Hawaii Part Two May 2023
Day Twelve
The next morning we checked out via self-checkout, which meant returning the keys back into the key safe. We then headed off to Denny’s again for breakfast before setting off on the road to Waikoloa for some retail therapy, 32 miles away.
On arrival in Waikoloa, we headed to King’s Shops which were an outdoor area of small shops. All were fully accessible with disabled parking and toilets.
After purchasing some bright Hawaiian gear, we departed for the town of Waimea, a short 25 minute drive away.
We arrived in Waimea, at approximately 17.00 hours and checked into Country Lodge Waimea, for one night only. Our room was located on the first floor via a staircase. The room was comfortable, no air- conditioning but it had a fan. There were also coffee and tea making facilities with a small fridge. After resting for a short period, I did a Google search to find where to have dinner. Ippys was the recommended restaurant which was rated at 4.8 on Google. It was located approximately a mile away, therefore a short drive.
The entrance to the restaurant was accessible with a ramp and good quality lighting which led the way. It looked similar to McDonalds, however it wasn’t ‘fast-food’ just decorated in a typical style of America. The restaurant had an alcohol licence so you could have beer. We had two beers with our meal which was in a Hawaiian style.
Day Thirteen
The next morning we headed into town for breakfast. This set us up for the days planned itinerary, which was to go up the highest mountain in Hawaii - Mauna Kea.
The drive up Mauna Kea was 9,000 feet to the Rangers Station. There were two disabled bays for parking, near where there were toilet facilities and a gift shop.
Mauna Kea stands at 13,000 feet and it is only recommended that four wheel drive vehicles attempt this. For the Rangers Station to the summit it is an additional five miles driving, should you choose to attempt this. Mauna Kea is statistically the tallest mountain in the world, as more than half of it is below sea level!
The last stop on the Big Island was the Inn at Kulaniapia Falls which was located five miles from Hilo city centre. It was quite a posh and classy place with a stunning waterfall right in the garden. We stayed in a Japanese style temple which had one step to enter and had a private bathroom. Despite no air conditioning, it was comfy enough for one night.
As dinner was very expensive at the Inn, we decided to drive to Hilo and have some grub at Hale Inu Sports Bar which had live music. The bar was accessible with disabled toilets and adequate lighting. However, as it was quite busy we were allocated a high table with stools which had a back rest.
The drive back was through country roads which had no street lights, so this was a bit challenging. Fortunately, I had the app ‘Waze’ on my phone to assist us with the navigation.
Day Fourteen
The next morning was an early morning flight connecting at Honolulu for our flight to Maui. The hotel had already offered to make us a sandwich for breakfast, which we ate in the shared kitchen. By 8am we were off to the airport where we dropped off the hire car before checking in by the self-service check in.
At security, my cane was exchanged for a wooden waking stick by the security guard to enable me to walk through the metal detector security gate independently.
Hilo International airport was not as big as I had anticipated it to be. It was accessible with flat walkways and all the facilities expected for inclusion and disabilities.
After landing at Honolulu and disembarking the plane, we had time for a quick bathroom break, whilst they refuelled the plane to re-board for our departing flight to Maui.
Maui
We flew into Maui which was a short thirty minutes flight from Honolulu. Kahului airport is rather compact; however we disembarked Hawaiian Airlines via a walkway. There were disabled toilets and we were out of the airport rather quickly.
We went to collect the car which was located in a car park a few minutes’ walk from the baggage claim. After loading up the car, we drove to our accommodation, Puukoa Palms Vacation Rentals, located in Haiku around 12 miles away. We stopped off for some grub in Paia. After lunch and chatting to a friendly couple from LA, we continued with our drive.
On arrival at our destination, which was for the next three nights, where we had requested a ground floor apartment; we were actually allocated on the first floor instead. Unfortunately, there were no lifts, so lugging two cases up a flight of stairs was not fun!
The apartment was very spacious and had all hard flooring, no carpet. It had a nice kitchen and one bedroom with a double bed. The lounge area had a futon and a TV. There was also a balcony with patio furniture. Unfortunately, this accommodation had no air conditioning, only two ceiling fans, which made it slightly unpleasant. The fridge was the one good thing, as when opened; the coldness was such a refreshing feeling. Ah bliss!
The bathroom was basic, and there was no bath. There was a spacious shower which was more than a metre in length; this was equipped with a shower curtain and a small step over to access it. Unfortunately, there were no grab rails in the shower to aid with mobility.
As this was a self-catering apartment, we had to source our own groceries, so I found Pauwela Store on Google which was three minutes’ drive away. After purchasing some essentials including beer, we headed back to the apartment to unload. With a quick Google search to see which restaurants were in the area, identifying that Colleens at the Cannery was being the best choice and located a short five minute drive away.
Colleens at the Cannery had a very large car park with two disabled bays. The restaurant was flat to enter and there was plenty of space between tables. This restaurant also has a unisex disabled toilet. There was a fair selection of dishes (fish and meat) and some great Hawaiian beers. After a very pleasant meal, we headed back to the condo to chill and eventually hit the sack.
Day Fifteen
The next day, after a good night’s sleep, we were ready to ‘rumble in the jungle’ as the Road to Hana was on the itinerary. Firstly, we set ourselves up with a hearty breakfast at ‘Baked on Maui’ which was recommended by the lady at Pauwela store.
We left here to join the Road to Hana, which was very scenic, but a two-hour curvy drive through the rain forest, where you could not stop on the road due to the nature of the terrain. This meant that it was difficult to take any good photos where you wanted to. However, my Dad slowed down so that I was able to capture the amazing scenery through the lens of my camera.
After arriving in the town of Hana, we went for lunch at Hana Ranch Restaurant, which I would recommend. The entrance was easily accessible and flat to enter with ideal spacing between the tables. To use the bathroom facilities you had to ask for the key. I suspect this was due to the fact that the toilets were situated outside the back of the restaurant and by giving the key they were able to monitor who used their facilities.
Wai’anapanapa State Park is home to the famous Black Sands Beach we were unable to visit as we had not booked this experience in advance which was a disappointment.
Driving back through the rain forest, the way we came, to our apartment for a rest before going out for dinner. We went to Colleens again as it was good grub.
Day Sixteen
This was the last full day in Maui, so we headed for our usual hearty breakfast at the same place before out for the planned itinerary of this third day kicked in.
Haleakala National Park was the destination for today, and this was exciting as it is the only active volcano in Maui. The volcano is 10,023 feet high and in a rather remote area, however they do have toilet facilities at the summit of the volcano. There was also a small gift shop, a museum and toilet facilities near the summit
I would recommend planning the day appropriately as there is nowhere to buy food or petrol, therefore I would suggest stopping for fuel and refreshments before setting off to visit the volcano. It is also very cold at the summit so I would suggest considering appropriate clothing to keep you warm and dry.
It was a cloudy and drizzly day when we visited which made the experience less spectacular than anticipated. We then headed back to the coast where temperatures soared to 28-degrees; one extreme to another!
Later that evening, we headed to Colleens at the Cannery for dinner again!
Day Seventeen
We checked out of our Maui apartment, had a nice breakfast and headed off to the airport for our flight to the final island, Kauai.
Kauai
We landed at Kauai Airport after less than thirty minutes in the air and disembarked the plane via a walkway. The airport is very small and easily accessible and we were out in fifteen minutes.
We boarded the shuttle bus via two steps; this then took us to the car park where we were to collect our hire car. Soon we were on our way to Kauai Shores Hotel, which was six miles away. On arrival at the hotel, we were too early for check in as this was from 4pm, and as it was around 1pm, we decided to have some grub at the hotel’s restaurant.
The hotel had disabled parking bays onsite and was accessible via flat concrete footpaths / promenades. There was a ramp up to reception (lobby), with a lower desk to enable wheelchair users to check in independently. This hotel was located right next to the beach and the outside seating for the restaurant is on very dry sand.
We were allocated a ground floor room with two double beds. The room had all the basic amenities including, air conditioning, a fridge, a TV and a coffee machine. The bathroom had a shower and bath in one, with a shower curtain and had adequate lighting. There was also a non-slip mat for the bathtub; however, there were no grab rails for the shower.
We decided to go for a swim in the pool which was lovely and warm. There was no deep end so the pool depth was five foot throughout. There was also a hoist to enable wheelchair users access the pool. After a swim and drying off in the late afternoon sunshine, we headed to the bar for a drink. Later on after freshening up, we headed back to the bar for dinner and cocktails.
Day Eighteen
The next morning, we had a hearty breakfast in the hotel restaurant. This set us up for the day as it consisted of eggs, bacon, hash-browns and pancakes.
We then headed to Wailua Falls by car. This was accessible as it was as you were able to drive right up to the falls. However the car park was busy, therefore you had to wait your turn but it moved quickly. We observed the beautiful fall for about ten minutes which was adequate time to take in the scenery of the sight.
Next on the itinerary was Waimea Canyon which was an hour and a half drive away. On the way there, we stopped off to do some retail therapy at Macy’s department store. Macy’s was incredibly accessible with disabled parking and toilets.
We stopped off in Starbucks for a light lunch which was situated just outside of Macy’s within walking distance. We then commenced on our journey to Waimea Canyon.
On arrival, we were taken aback by the stunning and dramatic scenery. This counteracted the drive up through the Canyon as it was rather zig-zaggy, but so worth it! There was a car park at the top of the canyon but we didn’t use this as it charged ten dollars for parking. We stopped on the way up, on the road, to take photos so didn’t need to park up.
We then drove back to the hotel and got ready to go for dinner. This was at the hotel bar, the same as the previous evening, we avoided the cocktails though!
Day Nineteen
The next day we had another hearty breakfast, before our onward departure to the airport after checking out of the hotel obviously.
We dropped the hire car back, caught the shuttle bus to the airport, before checking in for our flights to Honolulu. This was the shortest flight of twenty two minutes!
On arrival, we connected at Honolulu International Airport for our flight to Boston via Chicago. Our layover was two hours and thirty minutes; I thought we had ample time but this was not the case as the Hawaiian Airlines dropped us off at Terminal One where we picked up the luggage. From there, we had to change terminals and with lack of signage and staff to ask this made it very difficult to know where to go hence the time ran out quickly.
After twenty minutes of struggling, we eventually found the shuttle which took us to terminal two. The shuttle bus was not wheelchair friendly as you had to go up four or five steps to board and the driver didn’t even offer any assistance. Luckily, some of the passengers helped me board the bus with my suitcase.
On arrival at terminal two, the driver assisted with the suitcases, and we proceeded to check in. Self-service check in requires you to print out boarding passes and luggage tags independently. There was an issue printing my luggage tag and it took us a while to get some assistance. Once we were all checked in, it was time to go through security.
There was a long winding zigzag style walkway leading up to security, with no queue skipping as an option for any disabilities provided. This was a bit pointless as there were hardly anyone queuing here. Security was fair, just not as aware, and there were lack of seats at the other end where you were able to sit down to put your shoes back on.
The walk through the terminal to the gate to board the flight was long and tiring but it was good exercise, in anticipation for the eight hour flight to Chicago. We arrived at the gate after walking roughly two miles, waited for ten minutes and then started boarding. Our flight, United Airlines, was a Dreamliner and we boarded via a walkway.
Day Twenty
After a smooth night flight, we landed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. We disembarked quickly via a walkway as our connecting flight to Boston was departing soon. Luckily, our departure gate was only a few gates down so we literally flew onto the United flight!
After less than two hours flight time, we landed at Boston Logan International Airport and disembarked the plane via a walkway. The airport was fully accessible with lifts, escalators, flat walkways and disabled toilets. We collected our luggage and went to meet our cousins who had come to pick us up. We stopped for some Boston brekkie, before hitting the road bound for Troy, NY, known as Flynn Creek!
We resided with our cousins for the next four nights and celebrated memorial weekend with an all American barbeque.
A few places that we visited whilst staying with our cousins were; The Bennington Battle Monument, Mount Greylock and the City of Saratoga.
Day Twenty Four
This was our final day in good old United States and our cousins treated us to breakfast in Troy. Our flight wasn’t departing until 19.30; therefore we had ample time as Logan International Airport was only roughly a three hour drive away.
On arrival at the airport, we bid our farewells with a few tears and headed in to check in. Here there was a long queue with lack of staff available. As we had just had a long drive, I was happy to stand and stretch my legs.
The airport was fully accessible with flat walkways and disabled toilets. We boarded our flight, Delta, via a walkway and were seated in the front row of economy, therefore had additional leg room. I sat in my seat, buckled in and reminisced on a most epic adventure of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.