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Activities — premium
By Robert W. Bone
Special to The Advertiser
When cybergazillionaire Bill Gates came to Hawai’i to get married a few years back, he reserved the entire island of Lana’i for himself and his guests.
Well-heeled visitors sometimes book a nightclub and a well-known musical group for their very own, or a hire famous chef to cook for them. A gilt-edged Hawai’i is, indeed, available to those who want the very best – or at least the most expensive.
Here are a few active ideas for the big splurge, divided into Air, Sea, and Land based activities. Nothing here costs less than $100 – we promise. Most tote up to several times that amount.
AIR ACTIVITIES
Aerial tours by both helicopters and fixed-wing craft are a grand way to get the lay of the land. Count on paying at least $150 for an hour tour or $750 to charter the whole aircraft. All-day trips around several islands are proportionately higher. Many offer special long tours in combinations with lunch and some ground-based adventures, often in private, out-of-the-way locations.
Some well-known companies include Hawaii Helicopters, Tel. (808) 877-3900, website: http://www.hawaii-helicopters.com; Eco Air Tours – Hawaii, Tel. (808) 839-1499, which offers multiple-island tours in a nine-passenger Piper Chieftain; Island Seaplane Service, Inc., Tel. (808) 836-6273, a pontoon-based operation; Mauna Kea Helicopters, Tel. (800) 400-HELI, website: http://mkheli.com, on the Big Island.
Then there’s Jack Harter Helicopters, Tel. (888) 245-2001, website: http://www.helicopters-kauai.com, a veteran Kauai operation; Niihau Helicopters, Tel. (808) 335-3500, the only way to set foot on the "Forbidden Island"; Air Maui, Tel. (808) 877-7005, website: http://www.airmaui.com, on the Valley Island; and Paragon Air, Tel. (800) 428-1231, website http://www.maui.net/~wings/index.htm, a fixed-wing operation on Maui.
WATER ACTIVITIES
Traditionally a rich-man’s sport, Deep Sea Fishing lives up to that reputation in Hawaii with charters out of Oahu and the Big Island generally running $500 up for a full-day of fishing, whether you catch anything or not. (If you are lucky, you can add the expense of shellacking and mounting. Otherwise, it’s traditional to offer the fish to the captain – along with a healthy tip.)
Sportfish Hawaii, Tel. (877) 388-1375, website: http://www.sportfishhawaii.com, represents several boats on several islands, even including Midway. On the Big Island, scene of the acclaimed Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, check into the Kona Charter Skippers Association, Tel. (800) 7-MARLIN, website: http://www.konabiggamefishing.com.
Would you rather charter a yacht for just drifting and dreaming? Dreamer Yacht Charters, Tel. (808) 236-4411, is a 35-foot sailing yacht. Half-day sailing or snorkeling cruises run $350 for up to 6 people. Dinner Cruises in the Islands usually begin at around $120 per person these days. Two possibilities are on the unusually stable Navatek I and II. Tel. (800) 852-4183, website: http://www.royalhawaiiancruises.com. Another elegant operation is aboard the Star of Honolulu, Tel. (800) 334-6191, website: http://www.paradisecruises.com. Got a big party? In both cases, you can hire the whole boat if you want.
LAND ACTIVITIES
Anyone can elbow their way aboard a crowded tour bus, but the really elegant way to see the islands is via your own private limousine with a trained driver-guide. By arrangement, the vehicle can be equipped with such extras as phone, TV, and, of course, champagne. Typically they cost from $65 to $85 an hour, with a two-hour minimum, but there are special packages available for picnicking, weddings, and other frills.
Statewide services include Carey Limousines of Hawaii, Tel. (888) 563-2888, website: http://www.maui.net/~mauilimo, and the Elite Limousine Service, Inc., Tel. (800) 776-2098, website: http://www.elitelimohawaii.com.
Others include, on Oahu, the Alpha Limousine Service, Tel. (808) 955-8898, website: http://www.hawaii-limo.com; on the Big Island, Luana Limousine Service, Tel. (800) 999-4001; on Kauai, Kauai Limousine Corporation, Tel. (800) 764-7213; and on Maui, Arthur’s Limousine Service, Tel. (808) 345-4667.
After a long flight, or a hard day of sightseeing, limo or no, some like to relax with a massage at a modern spa. The full treatment will range from around $100 to $400 or more. The top spa on Oahu is traditionally the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, Tel. (800) 626-4446, website: http://www.ihilani.com/spa/spa.html. Others are at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki (Tel. 800) 233-1234, website: http://www.hyattwaikiki.com, and the Abhasa Spa at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Tel. (800) 782-9488, website: http://www.royal-hawaiian.com.
More spas are on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island. These include (but not limited to) the Kohala Spa at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, Tel. (800) HILTONS, website: http://www.hilton.com/hawaii/waikoloa, and the Light and Life spa at the Westin Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Tel. (800) 882-6060, website: http://www.maunakeabeachhotel.com.
On Maui a big splash was made recently by the new Spa Moana at the Hyatt Regency Maui, Tel. (800) 233-1234, website: http://www.hytt.com.
Traditionally as expensive as sportfishing, is hunting, a sport not identified as much with Hawaii. Nevertheless, mountain goats and wild boar are fair game in parts of Hawaii at certain times of the year. Count on spending a minimum of $500, including rifle rental, taxidermy and all the trappings. One well-known guiding outfit is Hunting Adventures of Maui, Tel. (808) 572-8214.
Something a little less violent, but still spooky? An unusual experience is offered by Maui Cave Adventurers, Tel. (808) 248-7308, website: http://www.hanacave.com. The six-hour deluxe tour of Ka’eleku Caverns costs $175. (No youngsters under 18.)
Travel writer Robert W. Bone is a journalist, editor and photographer. He is the author of "The Maverick Guide to Hawaii."
