Monday, March 30, 2009

Friday, March 27, 2009

Big Island Triathlon is coming up

Dear Hawaii lovers,
Best Hawaii Vacation blog is still waiting for sharing your 'Favorite Hawaiian Flower' with our blog visitors. We know there are too many beautiful tropical flowers to choose from. Which one do you like best?

What's our today's blog title 'Big Island Triathlon coming up' all about? Everybody knows that the Big Island is not only famous all over the world for its active volcano but also for hosting one of the most attractive and popular Hawaii events, the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in Kona in October.

In March each year, there is another Big Island Triathlon happening on the Kohala Coast, which you might hear about for the first time. The Lavaman Ironman is kind of a spin-off of the real Ironman Triathlon in October.

Well, when you are currently still on your Hawaii vacation on the Big Island, you have a chance to watch the 12th Annual Lavaman Triathlon on Sunday March 29, 2009. The Lavaman Triathlon consists of 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run. Not much compared to 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run of the real Ironman competition.

A-Bay Beach at Waikoloa Beach Resort
I remember we both participated in a 10k run many years ago and were quite wasted afterwards, despite the colder upcountry climate. What are the Lavaman Ironman participants up against? Definitely, the heat in the coastal areas of the Kohala Coast and the wind, which can be strong and gusty when biking Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy. Plus ,one never knows about the ocean conditions. At this time of the year, the Pacific ocean can be quite choppy and challenginging for the swimmers.

Hilton Waikoloa Village official hotel for Lavaman Triathlon
Mastering this 'Mini' Big Island Triathlon makes the competitors a Lavaman and can be a first step in the direction for preparing for the ultimate goal for triathletes, a spot on the Ford Ironman Triathlon Worldchampionship in Hawaii. Come and see for yourself what it takes to be a Lavaman Triathlete.

Here are a few tips for Big Island visitors of the 12th Lavaman Triathlon this Sunday:

-Most of the Lavaman events take place at Waikoloa Beach Resort.

-There will be plenty of parking at the Queen's MarketPlace and the Kings' Shops.

-Watch for bikers when driving Hwy 19 between 7:30 - 11.30am.

-Bikers will go from Waikoloa Beach resort to Turnaround at mile marker 88, near Hualalai Resort.

-Hilton Waikoloa Village is the official hotel for the Triathlon Waikoloa.

-Find information on special triathlon rates at Hilton Waikoloa.

Visit the LavamanTriathlon site for more information on race details and events or call 808-329-9718. Have fun at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. No worries about food. The Queens Marketplace and Kings Shops have plenty of restaurants, from affordable to pricey, for satisfying your stomach. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Hawaii Ironman Related Articles

Big Island Triathlon is coming up

Dear Hawaii lovers,
Best Hawaii Vacation blog is still waiting for sharing your 'Favorite Hawaiian Flower' with our blog visitors. We know there are too many beautiful tropical flowers to choose from. Which one do you like best?

What's our today's blog title 'Big Island Triathlon coming up' all about? Everybody knows that the Big Island is not only famous all over the world for its active volcano but also for hosting one of the most attractive and popular Hawaii events, the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in Kona in October.

In March each year, there is another Big Island Triathlon happening on the Kohala Coast, which you might hear about for the first time. The Lavaman Ironman is kind of a spin-off of the real Ironman Triathlon in October.

Well, when you are currently still on your Hawaii vacation on the Big Island, you have a chance to watch the 12th Annual Lavaman Triathlon on Sunday March 29, 2009. The Lavaman Triathlon consists of 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run. Not much compared to 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run of the real Ironman competition.

A-Bay Beach at Waikoloa Beach Resort
I remember we both participated in a 10k run many years ago and were quite wasted afterwards, despite the colder upcountry climate. What are the Lavaman Ironman participants up against? Definitely, the heat in the coastal areas of the Kohala Coast and the wind, which can be strong and gusty when biking Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy. Plus ,one never knows about the ocean conditions. At this time of the year, the Pacific ocean can be quite choppy and challenginging for the swimmers.

Hilton Waikoloa Village official hotel for Lavaman Triathlon
Mastering this 'Mini' Big Island Triathlon makes the competitors a Lavaman and can be a first step in the direction for preparing for the ultimate goal for triathletes, a spot on the Ford Ironman Triathlon Worldchampionship in Hawaii. Come and see for yourself what it takes to be a Lavaman Triathlete.

Here are a few tips for Big Island visitors of the 12th Lavaman Triathlon this Sunday:

-Most of the Lavaman events take place at Waikoloa Beach Resort.

-There will be plenty of parking at the Queen's MarketPlace and the Kings' Shops.

-Watch for bikers when driving Hwy 19 between 7:30 - 11.30am.

-Bikers will go from Waikoloa Beach resort to Turnaround at mile marker 88, near Hualalai Resort.

-Hilton Waikoloa Village is the official hotel for the Triathlon Waikoloa.

-Find information on special triathlon rates at Hilton Waikoloa.

Visit the LavamanTriathlon site for more information on race details and events or call 808-329-9718. Have fun at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. No worries about food. The Queens Marketplace and Kings Shops have plenty of restaurants, from affordable to pricey, for satisfying your stomach. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Hawaii Ironman Related Articles

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Carrot Cupcake - Nor


Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (25 pcs - Souffle M)

Simple Hantaran Cake - Nor



Hantaran Cake (Fruit Cake) - Size 8inch (1kg+)

November last year, Nor dari Seri Kembangan dah buat tempahan untuk majlis perkahwinannya bulan Mac 2009. Nor tempah kek hantaran, cupcake hantaran dan carrot cupcake untuk makan-makan. Theme untuk kek hantarannya dia nak yg simple2 je, manakala untuk cupcakes Nor request macam contoh cupcake sebelum ni, cume tema kaler kuning keorenan dan flavor carrot cake. Terima kasih banyak2 Nor dengan 3 order ni, moga perkahwinan Nor & Suami dilimpahi rezeki dan keberkatan-Nya.

Simple Hantaran Cupcakes - Nor

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

From Sketch To Vector Art

Vector Art Blog is always watching. And we never miss the chance to spread the word about online publications that we love."Locus Of Control" Blog just posted a great digital illustration tutorial that explains the process of creating sharp vector artwork from a sketch using a scanner and the Live Trace feature in Illustrator...

"When you scan a sketch into your computer, the lines are often light and have fuzzy edges. Resizing the scan blurs or pixelates the image. You can use Photoshop to darken the lines, but they’re still not going to be as clean and sharp as if you vectored the sketch.Vectoring your scanned sketches is great for comics or other artwork, and is especially handy in the process of logo design." Full Tutorial

Damask Flower Pattern for Adobe Illustrator

A free seampless pattern in Damask style from Grunii. The pattern is fully customiable with Adobe Illustrator.

You can find great damask color schemes using the search engine under the palettes section at Colourlovers.com...

To use, first you have to expand the ZIP archive. Download

Our Favorite Hawaiian Flowers

Aloha and welcome back to Best Hawaii Vacation blog,
Blogging about Hawaii comes easy as it's basically sharing all the things we love in Hawaii with Hawaii visitors, especially those, who plan their first trip to the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiian Orchids On Hawaii, The Orchid Island
We consider our Hawaii Blog the 'appetizer' - awakening the taste buds and nourishing the urge for more - before the big 'entree', the real visit to Hawaii when indulging in white sand beaches, warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and the unique beauty of the Hawaiian tropical fauna and flora.

Colorful Bougainvilleas in Hawaii
Today we want to share with all our blog visitors our favorite Hawaiian flowers. Tropical Hawaiian flowers will catch any Hawaii visitor's attention all over the islands again and again. First time when receiving a beautiful flower lei upon arrival at one of our Hawaii Airports or at your hotel check-in.

Keoki and his friend Mike with orchid flower leis they got for their birthday
Hawaii Resorts, like the Hilton Waikoloa Village we talked about in our recent post, and Hawaii vacation rentals alike are proud of displaying as many of our colorful tropical Hawaiian flowers in your rooms and outside.

Well, what are our favorite Hawaiian flowers? With the abundance of different choices of colors, scents, shapes and texture - Hibiscus, Plumeria, Gardenia, Pikake, Tuberose, Orchids - choosing a specific flower over another does not come easy.

Hawaiian Tropical Flower arrangements at Farmers Market in Hawaii
My favorite Hawaiian flower is the Plumeria, which comes in all beautiful colors, the scent is subtle with a single flower but becomes captivating in the typical Hawaiian Plumeria lei. Don't keep your Plumeria flower lei in the fridge for too long. The flower blossoms become brown spots the next day.

Keoki loves the white blossom of the Tuberose with its seducing scent. It is his favorite Hawaiian flower. Are you wondering now which Hawaiian flower you like best? Great. Let us know your favorite Hawaiian flower. A hui hou. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Order your favorite Hawaiian flowers and Flower Leis fresh from Hawaii

Hawaiian Leis, Tropical Flowers, Orchids, Wedding Leis, Hawaiian Gift Baskets, Kona Coffee
Hawaiian Tropical Flowers Related Articles

Hawaiian Flower Leis Symbol of Love
Hawaii Flower Leis Hawaii Lei Greetings

Our Favorite Hawaiian Flowers

Aloha and welcome back to Best Hawaii Vacation blog,
Blogging about Hawaii comes easy as it's basically sharing all the things we love in Hawaii with Hawaii visitors, especially those, who plan their first trip to the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiian Orchids On Hawaii, The Orchid Island
We consider our Hawaii Blog the 'appetizer' - awakening the taste buds and nourishing the urge for more - before the big 'entree', the real visit to Hawaii when indulging in white sand beaches, warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and the unique beauty of the Hawaiian tropical fauna and flora.

Colorful Bougainvilleas in Hawaii
Today we want to share with all our blog visitors our favorite Hawaiian flowers. Tropical Hawaiian flowers will catch any Hawaii visitor's attention all over the islands again and again. First time when receiving a beautiful flower lei upon arrival at one of our Hawaii Airports or at your hotel check-in.

Keoki and his friend Mike with orchid flower leis they got for their birthday
Hawaii Resorts, like the Hilton Waikoloa Village we talked about in our recent post, and Hawaii vacation rentals alike are proud of displaying as many of our colorful tropical Hawaiian flowers in your rooms and outside.

Well, what are our favorite Hawaiian flowers? With the abundance of different choices of colors, scents, shapes and texture - Hibiscus, Plumeria, Gardenia, Pikake, Tuberose, Orchids - choosing a specific flower over another does not come easy.

Hawaiian Tropical Flower arrangements at Farmers Market in Hawaii
My favorite Hawaiian flower is the Plumeria, which comes in all beautiful colors, the scent is subtle with a single flower but becomes captivating in the typical Hawaiian Plumeria lei. Don't keep your Plumeria flower lei in the fridge for too long. The flower blossoms become brown spots the next day.

Keoki loves the white blossom of the Tuberose with its seducing scent. It is his favorite Hawaiian flower. Are you wondering now which Hawaiian flower you like best? Great. Let us know your favorite Hawaiian flower. A hui hou. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Order your favorite Hawaiian flowers and Flower Leis fresh from Hawaii

Hawaiian Leis, Tropical Flowers, Orchids, Wedding Leis, Hawaiian Gift Baskets, Kona Coffee
Hawaiian Tropical Flowers Related Articles

Hawaiian Flower Leis Symbol of Love
Hawaii Flower Leis Hawaii Lei Greetings

Vector Cameras

A collection of 3 cartoonic camera illustrations from Chapolito.com. The set is in EPS file format, editable with most major vector editors (Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Inkscape, etc.)...

Free for personal and commercial use. Download

*The pack contains a bonus illustration ;)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Insider: Meet Bahia Akerele


Bahia Akerele 
is an independent consultant based in the Washington, D.C. area who works with national and international foundations as a strategic planner and project manager. As a West African (half Liberian and half Nigerian), she has a particular interest with philanthropy in Africa.

She’s pictured above with children in a Liberian refugee camp in Ghana. Read on to learn more about Bahia, including how she got started in philanthropy, her plans to promote African philanthropy, and her advice for those interested in a career in philanthropy.

Education: 
Double major, Africana Studies and Sociology, Connecticut College; Masters in Social Work, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; Graduate Certificate in Public Relations and Marketing, Goucher College

Current Position: Lead Consultant and Principal, Akerele Consultants
Bahia’s current and previous experience includes projects with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Africa program, and Associated Black Charities in Baltimore, MD. In 2008, Bahia completed a fellowship at the City University of New York Graduate School, Center of Philanthropy and Civil Society, where she was selected as an emerging leader in philanthropy.

How did you get started in philanthropy?
“I really just stumbled upon it…literally. I was at a job fair hosted by Idealist and applied for an internship to work at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Although my background at the time was in direct service, I was always a policy person and had an interest in who designed the programs we got to implement on the ground and who funded what and how much….all determinants to the services my families in direct services received. Finally, I come from a family where philanthropy was always practiced and was part of our contribution to the country and to our society. So the concept was very real to me as I had seen my mother and grandmother practice this in their lives.”

How prevalent is philanthropy in Africa?
 “The concept of giving is strong in Africa and central to the African sense of self…which is really a sense of community. The concept of philanthropy in Africa or rather the African Philanthropist may at first seem like an oxymoron because we, that is Africans, are often painted in a negative and depressed light. Now I am not being romantic and trying to suggest that Africa does not have its issues. What I do want to share is that with all its problems, Africa is rich with human capacity and natural resources, not to mention new and emerging markets.”
As your goal is to promote African philanthropy, how do you plan to accomplish this?

“There are many Africans and friends of Africa, who have directed their funds, resources and talents to Africa whose stories need to be told…. from the local women in the Sandaga market, who contribute to the education of orphans in Dakar, Senegal, to the Ghanaian orthopedic surgeon Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei who conducts medical mission trips to Ghana peforming complex spinal surgeries on children - these are only a very small example of the philanthropic giving that Africans at home and abroad are engaged in. These stories and activities are worth sharing with the world and those who want to join in and help. The vehicles I will use are through my consultant work and my blog.” (Bahia has launched the blog, The African Philanthropist, to share these stories of giving. Visit ithere.)

What advice do you have for those interested in a career in philanthropy?
“Before working for a philanthropic organization, I believe you have to have “on the ground” training. One has to work ‘one on one’ with families, what we call direct services, to see the impact of policies, often well meaning policies and programs, on families, children and communities before being placed in a position that funds and supports these programs.

Be a part of the non profit sector in your area by joining list serves and groups on line, and on Facebook. Connect with others in the field. Read, read, read and keep informed of the trends that are happening in the non profit sector and philanthropy. Go to conferences, volunteer if you can’t pay to go, and look for free or reduced rate ones. Internships are also a very good way to be exposed to philanthropy. The value of a mentor is also very critical in all professions but especially in philanthropy where the network is very very close..and opportunities are first shared through the network.”


Monday, March 23, 2009

Celebrities in Africa: Philantrophy in Africa Series

The Philanthropy in Africa series continues today by highlighting some of your favorite celebrities that are using their platform to raise funds and to highlight awareness of issues in Africa.

Actor Isaiah Washington’s foundation benefits Sierra Leone, Grammy award singer Alicia Keysis bringing awareness to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in partnership with the organization Keep A Child Alive, NBA player Dikembe Mutumbo has opened a hospital in his native Congo, and Ethopian born supermodel Liya Kebede is a champion for maternal and child health through her foundation, the Liya Kebede Foundation. Although these celebrities are busy with their schedules, they have taken the time to visit countries in Africa, to become more educated on the issues they are championing.


Grammy award winning R&B singer John Legend founded the Show Me Campaign in 2007 after visiting villages in Ghana and Tanzania. The campaign works with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Millennium Promise, and the people of Mbola, Tanzania to implement practical solutions to poverty including clean water, improved health care and education, higher-yielding agriculture, and internet connectivity. Legend has recorded a song that can be heard on the foundation’s website, as a call to action to join his movement to end global poverty.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

About the Dr. Donda West Foundation

In 2008, Kanye West changed the name of his foundation to the Dr. Donda West foundation, as a permanent tribute to her extraordinary legacy and passion for education and children throughout the world.The mission of the Dr. Donda West Foundation, is to help combat the severe dropout problem in schools across the United States by partnering with community organizations to provide underserved youth access to music production programs that will enable them to unleash their creative ability and reach their full potential. Kanye's vision, and thus the vision of the Dr. Donda West Foundation, is its inaugural program, "Loop Dreams", a music production program designed to motivate students to stay in school and graduate. Dr. Donda West Foundation is committed to providing high quality programs in partnership with community organizations such as Challengers Boys & Girls Club in South Central Los Angeles, California where Loop Dreams is currently implemented.  

The vision of the foundation is broad and not easy to attain but understanding the critical role education plays in the success of our youth, and how illiteracy impacts us all, we are committed to the ongoing development of this program across the county and envision a day when the high school dropout rate in cities across this nation will be virtually non-existent. It is Kanye’s belief and the belief of every member of our team that the opportunity to participate in the arts, especially our signature program Loop Dreams will motivate today’s high school students to stay in school and graduate.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Anime Eyes Vector Pack

Today's update is a free resource for all you manga/anime artists out there. A set of 15 vector anime eye shapes in EPS from Agneva. You can use this stock to speed up your character design process or to simply study the structure of anime eyes...

If you are an Adobe Illustrator user, you may have some problems loading the file so here is a quick tip: Convert to Artbords. Check "Legacy Artboard", "Crop Area", "Artwork Bounding Box" and click OK. Then select everything, copy and paste in a new illusrtator file.

The resource if free for personal and commercial use. Download

10 More Free Vector Resources That You Might Have Missed

We are back with another nice collection of vector resources for digital illustrators. You can use them for brainstorming, inspiration or a starting point for your projects. You can see a tiny preview of each pack below. Please consider visitng the authors links and posting a comment if you have any problems using them...

European Art Deco Floral Pattern
A set of 2 seamless floral patterns for Adobe Illustrator 8 and above from Keep Designing.com. You can use this resource for creating a high resolution wallpaper or decorate an object in your composition. Free for personal and commercial use. Download


Pop Art Laurel Leaves
A popular symbol in a minimalistic / pop art style from ClickPop Media. Available in *.AI and *.EPS file formats. Free for personal and commercial use. Download


Soccer Player Vectors
A huge silhouette stock by Parka Design. Free for personal and commercial use. Download


Random Pattern Swatches for Adobe Illustrator
A collection of random seamless pattern swatches for Adobe Illustrator from Mmolai.com. To use, load the PDF file in Illustrator and open the swatches palette (Window>Swatches). The pack contains: "Polka dots, chain link fence, houndstooth, canvas, checkers 2.0, mario bricks and more.To alter any of the swatches (except the canvas) just drag them out of the swatch palette and scale them to the size you like or use the magic wand to change the color, then drag them back in." Download

Japanese Dragon Vector
A vector illustratoin of a Japanese dragon from www.vector-clipart-eps.com. It could be used for T-Shirt Design or a tattoo concept. "God Dragon & kanji Symbol (Japanese Pronunciation : Ryujin) Ryujin is a spiritual dragon from Japanese mythology that controls wind and rain." Free for personal and commercial use. Download

Ocean Creatures Vector Pack
A collection of ocean creature silhouettes by Jessica Romero, found at Vector Stuff Blog. Download

iPod Family Template
A free vector template from Designinator. The resource is in Adobe Freehand file format (.*FH11), but you can still use, customize or convert it to EPS or AI by opening it with Adobe Illustrator. Could be useful if you are working on iPhone skin project. Download


Vector Shopping Bags
A free vector stock from VectorJungle. The stock contains five cute vector illustrations of shopping bags. The resource is available in EPS and PDF file formats.Free for personal and commercial use. Download


Sketchy Vectors
A free vector stock from ragingcephalopod. "The pack includes a fist, 2 guns, a bird skull, a human skull, a ribcage and a crab claw. Download

Urabn Grunge Textures
A collection of vector textures in EPS from Cmicak. The resource is editable with most major vector editors. Download

Vector Skyline Adobe Illustrator Tutorial


A video tutorial by Liron Tocker, explaining the stages of creating a vector skyline illustration using Adobe Illustrator. The tutorial is useful for beginner artists to understand the process of tracing graphic elements using the Pen Tool...

Sports Team Logo Design Tutorial

A comprehesive logo design tutorial for Aobe Illustrator from favorite digital illustration magazine Computer Arts. Alan Wardle shows you how to create an eye-catching logo design and brand from scratch.

My brief was to design a brand identity for a youth mountain biking team based in London. As they’re based in an urban environment, this team needed an aggressive logo so they’d be taken seriously when travelling to rural events around the country...

...In this tutorial, I’ll lead you through everything from designing the logo to setting brand rules. We’ll also look at creating other elements such as team uniforms, helmets and merchandise using your designs along the way. Full tutorial

Friday, March 20, 2009

Organic Brushes for Adobe Illustrator

Here we have another great resource for digital artists from HumanNature84: a set of 5 organic brushes for Adobe Illustrator. They could be used for drawing of organic vector elements or decorating abstract compositions...

You can explore different variations and effects by experimenting with different stacking order of your stroke, different stroke size and color.

To use them, load the PDF file with Illustrator (use the File>Open method, not click and drag) and then open the brushes window (Window>Brushes). Download

Thursday, March 19, 2009

10 Abstract Architecture Design Brushes for Adobe Illustrator

A stunning set of vector brushes for Adobe Illustrator from r2010. The pack contains 10 abstract brushes, after applying them to your stroke they will create an abstract architecture element based on its shape, width, height, size and color.

If you experiment with the opacity and the blend modes you can get some amazing effects. Perfect for creating abstract backgrounds.To use the resource first, you need to expand the *.ZIP file, then load the *.AI file in Illustrator and open the brushes palette (Window>Brushes).Download

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Visit Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel

Dear Best Hawaii vacation blog visitors,
Remember our last post about the whales still hanging out around the Hawaiian Islands? We had such a wonderful time watching their playful games in the Pacific Ocean. This was a Humpback whale extravaganza during the later part of the 2009 whale season. Well, maybe that was really their last hooray, before leaving for Alaska because ever since Sunday we have not spotted the whales anymore. It's really odd to look at the peaceful ocean waters without seeing blowing spouts and swimming whales. We already miss the whales!

Hilton Waikoloa Village Waterfall at Pool
When the whales had left, Keoki and I decided it's time for our annual visit to the Hilton Waikoloa Village at Waikoloa Beach Resort on the South Kohala Coast. We got a big surprise when trying to park our car for our visit to the Hilton Waikoloa, normally one of our favorite hotels to visit with family and friends for a fun day on the coast. If you want to spend your entire Kohala Coast vacation at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, make sure that you don't mind crowds and a disneyland atmosphere.

Hilton Waterfall at Snorkel Lagoon
When you love a peaceful stay in Hawaii, away from other tourists and resort living, then the Hilton is probably not for you but if you spend a family vacation near the Hilton Waikoloa, this Hawaii resort is a great place to visit and hang out for a day. A slow boat trip (choose a boat with a roof for protection from strong sun) or slow walk through the exquisite tropical setting and a nice lunch right at the dolphin lagoon, are among our favorites.

Dolphins at Dolphin Lagoon Hilton Waikoloa Village
We wrote about how much fun a visit at the Hilton Waikoloa can be, adults and children. When we did that, we also told you about the Hilton resort fee. You can't imagine our disappointment when we noticed with our visit to the Hilton Waikoloa Village that extra resort fees had nearly doubled from 2 years ago. Scroll down in this post for 2009 Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort fees.

Well, we swallowed hard, paid the $15 self-parking fee and did our walk through the lobby to just have a good time. Here is what we noticed was different to the past years. Normally, the lobby hustled and bustled with visitors, not only with hotel guests but lots of Big Island visitors. A visit to the Hilton Waikoloa was always a special attraction for Big island visitors. We always assumed that the Hilton appreciated the extra business from all the outside visitors: visitors to Waikoloa Hilton Spa, shops for Hawaiian clothes, galleries and restaurants.


Looks like the new Hilton resort fees are not a big incentive for guests or Big Island visitors to visit this wonderful Hawaii resort. On the opposite, those new fees must turn off quite a number of visitors. We noticed that the hotel was extremely quiet, resort boats and trains for transporting people between towers were empty, despite personnel assuring us that the hotel 'was' booked 92% due to a huge convention taking place.


When talking to the front desk, we heard some good news that visitors can still book a day-room at the Hilton for $160/nt., from 11am - 7pm, which is a nice thing to do, when two or even three families can share the costs and the kids can use all the different water slides. Believe me. They love it and it's worthwhile the day room money + the parking fee!


We were hanging out at the dolphin lagoon for quite some time. It's so much fun to watch those playful, friendly creatures. It's hard though to snap a nice photo of the dolphins. I was always a little too late. Anyways, one family, couple with two children, must have signed up for the dolphin quest program. We watched their entire program and asked one of the attendants what the cheapest program runs these days: 20min. with the dolphins is $205/per person. Yes, 1 minute $10! I was wondering whether these parents had to pay the full price for their kids.

If you want to spend a vacation at the Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island, you may expect the following fees and deposits are charged by the property upon service, check-in, or check-out:Valet parking: $21 per 24-hour period, Self parking: $15 per 24-hour period, Aloha Fun Pass: $26 per day.

Now let's see what you get for your Aloha Fun Pass: In-room coffee Daily use of fitness center for two guests One hour daily use of tennis court Daily use of seaside putting course for two guests Self-parking Remember the good old days when parking at a hotel in Hawaii where you stayed as a guest was free? The hotel appreciated that you decided to spend your vacation there. And they even had free coffee at your room available. Nice gesture!

The Aloha Fun Pass for $26 per day sounds like a good deal from the Hawaii Hilton Waikoloa Village for guests who love to work out daily at the fitness center or want to play frequently tennis. I don't know about the majority of guests who don't do either but definitely need the parking! Don't assume there is alternative parking nearby. There is none! There are only gated vacation rental condo resorts closeby. It looks like when Hawaii Hilton guests want to save money, they are better off not to buy the Aloha Fun Pass, when they look closer at this resort deal fee, as they save daily $11 when they pay for their car parking individually the $15/day.

To tell you the truth I don't even know whether guests can turn down the Aloha Fun Pass at check-in. When I called guest service and asked what I need to spend at the resort to validate my parking fee, it was $50/per person at a restaurant! Well, the Waikoloa Marriott at least acknowledges any restaurant, banquet and luau visits and reduces their parking to $5! Good idea to keep your guests happy!


Bottom line of our post: We still love to visit the Hawaii Hilton but would like to see the hotel opening up again to outside visitors and residents by a policy which considers the budget of regular Big Island visitor and asking feasible fees. If hotels like the Hilton ignore customers needs and wishes, Hawaii tourism will be challenged. What's your recent experience with the Hawaii resort fees in 2009. Wouldn't it be nice to hear that hotels will waive those, at least for 2009. Mahalo for your comments. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

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