Waimea Gardens Cottage

"Dear Joyce, Sorry I have taken so long to write you about our wonderful time in Hawaii. We followed many of your recommendations for restaurants and activities, and discovered some great places on our own. I still can't decide which island I liked best. Good advice on the 4WD; I don't think we would have braved Waipio Valley or Mauna Kea summit without it, which would have been a loss. The Waimea Garden Cottage was a perfect base from which to explore the north and east side of Hawaii. The Campbells were the best possible hosts; they even entertained us in their beautiful home and took us to see their new property, a home site up the same river that runs past their current place. From Waimea, we took day trips to the Kona Coast, the Kohala Coast, and Waipio Valley. We visited the World Botanical Gardens and Umauma falls. Botanical gardens previously weren't Larry's thing, so the draw here was the falls, but macro photography is one of his specialties, so he got into flower photography in a big way all during the trip. I'm glad I took my laptop, because he filled his camera every day and could dump the pictures every night to start out with empty memory space. By the time we got to Hilo, he was the one braking for gardens; the best we saw was the one on Onomea Bay in Papaikou, which was orchid heaven. I'm glad you sent us to Uncle Billy's; great location, inexpensive enough to exclude the pampered class, and oozing with retro island charm. We took in the hula show at the restaurant there, and the breakfast buffet, but then found the best breakfast place in Hilo (Ken's) within walking distance of Banyan Drive. The bartender at Uncle Billy's sent us to another great restaurant that has enough local business they don't need to advertise. The name was so generic I can't recall it (Seafood House?), but it's a few miles from Uncle Billy's down Kamehameha Ave, has been open since before WWII and has its own fish farm on the premises. Excellent fresh local seafood, moderately priced. I preferred Hilo to Kona, but that was probably because our arrival in Kona coincided with that of a cruise ship, and the frenetic competition for tourist dollars on the streets was a palpable thing. The volcano was too well-behaved for anyone to see molten lava without a night helicopter tour, but the Park Service does a good job of presenting this unique treasure at their visitors centers and interpretive displays, and I enjoyed our experience at the park. I loved the drive from the Lihue airport to Poipu, the tunnel of trees and all those green mountains. We upgraded to a Jeep Wrangler so we could penetrate the interior of the island as deep and in as many places as we could. The cottage, again, was all we could have wished for, and the unexpected wireless internet, laundry room and gas grill were luxury amenities. We ate at Roy's the first night, complete with chocolate souffle, and agree their reputation is deserved. Ditto Lappert's, which we enjoyed at three locations, the best being the original at Hanapepe, where I found my favorite flavor, banana fudge swirl. We loved Hanalei, and tunnels beach and that whole coast are absolutely beautiful. We ate lunch in Hanalei at Seide's Brazilian Mexican, and couldn't believe we were the only diners--great fish tacos and as good chips, salsa and frijoles as I've had anywhere. We did the helicopter tour with Will Squyres and drove to Kalalau Lookout through Waimea canyon twice to try and get a picture without fog. We drove that jeep all the way to Polihale Beach and decided it wouldn't be a route easy to do in the dark after the famed sunset there. Thank you for the beautiful orchid you sent us. I have never seen another like it, an exquisite miniature with dozens of blooms. We will think of you when we see it, and remember the great vacation you put together for us, and will mention you whenever the subject of Hawaii comes up. Thank you again for all you have done for us. Alice Smith " - Alice Smith, Chester, New York, 2007-04-03

"Joyce, Thank you for the wonderful recommendations!!!! The Waime Gardens Cottages are Awesome!!! We had so much fun there!! The hosts were so nice! Fresh ranch eggs every morning, granola, papaya, juices. The cottage was plenty large enough and extremely clean! Highly recommend this property!! On Kauai we absolutely loved Whalers Cove!!!!! Romantic, Quiet, Gorgeous Sunsets!!!!!! We had an " Incredible Journey!" " - Rocky Taylor, Dana Point, California, 2007-04-03

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