Sunset at the Sheraton Kona at Keauhou Bay.
Sailing on the Fair Wind II into Kealakekua Bay.
If you want to fly south on Alaska Airlines, hop aboard the airline’s newest nonstop flight from Anchorage to Kona, Hawaii. The weekly nonstops, which started on Nov. 10, 2012, fly each Saturday through April, 2013, returning each Sunday. If you want to fly back in the middle of the week, choose noe of Alaska’s nonstops through Seattle or Portland, or fly over to Honolulu or Maui and catch the flight back to Anchorage.
I used to live in Kona, so dropping in to the Big Island was a little like Old Home Week. There’s great snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay with the Fair Wind. Get a bird’s eye view of the volcano with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters over in Hilo. Watch the manta rays swim at night at Ray’s on the Bay in the Sheraton Kona (right on Keauhou Bay).
Really, Kona is great. And the nonstop is fabulous, especially since Alaska has one of the new 737-800s on the route with the new “Sky” Interior and the HUGE overhead bins. Better to haul your snorkel gear!
This week’s Club 49 deals are great for travelers in Juneau, Ketchikan and Petersburg who want to head to Seattle. It’s just $338 roundtrip between Nov. 27 and Dec. 11, 2012. Purchase by TONIGHT, Nov. 15, 2012. Also, Anchorage travelers can fly to Cordova between Nov. 27 and Dec. 27, 2012 for just $184 roundtrip. Again–purchase by TONIGHT, Nov. 15, 2012.
Flying over Kilauea Caldera
Here’s a shout-out for the Alaska Airlines VISA card. We have two of the cards–and I just used BOTH of our $99 companion passes for PEAK holiday travel. The first ticket was SPENDY, but the second was CHEAP, so it evened out the cost nicely. I think the companion passes (valid for system-wide coach tickets) are worth the $75 annual fee, IMHO.
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