It’s no secret that I love to travel and I’m guessing you share my interest as well since you’re reading this blog post. Unfortunately, now is not the time to hop on a plane or even jump in our car to enjoy a simple road trip. But someday (soon we hope) this will all be behind us and we’ll once again take to the skies to explore this wonderful world of ours. In the interim, I’ll continue to share some stories with you about trips I’ve taken in days gone by so, at the very least, we can all be “armchair travelers.” This post will chronicle our most recent journey to the Aloha State of Hawaii. I hope you enjoy it.
As it had been a number of years since our last trip to Hawaii, my wife and I decided to make a return journey in the dead of the North Carolina winter. (Actually, although I was hoping for cold temperatures, the weather was balmy in the low 70s on our day of departure but that didn’t dampen our enthusiasm one bit.) We headed first for Kauai, an island which we'd not yet had the pleasure to visit. It’s Hawaii’s fourth-largest island and is sometimes called the “Garden Isle” which proved to be a very accurate description. The oldest and northernmost island in the state, Kauai is well known for its green valleys, numerous scenic waterfalls, sharp mountain peaks and jagged cliffs worn away by the elements over time. It’s also famous for its striking beaches, popular for their beauty, serenity and powerful Pacific Ocean currents. We couldn’t wait to get started.
#Delta was selected as our carrier since they flew nonstop from Atlanta to Honolulu and because they had scheduled the A330-300 aircraft equipped with the Delta One international configuration in what was considered domestic First Class. On arrival at the #RDUAirport, we breezed through the then busy security lines as we both enjoy #TSAPRECHECK_ and so there was no need to remove light jackets, shoes or any carry-on liquids of 3.4 ounces or less. We even had time to visit the Sky Club prior to our 7:30am departure where we grabbed a light bite to eat and an extra cup of coffee. (Check out this post, for more info about the Raleigh Sky Club.)
From Raleigh, we enjoyed an on time departure to #HartsfieldATL, flying aboard an MD-88. The First Class cabin contains 16 seats and they were all occupied on this particular Monday morning, Nearly everyone aboard (except us) appeared to be a business traveler anxious for the beginning of their work week. After a relatively quick trip our aircraft taxied to a gate in the D Concourse about 10 minutes past 9:00 in the morning. The Honolulu flight was leaving from the A Concourse so we hopped on the Plane Train, arriving at our destination in short order. The wait time between trains is less than 2 minutes and the system itself is fully automated. This “people mover” system then transported more than 250,000 people per day and operated 24/7 at this, the world’s busiest airport. Delta is headquartered in Atlanta and they operate Sky Clubs in each concourse so we were able to make a brief visit to the one in the A Concourse near Gate A17 where the agent greeted us warmly and invited us in to relax before our next flight.
Upon boarding, I admired the look of the carrier’s A330-300 business class seats which are arranged in a reverse herringbone configuration. This means that all passengers have direct aisle access. We arrived at our center seats C and G in Row 2 and found blankets, pillows, headphones, and small amenity kits all wrapped in plastic waiting for us. I loved the #tumitravel pouch-style kit which contained all the necessary essentials for a long haul trip of some 9 and a half hours, including mouthwash! I had to check out the headphones even though I always bring my own. They were LSTN-branded and, while not the best on the market by any stretch of the imagination, they did a pretty decent job of noise cancellation. Unfortunately, the Delta One seats on the A330-300 have virtually no storage space so we ended up stashing our blankets and pillows in the foot cubby while storing our carry on bags in the overhead along with our suitcases.
After the drink service our flight attendant took our lunch orders and the meals were presented promptly and efficiently. I ordered the seared beef tenderloin for my main course and it was accompanied by jumbo asparagus, garlic herb potatoes and a dessert selection of macadamia-nut ice cream or fruit and cheese (I had both). I was happy to have my own iPad along with my downloaded entertainment selections because the built-in, seat back screens are very small and hard to see on this aircraft, particularly from a reclined position. The Delta Studio streaming option with Gogo Entertainment is a good alternative as the movie and TV choices are greater than the seat-back entertainment offerings and you can stream whatever you like directly to your laptop, iPhone, iPad or Android tablet device. The Gogo Entertainment App can be downloaded before you travel or via the Delta Wi-fi Portal once onboard but it’s easier and quicker if you do this in advance.
With a quick nap and a few movies under my belt, we made a smooth descent onto the "Reef Runway" at Honolulu’s International Airport about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. This 12,000' airstrip was the first major airport runway to be built completely offshore on underwater coral. The runway also became a designated alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle. Since it’s actually offshore, it always takes a bit of taxi time to reach your arrival gate but eventually we found our way to one at the Diamond Head Concourse of the Main Terminal Building. Our connecting flight to Lihue Airport on Kauai was departing from Terminal 1, also known as the Inter-Island Terminal. We could have taken the free shuttle bus transportation but that would have required us to exit the building and then go through security once again.
As we had about 2 1/2 hours to wait we decided to walk. Boy, it’s a long walk and I can only remember regretting that I chose to wear dress shoes that morning (for some reason). By the time we reached our Hawaiian Airlines gate, the sky darkened and the rain came down. The bad weather continued and delayed our scheduled 5:12pm departure by about 3 hours. Eventually, our B717-200 flight boarded and I sure appreciated sitting up front in Row 2 in an 18.5” wide recliner seat with 37” of pitch between rows. #HawaiianAir's gracious hospitality was evident even on this short, 41-minute flight to Kauai.
We choose the #GrandHyattKauai Resort and Spa for this portion of our get away. It was a little over 15 miles from the airport and took us a good 30 minutes to get there. On arrival and check in, we were shown to a beautiful deluxe suite for our 3-night stay. Of course, we were very pleased with these accommodations. But, since it was past 10:00pm (3:00am for us on East Coast time), we headed straight for bed after what turned out to be a very long day indeed. I’ll tell you all about the great vacation we had in this idyllic setting in a future post.
Until next time…stay safe.
A great teaser George - guess we will have to wait to hear of the delights of Kauai...