A weekend on the "Big Island"

History, old-time Hawaii come together on a pretty beach, right on the water next to the Kona Pier, this large resort hotel occupies the site where King Kamehameha took up residence after unifying Hawaii. It's ideally situated for walking around Kailua-Kona Village.

Regulars return annually for the hospitality and casual atmosphere. In the hotel's hallways are numerous Hawaiian artifacts, such as a feathered cape and helmet, and portraits of Hawaiian royalty. Two mounted, record-setting blue marlin are also on display. Both artifacts and marlin pay tribute to Kona's special attractions and fascinating history.

However, I was a little disappointed in the general appearance of the hotel, which verges on the tacky and is in dire need of an update. The rooms in particular need an overhaul. If you are just looking for someplace to stay its not a bad choice as it on the ocean and is walking distance to the main drag.

A must do -- go for a walk at sunset on the main road next to the beach. Absolutely gorgeous! See photo below.

The Martini Yacht Club, is on the second floor in the Coconut Grove Marketplace. The superb location on Alii Drive is just feet away from the ocean, be sure to get a table on the balcony, overlooking Kailua Bay and listening to the breakers, when the live music isn't playing. The elegant dining room has walls and booths enhanced with wood trim, is decorated with World Cup sailing memorabilia, and a baby grand piano.

It's obvious from the food that only the freshest fish and produce from the Big Island is used to ensure the finest flavors in this eclectic mix of Hawaiian, Asian and American cuisine.

The restaurant specializes in martinis and features dozens of tasty concoctions such as The Hawaiian Martini made with Absolut Citron, pineapple juice, and a splash of lime juice. And not to worry, the old standby martinis are also served and you can have a bleu cheese stuffed olive if you are so inclined. My personal favourite was the Cosmopolitan.

The dinner menu features hot and cold appetizers like asian BBQ duck, seafood risotto (a personal favorite of mine), ceviche martini, grilled shrimp cocktail with an interesting twist on the classic adding pickled onion, tomato-avocado salad and spicy lobster oil. My favourite appetizer was the carpaccio, the best I've had since arriving in the United States.

Salads include caesar salad, spinach tossed in shallot and pancetta vinaigrette with spicy candied walnuts and crumbled gorgonzola, as well as a lovely house salad.

Entrees offer fresh fish, beef tenderloin and rib eye steak, seafood and rack of lamb, which was to die for!

Desserts are plentiful but personally, I always head straight for the grand marnier crème brulee.

Although a little pricey, the food and ambience are definately worth it, this is now my favourite dinner spot on the Big Island.

Daniel Thiebaut is an eclectic blend of antique furnishings, one-of-a- kind table settings, vintage Hawaiiana, and brightly coloured Sig Zane fabrics. Chef Thiebaut's French-Asian cuisine features such mouth-watering dishes as the Pacific Salmon and Wasabi Ravioli with a Kaffir Lime Leaf Sauce, and the Hilo Sweetcorn Crabcake with Lemongrass-Coconut Lobster Sauce.

Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30am, while dinner is served every evening from 5:30pm. The only negative is that like most restaurants on the islands, they do close rather early.

The last time I was there the three course prix fixe menu was $35. Included was an appetizer from which you could choose the Cream of Butternut Squash Soup with a Garlic Herb Creme Fraiche, or the Smoked Salmon Roulade with a Potato Cucumber Salad in Dill Cream Dressing, or the Kahua Ranch Butter Lettuce and Plum Tomato with Oriental-Style Vinaigrette. You could choose either the grilled Local Fish "Kona Style" topped with Ginger, Shoyu, Sherry Wine, and Hot Peanut Sauce, served with Jasmine Rice, or Chock In Style Stir-Fry Chicken in Peanut Sauce on Yaki Soba Noodles, or the Grilled Tenderloin of Beef with Green Peppercorn Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or the Asian Tomato Risotto with Mushroom Ragout and Hilo Sweetcorn-Chive Sauce from the list of entrees. For dessert, there was either the Millefeuille of Waimea Strawberry and Vanilla Sauce, or Banana Kiwi Lumpia with Jack Daniel's Ice Cream, or the trio of Big Island Ice Cream with Fruit Coulis.

For those feeling a little more adventurous head for the main menu, where the Lobster Bisque Flavored with Brandy and topped with Cilantro Coconut Cream at $7.50 and the Spicy Chicken Wonton with a Big Island Slaw and Ginger Soy Mayonnaise Dip at $8.00 caught my eye on the appetizer list.

From the entrees, the grilled "Kamuela Pride" New York Steak with Paniolo-Style Barbeque Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes at $27 and the Wok-Fried Sea Scallops with Asian Style Risotto and a Warm Coconut Crab Dressing $23.00 piqued our interest.

For those with a vegetarian bent, never fear there was something on the list for you -- delight in the Crispy Avocado Spring Roll with Smoked Tomato Coulis, tiny beans relish and served with a tossed Field Green salad at $19.50.

The CanoeHouse is the signature restaurant at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel.

This is one of Hawaii’s most famous restaurants — a remarkably beautiful stand-alone beach front restaurant where you can sit at an outside table on the deck and watch the sunset and the afterglow on the ocean.

However once you can tear your eyes away from the view and focus them on the menu in front of you, I suggest starting with either the Chinatown Duck, this is sliced duck on chilled scallion noodles served with a plum sauce (this is one of their most well-known dishes), or the Seared Peppered Ahi (tuna), which is served rare with Togarashi, Ponzu sauce.

If you're in the mood for a soup try the cracked Kona lobster and crab soup, otherwise head straight for the entrees.

Want a salad for you entree, the seafood salad is an excellent choice, with Maine lobster (it is actually grown on Kona so it is really fresh), Dungeness Crab and Tiger Prawns served with a vinaigrette.

Want something a little more hearty? Try the roasted rack of lamb, which is served with a herb-marinade, sweet potato cake and cabernet jus.

My other favorite the Shanghai lobster which is wok-charred with Waimea spinach and shrimp fried rice.

If after all of this you still have room for something sweet, try the mango and macadamia nut tart with vanilla sauce and fresh sweet cream. This should help cleanse your palette a little.

This might be a little expensive for the whole family, but what an experience!!

Don't worry about missing the Heliport--it's on the main road, across the road from the ocean. Just keep a look out for their bright blue helicopters, and in case they're all out look for a big white airsock.

We went on the Big Island Spectacular--a two hour flight, we set down in Hilo for five minutes for refueling halfway through the trip. The first half of the flight was the trip to the volcano and seeing an actual active volcano. She was spewing loads of smoke, and thankfully not much else. Then we viewed Madame Pele's lava, including watching lava fall into the ocean as the Island continues to grow--more of volcanic badlands before setting down. On the return we explored the lush rainforests and the Hamakua Coast. Finally, the deep and immense tropical valleys of the Kohala Mountains, with dozens of cascading waterfalls, provide the perfect finish to the ultimate Big Island adventure. The cost of this awesome event $340 per person in the A-Star--it was a bit of a squeeze in the back with four adults. The ECO-Star is $410 per person.

Flying over the volcano and then viewing the lava trails with lava dripping into the ocean--how the island is constantly growing was phenomenal. However, a very close second was flying into the one valley, cresting the ridge, the helicopter just seemed to drop a little (this is when some struggled with motion sickness), but the view amazing of all those waterfalls.

There are several other tours including several on the island of Maui, check out the website.

For reservations I suggest calling or visiting their website, don't try turning up at the last minute.

Hint: Wear dark colors on the flight as that minimizes reflection in the window especially when taking photos.

Hint: There is a video available on landing of your particular flight for $20, however I found the quality not that great, so it's a matter of preference.

Note: A couple of people didn't altogether enjoy the flight because they experienced a couple of bouts of motion sickness. Dramamine might be the answer for you if you have trouble. This is too good of a spectacle to miss.

If you're staying in Hilo it might be easier to leave from there, I understand they do have flights from the Hilo Heliport.

They also have flights running all day, including I believe a flight at dusk/evening over the volcano which is supposedly amazing as it allows you to really see the lava trails at night. These trails are more difficult and not as inspiring during the day.