On my Hawaii vacation, I had a chance to stay at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Sheraton is an open air hotel located on the Kona coast. It is surrounded by ancient lava flow and feature a 200 foot waterslide. The hotel also has two championship golf courses next door at the Kona Country Club.
I stayed in the Ocean/Poolview room and it was very nice. The Sheraton hotels have very comfortable beds and offer a nice fluffy robe and slippers in each room category. I did see the oceanfront rooms and they were much larger with an unobstructed view of the ocean. The hotel has a huge waterslide and a nice pool area but it does not have a beach. You can not access the beach directly from the hotel due to the lava flow.
The food was excellent but the real highlight is The Manta Ray Bar. You can get a view of an amazing Hawaii sunset and then wait for the Manta Rays to come in after dark. The bar has a flood light out in the ocean and once the sun goes down the Manta Rays come in to feed. This is one of those things you have to see for yourself to really appreciate.
I took a scuba trip that I booked through the hotel and it was excellent. The weather was a bit overcast but the rays and dolphins did not seem to mind. Some of the people in my group played golf at the Kona Country club. They have two courses within walking distance of the Sheraton. The courses were amazing as with most of the golf courses in Hawaii.
I highly recommend this hotel for your Big Island Hawaii vacation. The pool, rooms, view and location are super and no hotels on the Kona side will have a sandy beach. If your ready to visit Kona, head to the Sheraton Keauhou.
The Fairmont Orchid is located on the Kohala Coast, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The hotel has a white sand beach and a great snorkeling lagoon. My wife and I stayed in the corner oceanview room. It had a great view with a marble bathroom. The service is what you would expect from a Fairmont Hotel, top notch! The check in was a breeze and our bags actually made it to our room before we did.
The pool was huge and the hotel had a beautiful Jacuzzi area. The Jacuzzi was big and was surrounded my mature landscaping. In the evening the pools were busy and the hot tubs were full.
The beach is great and the lagoon has excellent snorkeling. The beach side bar was a lot of fun and the bartender was super. BEWARE of the coral on the outside edge of the lagoon. We seen a fella come up from the beach all tore up from falling on the coral when the waves came in. If you stay where you are supposed to be you will not have to worry about this.
The food was amazing at the hotel but it was a bit expensive. We ate breakfast and lunch at the hotel but went out for most of our dinners. The concierge offered some amazing tips on local restaurants and other area attractions.
The highlight of the big island was the fishing trip. The hotel concierge booked us a 1/2 day deep sea fishing trip. We left in the morning and the fish were really biting. No trophies but we had a lot of action. The sea was a little rough on the way in but we had a wonderful time.
Our stay at the Fairmont was amazing. These are special hotels and the Big Island of Hawaii is one of a kind. If your looking for luxury accommodations on the Big Island come and see The Fairmont Orchid!
A few years back I was fortunate to travel to the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in Maui. My wife and I were looking to play some golf and soak up the sun. The Ritz is a golfers paradise with two championship golf courses right on property.
The hotel also features an Environmental Program that teaches guests about Hawaiian culture and the native environment through fun-filled excursions led by expert naturalists. The spa is world class or if your into a more active vacation take on a high-octane hike or water adventure at the Kapalua Adventure Center and Mountain Outpost.
We had a standard room with a pool view. The 1 bedroom suites are amazing and feature a full kitchen. The accommodations were immaculate and the service was even better. They have three huge tiered swimming pools and had plenty of chairs.
The drinks and food were a little expensive but the food was unbelievable and the drinks were all top shelf. The Lobby Bar, Alaloa Lounge-features a new onyx bar with carved wood details, hand-blown glass pendants and a black lava stone wall to form the back-bar. It was named Best Lobby Lounge on the island by the readers of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine. They offer evening entertainment and breathtaking views. Get there early and stay late! The Banyan Tree is the hotel’s signature restaurant and features a bar and lounge with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and Moloka’i. The menu showcases Hawaii’s abundant fruits and fresh catches for lunch and dinner.
The beach is incredible! It is just a short walk from the pool. The beach is private with sort of a crescent shape and has soft, fluffy sand. It was never crowded and most often you were sharing maybe a few other couples or families. The waves do come in with some force so do not turn your back on it.
I have stayed in over a dozen Ritz Carlton’s around the world and this was my favorite! If your looking for a high end golf/Hawaiian vacation the Ritz Kapalua is truly special.
Cancun, Mexico has over a dozen nightclubs and literally hundreds of bars and is considered to have some of the best evening entertainment in the world. Cancun is most famous for their mega bars and party atmosphere but don’t forget the hundreds of small bars and clubs footsteps away from your hotel. It doesn’t matter if your looking for a nightclub with laser lights with thousands of people or a quiet local watering hole, Cancun has a place for you.
The large nightclubs have capacity for thousands and all offer nightly entertainment. This is not the entertainment you find in your local downtown clubs. There’s something new happening every few minutes, from fantastic circus type performances, giant video screens, the famous bikini contests, mime artists, crazy waiters and more. The most popular are Coco Bongo, Daddy O, The City and Bulldogs. It is common for these clubs to carry on until 6 in the morning. At these clubs you usually pay $25 – $40 cover and they offer an ”open bar” so your drinks are included with your cover. The “open bar” usually ends at 3 am so if your partying early into the morning you’ll have to pay for each drink after 3. These clubs are world famous and an evening experience of a lifetime!
If you prefer a smaller club try one of Cancun’s most famous bars, Senor Frogs. It is popular for it’s waterslides and wearable’s. There are scores of smaller bars in Cancun such as Corona Bar, Dos Equis Bar, Terrasta, Carlos N Charlie’s, My Place, Lucky Monkey and Congo Bar that might be more to your liking. These clubs will still have a cover and most do a pay per drink plan. These bars most often close around 1 am but will usually have smaller crowds and shorter lines. I recommend starting out at these smaller clubs and then finish your evening at one of the larger nightclubs. Most of these bars are open for lunch and the crowds are smaller and not as lively. Many of them are actually family friendly during the lunch hour and early afternoons.
If your not looking to pay big cover charges and dance till 6am with the younger crowd but would like to go out and enjoy a night on the town. Then try Captain’s Cove and Pancho & Willy’s. Happy Hour is from 4pm to 6pm every day at P&W’s and has one of the best sunset views in all of Cancun. Captain’s Cove and Pancho & Willy’s is located on the shores of the lagoon opposite The Omni Hotels. Cancun has evening entertainment for everyone. Below are a few tips to keep in mind when partying in Cancun.
A few tip to consider when planning your night out in Cancun.
1 – Tip – tipping will improve service levels with cabs, waiters and bartenders
2 – Beware of the Shot girls. They will charge you $2 per and you can get a little out of control if your not careful.
3 – Don’t get lost. Some of these clubs are huge so take notice of your surroundings and locate exits and restrooms.
4 – Be careful with valuables. Travel light, watch out where you leave your camera. Bring a disposable camera.
5 – BE SAFE. Use the cab service or walk. Use common sense and go out with a partner or a buddy.
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