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Aloha from America's 50th state! This week, I'm on the island of Hawaii (also known as The Big Island). It's the largest of the Hawaiian islands and a lot different from Maui, which is where I was just a few short months ago, en route to Australia. I returned to this island paradise so soon because I was invited to be the keynote speaker at a major Hawaii tourism conference. Instead of just flying in and out, I opted to make a mini-vacation out of it. All I really had the chance to do was enjoy the two incredible hotels where I was staying: The Waikoloa Beach Marriott and The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. If you are up for some fun in the sun, then grab your bathing suit, sunscreen, a good book and put on a smile, baby! We're in Hawaii! If you just want to see the pictures, check out the four-minute Johnny Jet video at the end of the story.
If you've had enough of Hawaii (not possible), then maybe Jerome Shaw can pique your interest with a jaunt to Las Vegas' little brother, Mesquite, Nevada. Otherwise, read Dave Zuchowski’s riveting reviews of two new Lonely Planet books: The Africa Book and The Asia Book.
LA TIMES TRAVEL SHOW
Before we head to Hawaii, let me tell you about two things: My incredible weekend in southern California and a recent jetBlue announcement. On Saturday, I spoke for the fourth time at the Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show in Long Beach. It's regarded as the best newspaper show in the country and judging by the huge crowds, it's the biggest, too. Everyone is there to grab marketing materials from tour operators, tourism boards, inventors of travel gadgets and to listen to incredible speakers. My panel was about
online travel and it featured George Hobica from AirfareWatchdog.com, Juliana Shallcross from HotelChatter.com and our moderator was Jen Leo, who runs the L.A. Times Daily Deal Blog. The highlight for me was attending the speakers dinner, which meant I got to break bread with many of my travel idols … Arthur Frommer and his daughter Pauline, Rick Steves, Robert Young Pelton and Phil Keoghan from The Amazing Race. I thought I traveled a lot but my boy Phil
(who incidentally shares my birthday, May 31) has been back to his home country of New Zealand five times since January 1! Now that's insane. But I almost fainted when Arthur Frommer
said that he gets a kick out of my column and looks forward to reading my story each week. If only my high school English teacher (who gave me a D) had heard. She would have fainted with shock. And my mom – her smile would be ear to ear.
JETBLUE TO LAX
Yesterday, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa literally rolled out the red carpet for jetBlue flight 9001 after it touched down at LAX. Onboard was Dave Barger (the airline's CEO) and an army of employees for the big announcement. jetBlue Airways is beginning a major expansion of its service in the western United States, including offering daily service to JFK and Boston from LAX. For complete details, see this press release.
TO UPGRADE OR NOT TO UPGRADE
OK, now we’re ready to head to Hawaii. I arrived at LAX an hour before my nonstop flight to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. I checked in online the night before and I wasn't checking bags, which saved me time. Surprisingly, to everyone's advantage, United Airlines switched aircrafts the night before and instead of flying on a single-aisle 757, we got upgraded to a 767
. That meant 86 more seats and two aisles. A friend of mine was working the gate and offered to upgrade me to first class. While I appreciated the gesture, I asked whether first class would be full and coach empty? He confirmed that that was the case and I kindly declined the upgrade. Needless to say, he thought I was crazy. But there was method to my madness. Without a doubt, it's much better to have a whole row in coach than be cramped up front on one of United's two-class airplanes. United's first class service to Hawaii has seats that don't fully recline and that don't have leg rests. And believe it or not, there's little legroom when the passenger in front of you reclines. So as I was saying, a whole row in coach was my better option.
LOS ANGELES TO KONA
Having the whole row (and I mean all seven seats, configured 2-3-2) made the four-hour and 48-minute flight a breeze. On takeoff and landing, I sat next to the window to catch the view, and in between, I moved over to the middle section to lie down and score a little shuteye. The two flight attendants working the Economy Plus section, which boasts five extra inches of legroom, were complete opposites. One was super-friendly and cool while the other was clearly burnt out and perhaps needed to retire. They offered Buy On-Board food service but I had brought my own snacks. The only fun thing about flying United to Hawaii is that they play the Halfway To Hawaii game with passengers. The pilot provides all the flight info, like departure time, speed, headwind, arrival time and passengers are challenged to guess what time we crossed the midpoint. The winner gets a bottle of champagne and a round of applause. As usual, I was off big time … by nine minutes.
HAVE A NICE TRIP, SEE YOU NEXT FALL
On descent, I was astonished by the amount of snow on Mauna Kea's 14,000-foot summit. Not many people realize that Hawaii actually has snow. But for all you snowbirds, don't worry because down at the lowland, it's steamy hot. When it was time to deplane, the flight attendant wasn't kidding when she told me to have a nice trip. I actually tripped and fell down the plane stairs! What a fool! If it hadn't been for the healthy female grad student who broke my fall, someone seriously might have died. Thrilled to have landed in beautiful Hawaii, I somehow missed a step while admiring the scenery around me. And I was still practically at the top of the steps. Then kaboom! I banged my knee pretty good and my sunglasses gave me a bit of a shiner but other than that (and being completely embarrassed, of course) I was fine. Note to self: ALWAYS pay attention when walking down plane stairs.
UNITED'S NEW BAGGAGE POLICY
It didn't help that I was carrying a bag in each hand. And with United's new baggage policies announced last week, accidents like mine might happen more frequently, so be careful! In case you haven't heard, United passengers traveling on discounted domestic tickets after May 5, 2008 will no longer be allowed two checked bags for free. Only the first one will be free; the second will cost $25 each way. I have to say, I think it's a smart move by the money hungry airline executives, since gas prices are so high. You really can't blame them for trying to generate new revenue streams and this move is expected to bring in an extra $100 million a year. However, I think they should have tweaked the policy a bit. Instead of allowing only one bag, they should allow two but no more than 50 lbs. This way, it won't break the backs of the baggage handlers and not everyone would try and bring as much carry-on on board. Unfortunately, I suspect carry-on weight limits will be enforced in the near future. One way to not have to carry one heavy bag for yourself is to buy a huge duffle bag and stick all your bags inside at the airport.
HOW TO PACK YOUR SUITCASE
Smart travelers won't be affected by United's move, a move that is sure to be mimicked by other major carriers. Ask any veteran traveler and they'll tell you that they rarely check even one bag. Not only does checking baggage add two extra hours to your flight time since you have to check-in early and wait at baggage claim, but it doesn't allow you flexibility, i.e. traveling standby. Besides, who needs the added stress of wondering if your bag is actually going to arrive? In my humble opinion, Americans need to learn how to pack right. It's embarrassing when I'm overseas and I see travelers schlepping enormous suitcases. I don't even need to look at their bag tag to know that they're most likely American. Don't get me wrong; when I was a rookie, I used to pack like that, too. But one of the things I've learned over the past 13 years, flying about 150,000 miles a year, is that you really don't need that much stuff. Do yourself a favor and the next time you're traveling, try this: Lay out all the clothes you think you'll need on your bed … and then pack half of them. Chances are you still won't even wear everything. The key is learning to mix and match. My friend Natalie, who's such a girlie-girl, had a trunk-sized suitcase when I first met her on a weekend trip. What was she thinking? This girl needed help, so I stepped in and gave her a mini-seminar. When we traveled for more than two weeks to Hawaii and Australia, she brought carry-on only and she still managed to fit all her outfits, her hair straightener and whatever else it was she insisted she "needed". Believe me – if she can do it, so can you!
THRIFTY TIP
OK, enough with the preaching. After brushing the dirt off my scraped knees and picking my ego up off the ground, I walked (OK, hobbled) to the car rental pick-up point. I had made a reservation with Thrifty (800-847-4389) and their van arrived within three minutes. It took a quick four minutes to get to their lot and filling out the paperwork took no time at all. Again, if I'd had to wait for my checked luggage, there would have been a huge line and I'd have been wasting valuable time. We're in Hawaii, remember? Note: When renting a car, always inspect the automobile and make sure you record any dents, dings or scratches before leaving the lot so you don't get charged when you return the vehicle. I actually take a short video on my digital camera and walk around the car, pointing any nicks out as backup.
FINDING THE HOTEL
Finding your hotel in Kona is easy unless of course, you don't pay attention like me. There's one main road: Highway 19. Most of the resorts are just off it, alongside the water. Getting to the Marriott required just two turns from the airport: a left onto Highway 19 and a left onto Waikoloa Beach Drive. Without traffic, it's a 20-minute drive (a taxi will run you about $45) but there aren't any hotel signs; it's against the law to post them. I cruised right by the street the first time while yapping on my cell phone. FYI: Cell service is not that great as my T-Mobile phone kept cutting out.
WAIKOLOA BEACH DRIVE
When I worked in the admissions office at Marymount College Palos Verdes, I used to stay at this location at least once a year. It cost about $125 a night but then again, that was eight years ago when it was an Outrigger Hotel. Changes have been rapid. First of all, Waikoloa Beach Drive now has another shopping center, the Queens' Marketplace. There's also been some serious real estate development and the Outrigger Hotel is now a Marriott ... and it's no longer an inexpensive option. After an extensive renovation, it's now a swanky, five-star resort. The good news is that everything is so clean and there's no more musty smell. The lobby is still
open-air
with beautiful vistas
of the pool and ocean. The bad news is that everything is so clean, there's no more musty smell and the price tripled.
WAIKOLOA BEACH MARRIOTT
The Waikoloa Beach Marriott has 555 luxurious rooms. The rooms all have a contemporary Polynesian- and Asian-inspired decor, with modern touches like 27-inch flat screen TVs. And like all Marriotts, the rooms feature the crazy comfortable Revive bed. It has a cozy duvet, fluffy pillows and 300 thread count linens, all of which make it incredibly difficult to drag yourself out of it in the morning. Lucky me, I got upgraded to the Kohala Suite ... one of the perks of being a keynote speaker! My room was insane. It had an enormous living room with a bar, two bathrooms and a big ol' tub, right there in the bedroom. My only beef is that the hotel doesn't have wireless Internet, only broadband ($10.36 for 24 hours). And, for some reason, this seems to be the norm in Hawaii. What are hoteliers thinking? When you've got a cozy bed and/or a killer view, the last place you want to sit and check email is at a desk facing a wall. Are you with me on this one?
MARRIOTT FOOD
I'm starving so let's talk food. The Marriott has two restaurants. I didn't try the Royal Luau but I did eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at their Hawaii Calls Restaurant & Lounge. They serve fresh Big Island produce in American- and Pacific Rim-style cuisine. Before going out to explore the Marriott's 15 oceanfront acres that have ancient Hawaiian fishponds and a partial sandy beach (Anaeho'omalu Bay), I pulled up a seat at the Hawaii Calls bar and had a tasty Thai beef salad ($14). The bartender was an extremely cool, laidback Hawaiian who showed me photos of the snow atop the volcano. It looked cool (pun intended) and anyone can visit the Mauna Kea Observatory. Here's a link if you're interested.
HAWAII CALLS
Later that evening, I dined outside under the stars and had a lava flow (here’s how to make them), Waimea vine-ripened tomato salad ($7), Huli-Huli chicken ($25) and of course a slice of Hula pie ($8) ... no dinner in Hawaii would be complete without it. If I'd been there for more than one night, I would have walked a few blocks to the Kings' Shops and dined at Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill (1-808-886-4321), Big Island Steakhouse (1-808-886-8805), and/or Merriman's Market Cafe (1-808-886-1700). There are many more choices but they require at least a five-mile drive.
MANDARA SPA
The folks who arranged my trip asked me what I wanted to do for my first afternoon: Kickback at the beach/pool, shop, play golf (the course has 36 holes) or get a massage. Well, by the paragraph heading, you know what I chose. I moseyed on down to the Marriott's tranquil 5,750-square-foot Mandara Spa. They arranged a Hawaiian body polish treatment for me, followed by a massage. At first, I wasn't too keen on having a dude work my naked, out-of-shape body but the moment I met him, I could tell he was a solid, manly, cool guy. I'm not homophobic but I just don't find it relaxing when a guy gives me a massage. Is that okay to say or is it not PC? I'm just saying: why do something you don't like? I'm not going to bore you with a description of how great my rub-down was but you should know they offer 50 unique treatments incorporating indigenous Hawaiian ingredients like chocolate, coconut, macadamia, papaya, island coffee and pikake flowers. Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, 69-275 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Waikoloa – Hawaii, Tel: 808-886-6789.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
The next day was a watershed for me. Although I have spoken at many conferences, trade shows, and seminars, and done countless radio and TV interviews, this was my first time being a keynote speaker. Just the word "keynote" makes it sound so important. It was weird sitting at the head table at The Big Island Visitors Bureau annual luncheon, being treated like a rock star. Speaking of rock stars, Keoki Kahumoku, three-time Grammy Award-winning Hawaiian musician and singer, provided the entertainment to the 300 members in attendance. The audience was a broad cross-section of the Hawaii visitor industry, from resort general managers to small B&B owners, and from activity providers to government representatives, media partners, airline representatives and more. My job was to discuss the evolution of online media, how to tell if travel websites and media are legitimate and how to work with media to better promote their businesses. I had no idea how my presentation would be received but it turned out to be a huge hit. So, if you think your company could benefit from the same information, I'm available. You buy, I fly. You pay, I say.
HAPUNA BEACH STATE PARK
Natalie had come in the night before from Toronto so I took her for a drive along the Kohala Coast. Then we checked out the Big Island's best beach: Hapuna Beach State Park. I had no idea the island had such a nice sandy beach; most of the island's shoreline is volcanic rock. The beach is half a mile long and 200 feet wide. It's open to the public and parking is free. Just remember never to leave anything valuable in your car. Hawaii is a very safe place but like all tourist destinations, petty crime abounds and tourists who leave their belongings in plain view or put stuff in the trunk while people are watching, are just asking for trouble.
FOUR SEASONS HUALALAI
We checked out of the Waikoloa Marriott and into the Big Island's nicest hotel: The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. From the Marriott, it's just a 15-minute jaunt down the road in the same direction as the airport. The Four Seasons Hualalai's excellent service begins the instant you arrive as an army of valets and bellhops attack the car. We were escorted into the open-air, Balinese wood lobby and greeted with cold towels, iced tea and a flower lei for Natalie and kuku beads for me. Everything about it was laidback except the front desk and concierge staff who wore Janet Jackson headsets and worked frantically behind the counter to make sure everything was 100% perfect for current and future guests. I doled out my credit card and the agent asked if we preferred a ground floor or second floor room in one of the resorts many two-story villas.
OUR ROOM
Normally, I would take the room on the second floor because it's safer, offers better views and is typically quieter because you don't hear the guests above. But I asked the receptionist what she recommended and she enthusiastically recommended the ground floor room because it has an outdoor shower. Let me tell you: After being whisked to our room through the perfectly manicured grounds in an electric golf cart, I'm glad I listened to her. In my opinion, the Four Season rooms were nice but nothing out of the ordinary. Don't misunderstand me; I loved the easy, breezy island-style interior, the plantation shutters, bamboo furniture, ceiling fan and the largest flat screen TV possible. And then there was the gently draped sheer canopy enveloping the comfy bed, which had soft, one-zillion thread count sheets just screaming that they're the perfect remedy for lazy mornings.
OUTDOOR SHOWER
Now, what really made this room special was the outdoor shower. I am so lucky to have experienced outdoor showers all over the world (Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, Nantucket, Malaysia, South Africa …) but this was by far the best in the world. The bamboo-covered shower, with slate stones, soft rocks and lush green fauna, was through a door from the indoor shower, connected to the already plush marble bathroom. Besides the upscale Gilligan's Island feeling, the water pressure was strong, the water hot, L'Occitane toiletries were poised on the shelf and the fact that in Hawaii, you don't have to worry about any snakes or poisonous insects ... well, that sealed the deal. I could have slept out there and been happy. I practically did. It was so fantastic, I took a shower three times a day. Talk about being squeaky clean.
PERFECT FOR FAMILIES
The only thing I didn't like about our room was that I could occasionally hear light footsteps of the guests above and the fact that we were situated right in front of the newly renovated kiddy pool. The double pane glass sliding doors muffled the screams but it would have been nice for us to just leave the doors open to feel the clean, crisp ocean air and hear the sound of the waves breaking. So room 1404 is perfect for families
but not couples. If you want privacy, be sure to request a room at the far end of the resort. Another thing: with room prices being what they are (they begin at $775) the hotel should include Internet access for free instead of charging $9.95.
SPORTS CLUB & SPA
Natalie and I woke early to get some exercise and watch the sun rise over the mountains. We walked along the oceanside path and the lush green 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. For more exercise, we later walked over to the Hualalai Sports Club and Spa. It was a little too hot and a little too much effort to try out the rock climbing wall but we did shoot some hoops on the full-size outdoor basketball court and pump some iron in the indoor state-of-the-art gym. But we were on vacation, so after one rep, we found ourselves unwinding in the exotic spa. Both the men's and women's sections have their own lap pool, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms and cold plunges. Then I had a choice of having my spa treatments in the open air, secluded behind bamboo screens or inside the spa. I opted for the latter and had the Hualalai signature treatment: Ayurvedic foot massage.
AYURVEDIC FOOT MASSAGE
The $165 price tag for the 50-minute treatment is outrageous but no one can say it's not divine. It begins with an Ayurvedic herbal footbath. Then the therapist had me get up on the table, put a sheet over my naked body and put my legs up like I was giving birth (I felt like I was pregnant after indulging at the breakfast buffet). Next, she put four different oils on her hands and told me to take three deep breaths. The one I liked the best was from Madagascar and was good for the lungs. She said the other would relax me and the next thing you know, I was out like a light. I caught myself snoring on four separate occasions. I kept going in and out of REM and mumbling "I'm sorry", then slipping back into the deep trance-like state. I felt like jelly afterwards and wish I had an endless supply of money so I could have just kept shelling out the $207 (with tax and tip) every time the clock ran out.
THE LITTLE THINGS
The Four Seasons can charge the big bucks because they do all the little things right. For example, I left my book open to the page I was reading face down on the bed. When I came back from dinner, the bed was turned down and the book was on the end table with a Hualalai bookmark in the page that the book had been open to. How nice is that? Also, when I called for a bellman to grab our luggage, he literally showed up within two minutes. Now that's service.
DINING
Speaking of service: To experience top-of-the-line service without mortgaging your house, enjoy dinner at Pahu i‘a, the on-site hotel restaurant. It is their top restaurant and has been rated the best restaurant in all of Hawaii by a number of publications and has even been awarded Four Diamonds by AAA. Book a table outdoors on the Naupaka Terrace, which offers panoramic views of the ocean, which is just 20 yards away. Pahu i‘a means "aquarium" in Hawaiian and the specialties all come from the sea: Keahole Lobster, Dungeness Crab and Fire-Roasted Kona Kampachi. But for land lubbers like me, have no fear ... I had the Kobe beef. For a different view, come down here in the morning, sit at the same table you had dinner at and enjoy the outstanding breakfast buffet ($30). You'll get to see the ocean glistening, which in Hawaiian, is what Hualalai means.
SURF, SAND & STARS
Looking for fun for the whole family? Head over to the Beach Tree Bar & Grill on a Saturday night for the popular
Surf, Sand & Stars
event on the beach (BTW: The beach
here is not
that great to swim
but the six
pools
make up for it). All the guests are in bare feet as they hop from one station to the next at the all-you-can-eat buffet. They have everything you can imagine but on the BBQ there are ribs, steak, chicken, lobster tails and fish ... all grilled to order. To top it off, there's even a small campfire to roast marshmallows for s'mores and a telescope to view the stars ($78 for adults, $39 for children). Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, 72-100 Ka‘upulehu Drive, Ka‘upulehu, HI, Tel: 808-325-8000.
VIDEO
Here's a four-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to the island of Hawaii. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.
NEXT WEEK
The island of Oahu. Stay tuned.
Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet
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Note:
This trip was sponsored by the
Big Island Visitors Bureau,
Marriott Hotels and the Four Seasons.
Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet
, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.