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Luquin's Mexican Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

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The restaurant reviewed is:
Luquin’s Mexican Restaurant
Pahoa Government Rd
Pahoa
HI 96778
(808) 965-9990

Kwai’s Dish
Chili Rellenos, Carnitas
Yiki’s Dish
Chicken Burrito Deluxe
Exterior
Based in the small town of Pahoa just north of the observation area for the lava flowing into the ocean. Looks like an old western movie style building. Free parking on gravel next to restaurant.
Interior
Decorated to feel like an authentic little Mexican restaurant.
Service
Our waitress was friendly and explained Read More »Luquin's Mexican Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

Things to do in Hawaii: The Devastation of Puʻu ʻŌʻō

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When Puʻu ʻŌʻō decided to erupt, many towns were forced to abandon as hundreds of homes and homes turned into lava rock. This crazy thought was a reality and serves as a reminder of how brutal mother nature can be. A visit to the end of route 130 shows the trail of destruction as parts of the highway is now lava rock and only a couple of buildings remain in the area. The drive goes on for a while which really demonstrates how far spread the damage was done. See the video below to see the destruction and the walk out to the lookout point.

At the end of the drive is a walk down to the coast a safe distance away from lava flowing into the ocean. Unfortunately from April 2010, the lava has changed direction from the the erupting Puʻu ʻŌʻō and is not flowing into the ocean anymore Read More »Things to do in Hawaii: The Devastation of Puʻu ʻŌʻō

Things to do in Hawaii: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park


Hawaii was formed by a string of lava flows from a group of volcanoes in the ocean. Some of these volcanoes are still active today including Mauna Loa which still forms land on the Island of Hawaii in Hawaii (otherwise known as the big island). The living history of Hawaii has been captured and turned into a small museum in the Hawaii volcanoes national park which is a world heritage site. It doesn’t really need much protecting though as anything built onto it would probably be melted down in the future!
Throughout Hawaii’s history, towns have literally been burned down by molten lava. In recent history the Kīlauea volcano took out Kaimū and Kalapana in 1990. These days, the main activity comes from Puʻu ʻŌʻō which has been flowing out into the ocean until very recently. Read More »Things to do in Hawaii: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Ken's House of Pancakes Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

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The restaurant reviewed is:
Ken’s House of Pancakes
1730 Kamehameha Ave
Hilo,
HI 96720
(808) 935-8711

Kwai’s Dish
‘The Pocho’ (Portuguese sausage omelet) with a side of hash brown. Coconut Pancake with side of ice cream. Passionfruit, Orange and Guava syrup. POG juice (Passionfruit, Orange and Guava)
Yiki’s Dish
Banana Pancake with side of ice cream. Chef’s choice (Spinach, sausage, herbs, onion mushroom omelet). Passionfruit, Orange and Guava syrup. POG juice (Passionfruit, Orange and Guava)
Exterior
Busy free car park which is prone to floodingRead More »Ken's House of Pancakes Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

Jeep Wrangler review

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I have driven a lot of different cars over my driving years so far. This is mainly due to work and also use of rental cars instead of owning outright until recently. I had never driven a jeep before though as they are not a very popular car in the UK. In Hawaii though they are the rental car of choice. The Jeep Wrangler is a compact four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle vehicle produced by American automaker Chrysler, under its Jeep marque. A defining feature of all Wranglers is that they continue to use live axles both front and rear like their original Willys civilian Jeep form the 1950s.
When I first got a first look at the Jeep at Alamo in Hawaii I was stunned to see such an abused car being rented out again. The soft cover was not on properly, there were scratches all over the place and they had warning stickers on everything inside the car. Things did not get any better when I turned on the engine either. The ride height was really high yet it was still difficult to judge the width of the car. The handling was non existent and driving around in windy conditions was even worse with the wheel being turned every millisecond to compensate. The noise was intense too with the soft cover being blown to bits as the car was swaying side to side. I’m not a great fan of automatic transmission but being the USA I didn’t have any choice in that sense. Read More »Jeep Wrangler review

Toto Washlet Review

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Toto is the largest producer of toilets in the world. I’ve never even heard of them in the UK but in their native Japan, Toto have over 70% of their flagship washlet toilets in installed in Japanese households. My stay in a Mauna Kea hotel room was the first time I had encountered one of these in person and I was impressed form the start. For those who have never seen one before, these toilets are deodorising, seat warming, bum washing, massaging and drying, self flushing and soft closing.
The model that I tried wasn’t even their most premium model. They have one that raises the toilet seat as you get near it and closes itself! In countries like Thailand I’ve had to use a water hand washer to clean my bum after a poo as is the standard for a lot of Asian countries but this washlet bidet thing does it all for you. Read More »Toto Washlet Review

Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill, Hawaii Island Review

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The restaurant reviewed is:
Roy’s Waikoloa Bar & Grill
250 Waikoloa Beach Dr
Waikoloa Village
HI 96738
(808) 886-4321

Kwai’s Dish
Fresh fruit punch, Edamame, Starter platter of Rib, King Prawn and Spring Roll, Pan roasted Breast of Chicken with Asparagus, Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé with ice cream on raspberry sauce
Yiki’s Dish
Strawberry Daiquiri (non alcoholic), Roy’s Trio of Ahi, King Prawns and Ribs.
Exterior
Based in the outdoor shopping mall of Waikoloa Village. Plenty of free parking.
Interior
Nicely decked out and probably has a reputation for fine dining as other people were well dressed. The kitchen is open for everyone in the restaurant to see.
Service
Service was prompt to start with. Different people serve up the food to the waiters. Service was really lacking by closing time though. They were far more interested in going home than helping the last diners get out first. Read More »Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill, Hawaii Island Review

Things to do in Hawaii: Mauna Kea

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Mauna Kea in Hawaii is a dormant volcano and tranlates to ‘White Mountain’ in the native Hawaiian language. This is because the top is often covered in snow between November and March – locals even use this as an opportunity to go skiing! The peak of Mauna Kea is 4,207m above sea level, about 30m taller than neighboring Mauna Loa and about 9,100m above its base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. This means that Mauna Kea is the world’s tallest mountain, taller than Mount Everest at 8,848m, which is the highest mountain above sea level. The height above sea level may change over the next few thousand years as the massive weight of the Mauna Kea volcano means that the seabed of the ocean below it is depressing slowly over time.

Mauna Kea can be reached via the very tricky Saddle Road. The summit is then a very long, steep drive on a mixture of man made roads and off road dirt track. Cars must be 4 by 4 drive to be able to go past the Mauna Kea visitor centre as it is a difficult off road drive. Read More »Things to do in Hawaii: Mauna Kea

Sony Bravia KDL32EX403 Review

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So I have been using the same old-style television for what seems like 10 years; Oh! It has been 10 years! Now 10 years ago there were no LCD panels, there were only CRT style massive televisions and I had one of those massive televisions until it started displaying some very weird stuff on screen. I then asked myself the same question every curious guy asks when he wants to buy a new TV – “Which is the best TV on the market?” Luckily for me it was March time which is when the new models tend to start coming out. Having looked at the 2009/2010 range of Panasonic and Sony televisions I was excited and looking forward to what the 2010/2011 models would bring.I then looked up the new range of Sony Bravia specifications on the Sony website and I just had to try one of these new babies out! There are 4 new ranges for 2010 to 2011 – the essential range, the cinematic range, the signature range and lastly the top-of-the-line range which is the network range. As of the end of March 2010 with the run-up to the World Cup Sony released to the public the 32 inch essential range television. Although it is supposed to be the most basic range, it is anything but! This television comes with YouTube out of the box, DLNA, LAN connection, full PC and freeview HD!Read More »Sony Bravia KDL32EX403 Review