Hawaii (Waikiki Oahu and Lihue Kauai)

American Express Classic Vacations FAM
Dates of Travel: 03 September 2007 - 10 September 2007



03 September 2007

It was an early morning, as I had to leave my house by 3:00am to get to the Minnie airport in time for my flight. Good thing we left early as I got lost trying to find the airport and found myself in downtown Saint Paul at their tiny little airport. “Just follow the signs” – not so much the best directions. Back on track and off I was. I did have a connection thru Denver. Lucky for me I am very familiar with this airport. The mountains and clear skies made me forget that I was going to have to board another plane sit on the runway and take off again. Sometimes the excitement of going somewhere makes the time pass so slowly. Back up in the air and our next stop was Honolulu Hawaii.

When the plane landed I almost expected it to smell like Mexico since they have similar vegetation, however the first thing I noticed was the hot sun. It was a dry heat and it felt amazing. The smell was pleasant but nothing like what I thought. I think this was because we were in a big city and surrounded by more buildings that trees. I got off the plane and went to the baggage claim. To my surprise before I even got to the baggage claim someone was holding a sign with my name on it and awaiting me with the most beautiful Lei. I got Lei’d and then was taken down to the baggage claim where the bellman asked me what my luggage looked like. I told him and started to look. Since we came in on a huge jet I wasn’t expecting my luggage anytime soon. In the mean time while waiting two other ladies from our Classic Vacations FAM saw my nametag on my neck and approached me and introduced themselves. Luggage started to roll out and to my surprise the man who greeted me bounced all over until he found my luggage before I had the chance. That really amazed me as he also got the other two ladies luggage as well. Not letting us help carry a single bag he piled our entire luggage on top of a cart and escorted us to our limo. The limo driver greeted us with bottles of water and put our luggage in the trunk.

Our driver asked us if we would like to take the highway or if he wanted to take the way around the beach and he would point things out to us. We opted for the Beach of course. His name was Ernesto and he was from Guatemala. He moved to Hawaii years ago because he wanted to be a part of the US but wanted to go somewhere warm. He said that Hawaii had the climate most like what he was familiar with and offered the most opportunity. We then introduced ourselves Julie was from Steamboat Co, and Angela was from St. Cloud, MN. I was relieved that Angela was my roommate because we were close in age and she has been in the business for 6 years. She went to school to be a travel agent. Julie a just a few years older was going on one year in the business and had just gotten married. She went to school to be an interior decorator however that is not a booming business in her little hometown of Steamboat. Her husband works on a ranch and will be relocating in a while so for now travel is what has caught her eye since Steamboat is a huge tourist town popular for Skiing.

As we went along the coast Ernesto pointed out many things to us. We went past the new shopping center, which is HUGE and not yet completed. It will be open air and have many plants and courtyards as well as some big name stores. We turned and went down a road that was the Rodeo Drive // 5th Ave of Hawaii with stores like Louis Vittion, Coach, Dior, and Fendi. We drove past the cruise port that was amazing because the Pride of Hawaii was docked and man was she ever massive! As we rounded the bay Diamond Head Crater came into view and it was beautiful.

We pulled into the Hyatt Regency where we would stay for the next three nights. We checked in and the bellmen met us at our rooms with our luggage and gave us a brief tour of our room. The room was very spacious had a full front view of the ocean 2 double beds a flat screen TV and a welcome letter for each of us. It was inviting us to a complimentary meal at any of the restaurants on the property. Angie and I had the night off and of course the first thing we did was cross the road to the beach!

The beach was across the road but honestly; this would never stop me from booking someone here. The beaches in Hawaii are all public and alcohol is not allowed on any of the beaches. The sand was white in Waikiki and very clean. As Ernesto said the water in Honolulu is the bluest in the Pacific. We found a spot on the very crowded beach. A man came past with some parrots and we got some pictures with the birds (free of charge! But we did leave a tip). The sun went down around 6:00pm (SO EARLY!) and the pink and orange sunset was the perfect way to end the day and begin the evening! We went up to the room and got ready for dinner, which the three of us decided to go to Chow Mien a French and Chinese Combination restaurant. It was fine dine of course and we had wine and a few courses. It was family style so they brought huge plates full of food and we shared. We had Schuzan Eggplant for an Appetizer followed by pasta and vegetables in vegetable broth and meatless lasagna that was more like a sauce with toppings and NO noodles. Odd, but very good. The girls also had a baked seasoned salmon that I did not try. No dessert because we were so full we had no room! We instead walked it out and wandered around the open-air hotel that featured a mall on floors 1-2. We ended up down the strip and walking on the beach again before going to bed with the patio door open so we could hear the waves of the beach.


04 September 2007

We had to be up and be in the Hyatt Regency’s conference room by 8:00am. Our American Express Classic Vacations Escorts Tom and Jeff were there and they gave us an over view of our trip, Classic Vacations, as well as telling a little about themselves. Tom is from Chicago, and recently took on the Wisconsin market. Jeff just moved to Fort Lauderdale Florida from Chicago and has been traveling for weeks. He has been to Bora Bora, Hawaii (for 3 weeks) as well as Mexico already and he said his fall is just beginning. For those of you who don’t know I’ll write a little about American Express Classic Vacations, which is a preferred vendor of ours.

The program is 32 years old. They consider themselves fluent in Mexican travel and they have been in Europe for 12 years. They are very prideful in the properties that they sell and explain that they are not selling hotels but more so an experience to our clients. Recently they have added Tahiti to the list of destinations and will be announcing yet a new one the end of September at their Sales meeting. Fiji was also added 3 weeks ago. They are really excited about Fiji stating it’s the best of the best. We cannot ever book a “run of the house” category as we give the customers exactly what they want and only sell categories. Classic is a luxury vacations company. They have what is called a “No walk guarantee”. This means they will never ever turn a customer away if they for some reason run into a problem with their reservation.

Every guest who books with Classic Vacations gets a welcome letter delivered right to their door. If they are celebrating any special dates while traveling and the properties know about it the properties and classic work together to deliver a small token signed with the booking agents name. Guests can be pre-registered so that the do not have to wait in lines at the desk. Classic can charter private jet from 8 passengers to your own private 737. They do not do groups as they like things to be small and intimate, but will accommodate wedding groups and groups that will book up to 6 rooms only. They not only have hotels and resorts but many many villas in Italy. Yachts are something they specialize in for Greece, Los Cobos, and Mazatlan. They offer Concierge to all Hawaii guests and will never say no to a request. I was treated like a queen while I was on my FAM and I can only imagine they treat our guests in the same manner. The prices are a little higher, but I can clearly state that any classic vacation is worth every last cent.

The first sight inspection of the day was The Grand Hyatt where we were staying. The Hotel is in Oahu in the heart of Waikiki just a few miles from Honolulu. The property is across the street from the ocean however the view is still amazing and very easily accessible. Tons of surfers gather here before the sun is up to start the day off with surfing before work. The Hotel is open air with a mall on the first 2 floors and then a lobby and waterfall starting on the third floor all the way down. Everything was decorated brightly with dark woods. They not only have a full service spa onsite, but a stay fit club as well. Over the last few years they have put 44 million dollars back into the Hotel. It has 1230 rooms with about 6 different categories. The next 2 floors are the restaurants and pool with 2 Jacuzzis as well as the entry for the spa. The spa which is called the Na ho ‘ola Spa which means “Reaper of Wellbeing”. I bought some lotion here because it smelt so good and made my skin so soft it was a must have. The products were well priced however the treatments were expensive but very well worth it from what I heard from the ladies who went. They also have a special line from Hungary that people all over the spa were ranting and raving about. I wasn’t about to put a tomato and chili concoction on my face, but it’s supposed to cure wrinkles and soften skin leaving a glow that is remarkable. This is the first and only spa in Oahu to be blessed and opened with a ceremony by a highly respected royal local.
http://waikiki.hyatt.com/

We walked up the street and continued to the next property the Parc Hotel Waikiki. Liz Wong their sales rep greeted us and gave us some great materials. She told us the significance of the one photo in the hotel lobby of the coconut tree. The grounds used to be a coconut grove and they have it there as a reminder of the beauty of the coconut grove. The hotel was very simple. Contemporary would be the perfect way to describe it as it had limited décor, but of what it did gave the place a super contemporary feel. The Parc has 23 floors and 297 rooms. They are one block from the beach however you couldn’t really see the beach. The tiny pool they had was on the 8th floor where all the hotels around the Parc had a view of the sunbathers. I didn’t find this to be very inviting. There were no plants in the pool area just concrete and the 5ft by 8ft pool that was 4 feet deep. Back inside she took us into the rooms. All the rooms are the exact same the only difference 2 doubles or 1 king. The rooms were small with no where to leave luggage lay or even enough room for a small table although you did get a tiny desk. The views were awful. She went over pricing and I couldn’t believe it. I would defiantly up sell someone to a much nicer beach front for what they would pay at the Parc. Moving on to the lobby she told us there was a free wine night open to the public and employees on Tuesday nights. Unimpressed I was awaiting a highlight. Finally we stepped outside and Liz showed us the highlight of the property. There were two cars in front of us. Very interesting looking however not luxury nothing special! On a lighter note these convertibles were only 78$ per day to rent for the whole day. There were only 2 however. The Restaurant on the grounds called Nabu has an Iron Chef named Matsuhusa. A few good things is on site laundry, free parking, and sec operated elevators. I think Liz sensed we were not impressed and walked us over to the grand sister property Halekulani for some wining and dining.
www.waikikiparc.com


Before going any further we went to the Orchids for some lunch. We had a very fancy lunch of Manoa Lettuce with vine ripened tomatoes and sweet Maui onions. Topped with Halekulani’s Tarragon Dressing this salad was like nothing I have ever had and it was only about to get better. They had prepared an amazing tofu steak on rice noodles for me topped with peanut sauce. They brought out the Halekulani coconut cake with Raspberry Coulis and we all went nuts. Liz smiled and told us it was delicious but we would very much need to walk off the calories in the cake! We all agreed it was worth it. Not just the food but the view being in the shade on the patio overlooking the ocean and with a spectacular view of diamond head in the background. Of course Halekulani mean “House befitting Heaven”. Couldn’t have been truer.

With 412 rooms and 43 suites Halekulani is luxurious in every square inch. They even have a Vera Wang suite designed solely by her from top to bottom. No matter what category room you are in you will have a magnificent view. The rooms were all very spacious. Flat screens, deep soaking tubs, separate glassed-in showers, free high speed internet in each and every room. The property had 5 different restaurants and beautiful grounds. You can’t even tell that you’re in a huge city it seems like a private oasis. Liz showed us the pool which features a African tile bottom that has 1.5 million African glass tiles no bigger than a finger nail laid individually to shape out a beautiful Cattleya Orchid. The pool is 42 by 86 feet. The Halekulani also has a fitness center, business center and Spa.
www.halekulani.com

To finish off the day we went over to the Outrigger Regency Waikiki. It is new to the area and just opened in Feb. 2007. This was a building of condos located on the beach walk. They are new to Classic and Hawaii. They are boutique style condos. There are a total of 48 condos. You can get one king or two double beds. The rooms to have state of the art technology and high end amenities including flat screen TVs and unique kitchen appliances. They are a tad bigger than a hotel room offering a full kitchen and dining. There is no pool how ever they can access the outrigger on the beach which is just a short walk from the condos. The reef has 2 spas to also offer to those staying in the condos.

http://www.outriggerregencycondo.com/?src=ppc_google_brand

We walked back from the outrigger. Julie, Angela, and I stopped at Duke’s. Duke’s is an honorary seafood restaurant dedicated to the memory of a great surfer. It is located where duke rode a history making wave right on the beach at the Outrigger Canoe Club. They are very casual and you can dine on the beach front or on the lanai as well as in the shade of the open air restaurant. Local Hawaiian musicians play at dukes and sing a mix of traditional Hawaiian music as well as some top 40 and old favorites. We only stopped for a drink as we heard no trip to Waikiki is complete without dropping in for some local cultural fun.

http://dukes-waikiki-hawaii.hawaiifanatic.com/

Tonight we were to dine on our own. The group however decided who ever wanted to dine out could join Tom and Jeff at Lulu’s. We were to meet at 6:30 just in time for the torch lighting ceremony and then hit up a little beach entertainment and work our way down a few blocks to Lulu’s. The torch lighting ceremony was amazing as there is a dance and music involved at sundown followed by lighting the torches all the way down the beach. We got to see some Luau dancers on the beach as well as some local musicians who took the stage for free. The beach was just packed with people watching. They were really great and very entertaining.

Lulu’s was very casual, basically a bar that served simple dinners. The prices were super cheap but man was that deceiving. I ordered a plate of nachos for $5.95 and I ended up with a plate the size of Diamond Head Crater!!! I ordered their specialty drink which was the Moijitio, and it was disgusting. I am a fan of Moijitos, but I wouldn’t recommend theirs. From what everyone else had their Lava Flows and said they were delicious. We ate so much food we had to walk it off and shop our way back to the hotel.

http://www.luluswaikiki.com


05 September 2007

What an exciting day we had a head of us. We were told to meet in the back area of the Hyatt. This was an area we had not yet gone to, but it is where any buses, tour groups, limos ect. will pick you up as they can actually park. It is a one way road and very crowed with many transfers. Angela and I were waiting for the Sea Plane van. We were super excited because this was a gift from the Oahu visitor’s bureau. We had an option out of a few activities but it was first come first serve and luckily we had won the fast fingers reply and got the sea plane which everyone agreed was the most exciting. We waited and waited and finally we got a call as the lady driving the van was running late on the freeway. She was about 15 minutes late, but she hoped out of the van and introduced herself. She was Mrs. Maggie and Pat, her husband would be the man to take us out today.

I loved that Mrs. Maggie was so personable. Since she was a local and owned her own business she was able to tell us many things that other people wouldn’t know or wouldn’t share. A huge topic of discussion was the Hawaii Super Ferry. She pointed out many buildings and landmarks to us as we drove past them. It was only about a 20 minute ride. They are located across from the HNL airport on the water. They have been in the business for 47 years and it is a family tradition. Pat’s father has the eighth license signed by the Wright brothers. One of his closest friends was Amelia Earhart. The three of us on the trip were truly amazed.

Pat grew up in northern Wisconsin, so of course I told him that’s where I am from. He has spent many years in Alaska. He has set the world record for flying 39,000 accident free hours with about 32,000 hours in seaplanes alone. Hearing that did take a huge weight off our shoulders! He has done fishing tours, hunting, as well as medical evacs and even sometimes risking his life. It is no wonder why they named him National Seaplane Pilot of the year 2000. On top of all that Pat is a silver screen and movie star. He was Catherine Zeta Jones stunt double in the movie “The Phantom” which was filmed in Thailand. He also appeared in the movie “Godzilla”. The floating office also appeared in the movie “Fifty First Dates”. He has been in Disney’s “Even Stevens”, the pop culture reality show of today “Survivor”, as well as “The new Fantasy Island”. Pat and Debbie take pride in their floating office and it is a great display of their accomplishments over the years. If you ask them if they are ready to slow down they will toss at you their plans to take action in 2 years. They are going to do a North American Sea Plane tour and featuring local cuisines. This will be a TV show airing on the Discovery and Travel Channels. Pat took us to the map for one more thing. The map of the island. Around the map is a picture of all the people he has flown with as passengers who are famous – his favorite from the few dozen – Adam Sandler who he described as being the most down to earth and fun person to be around. On the map was numbers and the numbers matched pictures and descriptions of what we would see on our tour.

We got on Pat’s plane. It could hold 6 people but he said he doesn’t usually take that many at once because the not everyone gets the best view. We put on some ear muffs and we could not only talk to each other but we could talk to the people at different stations including a popular local we had heard about from Stacy - Fisherman Bob. This was really neat because everyone was so friendly and telling us to enjoy, or that we had a great day for a flight, or cracking jokes about the sights we were seeing.

Take off was smooth as could be. We saw so many things, Diamond Head, The Secret Island, the bluest water in the pacific, the light house, Michelle Pfeiffer’s house, Kaneohe Bay, Chinaman’s Hat, sites of “Jurassic Park” and “Godzilla” including the footprints, The set of “lost”, Kahana Bay, Sacred Falls, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Mormon Temple, BYU campus, the old Kahuku Sugar Mill, the windmill farm. The famous Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay and the cascading Waimea water falls, the Dole Pineapple fields, and sugar cane fields, past the Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Air Field and Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial the same way that the Japanese flew over it during the attack. Lastly the “Missouri” and we touched down right back at Keehi Lagoon. I am not going to lie I should have taken some motion sickness pills because I got so sick when we went thru the mountains and caught some air that lifted us in all directions.

We thanked Pat and Debbie for their time and the great memories, and then Debbie drove us back to the Hyatt where the group was ready to meet up and share our stories.

http://www.islandseaplane.com/index.html

We meet in our spot by the water fall in the lobby of our hotel and we were ready to cut across the street to a beautiful beach front property called the Moana Surf rider. This property is actually not only a beautiful hotel but a historical landmark in Hawaii. She was one of the first Waikiki hotels and was built in 1901. Regulars at the hotel throughout history included: Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple, Groucho Marx, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Amelia Earhart, and Elvis Presley. There are two towers to the Moana Surf rider. The Historical tower which is the original tower is to the west. These rooms are smaller, and feature authentic décor. They are truly beautiful. The east tower consists of modern décor and has larger rooms. The hotel itself has a gorgeous winding staircase that many many brides have been photographed on. Also in the entry way hangs a huge chandelier that was the original in the Royal Hawaiian. The Moana is a great place to stay for weddings it has a certain charm about it, yet a very modern luxurious feel.

We sat down in the dinning room and had a great buffet. We got to try the Moana’s signature pastery puff which was to die for!

http://www.moana-surfrider.com


The sales rep for the Moana was so generous she offered to take us over to the Royal Hawaiian for a look around as it is a sister property and was not on our original itinerary. No one declined of course so we walked down the road to the Pink Palace. They call the Royal Hawaiian the pink palace because the man who built the hotel’s wife loved pink hence everything that could be pink in the hotel in pink, even the hotel itself. It opened in 1927 about 26 years after the Moana. Shirley Temple can here often and it is where the Shirley temple cocktail was created. We got to see the ball rooms and where the original grand opening ball was held along with some authentic dresses worn by the ladies there as well as the picture of the ball which hangs up at the property. The ladies room was quite a display of tall ceilings and huge mirrors as well as old fashioned lounging sofas. The biggest display of orchids we had seen was in the hall of the property which was beautiful bursts of the purple flowers. Although this property is old it doesn’t show its age at all.

http://www.royal-hawaiian.com/

We walked back from the Royal Hawaiian and stopped at the Wyland Gallery. Wyland is famous for his ocean life paintings and art. He actually just furnished the newest outrigger property Outrigger Wyland Beach with some very amazing artwork. His gallery was amazing. I don’t know much about him as an artist, I am some what familiar with his work but I know many people know well of him. The walk threw the gallery was free and very enjoyable.

http://outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=115


We took the beach back to our hotel after that and walked slow to soak up the little time we had to catch some sunshine. We had to go get dressed up because Stacy from the Oahu Visitor’s Bureau was taking us out for a night on the town.

Our first stop on our dine-around was china town. We stopped at Indigo which is a Eurasian style restaurant. It is famous for it’s green room and great top of the line sushi. We had a cocktail and lots of sushi that was just amazing. Impressed with our chop stick skills Stacy said we were ready for the main course. We got back on our charter bus and moved on to Chai’s which was not in china town but near the waterfront in a outdoor shopping pavilion. We got to meet Chef Chai and then he brought out some spectacular surf and turf as well as one of every dessert. The surf and turf was so cute how it was set up with steak on one side with plantains and a little dried plantain for decoration as a surf board and a green for a tree. The other side was two jumbo shrimps sticking out of a pineapple to represent a whale tale. The desserts were equally as amazing as the dinner. A sorbet raspberry heart dipped in white chocolate and raspberry sauce all around as well as a chocolate pyramid that was a taste and texture I can’t describe. We also had ice cream in three flavors and an assortment of small cakes. We were serenaded by the brothers Cazimero. This was a real treat as they are not only award winning artists, but they are very hard to get tickets to see.

http://www.chaisislandbistro.com/index.html
http://www.mountainapplecompany.com/Cazimeros.aspx

We got back to the hotel around eight and Angie and I were ready for bed, but there was so much to do and to see. We walked the other way down the strip outside our hotel checking out all the street performers. We went to a place called the yard stick to meet up with Julie who was with our group and a local whom is friends with her husband. The yard stick is a nice local hang out. It was a sports pub. This place was a little dark and a little manly for my liking. The beer there came in skinny tubes the size of a yardstick. Angie and I weren’t into parting that night because we wanted to get some sleep so we suckered out and went back to the hotel early. We did stop once on the way back to grab a souvenir. There was a road vendor making designs out of animals and things significant to Hawaiian culture. Each character had it’s own meaning. They were $20 each, but well worth the life time I will have it over something else I could take home and end up tossing out eventually. We also briefly walked threw the international market place which is a great place to recommend shoppers go.

Over all Waikiki wasn’t too over priced in anything. I have some great contacts and resources so if you are interested please let me know.
http://www.visit-oahu.com/

06 September, 2007

It was early and we had one more sight inspection before we left the island of Oahu. It was in a remote location that offered a lot of privacy. The Kahala really sits on it’s own private oasis. Everyone was over tired and dragging today. First things first, time for breakfast. We sat in a beautiful dinning area inside that expanded out into an open air seating as well. It was the Plumeria beach house one of 5 on site restaurants. We had an amazing view of the ocean and the buffet offered some great breakfast foods. There was a chef making omelets and their signature doughnuts. Everything on this buffet was on different sized risers, except for the hot food. This made a nice display as opposed to the normal laid out buffet. A few little birds flew in from outside and were fighting over who got the crumbs we dropped. We all giggled at this, but the waitress said its very normal and they don’t bother anyone so they let them dine as well.

We started our tour of the property by stepping right off the breakfast patio and on to the beach. She talked about how they have their beach right out front and people love to walk along it in the mornings. A short walk down the beach and back up to the hotel was their CHI health and yoga center. We got to look at it. It was really unique how it was set up. Bamboo lined the walls and walkway, and there was equipment facing the ocean. Each machine had it’s own T.V. They let us ladies into the back room which was much like a locker room. It had a beautiful sauna as well as whirlpool spa where you could be all natural. They do yoga on the beach most mornings which is a popular activity at the Kahala.

We looped back around the beach to the other side of the property where the lagoon is. We saw some huge turtles, and very tropical fish lounging around in the sun. As we crossed the bridge and over into a larger area of the lagoon we were greeted by dolphins!!! There was 4 of them and they were so awesome. They were extremely playful and had many toys to play with and they would play with each other. They would come up close and you could touch them. For about $200 you and swim with them for an hour and a half. They put on a small show for us jumping and playing in the water. No one wanted to move on now, we just wanted to watch! The group leader finally pryed us away so we could see the rooms.

We had to walk thru a lush garden which was much more like a Rainforest than anything to get to the Spa suites. Once we were back there we got to see a few. They each had a wooden privacy wall that was about 8 feet high. You could barley tell they were there however, because the sun shone down on them and they were covered inside and out with plants. There of course was some lounge chairs to lie on. Inside the spa suite was your own private spa. There was an infinity tub built for 2, a massage bed, IPOD loaded with relaxing music it was wonderful. Then there was a door that opened to the actual room. I would defiantly recommend these rooms even though you can’t see the ocean. We went to look at a few more rooms. The “old rooms” as they are renovating were wood floor, wicker furniture, and cream canopy beds. They open up into a lanai which has a table and chairs to view the ocean and picturesque sunsets. It was so beautiful I couldn’t imagine what the “New” rooms would look like. They opened the door to the new room and many people stated how much better they liked the old rooms than the new. I’m sure that this isn’t something the 5 star property wanted to hear!! The theme was baby blue and white… peaceful and serene. This meant that everything was modern and minimal. There weren’t any flowers in these rooms; the color scheme was too basic and too light. There was no dark anywhere to contrast.

She had a few more things to show us yet before we left. There was a waterfall onsite. It was man made and not very big so we weren’t all too impressed. I did enjoy the Orchid wall as well as the wall of photos that stretch down one hallway. Some of the orchids had unique scents, such as the chocolate one. We went to say goodbye to the dolphins and then we were off to catch our plane.

http://www.kahalaresort.com

The flight to Kauai was very short. I was so tired I closed my eyes and when I opened them we were already landing. Getting out luggage and rental cars took a long time and the airport was tiny. There were chickens running around all over the place you couldn’t see much because the back of the airport faced only a mountain. It was a lovely mountain; however you just couldn’t see anything but it. Julie loved this because being a Colorado native she missed the mountains, and felt at home.

The ride to our hotel was a long one. Mostly just because of the traffic. There was basically one road, and everyone was on it. We got around the mountain and got to see some awesome scenery. Kauai is not big and it is super easy for anyone to navigate. The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa was just that. GRAND. I can’t count the number of times I got lost there not to mention I got lost in the pool itself one night. It is on 50 ocean front acres of land. It’s located right by Poi Pu beach and you can walk there from the property. The beach here is not swim able but they have made up for it by adding a lagoon right on the beach so you can lay out on the beach and then swim in the lagoon. Seals swim up to the beach and lounge around in the sun about 3 times a week. The Grand Hyatt has 602 guest rooms the theme is old plantation Hawaii. My room faced the ocean right on and was so large. We had more room than we knew what to do with. The only thing I didn’t like about our room was that bathroom offered no privacy. The toilet had it’s own little room and tele, but the shower was out in the open. This would be ok if I was with a significant other, but not a family.

There is a spa right on sight. It makes all its own products and offers a pool for swimming laps, spa services, salon ect. It was very relaxing and private. I did go down there and check it out on my own for a more in depth look and feel since they gave us all a pass. I didn’t get to do any treatments, however one of the ladies with our group did and she said she never has feel so rejuvenated before. She frequently visits spas and said that the Anara spa was one of the best.

Heading down to the pool area there is a windy cobblestone path thru a tropical setting with about 4 huge parrots. There was a Jazz bar, Library bar, beach bar – something for everyone’s taste.

We ate dinner at Tidepools, which is a floating restaurant. We had a six course meal. It started with your basic soup and salad, and then we had some apps, our main course (every one picked something different) and then dessert. I have to tell you about the dessert because I have never ever tasted anything like it. It was a chocolate mound with a little cream on top and raspberry drizzle. It was garnished with a cookie spoon. It was WARM and then when you cut into it the most delicious chocolate I have ever tasted came pouring out onto the plate. Tidepools was a new favorite. Chris, the sales rep who was wineing and dining us gave us each a cup of pellets to feed the coy fish that we watched swim around us all through out dinner. They all came running and were hoping over each other, rather odd behavior for fish, but I guess they are just aggressive.

This is when we decided, that since the pool was open all night we would go for a midnight swim. The water was a little chilly, but we all got in. The pool at the Grand Hyatt is insane. It is on 3 levels and has rivers all over connecting 3 major pools. Coves, grottos and hot tubs are hidden everywhere. I was swimming around and got lost couldn’t find my things had to get out of the pool and walk down and work my way back up until I found my belongings!

07 September 2007

Hilton Kauai Beach Resort

Today I was expecting to see two amazing properties. The Hilton and Princeville was what we had scheduled. We got to the Hilton and started with a quick tour of the Lobby which was huge and beautiful. It was open air on one end and you had a great view of the circular pool that raps around rocks. I could tell right away this was a very family friendly hotel. It had water slides for the children and we saw them all over the pool area. There was a tiki hut bar called the driftwood sandbar and grill right outside the lagoon pool that offered a variety of drinks and services at a charge. They didn’t have services to bring you your food to your seat while lying out. The lagoon featured some nice lounges for lying out and much room for swimming as the beach is not swimable. There was another restaurant called Naupaka Terrace. It was rather neat, a Plantation style open air restaurant that overlooked some fishponds, pools, and waterfalls.

We went to the rooms. They were not spacious and they were dirty. I don’t know if it was because next to all the lavish and extravagant places I had been seeing the last few days? There was dust on many of the tables and edges of the TV’s and it showed. I was put at ease when someone else made a comment on how it’s nice, but a little rundown and dirty. I wasn’t the only one who thought that. The Hilton was 100% non smoking which was a nice thing.

A few good selling points for this hotel would be they do offer shuttles to and from the airport, a torch lighting ceremony nightly with Polynesian dance, and high speed wireless internet.

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/LIHKBHF-Hilton-Kauai-Beach-Resort-Hawaii/index.do?ctyhocn=LIHKBHF

We loaded up the rental vans and moved on to Princeville. The ride was Beautiful. The landscape was so green and lush. The road winded along the Hawaiian coast line. Chickens were everywhere. Tom told us that when hurricane Nikki hit the island years ago it hit hard and that all the chicken coups busted open and now they are wild. There are no large mammals on the island of Kauai. The Hilton had been ever so kind to give us a CD of music in a gift bag so we opened it up and played our Hawaiian music on the way to our next stop.

Pulling into Princeville was eventful. They don’t have a sign for the resort out on the highway and the driveway was sooo long we thought we might be in the wrong place. Once we got back to the resort however it was well worth being so far off the path. First thing when we entered was a bathroom break but we all took off to something we saw across the lobby the biggest lanai we had seen our whole trip and the picturesque views of the Napali coast and Hanalei Bay. Everyone stood next to the glass ledge and took pictures with the mountains and coast in the background.

Our host said she would give us the briefing outside so we could take it all in. She told us that the luxury resort at Princeville has things to offer that you will not find anywhere else in the world. She also pointed out that although they are so huge, they are very laid out. There is a rule in Kauai that no building or man made structure is to be taller than that of a palm tree. They have 252 guest rooms and suites, a spa, plenty of meeting space and are located near not one, but two PGA golf courses. She noted that they often have famous guests that lounge on their beaches and stay in their guest rooms.

We got to see all the rooms. They all were light and bright, natural tones with just a small hint of red. They were very spacious and had top of the line up to date amenities. The suites (5,000+) per night were breath taking.

The Lobby was very bold. There was tall ceilings and black/gold décor with plenty of places to sit and relax. A bar with a fireplace and piano, as well as a waterfall fountain. Everywhere we went was over the top. The massage cabañas on the beach were welcoming, but of course that wasn’t a part of our tour! The beach under the mountain was man made so that there are breaks in the ruff water and it could be swimable. They said that from November to about March you can see whales off the coast playing in the water. The pool area was large and there were cabañas all over as well as umbrellas and then places to play ping pong. Someone was taking a surf lesson near the pool before going out to the waters to do so. We were sad to go, but they left us with some thoughtful gifts as well to remember them by, including chocolate!

http://www.princevillehotelhawaii.com/360views.htm

Dinner wasn’t until 5:00 PM and it was only 3. On our way down we passed a quaint little town that had only a small inn, a restaurant, surf shop, gift shop, and an ice cream hut that sold snow cones, ice cream and pineapples. We looked around for a while and then went back towards Poipu beach and Koloa for our Luau. Once again, just outside the resort we passed a shopping village with lots of neat things and in unison begged the men to give in and let us loose after the Luau.

They said we had to rush thru our tour of the Resort Quest because they wanted us to get seated for the Luau. Everyone gets in one long line and gets shell leis. Your next greeted with a Mai Tai. I’ve had very few Mai Tai’s before Hawaii, and they were premixed premade by Bacardi Mixers. They were sweet and delicious. The Mai Tai’s in Hawaii were much different and I was not a fan of the dark sometimes bitter drink, but it was the most popular thing during the trip and we got one included with almost every meal! Next in line you pass two ladies making and selling the most colorful flower leis. They were only $5 each. I’m a sucker for pretty things so I got one. The lady gave me two and a bracelet and told me to enjoy! I was excited and looked very festive. Finally entering the tent there was a large Tiki man (wooden) whom greeted us and we got pictures with. A real Tiki man then took our drinks to our table and pointed out the buffet line.

There was soooo much food I couldn’t believe it. The pig grossed me out a little bit, but there were salads of every kind and fruit over pouring the tables as well as desserts. This was a good luau buffet compared to what I have seen in the past as I’ve been to a few. We sat down and the show started with a story and fashion show. They showed the many ways to wear Hawaiian wraps. No luau would be complete without some audience participation. People joined the dancers on stage and a little hips and knees 411! Someone came around with drinks and little extras so we didn’t have to get up. He saw my Mai Tai sitting there and told me he had something else for me. He made me what is called a Volcanic Itch. It was awesomely fruity and he smiled that I liked it.

An announcement was made that we all needed to move out side the tent. Outside the tent was a stage with a man holding some fire. They quickly explained that they used to have a luau hut but that it had burned down from the fire and that the tent is only temporary; however there will be no flame throwing in the tent. I was impressed. The show was over and the dancers posed for some pictures. We were all too tired to shop so we didn’t stop at the little village, but went back and went right to our rooms.

http://www.resortquesthawaii.com/hawaii/index.do

08 September 2007

The only thing on our itinerary for today was dinner at the Sheraton Kauai. This meant we had a whole day to do what we please. I decided to be an early bird and go to Waimea Canyon with the men and few ladies. We took 2 vehicles. It was either that, or to snorkel and the waves in Hawaii were much larger than Cancun where I snorkeled the first time and I was a little scared and chickened out of that excursion. There were signs stating that there was no where to get gas so fill your tank now. The roads to Waimea were very windy, and had sharp turns and add the elevation to that- we had three people get car sick. There are look outs all over the Canyon as well as trails for hiking and biking. The trails are labeled for experienced and non experienced hikers which was nice. They also had long hikes and shorter hikes. The canyon itself is on mile wide, about ten miles long and 3,657 feet deep.

Once we got to the large look out there were vendors there selling drinks and snacks to the tourists. Since it was a state park it had facilities such as a rest room. There were binoculars to gaze down into the gorge. Chickens were EVERYWHERE once again. Beautiful hibiscus trees lined the path up to the actual lookout. It was busy, there were a lot of people there and many tour buses bringing people. I was a little surprised as on the way up we didn’t see a single vehicle. I have lots of beautiful pictures from this day. We did do minimal hiking since not everyone we came with that day was able to hike.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waimea_Canyon

On the way back we took our time taking in the whole scene since it was our last day. We stopped in a little town for some lunch on the go. Spouting Horn was on the way back to the hotel so we stopped there to take a few pictures. It was nice to see, however if we didn’t see it I wouldn’t have been upset. It is a large flat rock that has a hole in the middle. When the waves come crashing it pushes water under the rock and since it has no where to go it flies out the hole and high into the air. It makes a unique noise, much like a horn. There was a gift shop and botanical garden right at spouting horn and I bought some things here to bring home. Everything was very reasonably priced here and they had very different things, I didn’t see any other time on the trip. I like souvenirs like that.

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/kauai/html/sites/spouting_horn.html

After all the walking and sightseeing, added to getting up early I was tired and thought a nap would be a good idea. Since it was only noon I got my suit on and walked down to the lagoon to take advantage of the sunshine. Angie my roommate who also went to Waimea came with. Since Julie was car sick we thought we would see her down there, but sure enough she came down just in time to have lunch with us. As soon as we sat down the staff brought over some refreshing water. They had a menu of frost drinks both alcoholic and non. To be honest I was sick of these and stuck with my water. The menu food wise had many salads, fruits, and light things. I got fruit and a portabella Panini with a side of fries thinking that would fill me up. The wait staff delivered my meal and it was more than enough! I could have just gone with the fruit and been full! It came in a black tray and there was a fourth of a pineapple sliced in long slices, a whole mango, star fruit garnish as well as grapes. The Panini was the size of a large plate and very tasty. Of course the fries were all too much, but Jules was feeling better and ate half the sandwich and some fries!

We saw a few fellow fammers and heard about snorkeling. It was only $12 to use the equipment and they said there was so many fish. Tropical colorful fish and plants but they said the waves got to them so they only went for about a half hour. I was glad I went to the canyon.

It was extremely hot so I went in the lagoon. The water was warm from the sun, but it still felt nice. After I cooled off I did what no one should ever do. I fell asleep under the Hawaiian sun and roasted. Thank goodness for Aloe. I only slept a mere 40 minutes and I was so red. I got up so stretch and look at the beach. I got a nice view of the Grand Hyatt Kauai (my hotel) from the beach. I saw a few crabs on the beach and it was funny to watch them walk. They walk sideways and often get swept away in the waves. Just when you think they are gone you see them again running sideways across the beach. The seals beach on this beach as well and I got to see them. The heat was getting to me and I went to shower and get ready for dinner.

I don’t have much to say about the Sheraton as we didn’t get to see much. They had something special planned for us and wanted to get to it. We didn’t see any rooms because she said they are just like any other. The lobby was traditional Hawaiian décor with a wooden ceiling. We peeked in one just to see the décor which was very very simple. The rooms were a little dark, but it was calming dark not pitch black. Creams and blues with dark wood. The resort is divided into 2. Part on one side of the road and then the other part across the road and nestled on the beach. The road is a private road and not busy. Koi ponds were all over as well as lighted hibiscus trees. The pool was big, but once again very simple. They had 3 restaurants all with a different theme. Naniwa is Japanese cuisine, Amore of course is Italian, and Shells is their signature steak and see food. They also have The Point and grill which is food on the lanai, as well as Oasis Bar and Grill which is food near the pool.

We were here to eat dinner and wine and dine they did. They took us out to the lawn on the beach where there was a long table set up to fit us all. The candles were lit. The sun had just started going down and they brought everyone a Mai Tai (no surprise he he.) I passed on it, and en lieu of the Mai Tai they brought me an alcohol free Lava Flow. Dinner was family style on beautiful white plates. We each had a gift from the hotel on our plate (it was a nice pen in a wooden box) as well as some hotel chap stick and candy.

Dinner was so many different things concoctions that were delicious, yet I wasn’t all too sure what was in most. The chef came out to say hello and enjoy and we ate. The stars were now out, waves were crashing and candles lit they brought us some cheesecake and coffee. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect way to finish the night, the trip, and say goodbye to Hawaii.

http://www.sheraton-kauai.com/acc.htm#

09 September 2007

I was not looking forward to the flight home. It was so long. The route I took was not convenient as I went from Lihue to San Francisco, San Fran to Chicago, and then Chicago to Minneapolis plus a 3 hour drive from there to Rapids. I did get to fly first class. They stuffed me full and we got bottomless drinks. I reflected upon my week in Hawaii. I was so grateful I got to see something so beautiful. I believe that even though it is costly, a person can’t not afford to go once in their lifetime. American Express really showed us what it was like to be wined, dined and pampered. They made you forget that you were on a FAM to learn. I took in so much and didn’t even realize it. I learned that Hilton’s aren’t always the best and that the Sheraton may be middle grade, but can offer a first class experience. That is all what this is about anyways. We aren’t selling hotels and vacations; we are selling an experience to destinations and memories that our clients will never forget.