Trip Introduction: South Africa, Namibia, Victoria Falls, Mauritius and the UAE via Emirates First Class and Qatar Business Class

Posted on September 13, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Africa + Namibia + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + South Africa + South Africa, Namibia, Victoria Falls, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates via Emirates First Class and Qatar Business Class + Trip Report + Trip Report Introduction + Zimbabwe

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In my experience, the African Continent reward travels are among the hardest award redemptions to pull off. Thanks to a remote location, limited capacity in premium cabins, high demand, and by failing to strategize by keeping too many of one points currency can limit your ability to get into the front cabin for one of the farthest destinations on earth. Thanks to diversification, we were able to put together a trip using a combination of award points in order to get us across Southern Saharan Africa in style, redeeming points for fabulous Emirates First Class and Qatar Business Class flights.

This post is one chapter on our trip to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines AAdvantage & Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Trip Introduction: South Africa, Namibia, Victoria Falls, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates via Emirates First Class and Qatar Business Class

Trip Background:

Planning the Overseas Flights:

After being fortunate enough to get 3 Round the World Trips and one Africa Trip out of Aeroplan’s frequent flier program, we started diversifying our point collections. The Emirates First Class award was always high on my mind as an experience I wanted to try. Thanks to a decent amount of seat availability, we were able to lock in and easily plan a trip. We decided to travel westward on Emirates since the flights usually leave for the Americas in the day time. This would allow us to spend more time awake enjoying the First Class experience and less time sleeping. The outstation lounges for Emirates didn’t look all too impressive so we decided to travel westward on Emirates and just had to pick the route.

Initially, we had planned to fly eastward on Etihad from the Americas to Abu Dhabi and a separate award down to Cape Town. Before we were ready to book, Etihad pulled its First Class award availability completely to and from the USA. At the time, when we added in the fact that Etihad was flying old Jet Airways configured aircraft between Abu Dhabi and Cape Town, compared to Qatar’s brand new Boeing 787’s, it made sense to scrap the Etihad First Class complications or challenges and stick with Qatar on the entire routing. We secured an AAdvantage Business Award from North America to Africa at 75,000 miles per person, which I found to be an excellent deal. The trip included flights on Qatar Airways Business Class Los Angeles – Doha on their Boeing 777, and on Qatar Airways Business Class Doha – Johannesburg on their bright Boeing 787.

For the return, thanks to Expertflyer and the Alaska Mileage Plan, I found generous Emirates First Class award availability at the 5 1/2 month mark departing Mauritius. Emirates serviced Mauritius with a double daily A380 and there were lots of seats available. First Class availability for 2, to and from South Africa, was almost non existent (with the exception of Harare in Zimbabwe on their old Emirates Airbus 340’s) so we opted for another short paid positioning side trip to Mauritius, repeating our 2013 visit experience. Between British Airways Comair Boeing 737 and the South African Airways A340’s, we were able to locate a full paid business class fare for 7,318 ZAR or $500 USD per person. I thought this was a reasonable price for a 4 hour international business class flight in a proper lie flat bed. Our return flights involved Emirates First Class Mauritius – Dubai, stopping over for several days, then Emirates First Class Dubai – Los Angeles, followed by Alaska Airlines First Class Los – Angeles – Seattle, redeemed from Alaska Mileage Plan for 100,000 miles per person and $103 USD in taxes and fees. We weren’t able to get any award availability into Vancouver, so we ended up having to purchase a revenue ticket on Delta Airlines First Class Seattle – Vancouver which was cheaper than any change fee when award space finally opened.

Planning Cape Town, South Africa:

We had both been to Cape Town before and had loved it. It’s particularly beautiful and it was my third trip back there. During our time in Cape Town, we stayed at the Westin Cape Town. We had stayed here before but it’s such a convenient property and has everything that we’d needed. We were on a paid rate of 1,800 ZAR ($125 USD) a night, so I I thought that paying cash was a better deal than redeeming against points for our four day stay. We were Starwood Preferred Guest Platinums (now Marriott Bonvoy Platinum) so we had complimentary access to their terrific Westin Executive Lounge, which offered a complimentary breakfast; adding further value.

Planning Namibia:

I had always wanted to visit Namibia and this was our opportunity. Although we could have flown from Cape Town to Windhoek on an indirect route using the BA Avios points through Johannesburg, it was a route that would involve almost double or triple the time as it was several thousands of miles out of the way. We opted for the shorter non stop direct flights on Air Namibia, the national flag carrier of Namibia. We paid cash for those tickets flying Air Namibia Cape Town – Windhoek, stopping over for our stay in Namibia, then Windhoek – Victoria Falls for 4,590 ZAR or $320 USD. We had considered paying for Business Class, but it was pricing at over $900 USD per person for the short segments, so we passed. These flights were less than two hours each so it wasn’t a huge loss.

While we were in Namibia, we stayed at the Sossus Dune Lodge Lodge in Sesriem. This was an interesting place that was highly recommended by one of my past friends who was a writer for the Lonely Planet Nambia Travel Guide since it was near the largest and tallest san dunes in the world. Our stay at the Sossus Dune Lodge was booked directly for $175 USD a night, which I found was quite reasonable for a stand alone private villa. We also stayed at the world class & unique Pelican Point Lodge in Walvis Bay and the Hilton Windhoek. We booked the Pelican Point Lodge through Expedia for $500 USD a night. Since I was not a Hilton Honors collector, we booked the Hilton Windhoek through online travel agency RocketMiles for $210 USD a night and 3,500 Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Since Namibia is quite remote and there isn’t a lot of public transportation, we rented a truck with Hertz. We ended up self driving around the country and to all our destinations which was an interesting experience.

Planning Zimbabwae:

MrsWT73 had an interest in seeing Victoria Falls, Zimbabwae after seeing it on the US Version of The Amazing Race Season 27. It seemed like it had grown up since my last visit there in 1998 when it was a simple “back water” town (not intended to be a joke). We flew into Namibia on a continuation of our flight on Air Namibia Windhoek – Maun – Victoria Falls. For this visit, we booked in at the colonial and beautiful Victoria Falls Hotel for two nights. I’m not sure why but Expedia was offering a better rate than booking with the hotel directly. Through Expedia, we paid a rate of $440 USD for a Standard Room with Full Breakfast versus rates of over $560 USD booking direct on their website. We planned a visit to the falls as well as the usual sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi which is always a neat experience. Our flight departing Zimbabwe to Johannesburg was on British Airways Comair Club Victoria Falls – Johannesburg using BA Avios. We redeemed 7,500 British Airways Executive Club Avios and $50 USD Per Person for “Club” Business Class for this international flight.

Planning Mauritius:

Our return trip to Mauritius was unexpected and was simply based on award availability requiring us to position to this Indian Ocean island. We flew into the country on South African Airways Business Class Johannesburg – Mauritius. We stayed at our usual favourite the St Regis Mauritius in Le Morne, and rented a car through Sixt. We had considered the hotel car transfer, but found it easier and more economical to just rent a car and drive. While we didn’t end up using the car all too much during our short stay, the convenience of having one can’t be beat.

Planning the United Arab Emirates:

On our return flight to North America, we built in a stopover in the United Arab Emirates courtesy of the terms and conditions of the Alaska Mileage Plan. We stayed at our usual favourite The Grosvenor House in a Deluxe Suite at the Dubai Marina, mostly so we would have access to the Royal Meridien Resort at Jumeriah Beach. We also rented a car from the “in hotel” National Car outlet, so that we could take in a day drive to Al Ain.

The Routing:

After it was all put together, our routing ended up looking like follows:

YVR-LAX-DOH-JNB-CPT (AAdvantage Award)
CPT-WDH-MUB-VFA (paid)
VFA-JNB (BA Avios Award)
JNB-MRU (paid)
MRU-DXB-LAX-SEA (Alaska Mileage Plan Award)
SEA-YVR (paid)

Our Six Ticket Africa Routing Ended Up Like This

All up, this trip was a pain to organize with many moving parts. I was relieved when it was all done, which was mid way through the trip.

I hope you’ll enjoy the next segments of our adventures to probably my most favourite travel continent on earth!

If you’ve built a reward trip to Africa, how did you go about doing it?

Tags: Trip Report Introduction

Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, Kahului Maui – Bellingham

Posted on September 12, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Boeing 737 + Business Class + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report

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The Alaska Airlines First Class service from Maui to Bellingham allowed us to sneak onto one of the few day time operated flights that didn’t require a red eye overnight flight back to North America. Our flight was scheduled to depart Hawaii at 2:30 PM, allowing a more dignified and comfortable return to North America, landing at 10:13 PM. This is easily an advantage to fly American Carriers back to North America and a great tip to chose your routing and flight schedule carefully.

This post is one chapter on our trip to Honolulu & Maui, Hawaii, United States of America. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan and Fairmont President’s Club. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, Kahului Airport Maui – Bellingham International Airport

“Alaska Airlines First Class featured a traditional recliner seat, along with some innovative catering and exceptionally friendly service”

Alaska Airlines
First Class
OGG-BLI (Kahului International Airport – Bellingham International Airport)
AS 808 – First Class (G)
January 12, 2016
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 2:25 PM
Arrival: 10:13 PM

Checking into Alaska Airlines First Class:

We left the Fairmont Kea Lani. We were sad to go after such a great short stay. We took in one last parting view from the 7th floor of our wing at the breach overlooking the Fairmont Villa’s.

We returned our rental at Hertz. The roving return met us and we had the quick bus over to the terminal. We put our checked bag through the agriculture inspection and proceeded over to check in. All the computer kiosks were off work sick today so we queued in the regular first class line. There was a very short line at the Alaska First Class check in, but with two counter agents working, we were checked in quickly. Okay – it’s also fair to say we had a few bags as well.

Alaska First Class and MVP Check In Maze

We had baggage as we packed our own snorkels, masks and dry bags with us

We went through with TSA Pre-Check and into the departure area of the Kahului airport. Like the Honolulu airport, it has some nice open breezeways in a very dated and 1980’s functional décor. There haven’t been many changes here over the years!

On the Secure Side at OGG Kahului Airport

We took in lunch at the food court and the California Pizza Kitchen. There are no accessible lounges here for Alaska customers and we had deliberately arrived late so that we weren’t at the airport for too much longer prior to our flight. As a matter of fact, there aren’t many lounges at all at Kahului Airport unless you’re travelling Hawaiian Airlines. After lunch, we went over to the Alaska gates at the end at gate number 1.

Arriving to Gate 1, we had an air conditioned holding area that was quite busy.

Alaska continued its’ trend to start boarding of its flights early, and this one was no exception. Despite posting a 25 minute flight delay, we were being boarded at T-45, with a plane that had already been at the gate for some time. There was certainly some “honesty” in the flight schedule.

Alaska Airlines B737-8 being prepared to take us to Bellingham

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On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

We boarded our Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-8 into first class. The Alaska Airlines First Class cabin is a 2-2 configuration set in a deep blue with heavily upholstered leather seats.

We settled in on board, this time in row 3A / 3C. It was the third row of a four row first class cabin. It was far enough away from the galley, but not completely in the back near economy.

Alaska Airlines First Class Seats B737-8

Pre-Departure Services:

There was a bottle of Dasani water available on our seats in the center console. A pre-departure beverage was offered today which was a mimosa made from sparkling wine mixed with passion fruit guava. This was presented in the usual plastic cup; which is a bit of a low rent touch. While we were settling in, our captain announced a flight time of 4 hours and 58 minute during the pre-flight announcements.

A Pre-Departure Beverage of Mimosa with Passion Fruit Guava or Dasani Water

As we got underway, we had a slight hold prior to taxi and a departure on runway 7. Some neat plane spotting on the way out. We were able to spot the Alaska Airlines Hawaiian Livery with the Hawaiian Lei around Chester at the rear vertical stabilizer, and a Hawaiian Airlines Airbus 320 on the apron at Maui.

Alaska Airlines B737-8 in Hawaiian Livery

Taking off from Maui:

There were some great views over the North Shore coastline as we climbed to altitude.

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The Meal: A Full Dinner

Once we were at altitude, printed menus were passed out. It’s nice to see that Alaska Airlines still goes with a printed menu on it’s Hawaiian flights; one of the few routes that it still provides them.

Alaska Airlines First Class Service Menu OGG-BLI

Due to some turbulence, dinner and beverage service took a little time and started about T+60 into the light with the mains being served at about T+90 (4:15 PM Hawaiian Standard Time).

A snack service was offered. A drink with the Alaska Sunrise blend “oat bran, sesame sticks, dried banana chips, and dried cranberries”.

A Chateau St Michelle Chardonnay with the Alaska Sunrise Blend

Today’s appetizer was Wasabi Pea Crusti Ahi with Guacamole, hijiki seaweed salad, warm Hawaiian sweet roll, paired with Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay from Washington. There were some great sunset views while I enjoyed the start of the meal.

Wasabi Pea Crusti Ahi with Guacamole, hijiki seaweed salad, and a warm Hawaiian sweet roll

Sunset Views While we Headed Towards North America

I asked for the macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi with beurre blanc sauce but by the time they got to the ninth dinner order, so I ended up with the buffalo seasoned chicken breast, with roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted celery root and carrots, again paired with Chateau St Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay. It was definitely a “pub style” effort different than many other meals that you’d have on a plane.

Buffalo Seasoned Chicken Breast, with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Celery Root and Carrots,

Dessert was a tasty purple Okinawa sweet potato cheesecake. I enjoyed this with a coffee and the Steve Jobs movie on the tablets.

In Flight Entertainment:

As I had I mentioned earlier, Alaska doesn’t have hard wired in flight entertainment, rather they hand out Toshiba Tablets loaded with movies. The tablets are free in first class, they were announced as being $10 to rent in economy.

I ended up watching a little of the movie as we continued with our afternoon flight back to the mainland.

The Second Service: A Snack Basket

In the last ninety minutes of flight, a snack basket round was offered. The choices included Almonds, Kettle Chips, Pop Lite and gourmet popcorn, which was consumed as I worked on the trip report. Admittedly, I got a bit bored with the Steve Jobs Movie.

The flight passed by really quickly and before we knew it, we were down at the deserted Bellingham airport. There were only three flights left to land at the end of the day and most of the place was pretty buttoned up.

Arriving to Bellingham International Airport

Our bags were out in 10 minutes and another 5 minutes later, we were on the Interstate 5 back up to Canada.

My Thoughts on Alaska Airlines First Class Hawaiian Service:

Overall, Alaska Airlines is a reasonable alternative to other carriers. The service is typically pleasant, the food. is always interesting and the ability to arrive back to the mainland North America on an afternoon flight (as opposed to a red eye flight) is an advantage that can’t be understated. The ability to use smaller Bellingham is also a great alternative to busy Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

If you’ve flown from Hawaii, is the afternoon flight return time slot to the mainland a key advantage for you ?

Tags: Alaska Airlines, AS 808, BLI, OGG

Walking the Wailea Beach Walk to Spago’s at the Four Seasons, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Posted on September 11, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + North America + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Region Visit + Trip Report + United States

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One of the benefits of staying right in the heart of Wailea is the ability to walk the Wailea Beach walk between wonderful resorts and spectacular coast line. During our stay, we walked from the Fairmont Kea Lani up to the Four Seasons Resort Wailea Maui, all while taking in the coast and sunset views this particular postal code has to offer.

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Activity: Walking the Wailea Beach Walk to Spago’s at the Four Seasons Hotel, Maui, United States of America

We had a super relaxing stay at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea, Maui, United States.

For dinner one night, we took the Wailea Beach Walk from the Fairmont Kea Lani over to the Four Seasons.

The Wailea Beach Walk from Fairmont to Four Seasons

Walking the Wailea Beach Walk:

The Wailea Beach walk is one of the nicest ocean walks that are out there and the scenery is perfect for a walk or a run. I was lucky that I was able to get in a run here on our first morning while MrsWT73 caught up on some sleep. Google doesn’t recognize the use of back ways off the property, making this walk much shorter than the posted 27 minutes.

Looking Back Southwards Towards the Fairmont Kea Lani

Walking Northwards along the Coast Line of the Wailea Beach Walk

Landscaped Gardens on the Wailea Beach Walk

Views Towards the Grand Wailea Resort by Waldorf Astoria

The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea:

We finally arrived at the intimate Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. It is a smaller scale property that is wedged between two others. It still has a wonderful view and tiered pool area overlooking the ocean.

I had intended to have us go Ferraro’s for a sunset drink. Unfortunately, the Four Seasons has a terrible set up with the bar offering only standing room for sunset drinks. There were lots of tables but nowhere to sit as they were all blocked for dinner reservations.

Sunset at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea:

We ended up giving up on Ferraro’s since the standing around clutching your drink got old pretty quickly and taking our drinks out to a nearby pool lounger to watch the sun set which is somewhat off set from the NW angle of the Four Seasons property orientation.

Sunset Views offset from the North Westerly Orientation of the Four Seasons

After the sundowner, we had a bit of time before our 7:30 PM reservation at Spago’s. We went up to the lobby bar and took into another drink there while we waited for our table for 7:30 PM. We enjoyed some nice pupus, olives, cheese plate and a local Kona Brewing Company beer.

Celebrating the Day with a Kona Big Wave Golden Ale Beer

Spago Maui Wolfgang Puck:

We continued onto Spago’s in the Four Seasons. It was a bit of a mainstream choice, but these selections satisfied MrsWT73’s sometimes straightforward palette. We had a nice table with a pleasant view over the grounds.

The crowd seemed to be mostly older mid career couples attending a nearby aviation conference with dinner tastes that seemed to run towards expense accounts.

The menus were contemporary. They were exciting enough for me but main stream enough for MrsWT73.

An amuse bouche was brought out with compliments of the chef. It was a hot tomato soup of some kind. We settled on a bottle of Cristom Pinot Gris from Williamette Valley in Oregon. As can be expected, there were lots of terrific West Coast USA wines available.

I went for a repeat and had another Hawaiian Big Eye Seared AhI tuna with micro-greens. It was well prepared and presented beautifully – much nicer than Nick’s Fishmarket at the Fairmont the night before.

Hawaiian Big Eye Seared Tuna with Microgreens

MrsWT73 had the Indian spiced mahi mahi with Kuala Parsnip Puree. It wasn’t too her liking, due to the spice of the sauces not pairing with the fish to her tastes. A thumbs down from her on this one.

The service at Spago was again like Nick’s; it was surprisingly absent. We poured our own wine for most of the evening as the glasses ran dry at every opportunity. The staff were pleasant however when they were around, they just weren’t around that often.

We took the courtesy Fairmont Cadillac Escalade back to the Fairmont Kea Lani after our dinner and they were around to collect us within 7 minutes of making the call.

My Thoughts on the Wailea Beach Walk:

The Fairmont Kea Lani is situated almost right in the middle of the Wailea Beach Walk. It’s a great location to be in as walking to other restaurants and hotels is easy. The coastal scenery is also spectacular, making this part of Maui a spectacular and inspirational place to stay. The ability to be able to walk to Spago for dinner also makes for a great option when staying the Wailea area.

If you’ve paid visited the Four Seasons or the Wailea Beach walk, did it make it into your travel memories?

Tags: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Spago Maui Wolfgang Puck, Wailea Beach Walk

Review: The Fairmont Kea Lani, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Posted on September 10, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Fairmont + Hotels + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report

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The Fairmont Hotel Brand doesn’t always get a lot of love from frequent travellers thanks to its less than engaging award program. It used to have a stand alone award program called Fairmont President’s Club, until it was absorbed by Accor which has a stronger European foot print. Despite its stand alone independent nature, we ended up with a three day stay at the Fairmont Kea Lani in beautiful Wailea, Maui in Hawaii. We couldn’t have been happier with our stay.

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Review: The Fairmont Kea Lani, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

“A Surprisingly Great Stay with Massive Suites, an Excellent Beach Superior Services levels and Better Value Overall than our Last St Regis and Park Hyatt Resort Stays “

I had decided on the Fairmont Kea Lani as we had previously obtained Fairmont’s President’s Club Premier status with our past stays at the Fairmont Vancouver International Airport, the Fairmont Norfolk and the Fairmont Mara Safari Club. With that mid level status, they offered a “stay two nights, get one free” certificate, a suite and a room upgrade, and $50 off dining for the loyalty year, all of which were expiring for me in February of the next year. We just hadn’t been staying in many areas where there were Fairmont properties for 3 consecutive nights and hadn’t found the ability to use any of the features of our Premier status, without deliberately going out of our way.

I had my eyes on this property and when a Black Friday sale (of all things) came up, we booked at the reduced rate, and thankfully applied the certificate to the room. I had also heard great things through word of mouth of just about anyone that had stayed here.

Getting to the Fairmont Kea Lani:

After we arrived off our Hawaiian Airlines First Class Honolulu – Maui flight, we took the rental car shuttle over to the rental car lot at Hertz. We picked up our mid size Toyota Corolla in the Gold Canopy aisle, which was actually upgraded to an Infiniti QX80, courtesy of Hertz Five Star status.

I didn’t mind the car upgrade today as we weren’t planning on doing too much driving around Maui. We had a courtesy stop at the Maui Costco for supplies (and a fully loaded Costco hot dog!) and we drove the 30 minutes down from the airport to Wailea.

We arrived to the beautiful Fairmont Lea Kani. We dropped the bags and self parked the car.

Our first impressions walking into the lobby area were “Wow – what a super impressive property!”. It started with a gorgeous lobby with open air high ceilings. The hotel was everything that the Honolulu hotels were not- impressive spaces that were beautiful and reminiscent of large scale resorts in South East Asia with beautiful public areas and even a view of the ocean from the arrival.

Lobby Reception at the Fairmont Kea Lani

Wide Open Lobby Spaces at the Fairmont Kea Lani

Elegant and Wide Lobby and Public Spaces

All rooms at the Fairmont Kea Lani property are considered suites. At check in, I attempted to use a suite upgrade and a room upgrade from my Fairmont President’s Club Premier Club profile at the front counter (as they were expiring anyway) but was told not to worry about it as the hotel had already offered us a double category upgrade from mountainside to a partial ocean view suite (skipping the pool suite category). I didn’t bother asking them if we could apply a certificate on top of that to upgrade to a villa as that was a pretty sweet (and unusual) upgrade as far as I was concerned. We had booked a Mountain View suite (which was one category up from the base room).

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The Room: A Partial Ocean View Suite

We were led up to the room by the bell man with our bags. Although the Fairmont Kea Lani is an older property, I found that this was actually to our advantage as it resulted in a larger room footprint.

Outdoor Corridors: Arriving to the Partial Ocean View Suite

Immediately after entering the room, a small foyer led to the bathroom and the living area.

On arrival, the bellman pointed out the main features for the room, he positioned the bags, pointed out the features of the room and pro-actively collected us some ice. It was very stellar service and consistent with a high end property.

The Bedroom:

The Partial Ocean View Suite featured a proper king size bed, in its own room. There were proper sized bedside tables, along with direct access to the room balcony.

The bedroom featured a smaller flat screen television, along with a closet area and direct access to the ensuite bathroom.

The Bathoom:

The bathroom was a full sized and full featured bathroom. There was a stand up shower, and a separate elevated bathtub. The only disadvantage to the bathroom where the pedestal sinks, which I find aren’t ideal for counter top storage when you are travelling and just want to throw your stuff on the counter. The Toiletries were Le Labo branded, which were a nice brand to use during our stay.

Living Area:

The Fairmont Kea Lani Suites offer a large and proper sized living area. The couches in our living room had a slight curve in them, allowing a look around the room or inward into the room dependent on where you sit on the couch.

A Large Outdoor Lanai Balcony:

The room featured a medium sized outdoor lanai balcony. While it was not as large as a balcony as you’d expect in a villa, it was definitely one of the larger hotel room balconies I’d ever had the opportunity to enjoy. The outdoor lanai offered a table for four, in addition to a single lounger. The lounger didn’t have any sun as our room was facing on the north side of the building.

A North Facing Lanai with a Partial Ocean View

The room was in excellent shape and was very well equipped. The only shameless thing here was the fine print for the room service. Fairmont adds a $5.00 delivery charge AND 20% service charge to all room service bills. Fairmont flat out admits in the fine print in the room guide that part of the service charge serves as “tips or wages” and that “a portion of the service charge is retained by the hotel as an administrative fee”. There is nothing like greasing your guests for more money. . . I found this to be a bit disappointing on the part of Fairmont. . .

“We allocate a portion of this service charge to service staff as tips or wages…”

The concierge also provided a text to request any service, which was highly convenient.

Our room was also replenished with abundant bottled water, Keurig coffees (5 capsules per day per room) and Le Labo toiletries. There were even free Travel and Leisure Magazines in the room that were even replaced when I took my copy to the beach for a read one day. There were Conde Nast Traveler Magazines available in the gym for treadmill junkies. All in all, it was a highly impressive and miles ahead of what I had been offered at high end Starwood / Marriott properties. We were really happy with the room configuration and size and it made for a very comfortable holiday stay.

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Around the Hotel:

The Resort Pools and Lounger Areas:

The grounds here are just impressive and well taken care of. The landscaping was immaculate! It offered an impressive pool and beach area that sloped down gradually towards the water.

Beautiful Pool Area with a shallow end for kids

Moving down towards the Ocean, the resort grounds were nicely landscaped towards the Ocean with green grass areas. We ended up spending many days down here away from the quieter areas away from the pool.

Terraced Lawns Sloping Downwards towards the Ocean

Comfortable loungers that were rarely fully occupied

The Fairmont Kea Lani Beach at Wailea:

We situated ourselves and walked down to the beach. The beach was pretty nice; a solid 8 out of 10. The sand was of high quality as well and fairly fine. Unfortunately, red flags were up signalling no swimming for the duration of our visit, but still nice loungers available all over the property without any need to charge just to sit in them unlike the hotel customers in Waikiki!

The more time that we spent here, the more I came to realize the amount of inclusions that Fairmont offers as compared to Starwood. The closest hotels in the Starwood brand are probably the St. Regis. We definitely felt that we got a better value out of our stay at the Fairmont Kea Lani compared to our last beach resort stay at the St Regis Mauritius. Everything was provided here as an inclusion.

Despite the ridiculous $35 US a Day per room resort charges (a trend that I doubt will be going away anytime soon), there were many more inclusions with that fee. Free water (ice and cucumber / lemon infused), free sun screen and free aloe vera were abundant about the property. Off resort, there were free courtesy rides around Wailea in their swank Cadillac Escalade house cars (arranged by phone). Fairmont even had staff running around with moistened towels for it’s beach customers in a feature that I hadn’t seen since our stay in 2010 at the JW Marriott in Phuket.

MrsWT73 also shared her praise. It was second nicest hotel “ever” falling behind the Park Hyatt Maldives. I think that she was impressed by the space and the size of the bathroom. Needless to say, as a husband, it made my life very easy as every need she could have ever wanted was taken care of by the resort.

The Fairmont Canoe Outrigger Experience:

On the date of our departure, we had the Fairmont Canoe outrigger experience. This is an inclusion in the resort charge where Fairmont will take 5 guests out with two guides (front and rear) on an outrigger canoe. The outrigger canoe is a traditionally styled long canoe with an outrigger to balance it.

We had signed up on Sunday and two and a half days later, the only times that we were able to get were on the day of departure. We weren’t able to get times together, so we went separately with MrsWT73 at 7 AM, and I went at 10 AM.

I watched from the shore while MrsWT73 went out. She was able to get in some massive whales breeching three times almost next to her canoe. Even her guides were impressed as they were talking about it 3 tours later.

Unfortunately, I got almost no sightings at 10 AM, but it was nice to be out on the water with some nice views of Halehakala volcano which was as clear as it ever was for the trip. It was a nice experience and great that it was included as part of the resort charge. The key for this is to book as soon as you arrive at the concierge desk as they do not run the canoe experience 7 days a week. On our visit, it was being run only 5 days a week. All in all, the experience was a memorable addition to our Fairmont stay.

Sunsets from the Chair Loungers at the Fairmont

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Food and Beverage:

Nick’s Fishmarket Maui Restaurant:

I had arranged our first dinner at Nick’s Fishmarket conveniently via Open Table. Nick’s Fishmarket is on the Fairmont property as one of their flagship hotel restaurants. On arrival, we were seated on the patio out doors. It was a pleasant setting with a nice view over the resort pools and pathways gently sloping away from the restaurant building. It had an interesting and varied menu, with most meals around the $40 to $50 mark.

We went with a refreshing Whitehall Lane Sauvingon Blanc from Napa Valley. It’s a bit of a treat to have American Wines while in America as the import tax and currency exchange on them in Canada makes them as expensive as any French or Italian Wine.

MrsWT73 had the mahi mahi which she said was excellent and well cooked.

I ordered an Ahi Tuna Oscar which was supposed to be a “seared” Ahi Tuna with Crab Leg with Béarnaise Sauce. I even went so far as to inquire before ordering about whether the ahi was seared or fully cooked through? I was assured that “ahi should never been cooked through”. Well of course, you can see where this was headed… When it arrived it was presented beautifully but almost fully cooked through. I took a few bites into it to see if it was just the edges that had the full cook. I actually did “the rare for me” (no pun intended) ) send back of the dish since I had asked about it before hand and it was $47 a dish. I don’t think I’ve ever sent anything back before but at these prices (chuckling)… just a shame because it was a nice cut of fish and that they were probably too busy in the kitchen in order to attend to it carefully.

Unfortunately, an almost fully cooked Tuna

This resulted in both our dishes being removed and as a result, we got two fresh ones. The staff were very apologetic and there seemed to be good communication between the wait staff and the front of the house. The second one was seared appropriately. All in all one and a half thumbs up and an easy dinner for our first night at the property.

The service was attentive but it seemed to operate in a “team” environment meaning that, despite waiter introductions, we didn’t have any one main point of contact. This meant it was challenging getting wine refills and the like (water boy wouldn’t pour the wine etc). It was great service, but just not enough of it.

My Thoughts on The Fairmont Kea Lani:

I was surprised at the Fairmont Kea Lani. While it’s a hotel that I wouldn’t have always considered when visiting Wailea, it turned out to be an excellent location for a holiday. The property is an older property but makes up for that in a larger room size, making any stay exceptionally comfortable. The property offers a lot of inclusions within its resort fee, and nothing beats upscale Wailea for a luxury holiday in the Island State of Hawaii, USA.

If you’ve stayed in Wailea, Maui do you have a favourite resort property?

Tags: Fairmont President's Club, Hotel Review

Review: Hawaiian Airlines First Class B717-2, Honolulu – Kahului Maui

Posted on September 9, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Boeing 717 + Business Class + Hawaiian Airlines + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report

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Hawaiian Airlines operates a funky first class cabin on its inter island flights between Hawaiian Islands. If you plan in advance, it’s pretty easy to pick up a first class fare for only a few more dollars than economy class. When you do this, you’re able to collect a suite of inclusions that’s almost like getting first class for free.

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Review: Hawaiian Airlines First Class B717-2, Honolulu – Kahului Maui

“Hawaiian Airlines First Class is the only real way to get around the islands with inclusions such as Priority Boarding, included Checked Baggage Allowance and Complimentary Hawaiian Airlines Premier Lounge Access “

Hawaiian Airlines
First Class
HA 398 – First Class (F)
HNL-OGG (Honolulu International Airport – Kahului International Airport)
January 9, 2016
Booked: Boeing 717
Flown: Boeing 717-2
Departure: 12:50 PM
Arrival: 1:33 PM

We ended up purchasing first class outright on this leg as the premium was only about $25 per ticket after you added up the ancillary charges of a checked bag. We credited to AAdvantage frequent flier program and the points did turn up approximately 30 days after the flight.

We ended up leaving the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Honolulu for boarding at Gate B5.

Hawaiian Airlines operates a fleet of twenty Boeing 717-200 twin engine jet aircraft for its regional island hop flights between the Hawaiian Islands. They are a quirky aircraft originally designed as a McDonnell Douglas MD-95, eventually marketed as a Boeing 717 when Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997. There are less than 150 Boeing 717’s in operation in the world, with the primary users being Hawaiian Airlines, Delta Airlines and Qantas Airlink.

The Unusual Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717

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On Board Hawaiian Airlines First Class:

When it came time to board, there was a proper first class boarding, with first class actually being boarded first.

The Hawaiian Airlines First Class is a tiny two row first class cabin in a 2-2 configuration, consisting of eight seats overall.

Hawaiian Airlines B717-2 First Class Cabin

The seats on the Hawaiian First Class section are somewhat tighter than the regular barca lounger style seats found on Boeing 737 or Airbus 320 series aircraft. Despite being a bit tighter, they are better than the usual blocked middle economy seats found on intra European narrow body aircraft.

In terms of seating position, the seats are somewhat compact and you sat bolt upright when they were in the upright position. I felt that I was being disciplined at school it was seating that was so “straight up”.

If you are travelling with hand luggage, make sure you board early. We appreciated the Priority Boarding as the Boeing 717’s are really tight on bin space in the First Class Section. There’s room for one suitcase per bin and that’s it.

Since the Hawaiian Airlines First Class Cabin is so small, it’s not a very elegant or spacious place. It is also missing any marketing or otherwise colorful accents, opting for a plain bulkhead wall.

The Plain Atmosphere of the Hawaiian Airlines First Class Cabin

There was only space for for three rollies total in the front cabin. If you’re traveling with a rollie like I do, make sure you get there early!! We had to stick MrsWT73’s rollie behind the curtain above row 4 in economy class.

As we settled in, the pilot (or first officer) was testing the automated warning message system. I actually found it to be quite comical, breaking up the dreary usual cabin preparation activities. There were no sandal markings on the bulkhead with a Hawaiian themed “Mahalo”.

Departing Honolulu International Airport:

There were some nice views today of Hawaiian Airlines aircraft, and some Japan Airlines aircraft on the apron. Unfortunately, the windows were pretty dirty for photographs.

The drink order was taken while we were on the ground. We went with Mai Tai’s today. There was also red and white wine, and some generic beers (Heineken etc) as well as the usual soda pops. Through the pre-departure announcement, alcoholic drinks and beers were available for purchase in economy.

The “In Flight” Service: A Complimentary Mai Tai

We were airborne really quickly with some great island spotting views on the way.

Once we reached a cruising altitude, our Mai Tai’s with ice were served in plastic cups.

It was a pretty quick flight all up with some island spotting along the way.

We barely had time for a drink refills as we descended on our nice approach into Kahuliui, Maui

A Sister Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717-2 at OGG

My Thoughts on Hawaiian Airlines First Class Inter Island Service:

All in all, it was a pleasant inter island flight. Hawaiian Airlines doesn’t offer an over the top experience that you’d get on a wide body flight. In our case, there was only minimal difference between the first class and economy class fares; the difference of which that covered all our ancillary needs, including the checked baggage. As a result, I can’t hesitate to recommend the Hawaiian Airlines First Class option as long as the price difference between the two are minimal.

If you’ve flown inter island on Hawaiian Airlines First Class, did you find the price premium worth all the extra inclusions?

Tags: HA 398, HNL, OGG

Review: Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Posted on September 8, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Hawaiian Airlines Lounge + Lounges + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report

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Hawaiian Airlines has managed to survive as the primary flag carrier of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian Airlines operates a network of domestic lounges across Hawaii at Honolulu, Kahului Maui, Hilo, Kona and Lihue. Our visit today was at their primary Premier Club at the Honolulu International Airport in their inter island terminal.

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Review: Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge, Terminal One, Daniel K Inouye Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, USA.

“A surprisingly clean, but otherwise sterile experience, highlighted by exotic fruit juice cups.”

Hawaiian Airlines operates two lounges at Honolulu International Airport. The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, and the Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge. This review is of the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge

Three days in Waikiki went by all too fast. We took an Uber XL to the airport. I don’t know that I would recommend relying on Uber as the sole means of getting to the airport. I checked throughout the trip and at times there were absolutely no cars available. At other times, it was strictly surge pricing across all levels (Uber X, XL, Select). Frankly, the system seems to work great when there are lots of cars but it seems that planning to rely on Uber on arrival at the airport or to get to the airport is a bit of a challenge at times. We departed the Moana Surfrider A Westin Resort and Spa. After about 30 minutes, we arrived at the Honolulu airport at Terminal One.

Hawaiian Airlines Honolulu Inter Island Terminal

Checking into Hawaiian Airlines First Class:

We checked in at Honolulu International Airport Terminal 1. Terminal 1 is Hawaiian Airlines busy inter island terminal. The set up is that there are two roundabout island counters with kiosks with integrated scales in between them. I couldn’t find any obvious first class counters so we used the kiosks and self tagged our own bags.

Self Service Ticketing and Bag Check Kiosks

Hawaiian Airlines has seemed to have gone through great lengths to avoid being able to earn on other Frequent Flier programs, I wasn’t able to enter my American Airlines AAdvantage number either when purchasing the ticket on the internet or by checking in at the kiosk. I later located the first class check in area which was a small counter off to the side and not clearly posted. I was able to get them to enter our numbers and this resulted in a re-print of our corning cards. The miles actually posted electronically to AAdvantage about 30 days after our flight.

We headed over to TSA pre-check, which despite a line of about 15 people blocking the main walkways, was efficient and smooth.

Locating the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Lounge:

After clearing TSA security, we headed down the primary concourse of the terminal. The Honolulu Terminal One concourse is set in a long corridor style, with the odd retail outlet pockmarked at various locations along the walkway.

Honolulu Terminal One – Inter Island Terminal

We eventually came long to the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Lounge, which was located on the right hand side of the concourse by Gate A19. The entry had a clearly marked glass door that looked right into the lounge.

Hawaiian Airlines Premier Lounge Entrance

Accessing the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club:

The Hawaiian Airlines operates two lounges at the Honolulu International Airport; the Premier Club and the Plumeria Lounge.

The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club is targeted towards it’s domestic traffic, whereas the Hawaiian Airlines Plumeria Lounge is oriented towards international departure traffic in its international business class.

Hawaiian Airlines advertises access to it’s Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club as:

North America and Neighbour Island First Class Hawaiian Airlines guests
Pualani Platinum and Gold members
Premier Club members

Unlike the Hawaiian Airlines The Plumeria Lounge, the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club is not available to Priority Pass members. This is likely due to its small foot print and the inability to accomodate a large amount of travellers.

Lastly, Hawaiian Airlines sells Premier Club Memberships, which afford access to the lounge and a suite of other benefits. A Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club membership allows annual access to its Premier Club Lounges in Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului, Kona, and Lihue, along with free checked baggage allowance, Zone 2 Boarding and Priority Security. While rates vary, an annual membership runs about $299 USD for the first year, and $249 USD for subsequent years.

Our access today to the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club was provided courtesy of our Hawaiian Airlines First Class Honolulu – Kahului Maui ticket.

Welcomed at reception, we scanned our boarding cards and were admitted quickly.

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Inside the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club:

I had heard some of negative reviews about the domestic lounge so we had tempered expectations of what we would expect. Despite this, Hawaiian Airlines put out a reasonable effort (mostly in decor) and our experience was about as expected for an American Domestic First Class Lounge.

On the favourable side, the room was recently refreshed. It’s a small space with lots of plug ins, but no natural light. There were a variety of comfortable seating areas throughout the space, which was rectangular. Also on the positive side, was that the lounge had its own attached washrooms, but unfortunately, no showers.

Lounge Seating – Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club

A reasonable amount of seating for island hop flights

While the lounge had variety of seating, the lounge was pretty busy during our visit in the middle of the day. We had our choice of seats, but there weren’t all that too many of them to choose from.

Food and Beverage:

On the less than favourable side, the lounge catering wasn’t all that exciting. There were some tired soda dispensers, a cappuccino machine and some sealed juice cups circa from your kindergarten days. There wasn’t anything else eat inside the lounge. The lounge was also alcohol free during our visit, making sugary drinks the most interesting part of the food and beverage situation today.

Passion and Orange Guava Nectar and a Zone 1 Boarding Card was the highlight of the visit

It wasn’t a super exciting visit. We didn’t stick around all too long. It was pretty boring so we left for the gate through Honolulu’s outdoor airport hallways.

Daniel K Inouye International Airport Courtyards

We touched down at the tiny gate area at Gate B5 before we waited for our island hop flight.

My Thoughts on The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club:

The Hawaiian Airlines ground experience was pretty typical of a North American carrier. The Hawaiian Airlines lounge was pretty main stream with nothing much to write home about. Aside from the surprising sippy cup juice containers, it was a surprisingly average experience. Despite this, I suppose it could be worth your time, dependent on your priorities before any flight. I would just come with reasonable expectations of a drink only environment.

If you’ve visited The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, did you find the Fruit Juice the most exciting part?

Tags: HNL

Touring the USS Missouri Battleship, Pearl Harbour, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Posted on September 7, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Attraction + North America + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report + United States

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One of the historic destinations on the island of Oahu is Pearl Harbour. It was the home to the largest naval attack on American Forces in History, and is a solemn reminder of the perils of war. A visit allows travellers to explore the USS Missouri, which was a functioning battleship and the location of where the end of World War II was signed. It was neat to be able to see a part of history

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Activity: Touring the USS Missouri Battleship, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America

Today’s activity was a two part visit to the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri Battleship.

During our stay at the Moana Surfrider by Westin in lovely Honolulu, Hawaii, I had wanted to visit Pearl Harbour for a little American History. Pearl Harbour is the site of Japanese Attacks on the United States of America which drew the Americans into World World II. Since I had never visited Honolulu before, it was always a place that had escaped my ability to visit.

Booking and Getting There:

Pearl Harbour is located almost adjacent to the Honolulu International Airport and the joint Hickan Air Force Base. It was located about thirty minutes normal driving from Waikiki Beach where most visitors stay.

As I had mentioned in my last post, I booked the Pearl Harbour tour through Eno Tours. Their tour offered a combination visit to the USS Arizona Memorial and the US Missouri Battleship. I just found them on the internet and they seemed like the most straight forward company. MrsWT73, being ever the wiser about my visits to museums and monuments, decided to sleep in at the Moana Surfrider, and lounge on the beach instead of an early wake up for tour through history.

After touring through the USS Arizona Memorial, I took the shuttle bus over to the USS Missouri. It’s only about 10 minutes away from the welcome center for the USS Arizona memorial where I had caught the boat over to the USS Arizona memorial.

About the USS Missouri:

The USS Missouri is probably most remembered for the location of where the Japanese forces signed the surrender to the Allied Forces for the end of World War II in Tokyo Bay, Japan. The USS Missouri also saw military action in the Operation Desert Storm when the US launched Tomahawk missiles at Iraq.

The arrival is an impressive area. Leading up to the boat, it’s a pretty massive structure.

Once a brief security check was completed, I was allowed to run all over the ship. It’s a totally impressive structure that would have housed almost an entire city of people when it was commissioned.

Walking on the Decks of the USS Missouri

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The Location of the Surrender of WWII

The boat also featured a small display on the surrender deck. The surrender deck was the location where the signatory to end World War II was signed.

The Location of the Signing of the End of WWII

The USS Missouri Operations Center:

The self guided tour allowed for exploring below decks, through the operations centres (circa 1991) and through the crew’s quarters

From the top decks, there were also great views in the distance of the USS Arizona memorials.

Views from the Decks of the USS Missouri Towards the USS Arizona Memorial

The Views Towards the USS Arizona Memorial

I wandered around the memorial for several hours. It was pretty neat to be able to explore and spend the day surrounded by so much history. This was not to mention that MrsWT73 wouldn’t have been as interested in all the weaponry as I was.

Last Sunsets at Waikiki Beach:

I took the shuttle back to the Moana Surfrider and was dropped off around 1:30 PM. I ended up taking a bit of a nap on the beach and enjoyed the last of my time in Honolulu with MrsWT73 who was enjoying her beach time.

Later that day, I returned back to Waikiki and took in our last sunset from the Moana Surfrider by Westin hotel. It was a nice evening and a beautiful sundowner. All in all, Honolulu was a pretty solid vacation and totally worthy of a visit despite all the touristy things about the area.

My Thoughts on the USS Missouri:

The USS Missouri is every man’s dream to be able to wander through the machinery of history. It is amazing to see up close the equipment used in the various wars that the United States had participated in. The ability to clamber all over the ship was also a neat feature that you probably couldn’t access in many parts of the world.

If you’ve paid visited the USS Missouri, did you find it an engaging experience ?

Tags: Pearl Harbour, USS Arizona

Respecting The USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbour, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Posted on September 6, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Attraction + North America + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report + United States

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One of the historic destinations on the island of Oahu is Pearl Harbour. It was the home to the largest naval attack on American Forces in History, and is a solemn reminder of the perils of war. A visit allows travellers to take a boat over to the USS Arizona, which rests inside Pearl Harbour having sunk as a result of enemy bombing. Having never visited, I made sure to take time to appreciate this historic site of Remembrance.

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Activity: Respecting the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America

Today’s activity was a two part visit to the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri Battleship.

Booking and Getting There:

I booked the Pearl Harbour tour through Eno Tours. Their tour offered a combination visit to the USS Arizona Memorial and the US Missouri Battleship. I just found them on the internet and they seemed like the most straight forward company. MrsWT73, being ever the wiser about my visits to museums and monuments, decided to sleep in at the Moana Surfrider, and lounge on the beach instead of an early wake up for tour through history.

My tour was confirmed shortly after it was purchased on line. I ended up opting for the 6 AM early tour, which promised a return to the hotel by 1 PM.

Visiting Pearl Harbour:

Landing at the Welcome Centre

After being collected and a 30 minute drive, we arrived at the Pearl Harbour visitor center. I was pretty much in a tour of one person, so I was free to walk around on my own. I was able to get my first look at Pearl Harbour, which was a low harbour without many high or hilly features. The sun was just rising at around this time, leading to a very peaceful and tranquil setting. In the distance from the welcome center, one could see the USS Missouri and the USS Arizona Memorial.

Around the Pearl Harbour welcome area were several historical items related to Pearl Harbour, including an interesting museum that displayed the elements of the attack.

US and Japan Military Statistics at the start of World War II

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Visiting the USS Memorial

At a specified and designated boarding time, I took the US Navy operated boat over to the USS Arizona Memorial. It is situated in the middle of the waters of Pearl Harbour and is only accessible by boat. Reflecting back, it’s probably the only memorial that I can recall that requires access through water.

The structure straddles the frame of the USS Arizona battleship that sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbour.

We were let off onto the USS Arizona Memorial. Once on board the memorial, it was a bit of a serene place offset by masses of people circulating through the site. We were left with about 15 minutes to reflect on the horrors of this event. It was hardly enough time, but after 15 minutes, another batch of visitors would arrive, continuing the cycle.

The Memorial Wall:

There was also a memorial wall that recognized all of the enlisted US Navy personnel that passed away on the attack on Pearl Harbour.

There was also a surprising area where survivors of the USS Arizona were interred along with their ship mates. They were cremated and placed in watertight urns and sent down to the ship with US divers.

Those that had returned to Pearl Harbour as their final resting place

Looking closely at the waters surrounding the ship, you could also see the “Tears of the Arizona”- small droplets of oil that continue to leak into the harbour, staining the waters.

Before I left, there were some more general views from the USS Arizona memorial of the harbour around and towards the USS Missouri.

Overlooking the USS Missouri Anchored in the Distance

My Thoughts on the USS Arizona Memorial:

The USS Arizona Memorial is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices of war. Being out on the water, it’s situated over top of the sunken USS Arizona. Although it was a bit of a shuffle to get through with a constant turn over of visitors, it’s an interesting monument to history and perhaps the only monument I’ve ever been to that has had to be accessed by boat.

If you’ve paid your respects at the USS Arizona Memorial, did you find it to be a solemn experience?

Tags: Pearl Harbour, USS Arizona

Feeling The Sands of Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Posted on September 5, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + North America + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Region Visit + Trip Report + United States

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One of the Main Destinations in Honolulu is the world famous Waikiki Beach. It’s the main beach area for hotels in the Waikiki part of the city. It’s especially more prevalent since some hotels do not offer hotel pools in Waikiki, making the beach all that much more of a draw for visitors. As a famous beach known around the world, would it live up to the hype?

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Activity: Feeling the Sands of Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America

During our stay at the Moana Surfrider by Westin in lovely Honolulu, Hawaii, we spent a day and a half on the famous Waikiki Beach. It’s a place that had eluded me over the travel years as I had associated it with the location where all my rich kid friends (and I wasn’t – sadly) would go when I was in secondary school growing up.

The Waikiki Beach in Honolulu was initially a retreat for Hawaiian Royalty in the 1800’s and eventually found its way through historic and concrete tower hotels. While it had sort of an odd urban charm to it, I ended up enjoying it’s somewhat funky vibe of young and hip travellers mixed with older travelers.

Immediately Outside the Moana Surfrider:

The beach area in front of the Moana Surfrider is where the beach almost starts as it heads eastward down to the direction of Diamond Head. There is a large Banyan Tree on the Moana Surfrider property which provides an interesting feature for the hotel, as well as some greenery on the beach side. There isn’t much beach front that is actually owned by the hotel here, as space is at a premium.

Beach Front Looking in towards the Moana Surfrider Towers

The Beach Out Front at the Moana Surfrider

Getting back to the beach itself, this famous beach was a cross between the atmosphere of the Las Vegas Strip, a senior citizens home, and the Griswold Family from the National Lampoon Vacations movies. It was every thing to everybody and was terrific to people watch the world walk by.

Walking Down Waikiki Beach:

Waikiki Beach goes on an on in a thin and tiny strip of sand that runs down towards Diamond Head mountain from the hotel. It got pretty full on our visit, but there was always room to find a little patch of space.

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Looking Westward Down the Beach toward the Sheraton Waikiki

The beach led down to the east towards Diamond Head mountain. It’s an iconic feature of the island of Oahu. Now that I know what to look for, it’s in more Facebook posts of my friends that many other Hawaiian Island Features.

People Watching as Beach Goers Cross the Paths

The Crowds of Waikiki Beach in the Shadow of the Moana Surfrider

There were small jelly fish scares with signs that were posted on the beach. I didn’t see any and was in the water on several occasions. This beach warrants bringing water shoes / sandals as there were rough stones or left over foundations from the dismantled Moana pier.

Eating Locally:

We kept it simple for dinners in Waikiki. We headed down to Duke’s (two buildings down) for dinner on both our nights there. I’d heard good things about Duke’s and it was reasonably priced for such high rent real estate. The Duke’s outdoor lanai is actually the hotel sunning area in the day time and it’s cleared at night time for tables. We were able to get seated within 30 minutes (I believe its a no reservation policy) on arriving after 7:30 PM.

Duke’s Patio Area: A Tanning Zone by Daytime

My Thoughts on the Waikiki Beach Experience:

I was happy to have seen and experienced the famous Waikiki Beach. It was a little like some of those tourist traps where there was a souvenir store on every corner. It’s probably not my first choice for an aspirational beach holiday, but at the same time, it was one of the most entertaining people watching places I’d been in a while. It was also a place I could bring my mom and my family to and where everyone would have been satisfied. Despite the commercialness of the whole Waikiki Beach zone, MrsWT73 can’t wait to return.

If you’ve traveled to Hawaii, what did you think of the famous Waikiki Beach?

Tags: Waikiki Beach

Review: The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and Spa, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Posted on September 4, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report + Westin

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The Moana Surfrider by Westin Resort and Spa Waikiki Beach is one of the original classic hotels of Waikiki, Hawaii, United States. Originally constructed in 1901, it has been in continuous operation for over a hundred years. A stay here is a step back in time to an elegant era. How would our stay meet up with today’s expectations?

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Review: The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and Spa, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America

“A Stay at the First Lady of Waikiki offered a stay at an excellent location with a classic atmosphere in an elegant hotel, that’s showing the odd wrinkle here and there.”

Booking the Moana Surfrider:

Since this was our first proper trip to Honolulu (of many to come in the future), we elected for a stay right on Waikiki Beach. Out of the Marriott Bonvoy properties (then under the Starwood Preferred Guest brand), of the choices of the Sheraton Waikiki (a large concrete tower), the Royal Hawaiian (a pink castle), the Sheraton Princess (off the beach), the Westin Moana Surfrider property looked to be the most interesting of the bunch.

We ended up locating a cash rate of $177 USD per night for a base level Banyan Room in the classic original buildling. I thought was quite good for mid week in January for a hotel right on the beach. There would be taxes nearing 15% and a Resort Charge of $31 USD per night on top of this rate.

The hotel is currently a Marriott Bonvoy Category 7 hotel, with free nights going for 50,000 up to 70,000 per night. If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.005 cents per point, your room rate would have to be higher than $300 USD per night if you were redeeming 60,000 points per night. During our stay, it was a Starwood Preferred Guest Category 6 property, with rooms available for an expensive 20,000 to 25,000 per night. The hotel is slightly cheaper under the new Marriott regime. Despite this, almost all hotels in Hawaii seem to charge high category rates for reward stays. As a result, I tend to find it better value to pay cash for my hotel stays in Hawaii.

Getting to the Moana Surfrider, Waikiki Beach:

2365 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

After getting off our Alaska Airlines First Class Bellingham – Honolulu flight, we collected our bags at the Honolulu International Airport baggage claim and headed street side. The original plan was to get an Uber Black (Select), or Uber Taxi, to get to the hotel but there were none available at all so we ended up just taking a regular taxi instead. We had a quick 15 minute ride up to Waikiki with a chatty but well educated cab driver and we were just $39 dollars poorer and were at the Moana Surfrider.

The Front of the grand looking “First Lady of Waikiki”; the Moana Surfrider by Westin

A Street View: The Moana Surfrider by Westin

The Arrival Area: The Moana Surfrider by Westin

The History of the Moana Surfrider; first opening in 1901 with rooms for $1.50 USD

Checking Into the Moana Surfrider:

Arriving to the hotel, we got situated and took a look around at the impressive lobby. It’s featured in an old, timeless style with open windows and pathways straight through the building.

I had booked an inexpensive Banyan City room (at the lowest possible rate) and we were upgraded to a Banyan Ocean view on the second floor immediately above the restaurant as an SPG Platinum. Consistent with the Starwood Preferred Guest “upgrade to the best available room, including standard suites”, I had asked if there were any opportunities to upgrade to the nicer and newer Towers but was told that it was not possible without an extra charge of $250 for our 3 night stay, as they were “specialty” rooms.

I had considered applying a Suite Night Award for this reservation but the only rooms that they offer this are on the Banyan Suites, which were smaller and less impressive suites in the historic part of the hotel. I didn’t find that to be too great a value so I chanced it and went for the front desk upgrade. Unfortunately that sort of back fired we ended up with “that room”; you know, the one that on the second floor that is right above the breakfast restaurant that plays the tropical music at 6 AM when you’re trying to sleep, or right off the grand staircase in the lobby playing live jazz music throughout the early evening? Needless to say, it was not a quiet experience and a pretty a so so upgrade.

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The Room: A Banyan Ocean View

We were assigned Banyan Ocean View # 229. It was a smaller room than a usual Westin but quite large by historic hotel standards. The focal point of the room was the giant king size Westin Heavenly bed.

Looking Towards the California Shuttered Windows

The real estate was especially tight in the bathroom with no real counter space for toiletries for one (let alone two). The bathroom featured a stand up shower for one.

A Room with a View:

The next morning we were treated to a nice ocean view out of the Banyan tree and the water. Surprisingly, the space between the room at the edge of the deck is the roof of the restaurant and not an accessible space. The Banyan Tree at the rear of the property is a terrific tree and was as unique as the property.

For those that are interested in the floor plan, of the historic Banyan building at the Moana Surfrider, I have attached it.

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Around the Hotel:

The Club Lounge:

One of the reasons why I picked this hotel over others was based on a colleague that had stayed at all of the Starwood Properties in Waikiki. He had recommended the Moana Surfrider as having one of the best Club Lounges out there. We were given access to the Club Lounge as an included featured of Starwood Preferred Guest (now Marriott Bonvoy) Platinum status.

We headed down there for breakfast the next morning and were quite impressed with the lounge offerings.

The Beach Lounge was a spacious area, and although busy at times, there was always a place to sit. The food portion of the lounge was expansive and offered enough to substitute a light but a little bit bland tasting meal.

The Beach Club featured a terrific outdoor deck. While seating was limited out there, we did manage to take in sunset from one of the tables out there during our stay. If you’re lucky enough to get there early to have one of the tables, then you’d be fortunate to enjoy the complimentary wine and beer at happy hours during sundowner.

All in all, the Beach Club lounge was probably among the highlights of this particular property on our visit. The famed “popcorn machine” also had returned for the evening snacks. We even enjoyed a sunset or two from the Beach Club, which included Californian white and red wine with giant pours.

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The Pool and Pool Deck:

The hotel features a small deck area. Most of it is occupied by the beach bar and the pool, which appears to have been a late “after the fact” addition. There isn’t much deck space which translated to: if you want a beach chair, you’d need to get there by 7 AM at the earliest.

The Banyan Tree Overlooking the Veranda at the Beach House Restaurant

It terms of actual beach chairs on the beach are available “for rent”, in part to control demand of the limited hotel space available. We did rent a chair and umbrella at the 50% reduced SPG Plat rate one day when we get the most use out of it.

Waikiki Beach:

The hotel is situated right on the famous Waikiki Beach. We spent some time on Waikiki Beach, which I’ll cover in the next post. It’s a bit unusual to have a beach right in the middle of a high rise community, and as a result, it’s an interesting place to explore while visiting Hawaii.

The Beach in Front of the Moana Surfrider

Waikiki Beach looking East towards Diamond Head

Aside from the smallish room, the only gripe with the Moana Surfrider was the resort fee. It was $31 USD a day. It was supposed to include complimentary wifi, but the wifi was so slow, that I couldn’t even load Facebook pictures on my phone. I can’t say that I mind if the internet doesn’t work when it is included in the room price, but when you are paying for it and can’t load Instagram on your phone – then there’s a problem. Perhaps this isn’t so much an issue for the domestic US traveller whom have access to their home cellular networks in the USA, but as International travellers, we had no other options other than paying for international roaming charges on a US network. I did complain about it at the end through the automated after stay survey, but it was never really addressed. I did receive the Platinum 250 SPG points per day “alternative resort credit” after the fact, which appears to be standard for many SPG customers. It automatically posted to my account after I had left the property.

My Thoughts on The Moana Surfrider by Westin, Waikiki Beach:

Overall, I liked the location and the flair of staying in a historic property and the beach lounge. I wasn’t too impressed with our room assignment and the elite loyalty treatment. I got the impression that the hotel sees more than it’s fair share of loyalty guests and as a result, the front of the house tended to be a little tired with us guests asking for everything for free. The best feature of this property is the location, followed by the excellent Beach Lounge. The service was great in the Beach Lounge, drinks were pro-actively re-filled and the staff seemed generally enthusiastic. All, I’d chalk this up to a very pleasant stay, but not an excellent one.

If you’ve stayed in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, does the Moana Surfrider by Westin rate as one of your favourite hotels to stay at?

Tags: Hotel Review, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum

Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, Bellingham – Honolulu

Posted on September 3, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Boeing 737 + Business Class + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report

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Alaska Airlines offered non stop service from regional Bellingham, Washington, United States to Hawaii. Their strategy was to attract Canadian travellers crossing the Canada / United States Border for cheaper fares than departing from their usual Canadian Airports. Alaska Airlines First Class Service was pretty good and highlighted by some unusual catering, and a comfortable way to get to Hawaii.

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, Bellingham International Airport – Honolulu International Airport

“Alaska Airlines First Class featured a traditional recliner seat, along with some innovative catering and exceptionally friendly service”

Alaska Airlines
First Class
BLI-HNL (Bellingham International Airport – Honolulu International Airport)
AS 807 – First Class (G)
January 6, 2016
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 5:50 PM
Arrival: 10:19 PM

Checking into Alaska Airlines First Class:

With a dinner time flight, we left the house at about 1 PM after a half day’s work at the office. As we were coming down from Canada, there were only three cars in the Nexus expedited screening lane at the Peace Arch Canada / United States Vehicle Border Crossing. We had a quick drive down a deserted Interstate 5, and we were in Bellingham in 20 minutes.

We had a quick visit to Costco for some household supplies and then up to the Bellingham International Airport at Exit 258. The Bellingham International Airport is a quiet facility, which is deserted at most times. It frequently serves the Las Vegas flights for all the Canadian travellers looking for cheap fares flying out of US airports. You can also connect up to three times a day to Seattle and onward on the Alaska Airlines network.

The Bellingham International Airport General Terminal & Tower

The Bellingham International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower

The Bellingham International Airport Main Terminal Buidling

There must be some rowdiness in the parking lot for all the Las Vegas bound travellers. I’ve never seen an airport parking lot explicitly advertise “no drinking”.

We headed for the Alaska Airlines first class check in line and an over zealous ground handler kicked us out and away from the counters to check in at the economy kiosks. We were able to check in and self tag our own baggage tags but the roving wifi bag attendant was not able to link them to our reservations. We then were returned to the counter where they sorted it out and “oh, – you guys are in first class” comments. The whole process was pretty quick despite the back and forth and we were on our way over to security in less than 6 minutes. The entire lack of people thing at Bellingham International is pretty consistent of our trips through Bellingham; it’s almost like flying private.

Bellingham International Airport Check In Desks

Alaska Airlines First Class & MVP Check In & Bag Drop Lines

Alaska Airlines First Class & MVP Elite Check In

Since there isn’t much land side at Bellingham, save one tired coffee shop, we headed for the nearest equivalent of a lounge, which is actually the only real restaurant on the secure side of Bellingham airport. We were TSA Pre-Check approved, but since they don’t have a separate area for TSA – Pre-Check, we ended up in the regular queue with Pre-Check markers. I would call it “pre-check light”. We didn’t have to take off jackets, belts or shoes but no separate screening with bags going through the regular x ray machine along with non pre-check travellers. It was a sad state of affairs with 11 TSA-Agents working to security clear one queue of Boeing 737-800 aircraft travellers, since no other flights were departing at the same time as ours.

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We headed to Scotty Brown’s Social House restaurant for some drinks and some wings prior to our six o clock flight. There was free wifi at some slow speeds made the time go by much faster.

Limited Options on the Secure Side include Scotty Brown’s Social House

Alaska Airlines First Class Boarding Cards

We finished off with some great airside sunsets waiting for our plane to arrive. There wasn’t much else happening here with only 2 other flights for the day departing from the terminal.

Bellingham International Airport Sunsets

The Alaska Airlines flights that serve this route generally travel Las Vegas – Bellingham – Hawaii. Today’s flight was arriving from Las Vegas. Our in bound flight was about 15 minutes late but they made up the time as fast as they could once it landed.

At about T-30 (of the new delayed time) we headed over to Gate A. The only problem with being a road warrior on Alaska is that they seem to offer and announce free gate check of carry on’s immediately before boarding. This generates stacks of gate crowds as those that do check a bag (and on this flight there were more than 15 last minute gate checked bags) never seem to clear out of the way.

One of the Few Airports where the Gates are Letters Instead of Numbers

Pre boarding was announced for seniors and children under two, with quite a few grey hairs, some in wheel chairs and some running with canes and oxygen. First Class boarding was announced, followed by Alaska MVP’s and other top tiers. Thankfully, the line agents were enforcing the boarding priority by both questions in the line and at the podium so it made for an easier experience.

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On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

When it came time to board, we walked up the ramped jet bridge. There aren’t any jet bridges or elevated gates at Bellingham. The Alaska “Hawaii” Aircraft feature a lei of flowers painted around the head on the bottom of the vertical stabilizer.

Alaska Airlines B737 in blue and green livery

Alaska Airlines First Class features a 2 – 2 configuration with thickly padded First Class recliner seats. They always have a heavy duty blue leather all over them, which a plush appearance. There are typically four rows of first class.

Pre Departure Services:

In my experience, no pre-departure beverages are usually offered on Alaska, but a small bottle of Dasani water was waiting for us on the seat. While it’s a long way from the open bar pre-departure beverage of many other American carriers, it is better than nothing at all. The printed menu was also left in between the seats as well.

I find that Alaska Airlines catering is usually a little bit different. The menu items are sometimes quirky and unusual. I find it a relief from the mundane, but MrsWT73 doesn’t like the strangeness of it all- preferring more mainstream like “United” Airlines style catering.

As we settled in, 3 crew were assigned to take care of us. You can really tell the difference between Alaska crews compared to some of the other legacy carriers – the “in charge” was genuinely thanking Bellingham ground staff for the quick turn and providing some entertaining in flight announcements.

We were airborne really quickly since there is no wait on the runway here in Bellingham for any inbound / outbound traffic. Drink and dinner orders were taken by status, in our case working from 2D/F backwards down 3D/F, 4D/F and back around 4A/C etc to our seats in 2A/C.

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The Meal: A Full Dinner

Our in charge flight attendant informed us that they had 8 shrimp and 8 short rib loaded and was apologetic if we didn’t get our first choices. MrsWT73 didn’t care much for either option but didn’t opt for any thing from economy that was offered as an alternative. The economy meals were snacks only.

I had my usual gin and tonic to start, served with plenty of ice and properly accompanied with a lime.

Alaska Airlines had a promotion where they were featuring Browne Family Wines, serving both the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvingon on board. The flight attendants indicating that most passengers preferred the red, over the white but I decided to give them both a taste.

Today’s first course was the Island Market Salad: a mesculin mix with fried garlic chips, sweet onion, mango and chèvre crumbles, miso seasame citrus dressing, with a warm Hawaiian sweet roll. The warm Hawaiian sweet role was surprisingly like the Parkerhouse Rolls I used to love as a kid at the Royal Fork buffet near you. It was all pretty tasty. I paired this with a Browne Family Vineyard Chardonnay.

a mesculin salad mix with fried garlic chips, sweet onion, mango and chèvre crumbles, with a miso sesame citrus dressing

The main was the Sweet Thai Chili Grilled Shrimp, with jasmine rice, baby bok choy. The Thai Chili lime sauce felt as though it was from a bottle at the local Safeway. However, I have to give some props to Alaska for serving something actually a little less mainstream than the usual carriers.

Thai Chili Lime Grilled Shrimp with Jasmine Rice and Baby Bok Choy

Dessert was an unusual but tasty ginger lilikoi crème brule.

The Entertainment:

Alaska doesn’t offer television monitors, projectors or other hard wired entertainment fitted into it’s seats. In first class, you get offered a small tablet for free with the headphones to match. These are also made available for free to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Elite MVP Gold Members. Lastly, they are also available to rent if there are any left.

The content is streamed via wifi. It’s worth noting that there is no other internet available on the way to Hawaii so this is your sole source of entertainment.

I finished off the flight with the movie American Sniper, some nuts and a Mai Tai! Thank heavens I wasn’t driving at the end of this leg.

Mai Tai’s and Mixed Nuts: Relaxing on the Way to Honolulu

Arriving to Honolulu:

Before we knew it, we arrived in Honolulu. It’s been about seventeen years since I’ve been back at the Honolulu airport. The last time that I was here was when it was a transpacific stop on the way to Australia. At that time, Canadian Airlines (who was absorbed by Air Canada) was in One World and you switched planes by crossing the hall in order to get off of your Qantas plane in order to get onto another connecting flight to and from Canada; typically Vancouver. The place didn’t look all that much different. It was still concrete and drab looking.

My Thoughts on Alaska Airlines First Class Hawaiian Service:

Overall, we were quite impressed with Alaska’s offering compared to the other options from Vancouver which was United via San Francisco / Los Angeles or non stop on Air Canada. It’s apparent that they treat their employees a bit better as well, since everyone is usually quite cheery by comparison. I enjoyed the funky food myself, whereas MrsWT73 did not. Either way, she’s keen to return shortly on Alaska so they must be doing something right.

If you’ve flown Alaska Airlines service from Bellingham to Hawaii, was it a convenient alternative than departing from Seattle or Vancouver?

Tags: Alaska Airlines, AS 807, BLI, HNL

Trip Introduction: Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki, Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class

Posted on September 2, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in North America + Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, USA via Alaska Airlines First Class + Trip Report + Trip Report Introduction + United States

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Like our last trip, this particular voyage was about maximizing offers and redemptions to put together a reasonably priced holiday filled with value. We used Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan to redeem against upgrades in to First Class, a 3 for 2 hotel stay with a premium Fairmont hotel, and paid for a First Class fare between the Hawaiian Islands in order to take advantage of paid baggage fees. We ended up with a great value luxury trip for not much more than economy.

Trip Introduction: Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki, Honolulu and Wailea Maui, Hawaii, United States of America via Alaska Airlines First Class.

Trip Background:

To This:

Trip Planning and Constructing the Trip:

I put together this trip designed to use up some outstanding vouchers and credits that I had collected along the way. Always a great deal, we used up a $99 two for one companion voucher for Alaska Airlines, courtesy of the Canadian Alaska Airlines MBNA Mastercard. These two for one vouchers can only be purchased into economy class but there are ways to further upgrade these tickets. After the purchase, we then upgraded the two economy segments into First Class for 15,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles each way. Our upgradable economy class tickets came to $554.94 in fare and $48.05 in taxes totalling $602.99 USD for the first ticket, and $99 USD + 46.37 taxes totalling $145.37 for the second ticket, totalling $748.36 USD and 60,000 Mileage Plan Miles for two round trip tickets in First Class.

For the first portion of the trip, we had the Westin Moana Surfrider on our list for quite some time. We ended up staying there on a terrific rate that we stumbled on at $177 USD per night in the classic building. We were there for 3 nights, at a total price of $531 plus taxes.

Getting in between the islands, we chose Hawaiian Airlines for our flight between Honolulu – Maui. As we had to check a bag, instead of paying a baggage fee, we opted for a first class ticket which included lounge access and two free checked bags. We paid cash for these fares at they came to $162 USD per person one way.

We also stayed at the Fairmont Kena Lani on a Fairmont Premier stay 3 – pay 2 voucher which we achieved on a Fast Track promotion thanks to Air Canada Aeroplan Elite Status that I had in 2013. Fairmont was ever so kind to “soft land” me along with everyone else in 2014 when I had unused certificates – extending my status another year with them despite no qualifying stays. Our room rate there was $489 USD for two nights, with the third night free. This brought the rate down to an average of $326 USD a night; an excellent rate for this particular property. We also received a double category upgrade from a mountain view to a partial ocean view.

For a total of $2,582 USD or $1,291 USD per person, we had a weeks’ stay in Hawaii including round trip first class tickets, accomodations and our inter island connecting flights. While not the best rendemption out there, it was pretty reasonable for Hawaii, which can tend towards the expensive side for a beach holiday.

The Routing:

Our routing ended up looking like follows:

BLI-HNL (paid)
HNL-OGG (paid)
OGG-BLI (paid)

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I hope you enjoy following along on another adventure to one of the United States’s greatest warm weather destinations.

If you’ve designed a trip around an Alaska Airlines Companion Fare, how did you go about doing it?

Tags: Alaska Airlines Companion Fare, Trip Report Introduction

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Trip Introduction: South Africa, Namibia, Victoria Falls, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates via Emirates First Class and Qatar Business Class

Trip Background:

Planning the Overseas Flights:

Planning Cape Town, South Africa:

Planning Namibia:

Planning Zimbabwae:

Planning Mauritius:

Planning the United Arab Emirates:

The Routing:

YVR-LAX-DOH-JNB-CPT (AAdvantage Award)CPT-WDH-MUB-VFA (paid)VFA-JNB (BA Avios Award)JNB-MRU (paid)MRU-DXB-LAX-SEA (Alaska Mileage Plan Award)SEA-YVR (paid)

If you’ve built a reward trip to Africa, how did you go about doing it?

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, Kahului Airport Maui – Bellingham International Airport

Alaska AirlinesFirst ClassOGG-BLI (Kahului International Airport – Bellingham International Airport)AS 808 – First Class (G)January 12, 2016Booked: Boeing 737-800Flown: Boeing 737-800Departure: 2:25 PMArrival: 10:13 PM

Checking into Alaska Airlines First Class:

On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

Pre-Departure Services:

Taking off from Maui:

The Meal: A Full Dinner

In Flight Entertainment:

The Second Service: A Snack Basket

My Thoughts on Alaska Airlines First Class Hawaiian Service:

If you’ve flown from Hawaii, is the afternoon flight return time slot to the mainland a key advantage for you ?

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Activity: Walking the Wailea Beach Walk to Spago’s at the Four Seasons Hotel, Maui, United States of America

Walking the Wailea Beach Walk:

The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea:

Sunset at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea:

Spago Maui Wolfgang Puck:

My Thoughts on the Wailea Beach Walk:

If you’ve paid visited the Four Seasons or the Wailea Beach walk, did it make it into your travel memories?

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Review: The Fairmont Kea Lani, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

Getting to the Fairmont Kea Lani:

The Room: A Partial Ocean View Suite

The Bedroom:

The Bathoom:

Living Area:

A Large Outdoor Lanai Balcony:

Around the Hotel:

The Resort Pools and Lounger Areas:

The Fairmont Kea Lani Beach at Wailea:

The Fairmont Canoe Outrigger Experience:

Food and Beverage:

Nick’s Fishmarket Maui Restaurant:

My Thoughts on The Fairmont Kea Lani:

If you’ve stayed in Wailea, Maui do you have a favourite resort property?

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Review: Hawaiian Airlines First Class B717-2, Honolulu – Kahului Maui

Hawaiian AirlinesFirst ClassHA 398 – First Class (F)HNL-OGG (Honolulu International Airport – Kahului International Airport)January 9, 2016Booked: Boeing 717Flown: Boeing 717-2Departure: 12:50 PMArrival: 1:33 PM

On Board Hawaiian Airlines First Class:

Departing Honolulu International Airport:

The “In Flight” Service: A Complimentary Mai Tai

My Thoughts on Hawaiian Airlines First Class Inter Island Service:

If you’ve flown inter island on Hawaiian Airlines First Class, did you find the price premium worth all the extra inclusions?

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Review: Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge, Terminal One, Daniel K Inouye Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, USA.

Checking into Hawaiian Airlines First Class:

Locating the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Lounge:

Accessing the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club:

Inside the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club:

Food and Beverage:

My Thoughts on The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club:

If you’ve visited The Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, did you find the Fruit Juice the most exciting part?

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Activity: Touring the USS Missouri Battleship, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America

Booking and Getting There:

About the USS Missouri:

The Location of the Surrender of WWII

The USS Missouri Operations Center:

Last Sunsets at Waikiki Beach:

My Thoughts on the USS Missouri:

If you’ve paid visited the USS Missouri, did you find it an engaging experience ?

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Activity: Respecting the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America

Booking and Getting There:

Visiting Pearl Harbour:

Landing at the Welcome Centre

Visiting the USS Memorial

The Memorial Wall:

YVR-LAX-DOH-JNB-CPT (AAdvantage Award)
CPT-WDH-MUB-VFA (paid)
VFA-JNB (BA Avios Award)
JNB-MRU (paid)
MRU-DXB-LAX-SEA (Alaska Mileage Plan Award)
SEA-YVR (paid)

Alaska Airlines
First Class
OGG-BLI (Kahului International Airport – Bellingham International Airport)
AS 808 – First Class (G)
January 12, 2016
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 2:25 PM
Arrival: 10:13 PM

Hawaiian Airlines
First Class
HA 398 – First Class (F)
HNL-OGG (Honolulu International Airport – Kahului International Airport)
January 9, 2016
Booked: Boeing 717
Flown: Boeing 717-2
Departure: 12:50 PM
Arrival: 1:33 PM

Alaska Airlines
First Class
BLI-HNL (Bellingham International Airport – Honolulu International Airport)
AS 807 – First Class (G)
January 6, 2016
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 5:50 PM
Arrival: 10:19 PM

BLI-HNL (paid)
HNL-OGG (paid)
OGG-BLI (paid)