The Big Island of Hawaii - Hawaii with Kids - page 162

Road looks like a shortcut from Kona to Hilo, but it usually doesn't make for a
shorter trip. It's rough, narrow, and plagued by bad weather; as a result, most car
rental agencies forbid you from taking their cars on it.
BY TAXI
Taxis are readily available at both Keahole and Hilo airports. In Hilo, call
Ace-1 ( & 808/935-8303 ). In Kailua-Kona, call Kona Airport Taxi ( & 808/
329-7779 ). Taxis will take you wherever you want to go on the Big Island, but
it's prohibitively expensive to use them for long distances.
BY BUS & SHUTTLE
For transportation from the Kona Airport, there are three options: two shuttle
services which will come when you call them, and a discount shuttle which leaves
the airport every hour on the hour and drops you at your hotel. Door-to-door
service is provided by SpeediShuttle ( & 808/329-5433; www.speedishuttle.
com). Some sample rates: From the airport to Kailua-Kona the fare is $19 per
person; to the Four Seasons it's $17; and to Mauna Lani Resort it's $38. For
shuttle service to your hotel, call Kona Airport Express Shuttle ( & 808/334-
0464, ext. 03), which is priced about the same as SpeediShuttle. They also pro-
vide a discount shuttle leaving the airport on the hour for hotels in the Kailua-
Kona area. You may have to wait for the next shuttle, but the prices are terrific:
$8 per person from the airport to Kona and $12 per person to Keauhou. (Chil-
dren under 12 are half-price.) You can get the shuttle from the car rental median
strip. The caveats are to limit yourself to one bag per person ($1 additional for
the bag); and to bring cash.
There is an islandwide bus system, but all it does is take passengers from
Kona to Hilo and back. (It does not stop at the airports.) It's the Hele-On Bus
( & 808/961-8744 ), and it leaves Kailua-Kona from the Lanihau Shopping
Center at Palani Road and Queen Kaahumanu Highway every morning at
6:45am, getting into Hilo at 9:30am. The afternoon return trip leaves the bus
terminal on Kamehameha Avenue at Mamo Street, in Hilo, at 1:30pm, arriving
back in Kailua-Kona at 4:30pm. The fare is $5.25 each way.
For transportation around Kailua-Kona all the way to Keauhou, take the Alii
Shuttle ( & 808/938-11121 ), which travels up and down Alii Drive (the coastal
road) and Palani Road (the main entrance to Kailua-Kona) from the Lanihau
Shopping Center to Ohana Keauhou Bay Resort, stopping just about anywhere
you want on Palai Road or Alii Drive. (Flag the bus down.) The buses run about
every 11/2 hours. The cost is $2 one-way; the current hours of operation (sub-
ject to change, so call to check) are from 8:30am (leaving Keauhou Bay heading
north to Kailua Village) to 7pm.
FAST FACTS: The Big Island
American Express There are offices on the Kohala coast at the Hilton
Waikoloa Village ( & 808/886-7958 ) and at the Fairmont Orchid in Mauna
Lani Resort ( & 808/885-2000 ). To report lost or stolen traveler's checks,
call & 800/221-7282.
Babysitters Call PATCH ( & 808/839-1988 ); or your hotel can refer you to
qualified babysitters. Many hotels use the licensed and bonded sitters of
Sitters Unlimited (www.sittershawaii.com); if you book their services