works for. These are incentive trips and have taken us around the world, but our favorite place is when they choose Hawaii. We usually extend these trips which in this case takes us to the Big Island for a week.

On the morning of the 13th, we were driven to the airport and boarded an Aloha flight bound for the Big Island. That trip report will follow on the Big Island forum shortly.

Trip Report

Great report. It sounds like you had a marvelous vacation on Maui...

Trip Report

Wish I had business to take me to Maui. Enjoyed your report. Mahalo.

Thanks for your report. Loved the way you prepared for it1 24! Love it!

Looking forward to your BI report.

Mahalo

Sounds like a great time. Next time I%26#39;m going to copy your idea of bringing DVDs of a beloved TV show on the plane - only mine will be Rescue Me!

Bips,

This is kind of a dumb question...but here goes. I do not have a portable DVD player, but like your idea of watching 24 on the plane, etc. However, I thought they only carried a charge that will last a couple of hours. Do you use batteries or what to provide the extended viewing time. Thanks.

Kay

Not a dumb question at all. You are right, batteries only last a short while. You have several options...when you make your seat assignments ask for a seat which has a plug in which recharges. My husband%26#39;s firm made our flight arrangements so we did not get in such a row. Second option, take along extra batteries. Not always good because we have been stopped in security for carrying too many batteries...cameras, dive lights, DVD player, etc. Third and I think the best option is to buy an extra power supply and charge it before you leave. That way when your batteries run down you simply plug in the charged power supply (ours is round about the size of a disk and about 1/2 inch thick) and it runs the DVD player forever.

Hi Bips!

Somewhere along the forum of this one, or the B.I., I remember reading that the B.I. was your favourite island. I was glad to read that you made it over there too!

Now I%26#39;m going over to read your B.I. trip report.

Santy

Santy, I do love the Big Island and we just got home from a glorious week there. Unfortunately, I got interrupted this afternoon and did not finish my BI trip report. I will post it tomorrow.

LOL! I was just over on the B.I. forum, and I couldn%26#39;t find it, so I came back to read this one a little more carefully! Whoops!

I%26#39;ll be patient.

NIce to know you had a blast! Ah, I love reading trip reports! Mahalo for writing yours!

Santy, check our Day 1 of my trip report on the Big Island forum. I%26#39;ll post day 2 later today.

vc

Sugar Beach resort

Someone just posted a scathing review of Sugar Beach Resort. We have had good luck and bad luck there, I recommended it after our first visit but I won%26#39;t now because our second experience was not very good. The rentals companies are all different and all the units are privately owned so it%26#39;s a mixed bag. I can tell you that most rental companies will offer you another unit if there is one available and you are not happy with the one you get. I know this because I looked at four before I took one our second trip to Sugar Beach Resort.

Sugar Beach resort

There is one huge problem with Sugar beach. Often the tides brings in a bunch of seaweed and the stench can be very appalling.

Sugar Beach resort

This can be a nice walking beach...unless the wetland reserve nearby is drying out and stinky or the midges are abundant. I just don%26#39;t care that much for anything in North Kihei unless you are on a tight budget -- and Sugar Beach condos are not in that category anyway. There are better options.

We went decided to go to Maui on very short notice in July 2005; just got online and found a decent deal on available roundtrip airfare and hotel. We ended up at Sugar Beach resort, and stayed in a very nice oceanview condo unit on the top floor. Staff and facilities were just right for our family of 4. Though we weren%26#39;t on a budget, the location was convenient. It%26#39;s true that there are more lovely areas, but who%26#39;s going to complain about scenery anywhere in Maui?

The only problem we had with our entire trip was that I (and to a lesser degree, the rest of my family) were bitten by some type of bug that left nasty, itchy welts that drove me crazy for about 2 weeks after we returned. I must%26#39;ve been bitten about 100 times altogether (with 100 welts to show for it). We never saw what was biting us, and I wondered if it was bedbugs, since I seemed to notice more bites every morning when I woke up. No one else on this forum has mentioned this problem at this resort, though, so maybe that%26#39;s not where they found me. So I guess I%26#39;d proceed with some caution, and ask the management about possible bug problems before checking in.

Oh -- almost forgot -- we did notice an unusual odor in the air around the resort sometimes in the afternoon/early evening. Not exactly a horrible smell, but not a good one either.

Maybe that was Kealia Pond, the saltwater marsh practically right next door or perhaps it had something to do with the smoke from the Puunene Sugar Mill that will often carry on the trades right through North Kihei and Maalaea. Perhaps it was a bit of both. This along with the lesser quality of North Kihei beaches is what helps keep it much more economical than South Kihei.

hmmm... we never had seaweed when we were staying there, it%26#39;s usually a little farther south where you run into that problem. We like the beach for swimming and walking.

Hello!

In 2 days I´m going to stay at sugar beach resort.I´m whunder if there are beach tovels there???Help......../Sofie

There should be some in your unit. If there aren%26#39;t you can always pick some up at Longs Drugs or Costco. I usually pack my own no matter where we stay because I like really nice thick ones. Who are you renting from?

We stayed at Sugar Beach last year in January and are going back this Saturday. We found the beach to be great; no seaweed, no smells and no bugs. Loved it.

yes, I agree. It%26#39;s a great place. Just be careful who you rent through. have a good vacation!

The seaweed does not collect on that end of Sugar Beach. The seaweed ';problem'; happens further south in the area of Waipuilani Beach Park. Any strange smells would come from the wetland area, as mentioned in previous posts.

Was there an explosion in Hawaii

A co-worker told me that there was an explosion in Hawaii and that it was all over the news. Is there any truth to this? Or is he just yanking my chain.

Mahalo!

Anne

Was there an explosion in Hawaii

the only explosion is in visitation.......

Was there an explosion in Hawaii

Maybe he%26#39;s referring to earthquake which happened a month or so ago?

I believe that there was a significant blast when hawaiidan read ANOTHER post from someone who wanted to take there rental Ford Focus to the Mauna Kea Summit.

No, really!

nope, i did it, but i blamed the dog.

They did launch a test missile from Barking Sands on Kauai a couple days ago.

This was on the news the past couple of days.

That may be what he is referring to.

http://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org/

There was an explosion today in West Virginia that has been on the news much of the day.

A gas station blew up %26amp; killed several people.

Well, hey, West Virginia%26#39;s sort of like Hawai%26#39;i, right?

LOL, riiight.

hey, I was going to make that joke!

yes, tell your friend it was West Virginia, which is practically next door to Hawaii if you%26#39;re geographically challenged!

Five Palms or Mama's Fish House with kids??

Would like to do lunch at one of these, which is best with young kids? Anything on either menu that anyone recommends? Mahalo!

Five Palms or Mama's Fish House with kids??

There is no comparison betwewen the two. Mama%26#39;s is top of the line dining while Five Palms is a mediocre beach-side restaurant. Personally, I %26#39;d do neither with young kids. Mama%26#39;s is very pricey and worth every cent for a romantic adult meal. Five Palms has an OK early bird dinner but is for the most part overpriced for what it is.

How old are the kids and how sophiscated are their palettes? How long can they sit for a meal?

Five Palms or Mama's Fish House with kids??

We want to have lunch at Mama%26#39;s Fish House and we%26#39;ll have an 8 year old with us. I fully expect to have to stop at McDonald%26#39;s or the like for him first. Hopefully they will have a dessert that he%26#39;ll like. I really do not like to take him to fancier restaurants but I figure a child would fit in better for a lunch versus a dinner.

I don%26#39;t really consider Mamma%26#39;s a ';fancy'; restaurant, just expensive. It has an open air, tropical, beachfront atmosphere that would be fun for kid to see. A kid would be welcome, but IMHO I would not waste the big bucks on an 8 year old%26#39;s tastebuds. We went with another couple who just had to eat lunch there last year and ordered 2 waters, 2 appetizers, and shared a dessert. Total bill w/o tip, around $60. They ordered 2 waters, 2 lunch meals, and shared a dessert. Total bill w/o tip, $110. You make the call.

5 palms is fun for breakfast with kids...right on the beach and in the morning, if tides are low, they can spend an hour or so exploring the tidepools about 20 steps away. will save some big bucks too instead of mama%26#39;s. i had the special pancake there that was big enough for two.

$110 for two meals that didn%26#39;t include at least a glass of wine? OK, scratching Mama%26#39;s Fish House off the list of things to do next time. As much as I%26#39;d like to go because of all the great reviews, that definitely will not be in the next trip%26#39;s budget.

Thank you for mentioning the prices. I knew it was pricey but I didn%26#39;t realize to what extent!

Mahalo for the info everyone! Kids will be 9, 5 and 2- the older ones do great going out to eat, it%26#39;s the toddler that I worry about but if she has her crackers and some crayons, she%26#39;s usually pretty good. Yes, if we do Mama%26#39;s I%26#39;ll do something like McD%26#39;s or pizza for the kids beforehand and they will just have dessert.

I%26#39;m mainly after a nice place for lunch with great views, cost no concern as this will be our ';special'; lunch out. We%26#39;ll do more casual meals like at Hula grill%26#39;s barefoot bar, Cheeseburgers, Aloha Mixed plate.....

How about Hula Moons at the Wailea Marriot- the views looks great, how about the food, service and good for kids??

Trixxee, in fairness, they ordered the most expensive item on the lunch menu, a mac nut mahi fish dish. There are other dishes on the menu that are a little cheaper. That%26#39;s why I gave you the path we chose which was ordering appetizers.

skin care

Pro Bowl Pre-game

$195 for the pre-game activities...is it worth it or just go to the game?

Pro Bowl Pre-game

I wont have an answer to this but doesnt that seem high? Were going to Probowl again too this year and I just noticed The richardson Field pre game tailgate party when I booked. Its like 2 hours of food and drink and hope to spot a celeb for $195? I hope someone can answer for ya scuba-for us with 6 in party, its just way too high! Was a blast year at game, cant wait!

Pro Bowl Pre-game

That was our thought too, kinda pricey. This will be our first pro bowl %26amp; it just happened to be our luck to have it on Saturday %26amp; we are leaving on a cruise later that evening. Can I ask how you get your tickets? All we can really find are in the end zones.

I have never been to the pro bowl but I have been to plenty pre game parties such as the bcs orange bowl pre game, and they are not worth $195, usuallly ends up everyone standing around drinking beer.

Several local bars to buy blocks of tickets and sell them to their customers for about $100 including transportation and tailgate party. I%26#39;d say $195 is out of line unless the price insludes hot- and cold-running cheerleaders.

Can%26#39;t say I%26#39;d be much interested in the cheerleader part...sure my husband would be though...

2007 will be Pro Bowl #15 for us; did the Tailgate Party a few years ago with tickets bought on eBay for 50 bucks. The ';Fan Package'; included a very generic T-Shirt, similarly mundane hat pin, key ring, bumper sticker and maybe one or two other things that didn%26#39;t make the on-the-way-home suitcase packing cut.

My impression was that 75+% of those in attendance had admission comp%26#39;d; we split after 30 minutes %26amp; saw a half-dozen team mascotts, several cheerleaders, some NFL retirees and a bunch of ESPN guys and sports writers I convinced myself I recognized.

Last year, perhaps 10 days, or so, prior to the game, a Ticket Broker listed 8-10 tickets on eBay. only 2 or 3 met the reserve. Near as I can tell, the Party format has remained pretty much unchanged for years. If accurate, and you buy souvenirs at the Hilton/Sheraton%26#39;s/Ala Moana Footlocker and a few street-side vendors Wednesday-Friday, would guess the value of items at the Party will be worth no more than $25 to you.

We enjoy cruising the parking lot/tail-gate parties prior to kickoff; superb people watching and maybe even a free brew or dog (wearing a U of H T Shirt will enhance your odds). Once inside the Stadium, there are numerous places to buy more stuff and the chow is excellent (though doubt you%26#39;ll find much conforming to the Weight Watchers approved list). Seems as though I recall an attempt to ban the sale of beer, but pretty sure/hope it failed. A trip up to the top of Aloha Stadium will produce panoramic views; especially of Peal Harbor.

If you want to meet players in the days before, you%26#39;ll find them cruising Waikiki, at Luau%26#39;s, Poly Cultural Center and Sea Life Park. Also, there is Super Stars competition out at Ko Olina and some beach events by Hilton Hawaiian Village. Also, during the day on Friday, there should be a festival at Kapiolani Park on the Southern end of Waikiki

A few weeks ago, a Hawaiian bud of mine said there were tentative plans to close a part of Kalakaua Blvd. Friday night for a block party; perhaps a more convenient %26amp; expanded substitute for previous party at Aloha Tower Marketplace (which was a Zoo the few times we tried it).

Think you all will have a great time; imo, the most enjoyable characteristics of the Pro Bowl are that folks are there just to have fun, watch world-class athletes show-off , and virtually nobody really gives a hoot who wins.

You can get fairly close to the players at the free practice session(s) at Aloha Stadium. Many players stay after practice to sign autographs.

Thanks for all the advice. We%26#39;re going to have a blast. We%26#39;ll be scuba diving on Friday so we%26#39;ll miss the practices but will try to catch some of the parties that evening.

My girlfriend and I are traveling from Australia to Hawaii for a week in Feb 07. We fly in the morning before the pro bowl and both of us being sports nuts I managed to get tickets to the game (up on the top level down the south end but who cares really...). Having little or no knowledge of the game itself(apart from playing Madden games on the Xbox) does not concern us one bit.

Anyway, the point of this post is to ask if there is any transportation to the game from Wakikiki? As we wont have a car. I have searched the net and all I can find is packaged deals including tix, accom and transport to and from the game.

Also we both really want to soak up all that is pro bowl so what time do you lovely people think we should get to the ground to take everything in?

Also any other suggestions you have would be much appricated.

Also does anyone know which end the ticket collection office is???

Cheers

Luke

Hi Luke,

There will be city bus shuttles to the Pro Bowl starting about 3 hours prior to game time; the local papers will post schedules. If you%26#39;re staying on the north end of Waikiki, the most convenient will be from Ala Moana shopping center. South side, the departure point is Kapiolani Park. After the game, you%26#39;ll be able to catch a bus back to your point of origin (pay attention to pick-up location directions from the driver; it%26#39;s often different from drop-off).

The will-call window at Aloha Stadium is on the south side.

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