Perillo Tours (30th Anniversary)

I am thinking about visiting Hawaii in March 2007 for my 30th Anniversary. Anyone have any comments about Perillo Tours ???

Perillo Tours (30th Anniversary)

What would you like to know specifically? We booked with Perillo tours for Hawaii and visited 3 islands but it was quite a few years ago. We had a wonderful time.

Perillo Tours (30th Anniversary)

Unless you really like tours, Hawaii is the sort of place you can easily see on your own. Most visitors decide which islands they want to see (allow a week for each), then rent a car and possibly book a tour or two per week to do specific things. There are nice hotels everywhere and many people book condos -- either direct from an owner via websites like VRBO or via an agency. It%26#39;s a relaxed way to see parts of the state.

whiteheads

surfing wear

what do people wear when they surf, I don%26#39;t want to spend too much money getting those pro surfing suits since I might just do it for an hour or so on my trip

surfing wear

The water is warm. You can just wear a swimsuit. You can also get a cheap rashguard top probably less than $20 if you want. I like those to prevent rubbing while paddling.

surfing wear

I agree, you don%26#39;t see too many wetsuits around here. I just wear my boardshorts and jump right in, no problems.

invest in a rashguard. it will also come in handy if you do any snorkeling - don%26#39;t have to worry sunscreen washing off.

A Rashguard is optimal, but if you think you are only gonna be surfing for an hour or so (and you do live in Toronto!) you can get buy with just wearing a T-shirt with your board shorts(bathing trunks). The reason you want to wear some type of shirt is two-fold. 1) It will keep you from getting sunburned as badly! 2) It will keep you from getting a rug burn like rash on your chest from the surfboard. The guys who surf without them, most of them have been doing it for a long time and like wearing in a new pair of shoes, don%26#39;t have a problem with it anymore. Just my two cents. Have fun, good luck and get at least an intro lesson before you hit the waves.

for waikiki reef shoes are not a bad idea, the surf area has a partial coral bottom that is a foot killer, you can pick up a cheap pair at ABC markets once you get there

fishing on the island

Anyone know an area to do some fishing off shore. My family will be getting to waikiki next april and My father and I don%26#39;t want to spend a lot of money on the charter fishing. Thanks.

fishing on the island

People fish on piers (eg. Kewalo Basin), by shorelines (eg rock side of Sandy Beach), freshwater reservoirs (Wahiawa), etc. No licenses needed for salt water fishing, but you need one for the Wahiawa fishing which you can get from one of the fishing stores near the ';lake';.

Just head to a fishing or sporting goods store that sells fishing equipment, they can point you to the right areas.

fishing on the island

I see many people do spear fishing on the island, do you know if they have any service for this. Thanks

I%26#39;ve never heard of a spearfishing tour. Sounds dangerous. Taking a bunch of novice flatlanders out in the water and giving them spear guns, I wouldn%26#39;t want to be in the middle of that group!

I wasn%26#39;t looking for a spearfishing tour, I like to get extreme but not that extreme. I was looking for one on one possibly or any other kind of service related or even if there are rentals. I do it here in mass. but it would be nice to go along with someone who knows the area.

Trip Report -- 8/26 thru 9/2

Aloha Everyone! Hope this helps those of you that are in need of help just as I was starting out planning my trip to Kauai. Thanks to all those who helped make my trip to Kauai memorable.

First things first.... Buy the Blue Book! Kauai Revealed! Without this book, we would have been lost! I highly recommend this book!

I live on the Eastern part of the US so we had very long day by the time we arrived in Kauai on August 26th. We arrived at LIH at 5:36pm. We had already reserved a car through priceline for $15 a day. It was supposed to be a midsized but when we got there it should have been classified as a compact. Priceline took us through Alamo. After about 2 days of driving this car, it had started smelling really badly so we took it back. They gave us an upgrade to a SUV and did not have to fill up the gas for this one or the SUV on return plus they gave us a discount on the rental. I think we only ended up paying $47.83 total for the whole week and got 2 free tankfulls of gasoline out of it. Alamo treated us great!

We stayed at the Bali Hai Villas in the North. Our condo was wonderful. We were just steps away from the beautiful pool that had a cascading waterfall... Couldn%26#39;t ask for more... Condo was nice but cleaning service was not all that....

My advise is this... The north is very beautiful, however, there are more things to do from the east to south. Next time, I think we would stay somewhere from east to south and then just drive to the North for the day or two...

Things that are a must while in Kauai:

**Waimea Canyon - We drove up the canyon and this is spectacular! Everything is just so peaceful and beautiful... We even drove on up to the US Navy Missle Range Facility. The guards were very friendly and even took pictures...

**Inter-Island Helicopter Tour - This company was wonderful... The were upbeat and fun! The veiws are breath taking! Our pilot was wonderful and even had fun with us swooping in the air... Great ride....

** Luau - This is one thing that I really wanted to do while I was in Kauai... This forum and other readings all recommended the ';Smiths'; Luau... Well, we got there and started talking with one of the locals and they suggested us to do the luau that says ';Kauai%26#39;s #1 luau'; I forget the name... Anyway, against my better judgment, we went to that one. I have never been to a luau before so I don%26#39;t have much to compare it to. They did not do a IMU Ceremony where they uncover the pig, I was a little disapointed. The food was very good. The show was nice and the fire dance was excellent. I still would have liked to have went to the Smiths. Oh well, when you are with other people you can%26#39;t be the one who objects....

** Napali Boat Tour - we did this tour and it was ok... We went with the Blue dolphin tour company. Keep in mind that we stayed on the north shore and had to be on the south shore by 7:00am. That was an early rise for us... Wasn%26#39;t too bad though... The crew was wonderful and kept everyone entertained. The snorkeling was good but not great....

Beaches....

I recommend that you go to Walmart and buy a box of saltine crackers and some baggies to feed the fish with. This tip from the blue book was wonderful! The fish just flock around you fighting for the crackers!

** Tunnels Beach - Tunnels was our favorite for snorkeling... The fish there was unbelieveable. Although we did not see any turtles at this one on that particular day.

**Ke%26#39;e Beach - I did not like this beach for the snorkeling because of the shallow reef. It was hard to move around in some spots. We did however swim with several huge turtles here. That was very nice! Great place to watch the sunset.

** Lydgate State Park - Not a very nice park... The beach was littered with driftwood. A lot of driftwood. The enclosed part for snorkeling was cloudy but there were several fish there.

** Queens Bath - This was a very nice quiet place to relax. Not a lot of fish but there were quite a few for as little as it is. Watch out for the crabs though, they are everywhere.... The hike down was not that bad but the hike back up would be straining for someone with difficulties.

****Polihale State Park - I think that is the name of it anyway... This is as far west as you can go before you hit the Napali Coast line.... this Beach is the prettiest! By Far! Nearly deserted ! Best place for Sunset! Wide open beach with view to ';the forbidden Island'; . Great beach to just walk and enjoy the beauty after the sunset. The road to this beach is a very long and bumpy ride! The blue book says 5 miles... Worth it though!

Places to eat:

** Duanes Ono Char Burger - Wonderful Burgers... Excellent Onion rings...

** Zelos - Excellent fish... Wonderful veiws from the Lanai out front... We ate there for dinner...

** Scotties BBQ - Excellent food! We ate there for lunch.... Beautiful ocean view while eating....

** Bubbas Burgers - Ok, but the service sucked...

** In the coconut market place there is a Pizza place that was wonderful... I am not sure what the name of it was but I would definatly recommend it!

** Paradise Bar and Grill - This place was ok... Service was terrible though... I would not go out of my way to eat here....

** There was a place in Kapaa that we got shave Ice and it was better than anywhere else I got it and I do not know the name of it.. It was inside of a building that gave Kayak tours. It was across the street from the weekend fair they have. do not go to the lady next door who sells them out of her camper... Horrible...

I hate to say it but Walmart was the best place to find souveniers. I asked several locals where to go to buy souveniers and they all said Walmart. We went to the coconut market place that was nice and alot of the shops just around some of the towns. Kauai does not have what I consider good shopping. Nothing like the Caribbean.

To say the least, Kauai is a beautiful Island. This is place you will not want to leave. It is so peaceful and relaxing.... I can not wait to go back! I have tried to remember everything but we did so much and had such a great time that I can not remember everything... I have been back for a little over a week and I don%26#39;t think I am over the jet lag yet... hehehe.. Well, Mahalo to everyone for their advise and sharing their experiences.

Aloha!

Trip Report -- 8/26 thru 9/2

Maspin, thanks for the great trip report. Sounds like you found Kaua%26#39;i agreeable. ;-)

I understand that you probably did only what a book advised, bu I do want to ask that people not feed the fish when snorkeling. It%26#39;s bad for them, and it%26#39;s bad for snorkelers. The Snuba folks have encouraged fish-feeding at Lawai Beach, and the fish have gotten aggressive to the point of nipping people.

Trip Report -- 8/26 thru 9/2

Not to pick on you but hopefully to educate. Feeding the fish, or any wildlife is un-natural, and eventually leads to problems. Once the fish get used to being fed they become agressive, and can pester and even bite those that swim in their vacinity. This subject has been discussed on this and other forums many times. I know people want the fish to come close to them, but they don%26#39;t understand the long term effect. Please all future travellers remember not to feed the fish, or other wildlife, they often will eat things which are harmful to them as well as expect it to be a part of human interaction.

Interesting--I have been reading this forum for a long time, and have never read not to feed the fish. I am no biologist but I can%26#39;t imagine how 1 piece of bread is going to train an oceanful of fish to bite swimmers. I just have never heard of such a thing before. If it is a real issue hopefully some noted biology expert from a zoo or something will speak up and put the word out to the guidebook authors. We were on Kauai for a week around the same time as OP and feeding the fish was a great experience.

/pbz

There was a discussion about this a few months ago about feeding fish - it%26#39;s like feeding any animals anywhere . . . it%26#39;s affects their natural habitat, altering their behavior. I don%26#39;t feed fish, simply because I want to watch how they act normally. While on Ke%26#39;e Beach, a little girl got her finger bit while her and her Dad were feeding the fish.

Maspin - Mahalo for the trip report - I enjoyed it and glad you had a great time. :)

Does this explain why the cat at Duane%26#39;s doesn%26#39;t even bother to get up when up a flock of tasty baby chickens walks within 2 feet?

/pbz

pbz - that might be it!! :)

Years ago, here in Denali Park, they had these little signs about 2 inches off the ground near one of the visitor centers telling the ground squirrels not to eat the food people would be trying to give them. It was an attempt to tell the tourists, but you should have seen how the ground squirrels ran out when the buses stopped. It worked out quite nicely for a fox that hung out in the area - never had to go far for a squirrel dinner. :)

Because I regularily go to Cozumel to dive that is where I was made aware of the problem. Before the area we generally dive was declared a National Marine Park divemasters and divers fed the fish %26amp; eels regularily. As a result the waters were full of both, but after the government banned the practice because of the Marine Park status the fish stocks seemed to dwindle, making me ask what had happened to all the big Groupers that we regularily saw years ago. The answer was that they were still in the area but because of the no feeding policy simply kept away from divers.

As for a previous discussion I searched out the one I was thinking about, this is the link.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29218-i304-k53929鈥?/a>

I have been diving with the turtles for years and they are the most gentle of animals. Unfortunately they have also become a large tourist attraction. There are several snorkle tour companies that conduct tours out in front of Kuhio Shores each day. When the cruise ships are in the small beach is often packed with tourists off the ships who pay about 90 dollars each for the privilege of swimming with the turtles. This has got to be disruptive and stressful for the turtles.

As for feeding the fish...DON%26#39;T!!!! Crackers, peas, and bread are not their natural foods. It upsets their natural environment, as well as their digestive systems, and yes, they will bite the fingers that feed them. I%26#39;ll never forget one idiot tourist spewing a can of liquid cheese into a frenzied school of fish and several of the watching swimmers getting bit.

Unfortunately many of the short timer tourists think this is some kind of Disneyland to be quickly exploited for their own entertainment and then left corrupted and sullied!

It%26#39;s not. It%26#39;s a precious natural ecosystem that needs to be preserved.

Am usually on the Maui forum but am considering Kauai. Never have seen folks feeding fish on Maui but did see it years ago( maybe 25) at Haunama Bay on Oahu. I understand that they have outlawed it there because its a park or something.

I am so glad that I wrote this wonderful trip report for it to get so thrown out of proportion. Yes I fed the fish one day with crackers, and only for about 5 minutes so that we could get some good pictures for my children. If it is so bad for them then yes they do need to ban it completely! Until then, people will continue to do so! I did not begin the fish feeding idea and will not be the last one to do so... To those who just don%26#39;t have anything else to do but complain, then do something to get it banned...

Thank you to all whom truely appreciated my report.

hawaiidan & all: how to divide a week to stay 3 places?

My husband and I want to explore BI from a variety of locations. We will have spent a week on Maui in Napili Point, and after the Big Island, we%26#39;ll spend a week on Kuai in a condo in Kuhio Shores. I may have made a mistake pinning us down to one location each place. We have a week on BI. We want to explore, move around, stay different places 2 or 3 nights, see the best of the Big Island. Beach time not important. I know we want to spend a night or 2 in Volcano N.P. Where else? How should we divide our time? Which areas? I don%26#39;t know where to start.

Feeling overwhelmed.

Indymama

hawaiidan %26amp; all: how to divide a week to stay 3 places?

Ok we overdo it by staying a week at Waikola Hilton west side BI and then make many trips around the island some even late at night which I don%26#39;t recommend. Kuhio shores is south on kauai and depending on time of year, you may want to spend some time on north shore. When we were there we stayed at same place ks and drove. You may want to divide your time on each island between north and south but if you have kids could be alot of packing and unpacking. kauai try Princeville and then K S. Read coalminers posts or put ideas(princeville) in search area upper left. Big Island usually Kona area north to Waimaii and then Hilo to volcano park with trips between. If traveling at night pay attention to roads from Kona to Vol park not greatest better go hilo north and up around (still windy).Seems more people speed at night. On big island at night have to watch out for cats, goats and donkies whereas on Kauai chickens.

hawaiidan %26amp; all: how to divide a week to stay 3 places?

Aloha Indymama!

You have the right idea in wanting to stay in several places around the Island of Hawaii. It is SO much larger than any of the other islands. Spend your first 2 nights near the airport where you arrive--Hilo or Kona. Spend the next 2 at Volcano, but not necessarily in the park. There are some wonderful B%26amp;Bs a mile from the entrance in Volcano Village and surrounding forest. (more later on) The next 2 nights should be in Hilo or Kona--whichever you haven%26#39;t stayed in yet, and the last night in Waimea or Honoka`a (halfway back to your exit airport.)

This is assuming you have 7 nights on -island, and you%26#39;re not flying out first thing in the morning, and that you arrive and leave from the same airport.

If you have 6 nights, and an afternoon or evening flight, then omit the overnight in Waimea/Honoka`a, and drive through on your last day as you head to the airport. Piece of cake!

Now, where to stay.

On the Kona side, Holualoa Inn is a great B%26amp;B-plus-coffee farm. It is at 1000%26#39; elevation, directly above Kailua-Kona with its restaurants %26amp; nightlife, and about 1/2 hour from Place of Refuge in South Kona. Spend a day prowling the small towns and coffee farms from Holualoa south to Honaunau. Several offer farm tours. Holualoa is also an artists%26#39; community. Ask locals where to eat.

At Volcano, stay at Volcano Rainforest Retreat, Volcano Teapot Cottage, Kilauea Lodge, or My Island B%26amp;B. All have websites. Eat at Volcano Golf Course, Kiawe Kitchen (yum!), Thai Thai or Kilauea Lodge. If you hike out to see the flow after dark, nothing will be open for dinner upon your return, so have dinner at noon %26amp; take a picnic.

In Hilo, cross-reference B%26amp;Bs between TripAdvisor%26#39;s reviews and the B%26amp;B Association%26#39;s website, www.stayhawaii.com. Restuarants not to miss: Hilo Bay Cafe (between Walmart %26amp; Office Max--everything is fabulous except the location and the ribs), Sombat%26#39;s Fresh Thai, the Seaside (best fresh fish!, ask to sit on the porch), Cafe Pesto, and best of all, Restaurant Kaikodo (not Japanese food). If you want to eat cheaply, there%26#39;s a food court near Hilo Bay Cafe, and a Farmers%26#39; Market in town.

Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Coconut Island (for the view), the tidepools in Puna, Imiloa Astonomy Center, Mauna Kea Observatories and star-gazing--all are in or very close to Hilo.

You didn%26#39;t say what your hobbies or interests are, so I can%26#39;t zero in on more specifics. Hope this helps.

Frozensnowman: Do you think I should change my reservations on Maui and Kuai from 1 week 1condo to 2 places each? (If I can--maybe nothing left available for Feb.) I thought we%26#39;d do a lot of hiking and kayaking in Kuai but now that I%26#39;ve read more, I think maybe I%26#39;m not tough enough. So maybe not enough to do on Kuai?

Hilogal: Wow, you%26#39;ve really helped me get a grip on this trip. I can%26#39;t wait to start looking at the places to stay you described. You mentioned that I didn%26#39;t describe our interests but what you put together sounds like it will meet all our interests perfectly. We don%26#39;t need to lie on a beach or play golf--we want to get a feel for the whole island. I%26#39;ve think your ideas will let us do that. Thanks so much.

February will make it hard to change your reservations. I don%26#39;t think you need to. Kauai has only so much driveable road -- a lot of the island is inaccessable even to hikers. You can drive it in a couple of days. Maui has more roads to more places. You will be trekking a lot in and out of West Maui -- far NW corner of the island. I think of Napili as a go there and stay there sort of vacation, but you%26#39;ll be OK. Only Big Island is reallllly BIG! If you stay a couple nights at the volcano, that should be plenty. There are few good lodgings anywhere on the island outside of the Waikiloa area. Hilo has virtually nowhere I would stay. We%26#39;ve stayed twice at Keauhou Surf %26amp; Racquet (condo) and three times in the Waikoloa area (hotel and condo). You%26#39;ll have your beaches on Kauai and (mostly South) Maui.

ChiSue, thanks for reassuring me that I don%26#39;t need to change my reservations--even though I didn%26#39;t realize I%26#39;d be doing a lot of trekking in and out by staying at Napili Point on Maui. Looks like we%26#39;ll be doing more go-there-stay-there on Maui and Kauai and lots more exploring on BI. For our 1st trip, it would be great to make it perfect, but when you%26#39;ve never been there, it%26#39;s so hard to get a feel for a place. I felt like I needed to book the condos fast (through VRBO) for Feb. but now I know I did it before I really understood each island--and how the weather in February affects choices of where to stay.

As others say Big Island is big. good to stay more ithan one place if easy to move.

we have been to Maui twice and stayed at Kihei, with one night in kaanapali. Depends on what you like, on Maui we prefer things east of Kihei. Napili Point is not very centrally located,

However don%26#39;t think I would change either, Maui is not that big and neither is Kauai. Go see what you like and plan for next trip. guess you will be back. we keep going.

Speaking of Napili on Maui, we enjoyed breakfast at the Gazebo, which I believe is located in the Napili Shores resort (I loaned my Maui book to a friend so can%26#39;t look it up for you). But the location is wonderful, right on the shore. Fabulous banana macademnia nut pancakes w/coconut syrup. They open at 7:30am but you can stand in line around 7am to be assured of a table (window is best) and they even have coffee to sip on while you are standing in line next to the pool. Anyway, sorry to put this on the BI forum but that wonderful breakfast is what I think of when I hear Napili!

Personally with a week I would pick only two bases on the Big Island, one west and one east. If possible I%26#39;d fly into Kona and out of Hilo or vice versa. Checking in and out is always more time-consuming than one expects. The island is indeed big, but from either base, West or East, you can get to most places on that side of the island in an hour or less. What%26#39;s difficult is staying entirely in West Hawaii and trying to see the rest of the island on day trips.

For the east side I would stay in a Hilo B%26amp;B or a Volcano B%26amp;B. I like Hilo better because I think Volcano is cold and I prefer tropical, and there is nothing much to do other than the park. But a lot of people like Volcano. From Hilo town you can go either to VNP or Hamakua coast easily on any given day. You can visit lower Puna from either base.

About Napili -- they%26#39;re right; it%26#39;s a pain to drive in and out through the huge artery blockage known as Lahaina. It%26#39;s not a good base for exploring Maui, but it%26#39;s a nice place to spend time in the water. Did you say February? That%26#39;s typically a wet time to explore the Hana side anyway so I wouldn%26#39;t worry about giving it a miss.

Keep in mind that February is most definitely winter in Hawaii and that on the windward sides that means rain. Very likely you%26#39;ll see rain in both Hilo and Volcano, so if that doesn%26#39;t appeal to you you might want to skew your trip to the West side of the Big Island. I sure hope next winter isn%26#39;t like last winter, but it rained almost every day here in East Hawaii last February! During rainy periods, the most reliable sunshine on the Big Island is along the South Kohala coast.

Apologies if I misread that your dates are in February ...

Thanks for tips on February in Hawaii. I guess it%26#39;s better to be prepared for lots and lots of rain, and then if we don%26#39;t get it, we%26#39;ll be pleasantly surprised. At least the rain will be warmer than the snow/sleet/rain/grey/awful weather we%26#39;ll be having here in the Midwest in February.

Feb stick with Kahio Shores in Kauai but plan to go back next trip in summer months and enjoy princeville. As for Bi, I like in one airport and out otheras people have stated above. Tthough like I said we spend week on BI and in west just 18mi north of Kona and traverse the island mulitple times not the best use of time.

ittwit

cruise from Waikiki

A flight attendant told me about a ';boose cruise'; - at least that is what she called it. I believe it leaves from the Outrigger Waikiki but I can%26#39;t find any info about it. Sounds like a wonderful way to spend our first evening on Oahu. Has anyone heard of this, or know the real name?

cruise from Waikiki

Here is a link to one, there are others. You don%26#39;t really need advance reservations, you can wait till you get to Oahu and pick one to go on.

http://www.nahokuii.com/

cruise from Waikiki

pubclub.com/hawaii/honolulu/boatdrinks.htm

has anyone stayed at hana aloha hale?

we are planning on staying there in september for 3 nights. the web site looks great, 2 bedroom 2 bath full house and an ancient hale that the owner

built on the property. But i havent seen any reviews.

has anyone stayed at hana aloha hale?

bump

has anyone stayed at hana aloha hale?

We plan on staying there 2 nights in September! I hope it is as good as the website:)

My boyfriend and I stayed there for two nights in March when the islands were having those major storms. We lucked out and there was a break in the rain during our stay, but since it was so wet, we didn%26#39;t get to take advantage of the whole property, and the hale looked wonderful! Next time.

The main house was everything we had expected it to be from the website - large and spacious with good air flow, lovely views and a decently equipped kitchen. The decor is very tasteful (not that tacky ';island condo style'; that seems to be so popular on Maui) and with the cathedral ceilings, I almost felt like I was in a loft. Being that there were only two of us, we only had access to one of the bedrooms, but it was the one attached to the lovely blue-tiled bathroom with a big soaking tub looking out onto the property. Really nice.

The kitchen had most of what we needed to cook every night, but not completely up to standard - the knives were dull, and there were a few implements we needed and they didn%26#39;t have. But it wasn%26#39;t that big of a problem. *side note: Hasegawa%26#39;s General Store (which you pass on the way to the house on the Hana Highway is a surprisingly good place to food shop with its organic produce, local artisanal cheeses and natural food products (along with all the normal staples). It%26#39;s not particularly cheap, but oh well. Their DVD rental selection is also excellent!

Getting back to the property, the grounds are very well maintained, and it was very peaceful and quiet. A paved driveway would be nice, at least in the rainy season, but again, it wasn%26#39;t a big thing. Lee Lopez, the owner, was also very nice. He gave us a big bag of grapefruits from his yard when we stopped to pick up the keys to the house on our way up.

All in all, we had a wonderful stay. I would highly recommend the property to Maui vacationers. It was absolutely worth the price!

If you do not end up staying there, I highly recomend Hana Oceanfront Cottages (they have a website.)

We stayed 3 nights and it was SUPERB in every way.

It is right in front of Hamoa Beach. Read my review in hotel section!

Looking for a place in Hana to stay for 3 nights with 2 adults and 3 teenagers. Can anyone comment on Hana Aloha Hale? We%26#39;re going in May, 2007.

chap balm