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US Airways Flights from Kauai Island (LIH) to Honolulu (HNL)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on US Airways, which operates 10 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Kauai Island (LIH) to Honolulu (HNL), departing between 8:55am and 9:15pm, and one additional non-stop flight regularly scheduled to depart at 5:20pm and arrive at 5:49pm, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays. Usually a Boeing 717 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Kauai Island, HI to Honolulu, HI is 29 minutes.
During your Honolulu vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Queen Emma Summer Palace
Hanaiakamalama, the name of the country estate of Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, was once in the secluded uplands of Nuuanu Valley. These days, it's adjacent to a six-lane highway full of speeding cars that sound remarkably like surf as they zip by. This simple, seven-room New England-style house, built in 1848 and restored by the Daughters of Hawaii, is worth about an hour of your time to see the interesting blend of Victorian furniture and hallmarks of Hawaiian royalty, including feather cloaks and kahili, the feathered standards that mark the presence of alii (royalty). Other royal treasures include a canoe-shaped cradle for Queen Emma's baby, Prince Albert, who died at the age of 4. (Kauai's ultra-ritzy Princeville Resort is named for the little prince.)
Bishop Museum
This forbidding, four-story Romanesque lava-rock structure (it looks like something out of a Charles Addams cartoon) holds safe the world's greatest collection of natural and cultural artifacts from Hawaii and the Pacific. It's a great rainy-day diversion; plan to spend about half a day here. The museum was founded by a Hawaiian princess, Bernice Pauahi, who collected priceless artifacts and in her will instructed her husband, Charles Reed Bishop, to establish a Hawaiian museum "to enrich and delight" the people of Hawaii. The institution is now home to Dr. Yosihiko Sinoto, the last in a proud line of adventuring archaeologists who explored more of the Pacific than Captain Cook and traced Hawaii's history and culture through its fishhooks.The Bishop is jam-packed with acquisitions -- from insect specimens and ceremonial spears to calabashes and old photos of topless hula dancers. A visit here will give you a good basis for understanding Hawaiian life and culture. You'll see the great feathered capes of kings, the last grass shack in Hawaii, preindustrial Polynesian art, even the skeleton of a 50-foot sperm whale. There are also seashells, koa-wood bowls, nose flutes, and Dr. Sinoto's major collection of fishhooks.Hula performances take place daily at 11am and 2pm, and various Hawaiian crafts, such as feather-working and quilting, are demonstrated. This daily cultural event is worth making time for. For a look at spectacular artifacts such as the ancient feather cloak of King Kamehameha and other items not shown to the general public, take the "Behind the Scenes Tour," offered weekdays at 1:30pm for an additional fee of $15.
Diamond Head
The 360-degree view from atop Diamond Head Crater is worth the 560-foot ascent and is not to be missed. You can see all the way from the Koko Crater to Barbers Point and the Waianae Mountains. The 750-foot-tall volcano, which has become the symbol for Hawaii, is about 350,000 years old. The trail to the summit was built in 1910 to service the military installation along the crater; it's about a 30-minute hike to the top, but it's quite manageable by anyone of any age. Diamond Head has always been considered a "sacred sight" by Hawaiians. According to legend, Hi'iaka, the sister to the volcano goddess Pele, named the mountain Leahi (meaning the "brow of the ahi") when she saw the resemblance to the yellowfin tuna (called "ahi" in Hawaiian). Kamehameha the Great built a "luakini heiau" on the top where human sacrifices were made to the god of war, Ku.The name Diamond Head came into use around 1825 when a group of British sailors (some say they were slightly inebriated) found some rocks sparkling in the sun. Absolutely sure they had struck it rich, the sailors brought these "diamonds" back into Honolulu. Alas, the "diamonds" turned out to be calcite crystals. The sailors didn't become fabulously rich, but the name Diamond Head stuck.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Honolulu area, including:
The Royal Garden at Waikiki
Looking for a quiet hotel, away from the crowds of Waikiki? This elegant boutique hotel, tucked away on a quiet, tree-lined side street, offers a different experience in elegant surroundings (the lobby is filled with European marble and chandeliers). The plush guest rooms feature pantry kitchenettes, marble bathrooms, lanais, lots of closet space, and views. The beach is a few blocks away, but at these prices, it's worth the hike.Facilities: 2 restaurants (country French, Japanese); 2 freshwater outdoor pools (1 with cascading waterfall); small fitness room; 2 Jacuzzis; 2 saunas; concierge; small business center; babysitting; coin-op washer/dryers; laundry service; dry cleaning; complimentary shuttle service to Honolulu shopping centers.
J&B's Haven
Brits Joan and Barbara Webb have had a successful bed-and-breakfast on Oahu since 1982. Barbara, who has lived in Hawaii since 1970, and her mother Joan, who moved to Hawaii in 1981, are both knowledgeable about Oahu's attractions and love introducing guests to the Hawaii they love. They recently moved to this beautiful house in Hawaii Kai, just 15 minutes east of Waikiki. It's close to Hanauma Bay, Sandy Beach, and Sea Life Park, and is within easy reach of three shopping centers with excellent restaurants. There are two rooms in the house: the large master bedroom, with private bathroom, king bed, mini-refrigerator, and microwave; and a smaller room with a small refrigerator. Note: This is a smoke-free house. They have two very friendly dogs that live inside, so if you're allergic to canine roommates, you might look elsewhere.
Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel
After a $30 million renovation on a very old and tired hotel, Aston opened this kitschy 717-room (85% with ocean views) property in late 2002. The location could not be better -- directly across the street from the beach. The rooms couldn't be smaller. The theme is Hawaiian nostalgia with a "contemporary island feel." But what you really have is a former budget hotel that has been repainted (garish colors -- screaming yellow or disgusting red), and a few decorating oddities that do not work. For example, the closets have beaded curtains (instead of doors) of a hula dancer who dances when the wind blows through. Sounds great, but not practical, every time you go into your closet you have to fight with the *#@! beads. We stayed here just a month after the opening and already the beaded curtain was falling apart. In the bathroom, another impractical idea is the arched shower curtain for a rectangle bathtub. Every time you take a shower, the semi-circle shower curtain lets all the water run on the floor. One of the good ideas is the "Breakfast on the Beach" deal where you get a free breakfast, which you can pack up in an insulated carrying bag and walk across the street to eat. This is a full, hot breakfast too, with several food stations offering everything from burritos (veggie, ham or cheese), pastries, fruit, and cereals to Japanese breakfast of miso, rice, and fish. If you can get a hot deal on the Internet ($104 was the going rate when we stayed here), it's worth it. But if you have to pay rack rates, you can do better.
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