Our trips to the Hawaiian Islands

Oahu, Kauai, The Big Island, Maui

Many years ago---around the year 1998--- Ken and I went to yet another timeshare presentation in St. Louis (for the entertainment and free stuff they gave us), but this time we ended up buying into it.  This presentation was for Pahio Resorts (specifically Kauai Beach Villas---- one of the 4 Pahios on Kauai).  We had never been to any of the Hawaiian islands and didn't really figure we'd go to the Pahio resort, but we were sold on the idea that we could bank the week into RCI and go anywhere, anytime, that we desired.  We were so naive back then!!!  So we bought a 1 bedroom/1 bath EOY (every other year) unit.  

About the same time that we went to the presentation, I came across a great TWA Getaway Vacations to Oahu for $599/person which included airfare from St. Louis and 5 nights on Oahu ( at the Maile Sky Court Hotel which we extended to 7 nights for a couple hundred dollars more).   With our first year at KBV set to be 1999, and we already had reservations for Oahu for Nov. of 1998, we banked the KBV week into RCI---and began to learn what "go anywhere, anytime you want" really means - go anywhere that is available, at the worst times of the year!  That usually means somewhere over saturated with timeshares (like Orlando or Las Vegas); or where you really want to go (usually only available during off season) if you're lucky enough to catch it as soon as it's banked.  Since we had a really good time on Oahu in 1998, when our next EOY week rolled around in 2001, we decided to go with the sure thing and see exactly what we bought.  We even booked 3 nights on Oahu that year, too, in case we didn't like Kauai.  Ended up liking Kauai even better then Oahu!

And that was the beginning of my Hawaii love affair!  We never banked that week again.  In fact, we bought more and more weeks at Pahio until we had 2 weeks every year (1 bedrooms in even years and 2 bedrooms in odd years).  That worked so well, that when Wyndham took over as the management company (around 2007), we studied up on what Wyndham had to offer and ended up converting our weeks into Wyndham points by buying another EOY 1 bedroom unit at Bali Hai in 2009.  With that purchase, all our Pahio weeks were converted into Wyndham points-so we thought (more on what that means later).  We lucked into a rather inexpensive way to become Platinum VIP in Wyndham (which has been great!).  Part of what got us to convert, was we were told we'd be able to reserve ocean view rooms 13 months out.  That did work for a couple years, then they "learned" that we could only reserve our original type units that far in advance.  But it worked out.  With lots of persistence and patience, we still got a lot of ocean view rooms in the 10 month Wyndham open reservation window and often within the 60 day reservation time when our VIP ((Platinum privileges kicked in with 50% off the number of points normally needed and free upgrades if they're available.    

Since we didn't yet have an even year timeshare week in 2002, we decided to check out the Big Island that year by renting a week at Kona Coast Resort.  Then we went back to Kauai in 2003 and started picking up more Pahio weeks at Kauai Beach Villas.

   (2025 update: A lot has happened to our poor Kauai Beach Villas ownership in the last couple years!  First---a couple years ago they finally "fixed" their error making us VIP Platinum owners.  We used those VIP benefits for a lot of discounted trips and free upgrades!!!  We really should have been VIP Gold.   I'd heard they realized the mistake for awhile, but didn't have a way of correcting it until they totally redid their website a couple years ago.  Of course in the last 15 years or so, they also upped the amount of points needed for the various VIP levels so we no longer qualified for Gold.  Fortunately they Grandfathered us into Gold.  Still a good deal!  In 2023 we were hit with a pretty hefty special assessment for KBV, which I paid.  Unfortunately, in 2025 KBV actually voted to go bankrupt and close at the end of 2025.  That's when I found out "converting to Wyndham" doesn't really mean "converting to Wyndham".  According to Wyndham, it's up to Kauai Beach Villas what happens to our points and they aren't making a "deal" for us to change our home resort with Wyndham---like the other resorts going through bankruptcy this year are.  So, looks like as of 2026 we'll only own the 1 EOY week at Bali Hai in our Wyndham membership.  Some consolation is a Wyndham customer service guy did say we'd maintain our VIP Gold status for that week.  In a way, I'm disappointed since we got some incredible deals with our VIP points.  But I'm also thinking this could be a "happy coincidence" since it would be an easy way  out of a costly timeshare maintenance fee.  Especially since we haven't been able to travel in almost 5 years and the kids aren't able to use that many points.  So, now to wait and see what actually happens.)

2026 update:  KBV did close, but did work with Wyndham to allow us to swap our weeks to Wyndham Club Pass (the group of resorts that split their maintenance fees and there's no individual home resort).  But as of July, Wyndham still hasn't worked it out.  At least we still have quite a few points left and still have our Gold VIP status with just our EOY Bali Hai week.)   

In 2006 I finally made it to Maui with my Dad.  I had read that if you love Kauai as much as we do that you'll hate the hustle and bustle of Maui.  Wrong!---I loved Maui, too.  But we're snorkelers and the shore snorkeling there is fantastic.  I went again in 2012 with my sister.  Hubby was reluctant to go to Maui because he had read the same things about Kauai lovers hating Maui that I did.  But I finally convinced him to go there in 2013 and he loved it, too---probably even more then Kauai.  Since then we've been going to both Kauai and Maui. 

1998 Oahu - first trip to the islands (Jan)

2001 Kauai - first trip to Kauai (Jan.: Helicopter tour, Blue Dolphin Napali cruise, )

         2nd trip to Oahu (Jan.)

2002 The Big Island (Jan)

2003 Kauai with Dad (March)(buy a 2nd week) (Kalalau hike; resort scuba dive; Waimea Canyon)

2003 Oahu with Dad for Sean's reinlistment (Aug. 9-15)

2004 Kauai with Tim and Faith ( March: fern grotto,   McBryde Gargens, Keahua Forestry Arboretum, Smith's luau, Waimea Canyon )

2005 Kauai  (Feb. 7-16: Queen's bath, Niihau snorkel tour, Kipu falls, Waimea Canyon)

2006  Kauai with Tim and Faith, then Dad  (Jan. 29-Feb. 12: Limahuli Gardens; Kauai Museum; Sleeping Giant hike; Kukuiolono golf course; sunset cruise, )

2006 Maui father/daughter trip - first trip to Maui (Oct. 30-Nov. 6)

2007 Kauai (Feb. 26-March 11:  Tandem surfing; Moir Gardens; Secret Beach; Mahaulepu Beach)

2008 Kauai  (March 1-14:  Bike East side trail; Keiki hula; giant North shore waves)

2009 Oahu by myself (Feb. 18-22)

         Kauai with Ken, Angie and Josh (and we convert to Wyndham)  (Feb. 22-March 8:  Napali cruise, Smith's Luau, Waimea)

2010 Kauai with Tim and Faith, again  (Feb. 19-March 5:  Moloaa beach; Gaylord's train; Smith's)

2011 Kauai  (Feb. 10-25:  Shark; vog; Hanapepe; Waimea Canyon; Na Aina Kai Garden; Kanikapila Kakoa Concert)

2012 Kauai with Schneiderjans  (Feb. 16-March 2:  Na Aina Kai; Smith's Luau; Just Live Zip Line; Coffee Plantation; Waimea Canyon; Polihale)

2012 Maui sisters' trip (May 28-June 4)

2013 Maui with Baileys (Feb. 18 - March 6)

2014  Kauai  (Jan. 18-Feb. 4:  Kauai Coast Resort; biking East trail; Smith's Garden; Allerton Garden; Na Aina Kai)

2015 Feb. 6-26
          Kauai  (Feb. 6-12:  6 nights: Lydgate; Anini; high surf)
          Maui  (Feb. 12-26)

2016  8/18 - 9/14 (2 weeks each place)
          Maui   (Aug. 18-30)
          Kauai starting 8/31 (Aug. 31-Sept. 14:  Waimea; St. Regis)

2017  no Hawaiian islands!!!!

2018  Maui for 4 weeks  with Fischers (Jan.-25 - Feb. 22)

2019  Kauai with Carolyn (Jan. 19-Feb. 2) and Maui (Feb. 2-9) by myself

2020  Dang COVID and husband's Glioblastoma cancer diagnosis, our 4 weeks on Maui were cancelled!!!

2021  Covid still raging and Ken's still battling Glioblastoma.  At least I had booked our reservations through Worldmark, so I was able to cancel with no penalty.   I sure miss Hawaii!!!!

2022 Covid not so bad, but Ken still battling GBM and now bedridden.  Reservations cancelled again.

2023  Ken still fighting GBM and entered hospice in Oct.

2024  Ken still fighting GBM and still bedridden

2025  Ken a long term GBM survivor now, still bedridden, still in hospice, and my lock down continues. 

2026  Ken still hanging on with GBM!

With 20+ trips to the islands between 1998 and 2018, we obviously LOVE the islands!  It feels like another home to us!  Can't wait to go home again!

2012-6-4 time to go home:

The next morning, June 4th, we had to get up and get out.  I don't know what was going on that day, but the airport security line was extemely long.  Good thing we were there 2 hours early!  There were quite a few people who were fretting whether or not they would make their planes.  The smart ones cut to the front.  But our flight was uneventfull and scenic.  Here is the North East side of Maui shortly after take off.

I believe this was part of Molokai, but I'm not positive.  Looks like more great snorkeling!

 And we're back at Honolulu.

 A final good bye to Hanauma Bay---one of the first places I snorkeled and would love to go back to again.  Although last time I was there it had become pretty commercialized with a required film on reefs as well as an entrance fee.  They even regulate how many people they let in there now.  All of this is good since I've seen numerous people destroy coral over the years with their careless kicking and standing on it, but it still takes away from the excitement for an experienced snorkeler.  Hopefully Hanauma Bay will return to the ourstanding beach I remember it to be on my first Hawaii trip back in 1999.

It isn't often (maybe ever), that I've left Hawaii during the daytime.  It was rather nice.  But we got into PDX about 11 pm and my flight to STL wasn't until 10:35 am the next morning.  So I used Hotwire and got a great rate on a room at the Clarion for the night (something like $58).

2012-5-28 PDX-HNL-OGG and Maui Hill Resort:

2012-5-28 PDX-HNL-OGG and Maui Hill Resort:

The day finally came and I was on my way to PDX.  My sister, Carolyn, picked me up and we headed back to Dallas, Oregon, for a couple days.  Then we spent the night before our Maui flight in a hotel by the airport.  On the 28th (Memorial Day), we were on our way bright and early (to me!) to catch our 10:30 flight to OGG.  Since Ken and I usually travel to Hawaii from STL all in one day with a couple stops and long layovers, this travel day seemed to go fairly quickly.  Only long part was the 2 1/2 hour layover in Honolulu.  Originally we were suppose to fly non-stop to Maui---one of the big reasons why we picked Maui over Kauai, but Hawaiian decided to eliminate that flight and keep an extra 8000 of my miles that I used to book the non-stop instead of a connector flight---I was not too happy about that, but Hawaiian didn't care!  The only good things about it were the views of Honolulu and Maui county as we flew over them.
 Not sure what part of Oahu this is, but there looks to be some great snorkeling there!

    This is Waikiki Beach.

 Diamond Head

 Olowalu on Maui, close to mile mark 14, on Hwy 30.  Great looking reef there, too!

 windmills on the north mountains of Maui.

 Finally arrived in OGG about 4pm (7pm Pacific Standard Time) and Carolyn headed off to get our rental car.  Carolyn had reserved it, so she got to be my chauffeur for the week.  I did bring a Garmin, which came in very handy!  Soon we were on our way from the airport.  First stop---Walmart---since it was on our way to the condo.
Check in at Maui Hill was a breeze.  It is in the more residential and "affordable" town of Kihei on the dry southern part of the island.  Even though I knew it wasn't too close to the ocean, we did get a bit of an ocean view.  Our 2 bedroom condo was very nice.  It even had an unlocked "owner's" closet with beach chairs, snorkel gear (although I brought my own), and other "toys".  It was also nice having air conditioners in the living room as well as each bedroom.  The kitchen was small, but adequate. 

pool by the office.  Love the sitting area under the big, flat topped tree!

View from our unit

I spent many mornings on the large lanai waiting for Carolyn to get up.

The large livingroom with an odd empty space behind the couch table.

 from the far end of the livingroom looking towards the dining room (entrance door to the right of the dining room), small kitchen all the way back, the bedrooms out of view to the left.

 the 2nd bedroom.

 master bedroom with en suite bathroom.

 Some views while walking around the resort.

 Usually I'm in Hawaii in Jan. or Feb., so it was a pleasant change seeing even more flowers and greenery---especially all the colorful fragrant plumeria.

 and all the flowering trees.

 and bushes

 and ground flowers

 The resort is large and has lots of beautifully landscaped areas and wide open lawn areas.

 We even used the bar b q pits by our unit one night.

 practice putting area.

 even shuffle board

 and a path that led down to Kihei Rd. by the ocean.

 more views along the border of the property.

 lots of bougainvillea, too. 

 and the Hawaiian State flower---the yellow Hibiscus.

 some beautiful plumeria next to our unit.

  I would definitely stay here again.

2009—Feb. solo trip to Waikiki-then to Kauai

Feb. 18-22, 2009

  This was a solo trip for me.  I hadn't planned to go off to Hawaii by myself, but an unfortunate circumstance resulted in this opportunity. I had picked up a week at the Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk for a friend and her cancer stricken husband, but he ended up too sick to take the trip. So it was lose the whole week and the money I paid, or go by myself and "try" to enjoy myself. The decision wasn't too difficult to make. Ken and I were scheduled to go to Kauai on award travel the following Sunday, so I was able to change my flight to go out on the previous Wed.  I didn't get the whole week there, but did have 4 nights on Waikiki.   Unfortunately hubby couldn't get off work for those extra days.

This was my 4th trip to Oahu, so I felt pretty comfortable wandering around Waikiki by myself. I liked that I could wander around the streets and beach without being accosted by poverty. Everything was clean and the people are helpful.  I even used The Bus enough during the past 3 trips that I felt comfortable using it by myself.

It was a bit cool this trip with temps only about 70 and the winds were pretty high. But it definitely beat the 20s and 30s back home. There were spritzes of rain and lots of clouds, but the clouds were the type that made for fabulous sunsets. 

 2009-Feb. 18: STL-LAX-HON-LIH

2009-Feb. 19:Walking around Waikiki, Beach, and Sunset cruise

2009-Feb. 20: Foster Gardens, Waikiki Aquarium

2009-Feb. 21: Waikiki beach, Marina reflections

2009-Feb. 22: HON-LIH

  2009 Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk 1 bdrm

It was a short stay in Oahu, but it turned out to be a really great one.  I've not taken a vacation by myself before, so was really hesitant to do it, but I really enjoyed myself!  Maybe I should do this more often!!!  And only 4 nights there wasn't bad since I had almost 2 weeks on Kauai to look forward to now.

For my 2009 Kauai blog, check out: 2009 Kauai

2009-Feb. 21: Waikiki beach, Marina reflections

Today was my last full day on Oahu. I had finally decided to take the bus to the "Swap meet" at the stadium, but after waiting over 30 minutes for a completely full bus, I decided to abandon that idea. I also thought about going to Hunauma Bay and snorkeling, but decided I didn't want to go there alone and I'd have plenty of time to snorkel for free on Kauai. So I walked around Waikiki some more. Ended up sitting with my feet in the water and making a few phone calls. It was also the day my daughter and her husband were arriving in Kauai, so I wanted to be around to hear how their flights went and make sure everything went ok with their car rental and condo check in. All went well for them. Here's my view from the pier I was sitting on dangling my tired feet in the water.

It was the clearest day so far and less wind. So when I was tired of sitting in the sun, I went to Fort Derussey Park and sat on the hill by the Army museum and gazed out at the ocean from there.

 

At sunset, I walked to the boat harbor and took pictures of reflections. The sunset wasn't that spectacular because of the clear sky, but the reflections were pretty awesome. Here's the pond by the Hilton on my way to the marina.

 

Lots of photo ops by the marina!

There was even color in the sky for a short while.

 

 Heading back up the beach to the Wyndham Beach Walk.
On the way back to my condo, I stopped into an ABC store and picked up a pre-made salad for dinner. The ABC stores in Waikiki are great. I was able to get all the groceries I wanted from them and there's one right on the ground level of the Wyndham.

It was also the night to pack up again for tomorrow's flight to Kauai.

2009-Feb. 20: Foster Gardens, Waikiki Aquarium

What to do?! Why not head to Foster Garden's? I love gardens and could never interest any of my other travel companions to go there with me. So I walked up to Kuhio St. and caught the #4 bus to the gardens. Upon boarding the bus, I asked for a transfer which was good for 4 hours from the time I stepped onto the bus.

 It was about an hour ride to the gardens, but it was interesting seeing the parts of Honolulu that the bus took me through. The garden's are beautiful and I easily spent about 2 1/2 hours wandering around them. It's not a huge garden, but for a photographer, it had a lot to offer---like this---

 and this---looks like scraps of builders concrete to me, but I'm sure it's someone's art piece.

 Most of the gardens were different types of green trees,

but there was an orchid garden, too, and a small butterfly garden.

 

After running around the garden, I used my transfer ticket to hitch a ride back to Waikiki. But instead of getting off by the condo, I road to Kapiolani park and got off there. I walked through the park and to the Aquarium. I love sealife and, again, noone has been interested in going to the aquarium with me before. I thoroughly enjoyed the aquarium!  I'd definately be a member of the Aqaurium if I lived here!

I have a special fondness for these cute little yellow tangs. I saw tons of them while snorkeling around the Big Island, but very few on Kauai or Waikiki beach.

 

 Stripeys---the only place I've seen these guys other than at Lydgate on Kauai.  Wonder how they got there.

 I've seen one of these guys in real life, but it was green---frog fish

 I was even fortunate enough to be there at the time they feed the 2 monk seals they have there, so I got to watch that and listen to the trainers speak about them. Here they are anxiously awaiting the trainer.

 She even had them trained to let her look at their teeth

 

From the aquarium, I walked back up to my condo and rested until near sunset.

 Then it was time to head to the beach again. To my surprise, there were tons of sailboats out. Made for some fun watching.

 I sat on the grassy hill by Ft. Derussy park and watch the sail boats and sunset.  Both were really interesting!

Not a dud!

 

After the sun set, it was time to head back to the condo and rest the weary feet again. Dinner was take out from the pizza place below the resort. It was very good---Round Table.  We don't have those in the midwest, unfortunately! 

It was a fun day!