Mark & Lyndon's 1990 Hawaii Trip

Oahu & Maui

What a deal we got! Back in 1990 we stumbled across an ad in our local paper for a round trip fare to Hawaii for an incredible $310.00 from Austin (via Houston). This was a new flight (IAH-HNL) being promoted by the local American Express office so we went down to take a look. I can't believe that we even had to "sleep on it" to think about the $200 upgrade to first class! So there you have it, 1990, $510 round trip from Austin to Honolulu, via Houston and FIRST CLASS! Sweet!

We stayed in the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Rainbow Tower. Here is a view of the hotel from the air. The views from the room were extremely nice as we faced Diamond Head and had a great view of the beach.

The hotel, back then, was fantastic and at the very end of Waikiki beach. The beach next to the hotel was fantastic although we were at the extreme "end" of Waikiki beach, on subsequent trips we tended to stay on the other extreme "end" of Waikiki beach.

One of the first adventures we took was a dinner sail that sailed about 1 mile from Waikiki Beach. For the first 20 minutes the sail was great but then we quickly discovered what sea sickness was all about. The next two days were fairly miserable! Our next adventure was to climb Diamond Head and take advantage of the many views. Lyndon and I both enjoyed the views at the top, but as a smoker, it was a tough time for me! The views at the top are spectacular of Honolulu and the bay area!
The next stop was Hanauma Bay. This is an old crator that eventually filled in with water and thus created one of the best snorkling reefs in the world. I enjoyed snorking here very much but you must get there very early and back then it wasn't nearly as crowded as it is these days. We traveled around the whole island, visited a great deal more than what I have room for here; however this shot of Honolulu from the famed Tantulus drive always sticks out in my mind when I think of Honolulu.

Our next 3 days were on Maui in the Kaanapali Beach area. Maui is another beautiful island and eventually this island became our island of choice when visiting Hawaii. Our hotel, The Kaanapali Beach Hotel, was right on the beach and the rooms were very nice and clean. From our balcony you were about 20' from the beach and you could easily let the sound of the waves lull you to sleep at night! Right next door at the Sheraton Hotel they had a weekly luau, which we tried; however, future visits would tell us this was a "so-so" luau. Lyndon and I both enjoyed the luau but around 1995 the Sheraton undertook a major renovation and the luau is no more. The next morning, very early in the morning, we drove up to Haleakala and experienced something we had never seen before. The inside of Haleakala is large enough to place Manhatten in!
If you're ever on Maui, one of the things we consider a "must" is the drive to Hana. The views are fantastic and you have to stop at some of the vendors along the way to really get a real taste of what Hawaii is about! If you really end up liking the views on the way to Hana then be sure to stop in Hana and visit the small grocery store and check out "Tutu's" ice cream at Hana State Park. One little known fact, that is catching on fast, is that if you like the views and harrowing drive to Hana, then drive about 10 miles past Hana to Lindberghs grave site (hard to find). A lot of "untouched" landscape awaits you on that journey!

When you do make your trip to Hawaii, you have to do a helicopter ride on one of the islands! The views you will see will be impossible to see otherwise and well worth the money. There are so many waterfalls to see that each one appears to be more spectacular than the last. Our favorite company to use is Blue Hawaiian.

If you have any comments or would like to ask us any questions about this or other trips, please feel free to drop us a line. We love to tell people about Hawaii!