Hawaii Vacation - Big Island

Where: Big Island, Hawaii

When: January 15-19, 2012
1. Hotel
We stayed at the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. What a lengthy name! People usually call it Kona Beach Hotel. It's owned by Marriott, so if you are a member of Marriott rewards program, you can accrue some points. This hotel recently went through total renovation, and, even though it looks old outside, the room was clean and beds were very comfortable. It has a small beach, and it is very close to Kailua-Kona downtown where you can find lots of restaurants including Island Lava Java.
2. Restaurants
We love to eat 'good' food. Good in quality. Wherever we go, we do quite extensive research on food and restaurants. Here are the restaurants we tried while staying in Big Island.
(1) Island Lava Java
It was the very first restaurant we visited in Big Island. I believe we had dinner there on the day we arrived. High quality food. Not greasy. Casual ambience. Good portion size. Not a cheap-eat, though. We paid $47.24 for three main dishes. With tip added, it was over $55.
(2) Breakfast
We tried McDonald on our first morning. It was on our way to Hawaiian Volcano National Park. In Hawaii, McDonald is very expensive! We paid $12.87 for two egg muffins and two small OJs. From the next day, we ate bagel with cream cheese and orange juice which we purchased from a grocery store. That way we not only saved money, but also could save time.
(3) Coffee Shack
We still talk about this restaurant! We loved their food. It sounds like a coffee place, but it's a very popular breakfast and lunch place. As there is usually a long line of people waiting, you'd better be not too hungry. Try their outdoor seating, which gives you a breathtaking view. We ordered three dishes and paid $39.72 plus tip.
(4) Big Island Grill
To save money spent on tips, we had some take-out meals, and Big Island Grill is one the of places we tried. We had two to-go meals from there. Except salads, their entrees are mostly 'grilled', which translates to 'quite oily'. We paid $22 - $23 for two entrees.
(5) Harbor House
Their food is very similar to Big Island Grill. I think people like this restaurant because it's sitting right at the harbor with a great sunset view. For two to-go entrees, we paid $24.48.
(6) Cafe 100
We had a brunch here while we were in Hilo. One of the cheap-eats. Lots of different kinds of loco moco. Outdoor seating with self-service. If you want McDonald-ish food but don't want to pay too much, this is the place to go. For two entrees and one salad, we paid about $14.
(7) Cathee's Kitchen
We found this hidden gem on our last day in Big Island. It's literally hidden inside a gym. Oh, how we wished we had found this place earlier! It was within the walking distance from our hotel, and offered homemade, healthful food at a reasonable price! If we ever get to stay in the same area next time, we will make this place our 'designated' eatery.
3. Grocery shopping
Safeway and Walmart are the two major grocery stores in Kailua-Kona area. We checked out both of them, and found out Walmart offers much better price than Safeway.
4. Laundary

We bought a small bottle of laundry detergent on our first day, and throughout our two-week stay in Hawaii, we used coin laundry machines. Kona Beach Hotel has a coin laundry room on the first floor and it was very convenient.
5. Sightseeing

We planned our sightseeing with the assumption that this might be the only chance we get to see Hawaii. So most of the places we visited are the ones considered 'major'.

(1) Hawaiian Volcano National Park

We were here on January 16, 2012, which was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and we got free admission to the park thanks to MLK! It saved us $10 per vehicle entrance fee. Click here for information on fee free days and entrance fees. Craters and steam vents were really cool. The small Jaggar museum was not very impressive, but the view from the Crater Rim Drive in front of the museum was awesome.

(2) City of Refuge = Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National History Park

There is a very interesting story behind this place and that's what took us there. In old Hawaii, this was a place of refuge for people who broke law and could not avoid death penalty. It was a great learning experience for us. For more information on entrance fees, fee free days, hula programs and Ulana Lauhala (weaving) workshop schedules, click here.

(3) Rainbow Falls

Don't go here. Not worth of visit.

(4) Akaka Falls

Akaka Falls is not as grandiose as Niagara Falls, but we enjoyed the view and walk around the park. There is $1 entrance fee. Click here for more information.

(5) Hilo

(5-1)Hilo Banyan Tree Drive - Thanks to a 19-month old girl who woke up 4 AM, we arrived at Hilo really early in the morning. Instead of sitting around until the Farmers' Market opened, we decided to look around the area and we found Banyan Tree Drive on the map. It is a beautiful park with Jananese gardens and Banyan tree-lined drive. The view of the adjacent Hilo Bay makes this place even more charming.

(5-2)Hilo Farmers' Market

I like walking around farmers' markets where locals come and sell local stuff. At Hilo Farmers' Market, we bought mangoes, passion fruits, and papayas. We also tried Malasada (Portuguese donuts). I suggest you visit either on Saturday or Sunday. If you are not a Farmers' market person, you might not want to visit, though.

TAPO

Hawaii Vacation - Overview

We started the year 2012 with a "grand" two-week vacation in Hawaii. I usually spend Decembers and Januaries in a slow, quiet manner, but we could not pass up this opportunity to explore Hawaii.

CJ had a four-day training in Oahu, which meant his flights, room & board were to be all paid. So, we decided to add me and Elisha, along with another 10 days to the trip so that we could travel Oahu and other Hawaiian islands.

I described it "grand", because, even though, we didn't splurge in sightseeing or shopping, we did stay at nice hotels/resorts through the two-week period. With a 19-month old toddler, we needed to stay where we could keep our little one entertained for a few hours each day. So we picked beachfront hotels and resorts with swimming pools, gardens, and even some live animals roaming around inside.

However, wherever we could, we did save. Next few postings will be about our this grand & frugal Hawaii vacation covering Big Island, Maui, and Oahu. I hope you could glean some useful tips for your own trip.

TAPO

Staycation - TAPO Version

What did you do this past 4th of July weekend? We had a Staycation!

Since we had two major vacations recently in Cancun and Toronto, we decided to stay put this time and save for another major get-away in December.

We had a fun and relaxing time which included: playing board games for 6 plus hours, mini-picnic at a beach, treasure hunting at yard sales, late night movie at home, BBQ at a friend's house, date night, swimming and napping by the pool....

We had not only a fun, but also a productive weekend because we were able to have a car problem fixed and took care of house chores which we have been putting off for a few months.

What I like about Staycation are: no packing, no airport delays, no pressure to rush around to see/do everything, and of course, no major expenses.

Share your Staycation ideas here.

TAPO

BREAKING NEWS! $1 -- All Bus Routes Across the Northeast & Midwest

I thought this is a very timely news for everyone who's planning a fun road trip this summer, especially for the extended weekends around Independence Day and Labor Day.

TravelZoo announced this unbelievable deal today.

Travel between 30+ cities this summer for $1 each way. Megabus.com is offering discounted seats on all of its routes for travel through September.

Yes, this is for real! Click here for more information.


TAPO

Road Trip to Toronto, Canada

For the Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to go for a road trip to Toronto, Cananda. It wasn't difficulto to persuade CJ, my geeky husband, to join the trip. We decided to get a GPS as my belated birthday gift (I am directionally challenged) and then I told him this trip to Toronto will be a great chance for him to play with the GPS. Of course, he fell into the trap and happily enjoyed the long drive with his new toy!

1. Hotel

Again Priceline did not disappoint us this time. I decided to do something crazy and bid for a four star hotel at $50 per night. Well, to my disbelief, we got Le Meridien King Edward hotel at $50 per night! We were so exhilarated since their normal rate goes at least $130 per night. It was at a perfect location for tourists like us, and the quality of their bedding - mattress, sheets, and comforts- was very impressive!

2. Food

Toronto is known as the most diverse city in the world, and their diverse range of cuisine is one of the things we wanted to explore. We did not dine at extravagant restaurants, but we didn't skimp on our meals, either. On the day we arrived at Toronto, we had dinner with our friend at Pho Aimy Restaurant, a Pho place in Chinatown. For three of us, we ordered an appetizer, three Pho's and Pho Xao (stir-fried noodle dish). Their pho was the best that I've ever tried. However the stir-fried noodle dish was way too salty. The whole thing came out to be $34.47 (CAD).

On Sunday, CJ and I decided to explore the city separately. I tried a prime rib at House on Parliament which was being offered as Sunday night special at $14.95 (CAD). The meat could be marinated better, but overall, it was a very good meal for that price. Meanwhile, CJ, strolling up and down the streets, ended up having a boring dinner at Johnny Rockets.

We brought an ice box full of bottled waters, fruits, and other snacks, so we did not spend money for snacks or water. For breakfasts, we got some bread and milk from a local grocery store nearby the hotel.

All Inclusive Vacation Package to Cancun, Mexico III - Cost

By now, I know everyone is very interested in how much this vacation cost us. Here is the summary:

All Inclusive Package (Air, Hotel, Food, Drink, Tips, Transportation to/from airport)=$1563.78
Tips, Haircut for CJ, Local bus fares, Excursion to Xel-Ha, Food purchase at the airport & local mall, Souvenir shirt for CJ=$220
Long-term parking at O'Hare Airport=$45

TOTAL = $1828.78 (4 nights & 5 days for two adults)

*Regarding currency exchange, I did some research before we left for Cancun. It turned out that as a Bank of America customer, we can use Santander Serfin ATMs in Mexico without fees or service charges. Santander Serfin ATM s were easy to locate throughout the Cancun area and using the ATM gave us a very good exchange rate. For safety reason, we didn't use our credit card at all while in Cancun and everything was paid with cash.

For Part I, click here.

For Part II, click here.

TAPO

All Inclusive Vacation Package to Cancun, Mexico II - Hotel Review

We stayed at Riu Palace Las Americas. There are 3 Riu hotels in Cancun: Riu Caribe, Riu Cancun, Riu Palace Las Americas (RPLA). RPLA is the newest of the three.

1. Room

At check-in, we were upgraded to an ocean-view room on the third floor, which gave us a great view of the ocean and pools. The room was very clean and spacious. However, the bathtub was kind of small and we could use more light in the bathtub area. Not having a fan in the bathroom was always a problem after shower. There was a safety box in the closet where we kept valuables. Airconditioner worked well. It was nice to have a laundry hanger in the balcony.

2. Food

There are 5 or so restaurants inside the hotel, but when we were there, not all of them were open everyday. Don Roberto was the only one open for all three meals and snacks throughout the day. First night, we had dinner at Sakura, a Japanese restaurant. We didn't have a reservation. However, we decided to be TAPO and just went to the restaurant and asked to be seated. Fortunately, not all tables were taken and our TAPO-attitude worked! Service was great, but food was rather Chinese style than authentic Japanese style. For the second day, we made a reservation for Krystal, the famous French restaurant. As we have heard so much, the food was awesome! Third night, out of lack of options, we tried the Brazilian steak place. Since we had heard a lot about how awful the food is, we had some light dinner at Don Roberto beforehand. Food at the Brazilian steak place was nothing but disappointing. Fourth day, Krystal was open again for dinner and we lined up at the front desk at 8 in the morning to make a reservation for that place. Again, the food was gorgeous!


One afternoon, we ordered a room service for snacks. It was delivered in a swift manner and food was delicious.


Alcohol and non-alcohol drinks were provided all day in the lobby and pool area. Snacks were available throughout the day.

3. Beaches and Pools

As we had heard, RPLA's beaches were not as good as Riu Cancun's. Since neither of us are beach-person, it didn't matter at all. However, twice when we went down to the beach, we went to Riu Cancun's side.

RPLA has two pools. One is quiet with no swim-up bars. However, that pool did not have any shade until later in the day. The other pool can be pretty noisy and lewd with loud music, volleyball games, ping pong games, and drunken people. There are two swim-up bars in the second pool and it gets some shade throughout the day.

4. Staff

All the waiters and waitresses at restaurants were very nice and professional. Even though all tips and gratuities were included in our vacation package, we tipped at dinners and also for housekeeping ladies.

Front desk staff were knowledgeable and helpful. However, a few times when we called to ask for more bottled water and mineral water, there was quite a bit of delay.


For Part I, click HERE
For Part III, click HERE


TAPO

All Inclusive Vacation Package to Cancun, Mexico I - Finding a great deal

Right, in the middle of swine flu frenzy, we are going to Cancun this week. It wasn't easy to fight all the well-meaning worries and confrontations from family members.

Ok, now before moving on, I need to make a very self-contradicting comment: Following the crowd is not always the wisest way to go, but sometimes it is the best way to go.

I. Finding hotel/resort - Follow The Crowd

When it comes to finding a hotel/resort to stay, I believe it's important to listen to what people say. For our Cancun vacation, I read tons of reviews of different hotels located in Cancun, Mexico. While checking official rating websites such as Travel Buddy or Yahoo Travel is a good starting point, I like to read personal blogs of people who have been there.

After a few weeks of reading reviews at different websites and blogs, I narrowed the choices down to two resorts: Riu Cancun and Riu Palace Las Americas. Both places got good reviews in their cleanliness and food, which were the most critical elememts I looked for.

Then I began to compare the two. As Riu Palace Las Americas was a newer construction than Riu Cancun, reviewers noted Riu Palace's facilities are cleaner than that of Riu Cancun. Other reviewers noted Riu Cancun's buffet is better than Riu Palace's buffet. Others noted Riu Palace's pools are smaller than Riu Cancun's.

For a while, I found myself going back and forth between these two hotels. However, shortly thereafter I found out that since they belong to a same hotel group Riu, they share their facilities and people who stay at Riu Palace can use Riu Cancun's restaurants and pools and vice versa. So the decision was made: Riu Palace Las Americas.

II. Booking 1 - Do Not Follow The Crowd

Skip the agency & work directly with the resort.

Forget Applevacations, Expedia, or whatever out there. They are the 3rd party, anyways. See if you can work directly with the resort. At the beginning of the process, I found out reserving through Riu's website is at least $800-1000 cheaper (for two) than going through Applevacations!

Also, I heard many "experts" saying that airplane tickets or vacation packages are cheaper on Wednesdays and Thursdays and more expensive on Mondays and Fridays. Do not buy into that! When I flew to New Jersey in March, I bought bargain tickets on a Monday. When we booked for this Cancun vacation, we found the rock bottom price on one Friday.

III. Booking 2 - Play the Game

Give yourself enough time to watch the price for 3-4 weeks. When you see the price hike, don't freak out. Relax ~. If you make haste, you will lose the game.

I watched the price change for two and a half weeks. During that period, the price went down by $300 (for two). Once I figured out that there is a pattern of price fluctuation, I was able to tell when the price hit the bottom. So without hesitation, I booked a package with the most convenient flight schedule available at the lowest price.


In conclusion, the secret of finding a great vacation package deal is being TAPO (Tenacious, Assertive, Persistent, Obnoxious).

Landing a great deal for airplane tickets

For most things in life, I find the more tenacious you are, the better is the chance that you will get great deals. It's even more so when it comes to finding airplane tickets and vacation deals.

Give yourself enought time to research - 6 months for international trip, at least 4 weeks for domestic trip - and check EVERYDAY!

C.J. and I spent our last winter holidays in Korea. For the trip, we started searching for airplane tickets late May and booked tickets in June. When people were paying $1200-$1300 per person for a two-stop flights, we paid $980 per person for a flight that made only one stop at San Francisco.

I just booked a round trip to Newark, NJ to visit my friend, Gao Jing in NY. I've been checking American Airline website and Priceline.com almost everyday for the past four weeks. This morning, for the exact same flights, AA.com was selling them at $329.20 while Priceline.com was selling them at $188.20 which includes tax and all the fees. Not what I expected to find on a Monday!

The secret of finding good deals? Tenaciousness.