whale watching

Hawaii's Kona Village Resort: Unplugged, Unpretentious, Unmatched

Kona Village Resort, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is a nominee for a Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Luxury Family Summer Vacation. The pristine resort features serene lagoons surrounded by lush, tropical landscaping as well as dramatic, surreal, black lava cliffs that plunge to meet the ocean.

Guests stay in thatched roof hales (Polynesian-inspired bungalows) on 82 oceanfront acres. No televisions, telephones, radios, air conditioners are there to distract. Coconuts supplant traditional "no disturb" signs,

Included in the guest rate are all daily meals, an award-winning, traditional Hawaiian luau and activities from snorkeling and tennis, to lei-making, stargazing and fishing the traditional way with bamboo poles.

Water-based activities include an Outrigger Canoe Program in which guests learn to paddle a canoe, Hawaiian-style. A Wiwo'ole Ribcraft Adventure is available for seasonal whale watching as well as cruises to hidden snorkeling sites with Scooters (dive propulsion vehicles). There's also standup paddleboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, and SCUBA diving (scuba dive instruction and certification programs are available as Kona Village is a PADI certified resort).

Gallery: Kona Village Resort, Hawaii

Tags: awards-main, canoe, Hawaii, Hualalai Golf Course, kayaking, Kona, Kona Village Resort, luxist-awards, SCUBA, scuba diving, stand-up paddle boarding, whale watching, windsurfing

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Whale Watch From A Canoe In Hawaii

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

I've been whale watching from a boat but never an outrigger canoe. That's the experience on offer at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. This is the time of year for whale watching in Hawaii as the North Pacific humpback whales make their annual journey toward warmer waters. The Four Seasons Whale Watching Package includes a free daytime excursion along with a four-night stay and a complimentary fifth night. For the less adventurous the whales can also be observed from shore. Rates start at $640 per night.

Last year brought a record number of humpback whales and this year's migration is expected to be similarly well-attended. Maui celebrates the return of the whales with a month of special events to learn more about these majestic creatures. Whale watching is a popular tourist event each winter but although the whales are in full force, as USA Today reports, some of the tourists are not. A video shot from one of the canoes is after the jump.

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Tags: canoe, four seasons, FourSeasons, maui, whale watching, WhaleWatching

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Whale Watching at Verana

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Tequila and whales? It doesn't sound like a winning combination but Verana, a resort hotel, 30 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico makes it sound endearing. It's whale watching season there as the whales make their yearly migration. For those who come to Verana to see the whales, Verana is busting out the good stuff, such as Jose Cuervo's Reserva de la Familia and Don Eduardo Anejo for nightly tequila tastings. They also offer cooking classes, a menu of spa treatments and yoga classes. Getting to Verana isn't the easiest thing in the world, once you get to Puerto Vallerta, you have to take a taxi and then a boat ride to reach your destination, but once you are there you are ensconced upon a hilltop with beautiful ocean views. A very fine place to look at over the water and greet the whales. Rates start at $280 per night not including meals.

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Tags: mexico, puerto vallerta, resort, travel, vacation, whale watching