Wish You Were Here
HAWAII: Menlo Park residents Mary Conlan-Amend and Juergen Amend visited the Waimea lookout on the island of Kauai in November, Mary says, “on a particularly clear and fog-free day. We love staying at Poipu Beach Marriott’s Waiohai Resort. There are beautiful beaches and many great restaurants along the southern coast. We make the short drive up the eastern coast to Kapaa for exceptionally good Mexican food at Monico’s Taqueria. It’s our favorite spot for lunch — outstanding, authentic, (with) a cozy atmosphere.”
Travel tip: Worried about fog and cloud cover? “Before driving up the scenic and newly paved road to the lookout points of Waimea Canyon, make a quick phone call from your hotel to the ranger station — which you will pass near the top on your way up — and check on the weather conditions at that location.”
GREECE: An Aegean jaunt took 14 Niles Rotarians to Athens, Mykonos, Paros and Santorini, pictured, last fall. The group included, from left, Chuck Canada, Carol Smith, Mike and Judy Coleman, Dirk and Lisa Lorenz, Steven and Carolyn Springer, Terri and Steve Landon, Paul and Sue Parhiala and Sandi and Dick Pantages
Travel tips: “Avoid the crowds and travel in late September or early October,” Terri says. “Travel from island to island using the high-speed ferries, (which) are efficient and comfortable. In Santorini, be sure to visit the archaeological site of Akrotiri. Take the trail and walk to Oia (for) amazing views.”
UTAH: Pat and Mike Mullady, from Redwood City, took a six-day trip through Utah’s parks, which included a stop at the top of Angels Landing, pictured, in Zion National Park.
Travel tips: “Zion is an easy drive from Las Vegas,” Mike says. “We stayed in Springdale. Most of the lodging there is within walking distance of the park entrance. If you don’t want to walk into the park, shuttles run regularly from Springdale, and there is a park shuttle from the parking lot. In the summer, it gets hot, so bring lots of water and start early. Enjoy — it’s a beautiful place.”
LAKE TAHOE: Palo Alto’s Biswas family — Rahul and Priyanka and their children, Sid and Rohan — spent Thanksgiving break at Tahoe on a trip that involved “neither snowboards nor skis,” Priyanka says. “We just wanted to relax, see the snow fall and play with our kids in the snow!”
Travel tip: Tahoe’s resorts are fine, but “we drove to Echo Lake and had a great time doing just that!”
Share your travels with us! Send your vacation selfies to jburrell@bayareanewsgroup.com. Be sure to tell us who’s who, where they’re from and where you are — and include a couple of travel tips to help fellow readers globetrot, too. Find more Wish You Were Here features at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.