Oh Mark, that sounds wonderful! What a perfect honeymoon. Well, especially after conversing with Bill, I really do want to spend some time on Kauai. I'm hoping that hubby & I can compromise. He is a big history buff and understandably, he would treasure going to Pearl Harbor, as would I, but man, after seeing pics and hearing about the gorgeous isle of Kauai, it sounds like heaven to me. The dilemna is too many islands, too little budget vs. little vacation time. Hubby does not have the same affinity for plumeria as I do, as a matter of fact, he thinks I speak another language when I try to relate to him anything horticultural. And of course I think the same of him when he starts talking about woodworking or gunsmithing. I thank you for your input. Hopefully I can make some headway on these plans to accomodate both of our desires. Just seems like it would be a total shame to go to the islands and not be able to see plumeria in full bloom everywhere. Best wishes & thx! KR

We stayed at the Barcelo (The Colonial, not the Beach Club - there are actually 4 Barcelo resorts together) in March. We went for a wedding (so left the kids at home) on this particular trip, but we have stayed at AI resorts with our kids before (they are 11 and nearly 8). Our friends' stayed at the Beach club, and it seemed much busier and noisier than the Colonial. It *was* spring break time though, so perhaps there will not be as many drunken frat boys when you travel, :) Personally, I love travelling to an AI with the kids (we have been to AI's in the Mayan Riveria, Puerto Vallarta and the Dominican Republic; we also have a timeshare condo that is not AI in Mazatlan that we have been to several times). The buffet restaurants always had lots of choices as far as food goes (my son is a picky eater ), with lots of fresh fruit. The beach front buffets tend to carry lots of "American" food (hot dogs, hamburgers etc) that can be a change from the exotic food overload. The fish is always excellent. The entertainment at the Barcelo ranged from hokey-lame to very good. Pick chairs up higher but in the first row for best air circulation and view - it can be really hot sitting with all of those people. There was some noticeable hurricane damage still in evidence on the ride from Cancun to the resort, but the grounds themselves are in quite good condition. When we were there, there was some construction noise as they were rebuilding the pier/headlands. A lot of the actual sand had been blown off the beach, so it was quite rocky in some areas. Bring water shoes or sandals for the beach. There are plenty of chairs everywhere. The 4 resorts together are *enormous* - they must have close to a mile of beachfront, so there is plenty of room to spread out. Personally, I enjoy beach time with a bood and no one bothering me, so it was easy to get lost away from the other people in our group. There were virtually no beach vendors, which I actually kind of miss. I did find the prices for souveneir junk quite high at the resort, and very high on the shopping day we took to Playa Del Carmen. The fancy jewelery factory (don't be fooled by their promises of seeing "jewelery artisans at work" - it is primarily a giant showroom) near the resort actually had not bad prices, but a very small silver selection in comparison to the gold (mucho $$). We probably would not return to this resort again, but only because of the price, as we tend to be three star travellers, LOL. I don't have anything bad to say about the actual resort itself. Carrie

I've been to the Big Island six times. The first was when I was a geology undergrad and we went as a field trip for a class I was taking, and the most recent was two weeks ago with my two kids ages 7 and 8. My kids have each been there three times. Hawaii is where we choose to vacation. We make decisions in regards to other finances in order to make this happen. Anyway, definitely rent a 4WD vehicle. There is a gorgeous green sand beach (green sand...yes! It's formed from an old cinder cone where the magma has all eroded and what is left are the olivine crystals.) three miles from the end of South Point Road. Unless you want to hike six miles round-trip (I've done it twice and don't recommend it), the only way to get there is by 4WD. Also, if the water is calm at South Point, take a chance and jump off the southern most point of the United States. Definitely a thrill. Then hike a little more and go around South Point and see how dangerous the water is on the East Side. It's an amazing place. A 4WD will get you up to the top of Mauna Kea to see the telescopes. Although you can make it easily to the Visitors Center with a regular car. I would highly recommend spending an evening stargazing up there. Punalu'u Black Sand beach is a beautiful place to see a black sand beach and sea turtles. A hike to the bottom of the Pololu Valley will also get you to a gorgeous black sand beach and you can see the remains of the 1946 tsunami that hit the area. HVNP is well worth the trip, even if you can't see the lava up close. I've been there when we've hiked right to the lava and I made my own rock (this was on the geology field trip and is not recommended for amateurs), seen the lava flow from either side of the Chain of Craters Road, and most recently, only seen the lava glow at night from the Halema'ua'u Crater. The first time I went, we were able to go right to the edge of the crater at the overlook and we even hiked across the Kileau Crater. Now, the crater is active and the area around it is closed. The overlook was actually destroyed in an explosion when the crater became active. The lava changes every day and you never know what you are going to see when you go. Have a fabulous time! We've never stayed at the 4S. Instead we stay a bit further up the Kohala Coast at the Fairmont Orchid. The beach at the 4S is rockier and smaller than that at the Orchid, but the other amenities at the 4S make up for it. Maybe if we didn't go every other year, we'd be able to afford the 4S! :-)

Here is a pattern from Royal Carribean hope it might help soMaking a Hawaiian Lei Give your summer parties an exotic feel by making your own Hawaiian Lei and offering your guests Mai Tai cocktails. Just follow our easy step by step instructions. What youÂll need to make an Hawaiian Lei Number 10 crochet thread (doubled), or waxed dental floss Special lei needle, or large sewing needle with medium-sized eye Approximately 80 dendrobium orchid blossoms (or flower of your choice) Water mister Tape measure Felt-tip pen Step 1: Cut a length of thread (doubled) or dental floss (not doubled) 50 inches long and thread your needle. Step 2: Mark each end 5 inches from the end with the felt-tip pen. (It's helpful to place a clip of some sort at one end.) Step 3: Pluck the stem from each blossom, one at a time or pluck them all before you start.(If you're making a lot of leis, have one person string and one pluck.) Step 4: Sliding the needle on the 'lip' of the flower, pierce the flower about a 3/8-inch below the stub of the stem. Step 5: Continue adding flowers on the needle, gently nesting the end of each flower into the 'mouth' of the next. (The line of pierced blossoms should look like a stack of nested hats). Then grasping every 4-5 blossoms gently in the palm of your hand move them down to the end of the thread. (You?ll need to string about 80 blossoms for a 40 inch lei). Step 6: Finish the lei by nesting the first and last flowers and tying a square knot. Leave a 'tail' to carry the lei with until you are ready to present it. Step 7: Finally, lightly mist each lei as you complete it and store in the refrigerator in loose moistened plastic bags until ready for use. Helpful Hints: Orchids are a lot like lettuce, they don't like to be too cold and they will turn clear if they directly touch the sides of a cold refrigerator. It may help to turn your refrigerator down a little. The leis will last up to five days in the refrigerator, misting as needed - however, they are still best used no later than the next day.