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Big Island The Island of Hawaii
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Old 06-25-2009, 08:26 PM
 
19 posts, read 104,953 times
Reputation: 25

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Aloha,
I have some free nights to use at the Fairmont Orchid, Kamuela. I've never been to the BI before. Questions:
-Do I need a rental car to get from the airport to the Fairmont? How far is it? Is there a resort shuttle?
-Do I fly into Kona?
-Are there any good places to eat around there that aren't super expensive? I already expect the hotel to be expensive, and I'm not interested in overpriced resort fare. Here on Oahu we like local hole-in-the-wall type places, or upscale good values, such as Indigo, Orchids, or when on Maui, Mala, Pacifico, Saigon, etc.
-How is the snorkeling in front of the hotel? Is there somewhere else totally worth driving to that isn't far? I heard there was a good night spot with manta/eagle rays. . . where's that?
Since I only have 2 nights, I'm thinking of just hanging at the hotel and relaxing. We live on Oahu so we are figuring this will just a be a nice weekend getaway from the daily grind. Will we regret not driving all over the place and sightseeing? I'm not particularly interested in lava or volcanoes. I just want to use my platinum club free nights before they expire but don't want to waste the other money I'll spend getting there. I'm sure I have other questions but can't think of them right now so I'm open to further suggestions as well. Thank you very much for your help.
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Old 06-25-2009, 10:16 PM
 
Location: Big Island of Hawaii
1,375 posts, read 6,304,014 times
Reputation: 629
This is a good location to relax at the resort, but I would think you might want to get a rental car (check with hotel about shuttle--there likely is one, but I'm not sure). A rental car would let you check out a couple of restaurants at Kawaihae harbor. My favorite for casual dining: the Seafood Bar. You might also want to drive up to Waimea to check out Tako Taco (great fish tacos if you like those).

Try using Google earth to map out the distance from the airport to the hotel, then to the harbor and to Waimea. It's not far, there's very little in between, so it feels expansive. Maybe take at least one day to visit a non-resort beach...the extra effort is well worth it.
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Old 06-26-2009, 12:37 AM
 
Location: Kailua Kona, HI
3,199 posts, read 13,397,703 times
Reputation: 3421
The Fairmont Orchid is a beautiful hotel, my favorite on the island. With only 2 days, you will enjoy just lazing around the hotel and grounds. I would definitely rent a car because there will be no way to go anywhere once you get to the hotel. Yes, the food there is expensive but Brown's Beach House for a dinner is a real treat. http://www.fairmont.com/NR/rdonlyres/50B1EC42-191B-41E1-9F34-760EBC0FEC44/0/ORC_Brown_Beach_House_Dinner_Part1_May09.pdf (broken link)
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Old 06-26-2009, 03:12 AM
 
Location: Upstate New York
263 posts, read 1,005,318 times
Reputation: 200
The Fairmont Orchid IS beautiful. I could kill two days laying on a lounge chair drinking Mai Tais. I am not aware of snorkeling anywhere near the hotel but if you do get a car be sure to drive down the coast to Kealakekua Bay. It's well worth the effort.

Bob
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