Big Island and Kauai FAM Trip

May 1st - 5th, 2014

I was lucky enough to be invited to a Familiarization Trip (FAM) to the Big Island and Kauai by the Ohana Group. I was with a great group of travel agents, a couple awesome members of the Ohana group, and a wonderful representative from Alaska Airlines.

I'd never been to the Big Island before, but people have told me what to expect when your plane lands. They warned me that it looks a bit desolate; kind of like landing on a volcano. It was so true! As we drove from the airport I was amazed by the lava fields. They are beautiful in their own way, and it is so interesting to see the age of the island as you explore. Some of the fields are dark black and desolate, and some of them have green growth sprouting through.

We were lucky enough to tour the Fairmont on the Big Island, and it was beautiful! This shot does not do it justice - when we walked in the lobby we were greeted with scratch made gingerale - so refreshing on a balmy Hawaiian day!

 These little guys hang out on the rocky shores of the Fairmont beach. They also have a lovely sandy beach, but the turtles prefer to do their lounging on this side.

 The Big Island is so full of culture, and everyone you meet is ready to share their stories and their history. It is such a rich island, and the people are so warm. We were their during "Lei Day" so this table has all different kinds of leis. Very beautiful.

We took a wonderful tour of Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. We had a forest ranger walk us through the site and explain the history. The Big Island's history is so rich - it is easy to get lost in the story. Check out this site if you are on the Big Island! Full of King Kamehameha history.

 A view of the wall and the Heiau. It is a sacrificial temple of sorts... While we were there a field trip group of about 30 5th graders were also taking a tour with a different National Parks guide. They were from another Hawaiian Island. Our ranger told us that if we were really lucky they would perform a ceremony, and a couple minutes later we heard their voices from about 100 yards away. They were surrounding a tower like structure, and singing a Hawaiian song as they put a small offering on the tower. Their little 10 year old voices floated through the air as we watched, the Hawaiian sun hot on our backs.

We headed to Kauai after our time on the Big Island. Each island has its own feeling, culture, and history. I've been to Kauai once before, and it is a gorgeous island. When you get off the plane you know exactly where you are - you are in a lush tropical paradise, and he air is thicker there - it entices you to slow down and savor the moment. 

The picture below is a view from the Grand Hyatt lobby in Kauai. The original design was meant to make you feel like you were looking out a giant picture window - it is such a grand entrance! 

The wonderful thing about Kauai- and the Hawaiian Islands in general - is that you have so much more than the ocean. The trees and flowers are so beautiful - the lush surroundings really make you feel like you are in a different place.

I love the fact that while you are driving around you can find these little beach spots that are untouched. There are so many places to get lost in nature....

There are more pictures, but this is what I am going to leave you with for now. I was there for work reasons, and we did get up early, and tour large resorts, and stay up late. But we were also in Hawaii, and you can't help but feel more relaxed there. 

My first trip to Hawaii was in 2007. Before that there was a small part of me that thought perhaps it was overrated. How great could it possibly be? People would rave about it, and wear their Hawaiian print shirts with pride, slap "Aloha" stickers on their car - and I was a bit cynical. And then I landed in Honolulu. I was with about 10 other travel agents, and we made our way to our hotel in Waikiki, and our leader gave us about two hours of free time. My roommate and I headed to Waikiki beach, and as I sat down, my toes digging into the soft oddly cool sand, I felt a warm breeze, gazed out to the ocean, heard the voices from the beach front restaurants, and thought, "I get it." 

Solvang - May 2011

We took a road trip just to get away to Solvang. I've always been interested, and heard that it is a cute little town. Plus there are some great wineries near by, and we just wanted to get out of town. 

We stayed at the Santa Ynez Marriott. Great location - about 10 minutes from Solvang, about 2 minutes from the Firestone Brewery, and in the same parking lot as a movie theatre. We didn't check out the wineries this time, but I think it would be a great hub for wine tasting. We don't normally go to movies when we are out of town, but "Bridesmaids" may have started a new tradition! 

Here is a picture of a bakery - there were a handful that were so inviting! We ended up sharing a plate of Aebleskivers... yummy little pancake balls topped with jam and powdered sugar. 

The town really is picturesque. 

My husband is a nerd. :) 

He was the life of this Danish party. 

I used to think these little cut out things were embarrasing, but I love them now as an adult. What is up with that? It is an excuse to be goofy I guess. 

The Little Mermaid Fountain. 

Oahu - September 2011

Oahu - September 2011 

We got to the airport a bit early, and noticed they had a Buena Vista there! I never knew... Irish Coffee is a perfect way to start a trip, and they serve them in the original glasses.... nice and warm. Hawaii here we come! 

We stayed at Turtle Bay Resort on North Shore. This is the view from our balcony - not too shabby! North Shore is great! Tons of great beaches, lots of food trucks, fruit stands littered along the side of the road... 

 Can't get enough of that view...

My first, and not last! :) Mai Tai. This is an artsy fartsy esque shot. I didn't want to bother the bartender, so i just stuck the camera out there. Mmmmm. 

I didn't realize until we got home how many pictures we got the first couple hours at the resort. You can't help it! 

Michael enjoying fresh coconut water. So good on a hot day! Afterwards they cut out all the coconut meat for you. Delicious! Great beverage after hanging out in the sun all day. 

And like I said - there are fruit stands everywhere! This was our favorite. You can buy the fruit whole, or they cut it up and store it in the ice chest and sell it to you that way. Then it's nice and cold and easy to snack on. 

Pretty flowers. Everywhere. :) 

A good photo of the fruit stand from the road. 

Match made in heaven? This beach was wonderful. Soft soft sand, beautiful clear water. Kind of makes me think of those Corona commercials... 

Look closely - sleeping horses at Kualoa Ranch. Have you ever seen that? Because I haven't. I didn't know they did that. Later on in the day they were prancing around after their nap full of energy. Napping Hawaiian style. 

Any Lost fans out there? This is from a scene in Lost, and there are a few more. Tons of scenes from the show were shot at Kualoa Ranch, and the place is breathtaking. We took a 2 hour off road tour in a Hummer, and they also have all day tours if you are staying in Waikiki. They also do horseback riding, ATV's, and more. Great place! 

Here's our Hummer. I've never been in one of these, but I imagine that the Hummer lives for some of the roads on this ranch. It is a cattle ranch, so some of the roads are torn up, and muddy, and in the rainy season I bet it is great! I would have liked even more off roading, because it is not the main part of the tour. The entire 2 hour tour is on dirt roads, but some are a bit better than others, and it is not the main focus. Other than some of the great Lost scenes my favorite part came when i had to hold tight to keep my seat, and all you can say is, "Waaahoo!" 

My camera does not do this view justice. The ocean is in the distance, and the place just has a great energy to it. 

Lost fans - the place where the bomb was... and of course... Juliet. For those non Lost fans - it's a set. :) 

Just another great view. I think this is where they shot some of Windtalkers. Or where the planes flew over for the movie "Pearl Harbor." (We did find out that the film was inaccurate on that point. The planes were flying in the wrong direction. Side note for your pleasure.) 

I couldn't help sharing this with you. We are pushing a Dharma van down the hill. (Lost) Bad camera work, but still... 

 More scenery

They shot a bunch of stuff here... this is the famous scene in Jurassic Park when the family runs from the T-Rex. 

Look at that.... 

Hurley and I really connected. 

One of the beaches close to Haleiwa town. Haleiwa was a great little town with some of the best shave ice anywhere, and some awesome little food places. We tried Killer Tacos and Pizza Bob's. Killer Tacos had some awesome Kalua pork.... totally melt in your mouth yummy. Pizza Bob's was a pretty standard pizza place, but nice friendly service, great little quaint patio, and an awesome happy hour. $2.50 for a Kona Longboard. Good times. They also had a tasty katsu tuna sandwich with wasabi mayonnaise. Yup, it was good. :) 

On board the Pineapple Express at the Dole Plantation. 

Reservoir at the plantation. There are tons of plant, fruit, flower varieties on the plantation. We also had their Pineapple Whip - refreshing ice cream with fresh pineapple on top. They sold Cookkwees in the gift shop, so I was a happy person. (Cookkwees are delicious cookies from Maui. If you haven't had them try them!) 

The beach across the street from Dillingham Air Force base on North Shore. (coincidentally also the site of the plane crash on Lost.) Please note: we are not fanatical, it was just a great excuse to see some new places. And yeah, it was cool to see it. And bonus - see the next shot. 

As we walked down the beach all of a sudden we saw turtle in the water. They were right at the break where the waves crash into the sand, and there were some rocks there, and four turtles were just kind of hanging out, splashing around, sunning, and every once in a while they'd pop up their head as if to see how close they were to each other or to shore. As we walked along we saw more and more, and in all we saw about twenty. Amazing. 

Waimea Falls - you take a short walk/hike to the falls, and then you can swim and even sit on the rocks at the base. The water is nice and cool after the walk, and they give you noodles so you can float peacefully. Totally great. 

after our swim... 

At Waikiki Beach

We stayed at Moana Surfrider - it is the first hotel on the left. Very pretty and nice old hotel, and the rooms were very nice! Clean and modern, huge window seat, comfortable bed... and close to everything. 

Ahhhhh Sunset at Waikiki Beach. 

Look at this genius boat! The guy in the back is playing a ukulele, and they were singing and shouting at the people on the beach having a good old time! I really want one of these.  

Can't get enough of those sunset shots

Amazing time... too short, but aren't they always? :) Until next time.... enjoy the sunsets!