US Airways Flights from Kona (KOA) to San Francisco (SFO)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on US Airways, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Kona (KOA) to San Francisco (SFO), departing between 1:36pm and 10:20pm. Usually a Boeing 757-200 or Boeing 767-300 is flown for this route. Generally, a movie is offered on this route. The average travel time from Kona, HI to San Francisco, CA is 4 hours and 58 minutes.
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During your San Francisco vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
The Exploratorium
Scientific American magazine rated the Exploratorium "the best science museum in the world" -- pretty heady stuff for this exciting hands-on science fair. It contains more than 650 permanent exhibits that explore everything from giant-bubble blowing to Einstein's theory of relativity. It's like a mad scientist's penny arcade, an educational fun house, and an experimental laboratory, all rolled into one. Touch a tornado, shape a glowing electrical current, finger-paint using a computer, or take a sensory journey in total darkness in the Tactile Dome ($15 extra) -- you could spend all day here and still not see everything. Every exhibit at the Exploratorium is designed to be interactive, educational, safe and, most important, fun. And don't think it's just for kids; parents inevitably end up being the most reluctant to leave. On the way out, be sure to stop in the wonderful gift store, which is chock-full of affordable brain candy.The museum is in the Marina District at the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts, the only building left standing from the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915. The adjoining park and lagoon -- the perfect place for an afternoon picnic -- is home to ducks, swans, seagulls, and grouchy geese, so bring bread.
San Francisco Zoo (& Children's Zoo)
Located between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Merced, in the southwest corner of the city, the San Francisco Zoo is a fun place to take the kids -- especially if you make it to the hands-on Children's Zoo. The zoo, which was founded at its present site adjacent to the ocean in 1929, is 125 acres, with 100 acres currently developed. Over 950,000 visitors come here annually to see the almost 950 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Exhibit highlights include the new Lipman Family Lemur Forest, a forest setting for five endangered species of lemurs from Madagascar that features interactive components for the visitor; Gorilla World, a tranquil setting for a family group of western lowland gorillas; Koala Crossing, which connects to the Australian WalkAbout exhibit with its kangaroos, wallaroos, and emu; Penguin Island, home to a large breeding colony of Magellanic Penguins; the Feline Conservation Center, a wooded sanctuary and breeding facility for endangered snow leopards and other small cats; and the Primate Discovery Center, home to rare and endangered monkeys. In the South American Tropical Forest building, a large green anaconda can be found as well as other South American reptile and bird species. Puente al Sur (Bridge to the South) has a pair of giant anteaters, a rare Baird's tapir, and capybaras. The Lion House is home to rare Sumatran and Siberian tigers and African lions. You can see the big cats fed every day at 2pm (except Mon). African Savanna, the latest exhibit, which opened in mid-2004, is a 3-acre mixed-species habitat with giraffes, zebras, antelope, and birds.The 6-acre Children's Zoo offers kids and their families opportunities for close-up encounters with domestic rare breeds of goats, sheep, ponies, and horses in the Family Farm. Touch and feel small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians along the Nature Trail (open Memorial Day to Labor Day), and gaze at eagles and hawks stationed on Hawk Hill. Visitors can see the inner-workings of the Koret Animal Resource Center, a thriving facility that houses the animals used in the educational outreach programs, and visit the incredible Insect Zoo. One of the Children's Zoo's most popular exhibits is the Meerkat and Prairie Dog exhibit, where kids can crawl through tunnels and play in sand, just like these two amazing burrowing species.Don't miss the Little Puffer miniature steam train, which takes passengers around a 1/3-mile track, and the historic Dentzel Carousel (both $2 per ride).
California Academy of Sciences
Originally clustered around the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park (in multiple buildings) and intending to return there around 2008 after a complete rebuild, this grouping of outstanding museums is now across from Moscone West, near the Yerba Buena Gardens and Center for the Arts. In its new location the Steinhart Aquarium houses some 5,400 animals, including seahorses, turtles, snakes, and poison dart frogs as well as a two-story 20,000-gallon living coral reef featuring Harlequin Tush fish, Yellow Tangs, sea stars, and a giant clam. Kids love the "touch tide pool" where they can get their mitts on live sea life.An edited version of the Natural History Museum has also been transplanted and hosts changing exhibits such as "Ants: Hidden Worlds Revealed," which shows the insects in action within six different live ant colonies. Some of the museum's permanent displays have moved, too, including Snake Alley, where terrestrial snakes reside; Astrobiology, an exhibit exploring life in extreme environments; and ScienceNOW, which presents a frequently changing display of Academy research, breaking science news, and expeditions around the globe. Toddlers will love the Nature Nest, an education center with hands-on learning activities.Families should look into the Academy's calendar of events, which includes fun kid-friendly festivities such as face-painting, storytelling, animal origami, and exhibit-related stories and demonstrations.
Grand Hyatt San Francisco
If the thought of a 10-second walk to Saks Fifth Avenue makes your pulse race, this high-rise luxury hotel is the place for you. The Grand Hyatt sits amid all the downtown shopping while also boasting some of the best views in the area. The lobby is indeed grand, with Chinese artifacts and enormous ceramic vases. Thankfully, the well-kept rooms were recently renovated; they're swankier than they used to be, but they still have an upscale corporate vibe. Each room has a lounge chair as well as a small desk and sitting area. Views from most of the 36 floors are truly spectacular.Rates for concierge-level Regency Club rooms ($45 extra) include access to the lounge, honor bar, continental breakfast, and evening hors d'oeuvres. Three floors hold business-plan guest rooms, each of which has a private fax and special services; for the extra $20 cost of the room, you get 24-hour access to a printer, a photocopier, and office supplies; free local calls and credit card phone access; and a daily newspaper.
The Ritz-Carlton
Ranked among the top hotels in the world, the Ritz-Carlton has been the benchmark for San Francisco's luxury hotels since it opened in 1991. A Nob Hill landmark, the former Metropolitan Insurance headquarters stood vacant for years until the Ritz-Carlton company acquired it and embarked on a $100-million, 4-year renovation. The interior was completely gutted and restored with fine furnishings, fabrics, and artwork, including a pair of Louis XVI blue marble urns with gilt mountings, and 19th-century Waterford candelabras. The Italian marble bathrooms offer every possible amenity: double sinks, telephone, name-brand toiletries, and plush terry robes. The more expensive rooms take advantage of the hotel's location -- the south slope of Nob Hill -- and have good views of the city. Club rooms, on the top floors, have a dedicated concierge, separate elevator-key access, and complimentary meals throughout the day. No restaurant in town has more formal service than this hotel's Dining Room, which is a fine place but is not included in this book's dining chapter, because, while excellent, others in its price range are more exciting. The less formal Terrace Restaurant offers contemporary Mediterranean cuisine and the city's best Sunday brunch. The lobby lounge serves afternoon tea and cocktails, daily, and sushi twice a week, with low-key live entertainment from 3pm to 1am.Facilities: 2 restaurants; bar; indoor heated pool; outstanding health club; Jacuzzi; sauna; concierge; courtesy car; business center; secretarial services; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage and manicure; babysitting; same-day laundry service/dry cleaning.
The Savoy Hotel
A European-style hotel through and through, the Savoy is one of my favorite moderately priced downtown hotels (The Warwick Regis, see below, is my other top pick). With a nice cozy apartment-like feel to each guest room, old well-cleaned bathrooms with original tiles, 18th-century period furnishings, fluffy featherbeds, and goose-down pillows, it's easy to relax here. Not all rooms are alike -- they can be small, but each has beautiful white wood shutters, full-length mirrors, and two-line telephones. Guests also enjoy access to the newly relocated Millennium, San Francisco's only gourmet vegan restaurant, which moved here from the Civic Center in 2003.
