Maui, Kauai, and Waikiki

[artringwald]

Just got back from 16 days at Ka'anapali Beach Club, the Point at Poipu, and the Waikiki Outrigger on the Beach. The grounds at P@P look better than ever. The rooms still have the same furniture as when we first stayed there in 2000. The only obvious sign of water intrusion is the rust on just about all the outside door frames.

We enjoyed visiting the Dragon’s Teeth in Kapalua, watching whales close up, eating at three different Duke’s, watching lighting storms on Kauai and Oahu, hiking the Maha'ulepu Trail, watching incredible fireworks on the beach at Waikiki, and observing the progress of the Waikiki Beach Restoration Project. Here’s some pictures:

http://artringwald.smugmug.com/Travel/2012-Hawaii

I also added some more pictures to my Beer Trucks of Waikiki album:

http://artringwald.smugmug.com/Travel/Beer-Trucks-of-Waikiki

 

[slip]

Great pictures!! Glad to see the weather didn't put a damper on the whole
Trip. Got the next one planned yet?

 

[eakhat]

Great pictures. I loved the whale watching pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[artringwald]

Great pictures!! Glad to see the weather didn't put a damper on the whole
Trip. Got the next one planned yet?

We didn't have guests with us this year, so good weather wasn't quite as important. We weren't nearly as active as you guys were. While we were staying at P@P, the title company FedEx'ed the closing papers for another week we purchased online (in spite of the SA). We'll book Feb 2013 as soon as everything is finalized. We'll probably do one week on Maui and two weeks on Kauai.

 

[slip]

We slowed down quite a bit after our kids left. We're trying December next
Year. We got really lucky with the weather this year. The dams broke after we
Left. We'll be a little over two weeks again, DW likes the cool down time before
Going back to work.

 

[Kauai Kid]

Just got back from 16 days at Ka'anapali Beach Club, the Point at Poipu, and the Waikiki Outrigger on the Beach. The grounds at P@P look better than ever. The rooms still have the same furniture as when we first stayed there in 2000. The only obvious sign of water intrusion is the rust on just about all the outside door frames.

We enjoyed visiting the Dragon’s Teeth in Kapalua, watching whales close up, eating at three different Duke’s, watching lighting storms on Kauai and Oahu, hiking the Maha'ulepu Trail, watching incredible fireworks on the beach at Waikiki, and observing the progress of the Waikiki Beach Restoration Project. Here’s some pictures:

http://artringwald.smugmug.com/Travel/2012-Hawaii

I also added some more pictures to my Beer Trucks of Waikiki album:

http://artringwald.smugmug.com/Travel/Beer-Trucks-of-Waikiki

Thanks for helping me make up my mind Art. I have reservations for three weeks at the Maui Schooner next year and was thinking of moving them into the summer.

After your whale pix we'll be going in March just as originally planned.

We like to travel too.

Mahalo nui loa, Sterling

Galveston for a week the end of March 2012
Alii Kai for two weeks June 2012
Fredericksburg Tx overnighter Aug 2012
Big Bend National Park TX Oct 2012 one week
Alii Kai II Nov 2012 two weeks
New Orleans Christmas 2012 one week
March 2013 Maui Schooner 3 weeks

 

[artringwald]

Thanks for helping me make up my mind Art. I have reservations for three weeks at the Maui Schooner next year and was thinking of moving them into the summer.

After your whale pix we'll be going in March just as originally planned.

We like to travel too.

Mahalo nui loa, Sterling

Galveston for a week the end of March 2012
Alii Kai for two weeks June 2012
Fredericksburg Tx overnighter Aug 2012
Big Bend National Park TX Oct 2012 one week
Alii Kai II Nov 2012 two weeks
New Orleans Christmas 2012 one week
March 2013 Maui Schooner 3 weeks

I guess you'd have to go to Alaska if you wanted to see the whales in the summer. I think you made a good decision to go to Hawaii in March.

 

[Luanne]

I guess you'd have to go to Alaska if you wanted to see the whales in the summer. I think you made a good decision to go to Hawaii in March.

We saw whales in the summer on Cape Cod. Not humpbacks, but whales.

But definitely Hawaii in March vs summer for whales.

 

[nygiants11991]

You caught some great pictures of the whales. What tour did you take, and what camera/lense where you usning?

Over two weeks on the Islands..... You are one lucky man!!

Just got back from 16 days at Ka'anapali Beach Club, the Point at Poipu, and the Waikiki Outrigger on the Beach. The grounds at P@P look better than ever. The rooms still have the same furniture as when we first stayed there in 2000. The only obvious sign of water intrusion is the rust on just about all the outside door frames.

We enjoyed visiting the Dragon’s Teeth in Kapalua, watching whales close up, eating at three different Duke’s, watching lighting storms on Kauai and Oahu, hiking the Maha'ulepu Trail, watching incredible fireworks on the beach at Waikiki, and observing the progress of the Waikiki Beach Restoration Project. Here’s some pictures:

http://artringwald.smugmug.com/Travel/2012-Hawaii

I also added some more pictures to my Beer Trucks of Waikiki album:

http://artringwald.smugmug.com/Travel/Beer-Trucks-of-Waikiki

 

[HatTrick]

Love the whale photos, Art. We've always gone to Maui in May--great weather but no whales. I guess we'll have to plan our next trip for February or March.

 

[artringwald]

You caught some great pictures of the whales. What tour did you take, and what camera/lense where you usning?

Over two weeks on the Islands..... You are one lucky man!!

We took the America II tour, expecting to do some sailing. There wasn't much wind, but we did get a great whale show. As you can tell from the pictures, we weren't the only tour that got to see whales. I do like America II because the seating is easier for old folks, and if the breeze is strong, the boat can really slice through the water.

I used a Canon G10 camera in continuous mode. I took over 200 pictures, most of which weren't worth keeping.

 

[Kauai Kid]

I guess you'd have to go to Alaska if you wanted to see the whales in the summer. I think you made a good decision to go to Hawaii in March.

A couple of years ago one of the big cruise ships on the Alaska inland passage ran into and killed a humpback:

 

[hvsteve1]

We recently visited on a cruise and would now like to go back and stay for a week or two. As we have DRI, which of those resorts did you like better?

 

[artringwald]

We recently visited on a cruise and would now like to go back and stay for a week or two. As we have DRI, which of those resorts did you like better?

We like both of them and often go to both, but they're different. KBC is mostly 1 bedroom units, none with stoves, has beach front location and is within walking distance of several restaurants and shops. KBC is just north of Lahaina and Kaanapali, both of which contain a large number of resorts, and generate a great deal of traffic. KBC has more units, and is easier to book.

P@P is 99% 2 bedroom units, has full kitchens, washer/dryer in each unit, sits on a rocky shore, and has a pool side bar/grill. Poipu is more laid back and has much less traffic. Starting in June, P@P will start replacing the skins of all 10 buildings, one at a time, for the next several years. Ocean front units will be even harder to book.

The often reviled DRI has kept both properties in good condition. Because of the differences between them, I wouldn't want to spend more than a week at KBC, but we could spend the whole winter at P@P. If you go in December through March, you can watch whales from either property, and they both get gorgeous sunsets. If you want to see a green flash at sunset (or sunrise), you'll have to go to Poipu. The island of Lanai blocks the view of green flashes in Kaanapali.