Jeff and Gary’s take on the Island – Part 1
Air Canada and Westjet offer non-stop services to KOA from YVR during winter season, or specifically from 12/15 to 3/31. Travel outside this period will likely mean a connection. Either way, Matt, the travel agent, is super helpful and will assist with your options. Our mom’s medical emergency a couple weeks before departure meant that Gary and I chose to upgrade our fare (to make it refundable) so that Charest wouldn’t take a hit if we had to cancel. Thankfully, no need to cancel. But, more importantly, the fare bump meant better seating choices and cabin location for the 6.5 hour flight there and back. We’ve got mid-50 backs ‘n’ arses, so just a heads-up that you can pay the difference if you want something more comfy. Matt will do the math; you just hand over your credit card.
In terms of in-cabin comfort, bring a sweater or such as it gets chilly enroute and you can form it as a back pillow in case you score a poorly shaped seat pan or seatback to offer support during the flight. Air Canada offers entertainment, so Gary plugged his AirFly (Apple) into his TV and we were both able to “Bluetooth it” using our own AirPods Max headphones (amazing for editing; see Openbox.ca) for awesome noise cancellation and stereophonic sound while watching the movies. Made the hours fly by. See what I did there? Food options were fairly favourful and generally decent but add up. Next time I’d probably go with some snacks airside (airport after security) and enjoy.
On arrival you’ll find KOA airport is super cute and taxis are readily available curbside and very close to the baggage claim area.
The trip to the house is on THE highway to the south. It’s one lane and occasionally can pile up, but it will eventually open up and clear. You’re on “island time” so it’s of no matter. No matter the traffic, it always came to USD50 to take a taxi per trip. We visited a friend in HNL on the Sunday and traffic was light, yet it still came to the USD50, yet again when we left on the Wednesday through rush hour.
Getting to house is easy. Driving by the house is easier! Every cabby that drove us missed it; they wanted to continue on roadway to the left. Keep an eye for the address on the rock or pillar, which is right when road starts to bend left.