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We just got back from Hawaii Sunday evening. We spent the first week at the Kona Coast Resort in a 1BR, 2BA unit. The second week we were at Waikiki on Oahu at the Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk in a 2BR, 2BA Deluxe unit. I am going to submit resort reviews so I won't say much about the resorts right now. Both resorts were OK but not outstanding. The pools are very small. Service was good for a timeshare.
We left on Friday, April 9 and stayed the first night at the Embassy Suites LAX South on their Park/Sleep/Fly package. It cost just $149 for 1 night, 16 days of free parking in their underground garage, and free shuttle to LAX. The next day was a nightmare. Our AA flight from LAX to HNL was supposed to leave at 8:15 am but was delayed until 9:30 because an employee didn't show up. However we were able to upgrade to First Class so that was good. Because of the delay we missed our connection in HNL to Kona. AA re-booked us on a later flight so we arrived in Kona at 5:00 pm instead of 2:40. At least AA re booked us automatically which wasn't the case for several others. They lost one of our bags which they delivered to the resort the next day. We upgraded our rental car at Hertz from a Toyota Camry to a Toyota Sienna minivan. Driving to the resort, we got hit with a torrential downpour. Check-in went very well and they gave us our choice of units. We were in phase II. The resort is villas in 3 story building on a hillside. There are no elevators so if walking and climbing stairs is a problem, choose wisely. If you call guest services, they will send security with a cart to transport you to the pool, restaurant, etc.
We definitely did not like the Big Island at all. It is not very scenic at all and the VOG in the afternoons is miserable. The Kona side is basically pretty ugly with rock and scrub brush. The Hilo side is more lush but it rains all the time. We drove completely around the island including the northernmost point and the scenic drive by Hilo. We went to the Volcanic National Park. We took a boat tour that was a waste and went to a luau at the Royal Kona which wasn't the greatest. We visited a few other areas. Many of the areas are quite run down. The resort was pretty well full. In summary, we basically felt that the week was a waste if time. Several others at the resort did not like the Big Island.
On Saturday, April 17, we flew from Kona to HNL and went to the Wyndham in Waikiki. Check-in went smoothly and we had a unit overlooking the Beachwalk. We did like Oahu, especially Waikiki. Waikiki is very clean, upscale with an upbeat ambiance. There are tons of restaurants and stores just out the door. We loved the Cheeseburger Beachwalk right across the street from the Wyndham. It is a full service restaurant. The food is great. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. I love their Kobe burger made with American Kobe beef. It is awesome. We also ate at the Shorebird at the Outrigger on the beach. We had their breakfast buffet and lunch buffet. The breakfast buffet was pretty good but the lunch buffet was not very great. You can also order off the menu. There are discount coupons available for the Shorebird and several other restaurants and stores. You will find them in free books in the stands on the sidewalks.
We did the Grand Circle tour, including the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is an all day tour that goes up to the North Shore and includes 4 hours at the Polynesian Cultural and their buffet lunch. It is a Grayline tour and was very good. There were just 6 people in a small van. Robert's does not offer an equivalent tour. We did a whale watching boat tour on the Star of Honolulu. The boat is 4 decks high with elevators. The tour included an excellent buffet lunch. I saw 3 whales. One came completely out of the water and then wagged its tail. We also did the Germaine's Luau which is on a beach a few miles from the city. The luau was pretty good. Apart from the tours, we toured the city on the city buses and walked around Waikiki.
We flew back to LAX on Saturday, April 24 and stayed at the Embassy Suites that night. On Sunday, we had a late breakfast with our daughter and SIL at "The Kettle" at Hermosa Beach and then drove home.
We left on Friday, April 9 and stayed the first night at the Embassy Suites LAX South on their Park/Sleep/Fly package. It cost just $149 for 1 night, 16 days of free parking in their underground garage, and free shuttle to LAX. The next day was a nightmare. Our AA flight from LAX to HNL was supposed to leave at 8:15 am but was delayed until 9:30 because an employee didn't show up. However we were able to upgrade to First Class so that was good. Because of the delay we missed our connection in HNL to Kona. AA re-booked us on a later flight so we arrived in Kona at 5:00 pm instead of 2:40. At least AA re booked us automatically which wasn't the case for several others. They lost one of our bags which they delivered to the resort the next day. We upgraded our rental car at Hertz from a Toyota Camry to a Toyota Sienna minivan. Driving to the resort, we got hit with a torrential downpour. Check-in went very well and they gave us our choice of units. We were in phase II. The resort is villas in 3 story building on a hillside. There are no elevators so if walking and climbing stairs is a problem, choose wisely. If you call guest services, they will send security with a cart to transport you to the pool, restaurant, etc.
We definitely did not like the Big Island at all. It is not very scenic at all and the VOG in the afternoons is miserable. The Kona side is basically pretty ugly with rock and scrub brush. The Hilo side is more lush but it rains all the time. We drove completely around the island including the northernmost point and the scenic drive by Hilo. We went to the Volcanic National Park. We took a boat tour that was a waste and went to a luau at the Royal Kona which wasn't the greatest. We visited a few other areas. Many of the areas are quite run down. The resort was pretty well full. In summary, we basically felt that the week was a waste if time. Several others at the resort did not like the Big Island.
On Saturday, April 17, we flew from Kona to HNL and went to the Wyndham in Waikiki. Check-in went smoothly and we had a unit overlooking the Beachwalk. We did like Oahu, especially Waikiki. Waikiki is very clean, upscale with an upbeat ambiance. There are tons of restaurants and stores just out the door. We loved the Cheeseburger Beachwalk right across the street from the Wyndham. It is a full service restaurant. The food is great. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. I love their Kobe burger made with American Kobe beef. It is awesome. We also ate at the Shorebird at the Outrigger on the beach. We had their breakfast buffet and lunch buffet. The breakfast buffet was pretty good but the lunch buffet was not very great. You can also order off the menu. There are discount coupons available for the Shorebird and several other restaurants and stores. You will find them in free books in the stands on the sidewalks.
We did the Grand Circle tour, including the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is an all day tour that goes up to the North Shore and includes 4 hours at the Polynesian Cultural and their buffet lunch. It is a Grayline tour and was very good. There were just 6 people in a small van. Robert's does not offer an equivalent tour. We did a whale watching boat tour on the Star of Honolulu. The boat is 4 decks high with elevators. The tour included an excellent buffet lunch. I saw 3 whales. One came completely out of the water and then wagged its tail. We also did the Germaine's Luau which is on a beach a few miles from the city. The luau was pretty good. Apart from the tours, we toured the city on the city buses and walked around Waikiki.
We flew back to LAX on Saturday, April 24 and stayed at the Embassy Suites that night. On Sunday, we had a late breakfast with our daughter and SIL at "The Kettle" at Hermosa Beach and then drove home.
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