Introduction:A couple of months ago, when we noticed the stars would align and that our schedules would permit a quick getaway, I began planning. After a bit of back and forth, we settled on the 50th state due to many things, not the least of which was its lush beauty, domestic nature, and… routing rules.
Considering I was in the middle of planning an international business-class round-trip using UA miles, I knew I had a “free-one way” to play with, either at the beginning or at the end, and not wanting to leave an ounce of free travel on the table, especially in lie-flat business, I decided to tack on a leg from HNL to EWR, stopover in NYC and continue on our main trip 6 months later.
So, I booked segment in lie-flat business, HNL-EWR, traversing more than 5000 miles—for free—to begin an award which actually begins in September. Gosh, I love this game.
A few hours later, I decided that of all the islands, Kauai was going to be our island of choice, and for 6K UA, I added a quick hop from LIH (Kauai) to HNL to begin the free one-way.
With that done, I managed over the next several weeks to snag 6 nights of cash and points award availability at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, and applied a Diamond Suite Upgrade to give us a bit more room. Paying 12.5K + $150/night for a Garden Suite that would otherwise go for $1,000+/night is yet another reason I love this game.
Now that I had a place to stay, and a way back, I looked at booking the outbound. Reviewing availability trends and loads, I decided that the likelihood of a business class award opening on the EWR-HNL flight on the day we needed was slim. Yet, there was saver award availability. Perfect opportunity for Plan-B.
I spent a few minutes setting that up, and waited, hoping against hope that my upgrade would clear in advance of check-in. Finally, I finished the booking with a HNL-LIH segment for 7500 HA miles.
With some last minute prep—including ordering a bunch of POM meals, we were set.
Tuesday:Alas, my upgrade did not clear in advance of check-in, but with some help, I was able to get PR-1 status on the upgrade list and steeled myself for the battleground.
Wednesday:We arrived at EWR by about 7 AM for our 9:10 flight, and despite some hiccups,* were able to through-check our bags all the way to LIH, saving us $30 in bag fees on Hawaiian Airlines, and also saved $50 in baggage fees on our initial UA flight to HNL by using my A3 *G status for both of us, even though UA had split the PNR when they stuck us on the upgrade list.
*It’s truly unfortunate when you encounter someone in a consumer-facing role who grumbles when asked to do something that falls directly in his or her job description. I mean, I know it’s an extra step to through check the bags, but that’s what you there for! And I know it’s an extra step to waive the baggage fee for my companion due to my status, but, again, those are the rules, and that’s what you’re employed to do. Ugh. All is well that ends well, I suppose.
We headed to the lounge, and while there, I shmoozed with the lounge rep about Plan-B (and posted my findings in that thread). A couple of minutes later, checked the UA app and discovered we had gotten the golden ticket! Mrs. AJK was given 1B and I was given a seat in Row 2. With some onboard seat-juggling, we were ensconced in 1 A/B for our journey to HNL.
Business Class on UA 767-400 ER by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Hour for hour this flight is a massive bargain. With a blocked flight time of 11 hours, this 40K one-way redemption comes out to be 3,600 miles per hour in lie-flat business. As a point of comparison, a flight from EWR to LHR in the same seat cost, costs more than double, at 8,200 miles per hour.
Once seated, I whipped out my laptop and did some last minute work, knowing that it may not be as last minute as I thought, as this flight more often than not is delayed. Sure enough, for reasons unknown, we didn’t take off until an hour later, at 10:10.
I watched a couple episodes of Better Call Saul (all you breaking bad fans better check that out; it’s great so far), and concluded our trip planning by finishing Kauai Revealed (shout-out to
Something Fishy for lending me the book in my time of need). After a couple-hour nap, I began writing this TR with just under 3 hours to go to HNL.
After writing for a bit, I finished up the flight watching Gone Girl--I still have about 30 mins to go, so no spoilers--but so far it’s fantastic.
We had steep descent (both of our ears hurt for the first time in the last 200,000 miles) and landed at HNL, where we connected for a couple of hours.
Route Map by
ajkddf, on Flickr
What I believe are C-17s and an F-18 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Our ride: 767-400 ER by
ajkddf, on Flickr
I must admit, it felt like we landed in another country, but it was a joy to have cell service immediately where everyone spoke the same language as me, and there were no customs/visa issues. Lovely.
I caught up on some work using my TMO tether. (Incidentally, I am enamored with TMO since switching from Sprint. $50/mo for unlimited talk/text/data and 5GB/mo tethering. And the speeds are faaast.)
Not too long later, we boarded Hawaiian airlines flight to LIH.
DSC02408 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02409 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02410 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
The whole flight wasn’t even long enough to write a couple paragraphs of this TR. So away my laptop goes! Next stop, Avis LIH.
United 767-400 ER by
ajkddf, on Flickr
We were quickly in our Mustang Convertible.
DSC02550 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
And then we headed to Wal-Mart, where my trip paid for itself:
Not too long after, we pulled up to the beautiful Grand Hyatt Kauai.
DSC02567 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02570 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
We were quickly checked into our Garden Suite, which I ended really enjoying (due largely to the fact that we could walk directly outside to the beach), and our frozen POM meals were taken to the freezer.
DSC02416 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02417 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02418 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02420 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02421 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02422 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02425 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02426 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
[As an aside, this was seriously the most wonderful toilet I've ever had the distinct pleasure of being able to use. Not to be to vulgar, but I almost bought laxatives just to be able to visit more often. Heated, comfortable, and had all the bells and whistles one could want. I miss it just writing about it.]
Anyway, from the room, we ordered one of our meals to be heated and delivered. Upon arrival, they charged a $10 flat fee for delivery/room service. While I had known about the fee beforehand, it didn’t make me any happier when being charged. I just found it nickel and diming in a resort that charges $1,000+ for an entry level suite. And in all my travels, including half a dozen other Hyatt’s I had never been charged such a fee.
Anyway, when I got to the room and saw they had a microwave and a fridge, I simply asked them to drop off 5 or 6 meals which I then heated up on my own in the microwave with supplies from Wal-Mart. No way was I paying another $100 in delivery fees for something I could do on my own, more effectively and more on my schedule.
A note on POM meals:
They’re undoubtedly a wonderful addition to a trip where one would otherwise be relegated to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but it really pays to order right.
For instance, the sino steak, boneless spare ribs, southwestern spicy chicken cutlets were truly excellent mains. The same can be said for the grilled white asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, and quinoa. Eating this way opens up an entire world to those people who wouldn’t dare vacation in a place like the UAE where [gasp] there is no Kosher restaurants.
Unfortunately, things go very wrong when you order wrong. The “hemishe brisket” was a total miss, dry and tasteless, as was the carne asada (same issue) and the garlic green beans, the latter of which tasted like soap. The chicken nuggets also were a miss.
Order right, and you’ll never vacation without POM in the future. Order wrong, and well, you’ll go back to only vacationing in Florida or eating PB+J.
Shortly after eating, we crashed in our beds after a long travel day.
[Note to all the naysayers: this TR is basically completed, so I hope to have it done within a week. Enjoy!]
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