Dh and I will be traveling to Hawaii to celebrate our 10th anniversary this summer. Woo Hoo! We are going to the big island and will be staying at the Fairmont Orchid. Has anyone been to that hotel? Any tips on things we must see/do? We've never been and would love any suggestions you have!

By Heaventree on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 05:55 pm:

Melanie,

Congratulations! What a wonderful trip to go on. I've never been to Hawaii, but you can hardly go wrong with a Fairmont. I booked meetings for a living all over North Amercia and used the Fairmont Hotels almost exclusively. Have a wonderful time!

By Jelygu on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 06:28 pm:

That is awesome! I have never been there, just wanted to congratulate you!

By Trina~moderator on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 06:38 pm:

Oh, I'm so envious! I would LOVE to go to Hawaii!

By Mommyof4 on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 08:16 pm:

Just got back on Tuesday from Hawaii..we stayed near Honolulu in a wonderful resort. It was a GREAT vacation!!! My dh did a helicopter tour, I'm sure they have them on all the islands and he said it was wonderful, snorkeling was also a good time.

By Colette on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 10:12 pm:

That sounds wonderful!! I hope you have a great time! I'd love to go to Hawaii someday. I tried my hand at sea kayaking for our tenth.

By Sue3 on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 06:44 am:

Just wanted to congratulate you ! .What a wonderful trip to look forward to !How long is the flight from where you live?

By Marg on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 07:02 am:

Melanie, will you please take me?????;)

I would love to go to Hawaii. We live in PA. Our mainstay for warm weather trips have been Florida.

Over the last few years, I've been hinting about going to Hawaii someday.

I used to work across a hallway from a lawyers' office. The secretary there would take her mom to Hawaii every year. She said that you have to get used to their food (more veggies and fruits). And every year (she said it was given to them for free but this was years ago) she would bring home a crate of pineapples and bring me one. They were so delicious.

Please post tons of pics. I hope you have a wonderful time

By Bea on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 09:36 am:

You need to go to see Kilauea Volcano. That's the number one attraction. It's about a two hour hike to the lava flows, but well worth the walk. Be sure you bring and wear tough footwear. You can hike through the rainforest or take helicopter rides over the sites. There are horseback riding tours, and off-the-road 4 wheeler tours too. Don't miss The Parker Ranch or a tour of the Hamakua Coast. Your hotel will have a concierge who will be glad to describe local tours guides and what they offer. There should be plenty of literature in your hotel room also. It's a fantastic place. Have a wonderful time.

By Melanie on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 01:47 pm:

Thank you everyone!! Since I posted we changed our plans a bit. LOL. We are going to Maui instead. Dh started to get cold feet about the big island, so we went back to our original plan. So any tips for Maui instead?

By Bea on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 02:06 pm:

Watch the sun rise on top of Haleakala! volcano. Take a whale watch cruise. They are fantastic. Go snorkeling over The Molokini Crater. Spend an evening at the Traditional Royal Lahaina Luau. Take a tour of the Ka'eleku Cavern. We saw a moon-bow on Maui after a night shower. It was an arc in the sky in shades of white and gray. AMAZING!!

By Melanie on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 02:15 pm:

Bea, Haleakala Volcano-is that the one you bike down in the morning? If so, that is something I told dh I definitely am interested in. It sounds amazing! And we just read about the Molokini Crater last night. We thought that sounded like something unique we should check out. Thank you for the suggestions!!

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 03:45 pm:

If you change your mind again, I urge you to go to the big island for at least one day. Take a plane to the Kona Coast side, rent a car, and drive up to the volcanos. It is the most amazing trip - you start at the volcanic beaches, drive through "ordinary" tropical forest, then rain forest (I swear, some of the plants which are about 12 inches high in my part of the country are 6 feet high there). Then you reach volcanic desert. Stop and get out of your car and look into some of now dead volcanic pits - you will see nature taking over in a way you can't imagine. Some pits just have a few plants here and there, in others the walls are smothered with plants and just beautiful. Then drive up to the top - you will be in clouds, and remember, clouds are water, so take light plastic raincoats. You don't have to hike into the volcano fields to see them and see the marvelous majesty of them. Then, drive down on the Hilo side, and you will pass large fields, like wheat fields, but instead it's orchids. And I remember (this was 20 years ago) there was a marvelous tourist attraction by one of the flower shippers, a huge display of all kinds of orchids and tropical plants, some on shelves in pots, and some in a large natural display that took about half an hour to walk around.

Marg, do go if you can. It's much prettier and nicer than Florida. It is a truly marvelous experience. It's been 20 years since I went, and each time I think of Hawaii I feel 20 years younger.

By Melanie on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 06:45 pm:

Thanks Ginny. We are now committed to Maui-airfare and hotel are paid. We probably won't make it to the big island this time as we will only be there for five days. But after all I have heard, I have a feeling this won't be our last trip. What you describe sounds just amazing.

By Kate on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 07:32 pm:

Which hotel? We stayed at Embassy Suites on Kaanapali (sp??) Beach. We spent a week on Maui and a week on Kauai and if we ever go back we'll only do Maui. Perhaps a day trip to the big island for sightseeing, but that would be all. You won't be disappointed with Maui! Go parasailing, helicopter tours, eat tons of amazing pineapple, etc!

By Melanie on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 07:53 pm:

Thanks Kate! We are staying at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. I am definitely looking forward to those yummy pineapples!

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 06:47 am:

The pineapples in Hawaii tasted different. I don't usually like pineapple, even the "fresh" ones, from my local stores, but I loved the ones in Hawaii. And I really loved papaya.

Whatever you do, you must watch a tropical sunset. It is amazing. And one of the things that fascinated me was walking along the shore, not by beaches but other places, and seeing the different colors of the water depending on the depth of the ocean floor. And the water is so clean and clear. If you haven't been to a tropical island you won't understand how clear the water is. When I saw this, for the first time I really understood the color aqua-marine.

Yes, go parasailing, scuba diving, and the like. But save some time for just walking in an area where they have kept it fairly natural and just enjoy the wonderful natural beauty. It is truly amazing.

By Eve on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 08:58 am:

Sun, sand, shopping, spa treatments, and a large tropical drink! Is there anything else? Oh yes, room service when you are wrapped up in your cushy white robe! Sounds heavenly! Have fun!

By Melanie on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 12:16 pm:

Thanks Ginny. I've never been anywhere tropical before. I cannot wait to see just what you are talking about!!

Eve, now that is a vacation!

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 01:28 pm:

Please, please, remember sunscreen. The tropical sun is strong and can spoil your vacation if you don't protect yourself. The ocean breezes keep you cool and it is easy to forget how strong the sun is. I know, I did, and had a couple of uncomfortable days with sunburn. And a nice Hawaiian straw hat, to wear while you are there and keep as a souvenier, is a really good idea. And one of the reasons so many women in Hawaii wear mumuus (sp?) is because they are loose, don't cling or bind anywhere, and are very comfortable and cool.

By Jann on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 11:25 am:

I have been to both Maui and the Big Island. I much prefer the Big Island. There is so much more to do there. You have rain forest, an active volcano, beaches, desert. It's the only place in the world, I believe, that has all ecological and geographical situations in one area.
Maui is gorgeous also, I just like there was more to do and see on the Big Island beside beach and golf.

By Melanie on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 12:35 pm:

More than beach and golf? What more does one need? ;) LOL. Since we will only be there five days, I think we will be okay having less things to do. Snorkeling, biking down the volcano at sunrise, the luau, spa treatments for me and golf for dh will probably fill our days just fine on this trip. But I think we will have to be sure to visit the big island on a future trip!

Ginny, I will definitely be careful with sunscreen. I find as I get older I am much more careful when it comes to my skin. I will be reapplying often!

By Jann on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 01:02 pm:

If you are going to be there 5 days, you could do a day trip. I just wanted to see something that I had never seen before, but spas are always good! ;)