Kona Ironman Accommodation

If you want to have an experience of a lifetime, come visit Kona Big Island for the 2008 Hawaii Ironman World Championship. We have told our Best Hawaii vacation blog visitors in previous posts what a magnificent spectacle the Kona Ironman is for visitors and participants and even residents. To refresh your knowledge about the Hawaii Ironman, the superlative of triathlons around the globe, go visit our 2007 Hawaii Triathlon article.

When I prepared this post about the upcoming Hawaii Ironman Triathlon Ford World Championship in Kailua Kona October 11, 2008, I found this great personal Ironman review by a former participant. Who else can give you a better picture of this challenging race in Hawaii!

It looks like that 2007 Hawaii Ironman winners, Chrissie Wellington and Chris McCormack are in top shape which they both proved in winning the recent Frankfurt Ironman, where 2,200 athletes from 45 nations were pushed to top performances by 500,000 spectators. In the women's race British Chrissie Wellington missed breaking the world record. Chris McCormack from Australia won the men's race, crossing the finish line in just under 8 hours. The Ironman Frankfurt is rated number two in the world after the Hawaii Ironman. So we can expect a great 2008 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship!

Get emotional watching the 2007 Hawaii Ironman Men's Finish when Chris McCormack was crossing the finish line.

Got to be fair to the ladies. Watch Chrissie Wellington cross the finish line of the 2007 Hawaii Ironman. Hope this got you guys in the right mood for the 2008 Kona Ironman.



If you want to be part of the 2008 Big Island Ironman race as one of the thousands of spectators, don't wait much longer. Kona hotels are already quite booked for rhe Ironman week starting 10/6/08, and Kona vacation rentals are getting booked fast as well. We recommend to participants or spectators for your stay in Kona for the Ironman to rent a fully equipped Kona vacation rental or condo. You pay the same or less at a Kona vacation condo with kitchen than at a Kona hotel and can save lots of money cooking your own meals at your own kitchen. Visitors from Germany may check here 'Hawaii Ferienwohnung Big Island' for Kona Ironman.

We'd love to hear from you with your special Hawaii Ironman experience. Where did you stay in Kona? What impressed you most during your Ironman day in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island? Share your personal Kona Triathlon Ironman with our blog visitors. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
p.s.
For all those who have followed our 2nd blog birthday invitation 'Vote for your favorite Hawaii Story', visit 'Hawaii Articles' to see which stories came in at the top with this 'race'.

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Hawaii Articles

Hoooray, hooray, it's our Blog Birthday!

I guess a 2nd blog birthday is reason enough to celebrate. All our fellow Hawaii bloggers know that it takes commitment and dedication to keep writing quality articles about Hawaii for tourists who plan their special Hawaii vacation. Thanks to all of you who visited our Best Hawaii Vacation blog in the past, made the blog more interesting with comments and guest posts and even followed our invitation to Vote for the Best Hawaii Article.

We could have had probably a bigger outcome by advertising our invitation to vote for the best article in each of our blog articles which followed the post on June 12. That's what marketing is all about. Looks like I was more concerned about writing more Hawaii content related articles like 'Big Island or Kaui?' and forgot to promote the vote article. Hey, nobody is perfect. Next year I will remember what to do for extra promotion to get more blog visitors involved in choosing the best article on our vacation blog.

Here is the result of our best Hawaii article vote:

-Mostly bloggers and vacation rental site owners from Hawaii Big Island joined the vote.

-We would have loved to see more of our Hawaii blogger friends from Oahu, Kauai and Maui.
-Most popular articles and favorites you voted for were related to Hawaii beaches.

-We posted the Hawaii Articles with double votes in the top.

Most popular articles chosen by Best Hawaii Vacation Blog visitors

Marie from Rainbow Cottage in Waimea voted for Best Big Island Beach.

Dean from Luxury Waiulaula Villa voted for Best Big Island Beach

Marianne from Kona Oceanfront Condo voted for Get a Taste of Big Island with Big Island Photos.

Ed from Modern Arts Blog voted for Get a Taste of Big Island with Big Island Photos.

Stretchguy from Healthy Living through Stretching voted for Waipio Valley Horseback Riding

Cheryl from 'Hawaii Vacation Gifts' voted for 'Waipio Valley Horseback Riding'

Bobbie from 'The Right Blue' voted for Big Island Secret Beach

Furk from 'GameFurk' voted for Big Island Secret Beach

Justin from Luxury Kona Vacation Home voted for '3 Tips for Thanksgiving in Hawaii'.

Sunset in Hawaii voted for 'Where can I find Hawaiian Music?'

Anele from 'True Aloha Blog' voted for '5Myths about Hawaii'

Brent from 'Living Aloha' voted for 'How to Save Money on Big Island Vacation'

Much mahalo to all of you. Hope many of our blog visitors will visit your blog or site, when they find it here. Please, stay in touch with our Best Hawaii Vacation Blog, so we can hopefully celebrate in a year another blog birthday again and together. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

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Big Island or Kauai

Aloha Hawaii travelers,

After we recently answered the question 'Is November a good time to visit Kona Hawaii?', we are about to talk about choosing the Hawaiian Island best suiting for your vacation in Hawaii. With Aloha Airlines not being available anymore for flying to Hawaii or for Interisland flights and rising gas prices, cheap airline tickets to Hawaii or between the islands are hard to get for your Hawaii vacation, especially for high seasons like summer or winter season.

In the past, Hawaii traveler loved to do some island hopping on their Hawaii vacation, especially when it was their first time visit to Hawaii. This allowed them a few days on each Hawaii island, get a first impression of best beaches, things to do and to see and find out which island they will come back for a longer vacation. As Hawaii hosts, we always recommended to 'just' visit two islands in order not to be rushed and enjoy each of the island as much as possible.

Now, this recommendation of limiting your Hawaii visit to two islands or even just one, becomes even more a necessity when you are a budget traveler and don't have unlimited funds available for your Hawaii vacation. Extra Interisland flights can be quite expensive. If you have to choose for one, the early and late flights are offering the best rates. Here are a few Hawaii travel tips:

Yes, the Superferry can help Hawaii visitors somewhat but it's really limited to island hopping between Oahu and Maui and vice versa. Rates are affordable, tourists don't have to deal with early check-in at Airports in Honolulu and Kahului and you can enjoy a voyage with lovely Hawaiian island scenery. Ocean conditions are very calm in summer.

Try to book direct flights into Maui or Kona or Hilo Big Island in order to avoid having to pay for an extra Interisland flight. When you have a direct Hawaii flight into Maui, you might want to plan your Maui vacation and forget about visiting other islands, except maybe a family outing to Oahu with the Superferry. You've got some really nice beaches right there, on Maui. It's a little touristy and not that easy to find that private corner on a beach but definitely beautiful. Maui is the paradise for surfers, windsurfers or board surfers.

Quite a number of Hawaii visitors cannot make up their mind whether it will be a Big Island vacation or a visit to Kauai. Well, making a decision between Kauai and the Big Island is like deciding between oranges and apples.

What are major differences? Kauai is the Garden Island, meaning it's green and lush because it has frequent rain showers but they don't last long. You can walk on stretches of white sand beaches for ever, at lot of the times even without meeting any people! Meaning no Maitai or restaurant either. Pack yourself a picnic and you will be happy as could be. Kauai hiking is great as well. We loved to kayak the Wailua River and combined it with a hike to a spectacular waterfall. It's definitely a laid back island and when getting away from the tourist places like Poipu, you will still find old Hawaii at many Kauai locations.

The Big Island is the island of adventure. Beaches are not as endless as on Kauai but the West Coast spoils visitors with white sand beaches and sunny dry weather all year round. Even if you are not into activities, at least you have lots of options to choose from. Big Island things to do include many beyond the ordinary: Stargazing on Mauna Kea Summit, watching a live volcano at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, visiting Waipio Valley on the Hamakua Coast and Pololu Valley Lookouts on North Kohala (even the walk into the valley is easy and the most amazing ocean and cliff scenery awaits you), or attend one of the Hawaiian luaus (I like the one at the Marriott at Waikoloa Beach Resort) .

If you decide for a Big Island vacation, the big question is where to stay on the Big Island. The West coast, the Kohala and Kona Coast, is the sunny side with lots of white sand beaches (most famous Hapuna und Mauna Kea Beach). Hotels on this coast can be expensive. If you are on a budget, I recommend a vacation rental with a short drive to the beaches. When deciding for a rental on the East Coast (Hilo side, Hamakua Coast, Puna), anticipate more rain but beautiful tropical rainforest will reward you. Hawaii vacation rental rates are considerably cheaper on the East coast of the Big Island.

Hope this helps planning your Hawaii trip. Have a wonderful stay in Paradise. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
p.s.
Which Hawaiian Island, Big Island or Kauai, did you spend your vacation on? Amber, our today's beautiful Hawaii post girl from Wahinstyle, is from Hawaii the Big Island.

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Is November a good time to go to Kona Hawaii?

Aloha Hawaii lovers,

For all those of you who are planning a Hawaii visit for the fall season 2008, here is my answer to Yahoo Hawaii travel question: Is November a good time to go to Kona Hawaii? Hey, it got chosen as best answer and I got 10 points for it. What a deal!

I guess 'When is the best weather for visiting Hawaii?' is one of the most asked question. Well, compared to the rainy cold mainland weather in winter, starting with late November, any time is good escaping to Hawaii. Of course, snow birds prefer the winter months for their Hawaii visit. Why visit Hawaii in summer when it's nice and warm weather even in Canada or Alaska?

What can you expect for visiting Kona Hawaii in November? Kona and Kohala Coast are located on the west coast of the Big Island and are blessed with sunny, dry, warm weather all year round. Kona can be extremely hot during summer month. November weather will be very pleasant, provided no winter storm is passing through. It can happen though. All Hawaiian Islands are more prone to those during the winter months December - February.

Hey, guys believe it or not, Hawaii needs to get some rain from time to time, even though Hawaii vacation rental hosts feel sorry for those unlucky visitors who get hit by the rare rain.


I also tell Big Island visitors how else can they experience those most impressive pictures of Mauna Kea (White Mountain) and Mauna Loa (Flat Mountain) volcanoes covered in snow and sparkling in the tropical sun??!!! So, have fun in Kona in November and also go north to the Kohala Coast too...great white sand beaches, easy access to Mauna Kea summit with stargazing and visit spectacular Waipio and Pololu Valley.

Well, one amendment needs to be made: If you are on a budget for your Hawaii vacation, best stay away from Thanksgiving week 11/24 - 11/30/08. No airline, car rental company, Hawaii hotel or vacation rental host will make you special offer then. Over the years, Hawaii hotels, Kona and Kohala Coast vacation rentals are booked 100% during Thanksgiving. If you want to book a hotel or Kona vacation rental for Thanksgiving 2008, you'd better book your vacation NOW.

Please, share your Hawaii vacation experience with our Best Hawaii vacation blog visitors. If you ever spend a vacation in November or for Thanksgiving in Hawaii, we would love to hear from you. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

p.s.

If you did not vote for your favorite story on our Hawaii blog yet, please, vote today. Scroll down on the sidebar to the very bottom where you read 'Best Hawaii Vacation Categories' and you will find the links to all our 170 posts about Hawaii vacation. We want to find out what you like best about Hawaii. Bloggers or site owners will get a link back on our birthday post 7/27/08.

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Secret Beaches in Hawaii

Beaches, Beaches, Beaches!!! When visiting Hawaii, to locate the closest and best beach seems to be a top priority for any Hawaii visitor whether they spend their vacation on Oahu, Maui, Kaui or the Big Island.

Here is another one of those secret Big Island beaches, which Kona resident and vacation rental owner Bill is sharing with our Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors today.

"My favorite Big Island beach is probably the best kept secret. It is Honomalino Bay. Most people who live here think Honomalino is on Maui. This lovely black and white sands beach is not that well known. It is a 100 yards or so of beautiful secluded beach backed by loads of coconut trees and it descends to a wonderful swimming and snorkeling beach. A great place to swim with the dolphins.

It is about a 20 minute hike that is marked with lots of “private property” signs but if you stay on the trail you will bypass each and every private area and then it opens up to the most beautiful, breath taking and private spots on the Big Island. There have never been more than a handful of people on this beach making it that much more enjoyable. With a good book and some sun screen I can’t think of a better way to spend a day!


This is how to get to Hanomalino Bay beach: DRIVE to Miloli’i Beach Park, HIKE to Honomalino Bay. Take the winding one lane paved road just south of the 89 mile marker. This is a very local place, and it is a courtesy to leave it to the locals on weekends and holidays. Park and take the trail heading south along the waterfront, through the tide pools. Ignore the “private” signs, access to the trail is public. You’ll regain the trail at the back of the sand and palm trees at the south end of Miloli’i. This beach is public also, but not too appealing with the “keep out” signs. You will have a 20 minute walk south to a beautiful and secluded black and white sand beach. Swimming is good when calm. Carry food and water. There are a few homes here, accessed by this trail or a torturous 4 wheel drive private road."

Much mahalo again, Bill, for joining our guest author list. Please everybody, share your favorite Hawaii beach for any of the Hawaiian Islands with our blog visitors. They appreciate your vacation ideas. Guest posts by Hawaii visitors or residents about your favorite Hawaii beach are most welcome. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

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4th of July 2008 on Hawaii Big Island

This Best Hawaii Vacation blog post is for all the lucky ones who spend 4th of July on vacation in Hawaii. Be assured that all the Hawaii hotels and resorts bring on some special celebration dinners, hula shows and the not to be missed fireworks. What I like best best with the 4th of July fireworks is that there is not such a long wait till midnight like at New Years. This also accommodates the families with kids in Hawaii. The entire family can watch the fireworks at 8:30pm. Make sure to get your dinner reservation for 4th of July dinner. The hotels will be packed for dinners and 4th of July fireworks.

Wherever you are on Hawaii the Big Island, the island puts on a big 4th of July extravaganza, even at remote Volcano Village, near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. There won't be any any fireworks but a parade with Hawaii County Band, floats, horses and animals in costumes! Music, games, food booths and a craft fair will follow. So, when you happen to be visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the parade will start at 9am in Volcano Village. On your drive back home to the Kohala Coast hotels through Hilo town, you can choose from three 4th of July firework locations starting at 8:30pm: On and along the Bayfront Highway and beach area; the soccer fields along Kamehameha Avenue and Queen Liliuokalani Park.

One of my favorite events on 4th of July on Hawaii's Big Island is 'Turtle Independence Day' at Mauna Lani Beach Hotel & Bungalows. If you vacation with kids on the Kona or Kohala Coast, you don't want to miss this big day when three and four year old turtles are released in the ocean after growing up in the Mauna Lani ponds! Whether it's little turtles or big ones, I don't know what it is with our fascination with turtles. It's not just the kids who get attracted. We do so too. Also read our Tips for watching Green Sea turtles!

Fun for the entire family is programmed at Waikoloa Beach Resort with free entertainment all day long for 4th of July, from 10 am to 8:30 pm. The highlights will be the Waikoloa Rubber Duckie Race and of course, fireworks and laser light show at 8:30 pm. You can get forms for "Duckie adoption" at all Kings' Shops merchants. Best part of this 4th of July event - the benefits will go to United Cerebral Palsy Association. of Hawaii!

The new Shopping Center at Mauna Lani Beach Resort 'The Shops at Mauna Lani' offers some great entertainment for their 4th of July celebration, in addition to their free breathtaking Hawaiian shows Mon, Wed, Thur + Fri at 7pm and 8pm! Enjoy enjoy free pupus on Thursday, July 3rd, from 6:00-8:00 pm and listen to the Bill Noble Jazz Band from 6:30-8:30pm. Celebrate the 4th with free balloon animals and continue the fun on the 5th with free face painting from 1:00-3:00 pm. There will be free giveaways every day, including hats, pens and coolers. In addition to all those fun activities, there are lots of prizes to win. Stop at the Shops at Mauna Lani for 4th of July. Maybe you will be the winner of the $500 shopping Spree!

Let's not forget to mention the 4th of July Independence Parade in Kailua-Kona starting at 5:30pm. Kona will highlight their 4th of July celebration with fireworks at Old Kona Airport Park. Fourth of July fireworks will start at 8:30 p.m. at Old Airport State Park. The Park will close at 6 p.m. You can watch the fireworks from Kailua-Kona after the parade, or watch from Makalapua Center (Macy's, movie theaters, KMart).

For those who want to see some more action, the Annual Parker Ranch 4th of July Rodeo is celebrating the Year of the Paniolo. There will be action-packed rodeo events, keiki (children) activities and ono (delicious) food. Parker Ranch paniolo (Hawaiian cowboys) are joined by other Big Island paniolo for a corral of traditional rodeo events from 9:00 a.m. until noon at Parker Ranch Arena, Waimea.

Enjoy your special 4th of July celebration in Hawaii. There will be many friends on the Mainland who envy you for it. Let us know on what Hawaiian island you spent your 4th of July and what you did. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

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Hiking in Hawaii

Welcome back to our Best Hawaii Vacation blog,

If you have not voted yet for your favorite Hawaii story on our blog, be invited to do so. You may leave a comment on that birthday invitation post or if you have a hard time to do so, just email us the title of the Hawaii article you liked best. Everybody who votes, will get a link to his blog or site on our Hawaii birthday celebration blog post 7/27/08.

Recently, the question came up on Yahoo questions what to do in Hawaii when on a summer vacation. Interestingly, the Hawaii visitors also wanted to know whether 'Hiking' is a good option for things to do on a summer vacation in Hawaii. To be honest, I did not win the credits for best answer this time but decided to share what I wrote about hiking on the Hawaiian Islands.

There is definitely great hiking on all the Hawaiian islands - to hidden waterfalls and spectacular valleys! Maybe it sounds odd but you can even get lost when hiking in Hawaii. So definitely tell your friends or hosts where you intend to go for your hike. For challenging hikes, make sure you don't go by yourself but with a hiking companion.

There are great hiking books available plus the Hawaii Island Revealed books, there is one for each island, also make hiking suggestions!

Hiking the Na Pali Coast on Kauai is one of those challenging hiking adventures. You want to have the right outfit and have somebody with you who has done it before. We didn't do that one but we had a wonderful hike to the Fern Grotto on Kauai after Kayaking the Wailua River. No guide needed for kayaking or hiking!

Maui has a lot of trails around Haleakala. If interested in hiking on Mauai, visit Maui Island Hiking Trails which offers a map with Maui hiking trails, hiking destinations and hike description with length of hike and level of hike.

I am not too familiar with hiking on Oahu but Frommer's - Frommer's Hawaii 2008 is a perfect book to have for your trip to Hawaii anyways - lists a lot of great Oahu hiking trails and resources.


The Big Island offers exciting hikes, around and into Waipio Valley on the Hamakua Coast and Pololu Valley in North Kohala. When hiking into the valleys (Pololu is much easier than Waipio), it's an experience of a life time you won't forget. Just one suggestion: better don't go swimming in the ocean there, as you are not familiar with undercurrents in the area.

You will find a lot of hiking on the Big Island in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Our favorite trail is the Kilauea Iki Trail. When you follow the signs of the Park Rangers, it is very safe. And which of your friends can say they have seen a live volcano and real red glowing lava on their vacation?!

Hiking should be something different and exciting on your summer vacation in Hawaii. Have fun. What's your favorite hike in Hawaii? Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
p.s.
Summer in Hawaii can be very hot but as hikes are mostly leading into higher elevation hillside and mountain territory, it will be a nice change to lying on the beach all day long. Don't forget: hat + plenty of water + sunscreen when hiking in Hawaii!

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