For some time now we’ve wanted to write a guide for people who are new to the process of renting vacation homes. Fortunately we discovered Terry Gronenthal who publishes The Vacationers Guide to Vacation Rentals. Terry long ago discovered the benefits of staying in a vacation rental over a hotel and has put a tremendous amount of effort into writing about the subject. His guide covers everything you need to know about the rental process.
Some excellent advice Terry gives is to write reviews about your experience after your trip. There are three reasons for doing this. First, as a way of rewarding a quality rental. Second, to help out fellow vacationers. But finally, as Terry recommends in the guide, when you go on vacation again and approach an owner to make an inquiry, you can tell them “We’ve used vacation rentals in the past and you can see one of my reviews here.” Quality owners love guests who are savvy enough to write online reviews because it helps build the reputation of their rental. Likewise, an owner who cuts corners will be put on notice that you mean business.
In our Hawaii safety guide we discuss the Portuguese man of war, or blue bottle, one of the sea creatures you want to avoid on your Hawaii vacation. It’s difficult to resist the temptation to enter the water when they’re around, but it’s best to pack up and head to another beach.
A man of war sting can be very painful. Each tentacle contains thousands of tiny spikes that are used to inject poison. The severity of the sting depends on how much of the tentacle brushes against your skin. The sting causes a burning pain and welts, possibly accompanied by muscle weakness, and sometimes also pain and swelling of nearby lymph nodes. Breathing difficulty and chest pain are possible. The pain can be alarming but it’s rare that one would need to see a Physician although some people may be allergic to the sting. If you see a red line forming from the sting to a lymph gland you should see a Doctor.
Having been stung many times, we’ve developed the following treatment plan.
1. Remove tentacles with a stick or something similar. Don’t touch or rub!
2. Rinse with salt water.
3. Go home if the pain is severe. The victim will likely be out of action for the afternoon.
4. Rinse affected area with hot water. This helps neutralize the poison.
5. Apply ice to help soothe the pain.
6. Take at least 3-5 Grams of Vitamin C. Vit-C is excellent at neutralizing toxin.
7. Crush vitamin C, baking soda and water to create a paste. Apply the paste to the affected areas to pull the poison from the stings.
The old vinegar treatment is no longer recommended. It’s said to work for jelly fish but may actually worsen this type of sting. The key to this treatment is the high dose of Vitamin C which we have found can stop all sorts of venom/toxin/poison in its tracks. Taking very large doses is safe, and you can spread it out to help with absorption. For example, 500mg every 15 minutes for several hours.
The above treatment seems to work quickly, usually taking about an hour for pain and symptoms to be reduced by 90%.
Fortunately blue bottles don’t infest the waters very frequently. They’re most common on east facing shores and won’t affect an entire island.
Google themes are background pictures that you can add to the Google home page. It’s a colorful alternative to the standard white Google page. We like to set our Google background to a Hawaii theme. It’s a way to remind you, no matter where you are, you’ll always be searching for Hawaii.
Kauai Google Theme
Big Island Beach Google Theme
Kauai Beach Google Theme
To add one of our Hawaii themes click on the above image. This will take you to the Google page for the theme. Now just click the “Add it Now” button (don’t worry if no screen shot of the theme appears on the Google page).
The Hawaiian monk seal is an endangered species. Researchers estimate there to be roughly 1300 seals alive today. Fewer than 100 live around the major Hawaiian islands, the remainder around atolls and islets in the vast 1500 mile stretch of ocean that technically compromise the Hawaiian islands. Spotting a monk seal on vacation is a rare treat but the seals are not at all shy of humans and will beach themselves on any spot of sand no matter how crowded. Being endangered species, the seals may not be approached, but you can watch them take a nap on the sand from a distance (100ft).
Take a look at all the places we’ve spotted Seals around Hawaii. Click on the thumbnail to start the photo tour.
As you’ve hopefully noticed, HawaiiGaga.com features hundreds of Hawaii pictures including panoramic photos and virtual tours. We’ve literally taken thousands of photos of the islands (at least 10,000). Photographing Hawaii’s scenery is especially enjoyable and the biggest perk associated with working on a travel web site.
We’ve been asked about the process of creating a 360 degree picture. The most important component is the software used to “stitch” and blend the series of photos together. We use a package called Autopano.
For outdoors scenes one simply stands in one spot, rotating around and taking the photos, making sure that there is some overlap (maybe 20%) between each image so that the software can figure out how to “connect the dots.” The number of pictures one needs to rotate all the way around depends on your lens - typically it’s about 8. Autopano stitches the pictures together to create a single very large photo.
Movement in the scene, like a car driving past, will confuse the process because you’ll have a picture of a car in more than one photo in different locations. So scenes with little movement, like nature scenes, are the easiest. Otherwise you’ll have to use Photoshop to correct distortions.
You can take a 360 photo with any kind of digital camera, although using a DSLR is much preferred over a point and shoot digital camera because of the ease of use, speed of taking photos, ability to accurately frame the scene through the view finder, ability to use filters, and possibly an improvement in picture quality. Ken Rockwell maintains an excellent photography web site that will keep you busy for days.
For indoor 360 photos one would normally use a tripod with a special attachment called a pano head. The purpose is to ensure the camera swivels around a fixed point. You could just stand in place and rotate around as with outdoor scenes, but when the subject matter is so much closer to the camera the stitching software has a more difficult time putting it together and matching the scene - there’s less room for error. The use of the tripod and pano head improve the accuracy of the process.
There are other ways of taking 360 degree photos as well. For example, motorized pano heads, or special lens mirrors that take a 360 degree photo in one shot. Start by using whatever equipment you have and learning how to best use AutoPano before investing in new gear.
In a previous article we talked about how purchasing Hawaiian art was an excellent way to take Hawaii home with you. For our U.S. readers we’ve discovered another great way to bring Hawaii into your home - internet radio.
The best internet radio station we’ve found is called Pandora. It’s more than a radio station though. You tell it what kind of music you like and then it starts selecting similar music, fine tuning the selection until after a few hours of listening you have a great radio station that plays mostly the music you like.
We’ve created our own Hawaii Radio station. We started by telling Pandora that we like the music of Israel ‘IZ’ Kamakawiwo’ole, Gabby Pahinui, and Sean Na’auao. From there it started playing related music and we gave a thumbs up whenever it played Hawaiian music.
Have a listen and see what you think, and do share any stations you create with us.
The World Wildlife Fund defines a botanical garden as a “garden containing scientifically ordered and maintained collections of plants, usually documented and labeled, and open to the public for the purposes of recreation, education and research.”
Hawaii has many beautiful botanical gardens. What better way to spend a morning or afternoon than a walk through one of these gardens? Some are free while others charge a fee, typically around $20, but remember your fees help maintain and preserve these areas. Three of our favorite gardens are the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden on the Big Island, Kauai’s Limahuli garden shown below, and the Allerton/McBryde garden on Kauai’s south shore.
Remember to include Limahuli in your plans as you visit Kauai’s north shore. Many drive right past on it on their way to Ke’e beach. Mom and Dad may prefer the pleasant garden to the more strenuous Kalalau Trail
The last thing you want to do is get sick at the start of your vacation. Ironically many people get very stressed out just before a vacation. The boss doesn’t like that you’re going, you’re trying hard to get a lot of work done before you leave, and then there’s all that vacation planning to do. First of all, don’t worry about work - it will be there when you get back. Second, you’ve found HawaiiGaga.com so finding a nice place to stay is a snap. Finally, you’re going to Hawaii!
So, how to get there healthy?
Most importantly, get plenty of sleep the night before your trip.
No last minute packing, arrangements or stress. Take care of business well in advance.
Give yourself time to get the airport. Travel day should be boring. No rushing.
Airplane food is void of nutrition at best and dangerous at worst. Pack your own nutritious meals and skip all junk food. It’s better to eat light while traveling.
Don’t be embarrassed to carry and use a surgical mask on the plane.
A former flight attendent provides more interesting flying tips
The temperature of the water around the Hawaiian islands doesn’t fluctuate very much between the summer and winter months. The National Oceanographic Data Center records water temperatures around the islands every day. Their monitoring station in Honolulu reports the following temperatures for the year:
Hawaii Water Temperatures
Beaches with mostly shallow water will have slightly warmer temperatures. In the winter the water may feel cool for people who lack “insulation”, especially on a cloudy day when the winds pick up. If you plan on doing a lot of snorkeling, investing in a wetsuit top is recommended. They cost about $75, but wait until you get to Hawaii to make the decision on whether you’ll need one.
One of the benefits of staying in a vacation rental is the ability to prepare your own island inspired meals from local produce. Farmer’s markets are the best way to get your hands on fresh vegetables and sample some exotic fruits. The department of agriculture’s web site lists the schedules for all the markets in the state. Most rental accommodations also list this information in their information booklets.
Mangosteen and Rambuttan - two of many interesting fruits found at a farmers market
The rambuttan (spiky thing) is like a lychee, a very sweet fruit with a thick flesh similar in taste to a grape. Mangosteen’s are rare and fetch a premium. Their taste is exceptional and unique - worth a try.
Not everybody selling at these markets are farmers, some are just resellers who may get their items from neighboring islands and other vendors. The best produce is from the organic farmers who also service the community. They’re fairly easy to spot.
Make sure you’re on time. Locals are known to go crazy and snap up the best items quickly. Expect some very pushy soccer moms. It’s not customary to barter on prices.
