Tag: Hawaii

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Hawaii

Military family travel to Hawaii: 11 affordable places to stay

Bellows Beach, a military recreation facility on Oahu (courtesy Cadet X on Flickr CC)If you are considering a vacation to Hawaii with the kids but think that it might be too expensive, there are plenty of ways to save money on your hotel bill if Mom, Dad (or both) are in the military.

In addition to all of the military lodging and resorts described below, always ask to see if a military discount is offered at civilian hotels.

The Outrigger hotels and resorts have a military travel page on their Web site, for example.

These days, money is tight in the islands because tourism traffic has dropped considerably….good deals abound and in most cases, all you have to do is ask.

Oahu Lodging for Service Families

Waikiki —  The big kahuna is the Hale Koa Hotel, right on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.  Since 1975 it has been  “a first class hotel and recreation facility at affordable prices for military members and their families.”  I stayed there with my family a few years back and found excellent amenities (a small PX in the lobby, self-service laundry facilities, nice pools and here’s a military Mom’s blog post about the Hale Koa Luau) plus a convenient location downtown.  Reserve as far in advance as you can (up to a year) on their Web site or by calling 800-367-6027 (in CONUS) or 808-955-0555 in Hawaii.

Other Oahu military hotels and lodging (for access to these you’ll probably want a rental car….)

Close To Or On The Beach

***   The Pililaau Army Recreation Center (PARC) on the usually-always-sunny Waianae, or Leeward, coast, has beachfront cabins, an equipment rental facility and a small shopette.

***  Also towards the Leeward side are the MWR Barbers Point Beach Cottages – be prepared, a lot of the amplifying info (eligibility, application, etc.) is on clunky PDFs.

***  Some of the very nicest Hawaii getaway places are on the Windward side at the Bellows Air Force Station beach cabins; they are wildly popular and fill up very quickly, but the Waimanalo Bay setting is lovely. Camping is available, too.

***  At the Marine Corps base Kaneohe Bay, you’ll find the Lodge at Kaneohe Bay and some beachfront cottages (close to breeding grounds for monk seals and sea turtles.)

Inland Oahu

***  Near the Arizona Memorial and other Pearl Harbor tourist attractions, the Pearl Harbor Navy Lodge is worth a try; it is close to a massive Navy exchange and commissary (buy your macadamias/gifts there instead of out in town, and ship them home from the base post office!)

***  I am appalled at the apparent lack of a decent Web site for the Royal Alaka’i at Hickam Air Force Base, but Hickam is very roughly in the same area as Pearl Harbor and the rates look cheaper than the Navy Lodge.

***  Tripler Lodging fills with people who have family (or appointments themselves) at nearby Tripler Medical Center, but they might have space-available rooms.

***  The Inn at Schofield Barracks is pretty far inland; rather than use their rather primitive online reservation system, I’d pick up the phone and call instead.

Big Island Lodging for Service Families

***   Kilauea Military Camp — this is a Joint Service Recreation Center that is located in a mountainous (often quite cool) setting right inside in the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. You can’t beat that for being in the center of the action!  There are ninety one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages and apartments, restaurants, a Recreation Lodge and even golf. Arrange to fly into the Hilo airport; it’s much closer to Kilauea than the Kona airport on the other side of the island.

For a personalized tour of the volcanoes by a native guide, I recommend Warren Costa’s company Native Guide Hawaii, based on my very positive experience with him during the So Much More Hawaii blogger’s tour.

Kauai Lodging for Service Families

***  Barking Sands Beach Cottages on Kauai (at the Pacific Missile Range Facility or PMRF)  —  If you and the family want to get away from it all like Robinson Crusoe on the sunny western side of the island, this is the place.  There are 12 oceanfront cottages and 6 set back a bit with “ocean view,” plus a small restaurant, shopette and tours/recreation center.

Although it is a beautiful beach and pristine area, it is a long drive to much of anywhere, so you may wish to spend a few days at Barking Sands simply unwinding (and maybe hiking Waimea Canyon) then shift to another part of the island for more access to restaurants and activities.

As a Navy veteran myself (my husband is as well) I hope that Service members and their families find this list helpful. Please let me know in the comments if I’ve missed anything.

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Hawaii Photos USA

Photo of the Week: Snacks on Hawaii’s Big Island

In Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, native guide Warren Costa demonstrates how to eat longan/dragon eyes fruit (photo by Sheila Scarborough)This is native Hawaiian guide Warren Costa showing my son how to peel and eat an Asian longan fruit, also called dragon eyes, after a hike around part of the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the spectacular Big Island.

There’s a soft husk that you split and peel off before eating the sweet insides.

I think the “dragon eye” name makes them even more appealing.

The miracle not pictured is my Mr. Picky Eater son saying “Sure, I’ll try them,” popping one into his mouth and actually chewing without drama or spitting.

Oh, and he liked them.

(You can follow Warren around the volcanoes – he’s on Twitter at @nativeg. This post is part of the ever-enjoyable WanderFood Wednesday series on the Wanderlust and Lipstick blog. Head over there and check it out!)

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Hawaii USA

THIS is why you take children to Hawaii

Surfing in front of Oahu's Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii (photo by Waikiki Beach Services)Thank you, Don “Lips” Fujiyama and Aaron Char from Waikiki Beach Services….

They worked patiently  with my 9-year-old son one morning to get him upright on a surfboard.

He’s still talking about it.

He won’t take off his black Waikiki Beach Services protective surf shirt (that thing could stand up on its own in a corner by now, it’s so salty and grimy.)

He wants to go back to the islands and surf again, and I’m already trying to figure out how to get us there.

That’s what a visit to the islands is all about, bruddah!

Just So You Know Disclaimer:  The state Hawaii Tourism Authority through Cilantro Media paid my way to Hawaii for the So Much More Hawaii bloggers tour, and also paid most of my expenses while I was there.

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Hawaii USA

Kauai’s Waimea Canyon with kids

Waipo'o waterfall on Waimea Canyon hike, Kauai, HawaiiWhile on the neighbor island of Kauai for the So Much More Hawaii bloggers tour, we had the chance to take a short hike into what some have called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” the 10-mile-long and 3000+ foot deep Waimea Canyon.

It was about 3.5 miles of trail, mostly along the Canyon rim, with a lot of up and down….you can’t go down into a canyon without paying the piper and going back up.

The reward for our effort was the beautiful 800-foot Waipo’o Falls, my son’s favorite spot on the hike.

Our guide’s name was Web; he works with local company Kayak Kauai and  has been leading land and waterborne tours into the wilds of the “Garden Isle” for a long time.

Web was full of information on local plants and wildlife, and he was great with my son when things got a little interesting on steep, rocky or root-filled parts of the trail (we’re not exactly a family that hikes every day.)

He also brought a picnic lunch for us that included a really juicy fresh pineapple.

Continue reading “Kauai’s Waimea Canyon with kids”
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Hawaii USA

Juicy drinks from Hawaiian Sun

Hawaiian Sun canned juices (photo by Sheila ScarboroughOne special treat in Hawaii that’s great for kids (and adults) is the Hawaiian Sun line of canned drinks.

They are based in Honolulu and have been around since 1952.

Products include fruit drinks, teas and diet/lite items, and they are super-yummy and refreshing after a hot day in the tropical sun.

I like Pass-O-Guava Nectar with passion fruit, orange juice and guava.

My son votes for Passion Orange Drink, with passion fruit and orange.

Grab them in any store in the islands.

For more on our blogger’s tour, see the So Much More Hawaii blog/microsite.

Just So You Know Disclaimer:  The Hawaii Tourism Authority through Cilantro Media is paying my way to Hawaii, and also paying most of my expenses while I am there including lodging.  I am contributing towards my son’s expenses.

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Hawaii USA

Hawaii Calls and We Answer

A happy kid (mine) in the Waikiki surf, Hawaii (photo by Sheila Scarborough)This is my son.

This is my son in Waikiki Beach surf (because we’re visiting with the So Much More Hawaii bloggers tour.)

Any questions?

****

Seriously, our blogger group has now assembled in the islands and we’re already talking about Hawaii on Twitter with the #HawaiiHTA hashtag, we’re uploading photos to Flickr, writing blog posts, uploading items to our Facebook pages….and wondering how we got so lucky.

Looking forward to more time to post as we move across the islands.

All I know is that a very good (but garlicky) plate of pasta disappeared at dinner from Mr. Picky Eater’s plate, so get ’em running around in the surf enough and they’ll eat anything!

Continue reading “Hawaii Calls and We Answer”
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Blog Hawaii USA

A bunch of bloggers will show you So Much More Hawaii

Sunset Ke'e Beach Kauai (courtesy jaybergesen at Flickr CC)I’m happy to announce that my 9-year-old son and I are getting on a plane next week to visit the Hawaiian islands.

Vacation? Uh, no. Work.

Really.

A lot of tourism organizations are starting to see the value of the social Web and social media-based content, and the Hawaii Tourism Authority is no exception.

They are sponsoring a group of bloggers to come to Hawaii, look behind the scenes and the standard tourism glitter, and show our readers a more local-flavored “So Much More Hawaii” (a dedicated site for our tour content is launching in a day or so.)

Visionary tour organizer Christine Lu is big on cross-border cultural understanding (I was on her China 2.0 tour in November 2008) and social media is a common theme in her life for creating those connections. She writes:

“The upcoming So Much More Hawaii tour is meant as a proof of concept that through social media, first-hand insight of Hawaii can create content and outreach that influences those to understand Hawaii better and want to visit the islands…key bloggers in different vertical niche markets [will] experience the islands as a group, with separate sector focuses. Each one has a sector they are known for covering and their visit to Hawaii is meant to share this with their audience.”

My focus will be primarily family travel, of course.  Other bloggers on the tour include:

As we all know, the economy is down around the world. The Hawaii tourism industry is in crisis right now and the outlook is grim.  I applaud Christine and others for seeking new, more effective ways to use social media to showcase the islands for potential visitors.

Continue reading “A bunch of bloggers will show you So Much More Hawaii”
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Book Reviews Hawaii Tips USA

The Hawaii guidebook winner is….

(….and my apologies for not announcing this on Friday, December 12, 2008 as promised in the original Hawaii guidebook review/contest announcement post….hey, at some point my family HAD to deal with things like laundry, getting the Christmas tree and all that….)

Er, anyway, the winner as selected by the Sequence Generator at Random.org is Kara/Mountain Mama from the Traveling Mamas. 🙂

Remember that fun audio interview I did with 3 of the 4 Mamas when we were all in Kansas City together?

I am glad that Random.org picks a comment number for me (it picked 3 and Kara left comment #3) because I always feel bad that I can’t give the book to everyone who stops by.

One more Pauline Frommer guidebook is up for grabs, though – swing over to the Perceptive Travel blog before the end of the day on Tuesday, December 16 and leave a comment for a chance to win Pauline’s “Spend Less See More” guidebook to Italy.

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Book Reviews Hawaii Tips USA

Win my copy of Pauline Frommer’s Hawaii guidebook

As I mentioned in my last guidebook giveaway (for Pauline Frommer’s New York City – the winner was Heather On Her Travels) I received 3 guidebooks to review and then launch to lucky readers.

Next up is Pauline Frommer’s Hawaii: Spend Less, See More.

As I’ve written before, I’ve always been a fan of the various Frommer’s travel guides, because they are budget-friendly, full of helpful details and info-packed sidebars, and they make a big effort to show people how to find local experiences and atmosphere.

Pauline Frommer is the daughter of Arthur Frommer, who launched the original Europe on $5/Day back in 1957. She’s also a mother of two, so her books tend to carefully include family-friendly attractions in addition to the “usual suspects” at a destination.

Hawaii is a soft spot for me since my first Navy ship was homeported in Pearl Harbor.  I also want to put in a plug for the folks who work to support Hawaii tourism; I’ve met Michael Ni (@michaelni) and Nathan Kam (@nathankam) on Twitter (plus Michael in person!) and I also follow @DavidHTA who markets his beautiful state worldwide.

Here are particular highlights from the Hawaii guidebook:

  • “Best beaches if you’re a kid” are listed, but none are on Oahu (where most tourists tend to go.)  Pauline does recommend Waikiki Beach for people-watching and the North Shore for water sports. (If you’re a beachy person, you might enjoy the scenery and friendly philosophizing on Beach Walks With Rox, a video series filmed on a Hawaii beach.)
  • Kauai beaches are her pick for the best, but she also notes that they have more drownings than other islands. “Never turn your back on the water.” She also lists some fun one-of-kind boutiques on Kauai – which is not known for its shopping – and also covers opportunities for volunteer work on the island, in gardens and for whale-counting.
  • On Oahu, I like her thorough discussion of World War II sites like the Arizona Memorial, Bowfin submarine and battleship Missouri.  There are good “local info” sidebars on things like yummy food from island “shrimp trucks,” and a frank discussion of the “cheesy and heinous” Polynesian Cultural Center. I appreciate forthright opinions in guidebooks, even when I don’t agree with the assertions.
  • The guidebook has a comprehensive list of annual events – like the Merrie Monarch hula festival – a discussion of why Hawaii prices are sometimes so high for basics (no, it’s not just to rip off tourists,) an overview of coral reef “etiquette” for snorkelers/divers and a Hawaiian language glossary.
  • The Maui section features detailed dining options to fit most budgets.
  • Great tip from Molokai: you can mail a coconut with a message on it from the Hoolehua Post Office: Post-a-nut. I mean, what kid wouldn’t want to do that?!

If all this sounds like your kind of book, here’s what to do to win my copy:

  • Leave a brief comment below about why you’d like to read “Pauline Frommer’s Hawaii”
  • At the end of this week, on Friday, December 12, 2008, I will randomly pick one of your comments using one of the cool tools on Random.org, then I’ll announce the winner in a separate post.
  • If you win, I’ll email you at the address you leave when you comment (to get your snail mail address,) then I’ll box up the book and send it to you. Yes, I’ll mail to places outside the US.

Thanks for participating, and thanks to Sarah Gorback at Wiley Publishing for sending me a review copy.

Good luck!

Categories
Site reviews Tips

Finding value in vacation home rentals

At Poggio Etrusco (photo courtesy Ciao Bambino)One of the many family-friendly companies that I’ve found online since I started blogging is Ciao Bambino.

I first read about them in Budget Travel — can’t remember if it was the print magazine or their blog, but both are stuffed with good info that I tuck away for future reference.

(Disclosure: I’m writing this because I like the Ciao Bambino site and my interactions with the site’s staff have been very positive. No one is paying me or offering me anything to write this post.)

Since I’m always looking for cheaper accommodations that can also handle a bunch of kids, I checked around on the Ciao Bambino site, and was particularly impressed by their diverse offerings in Europe. Many of the villas, homes and apartments, however, seemed a little pricey.

After an email exchange with Kristi Marcelle, one of the company’s staff, I’m pleased to report that they are NOT all about high thread count linens and big bucks.

Kristi wrote, “….because I am not on the ‘fatter wallet’ side either, I search quite a bit for the great finds….We definitely have some more value-oriented options and as a priority have been working on getting more.”

(Update/clarification from Ciao Bambino owner Amie O’Shaughnessy:  many of the listed properties are a mix of “condo resorts” – i.e. apartments with shared onsite amenities, and hotels, rather than independent vacation home rentals.)

Here are some examples from the Ciao Bambino database, along with Kristi’s comments:

“1. Canada – Mystic Springs, Canmore, Banff – Located 15-minutes outside of Banff, so families can still access Banff activities without the higher in-park price points. A fun pool that is continually filled with kids.

2. Mexico – Na Balam, Yucatan Peninsula – We’ve heard from a few users about this property in Mexico. Although it can only accommodate families of 4, it is simple and laid back, away from the tourist bustle.

3. France – Hotel Mas des Carassins, Provence, France – Rave reviews from the user that stayed here, and St. Remy de Provence is a perfect homebase for exploring this area.

4. Spain – Room Mate Laura, Madrid – Definitely a good value for Madrid. Rooms are simple and very modern – but they are comfortable with fun decor in an excellent location.

5. Italy – our destination with the most inventory right now has quite a few value-oriented options.  Favorites are:

  • Al Gelso Bianco, Tuscany – Ideal location for exploring Tuscany. A wonderful young Florentine runs the property and provides amazing service.
  • Poggio Etrusco, Tuscany – We’ve had a few clients come back with just rave reviews about the owner and her warm and friendly service.”

As a bonus, Kristi had a personal tip about condos in Hawaii (Maui) that are not in the Ciao Bambino directory. She describes the Hale Kai:

“For Maui prices, it was a great find and right next door to a park which was great with the kids and right on the beach. Perfect for toddlers and lots of family reunions. I would highly recommend [it] for a budget accommodation – we stayed there a week. They are also very close to a great take-out restaurant that has since changed hands, but the owner used to be the chef at Mama’s Fish House so the food is very good and across the street from a small farmer’s market.”

Another excellent place to look for guidance on these sorts of rentals is with Wendy Perrin, the Condé Nast Traveler Consumer Travel Editor. Take a look at her always-comprehensive annual “Worldwide Guide to Affordable Villa Vacations.” This past year she toted her kids along to research a place in Europe, and she learned some valuable lessons.

Readers, break out that secret list you might have stashed away – any good recommendations for family-friendly vacation home rentals? Please tell us your experiences down in the comments.