Our Guide Book Has Been Published

In 1979, when we first came to Hawaiʻi, as we toured the islands and I explained to Betty what we were looking at and how it got there, people would crowd around and ask questions. That is what started our adventure in leading tours. All those people wanted to know what they were looking at and if they could tag along behind us.

When we moved out here and started our tour business, we were unique in offering personalized tours which weren’t tourist oriented, but rather explanation oriented. That was why our business was successful. When we finally sold the business, we still kept getting phone calls and emails asking us to do tours.

Since we are no longer licensed to operate tours, we decided to accommodate those people who want us along with them on a tour of the Big Island by writing a guide book that will be the next best thing to actually having us along. This book, BIG ISLAND, HAWAIʻI GUIDE, covers the areas on the island that we visited on our tours. It is available as a Kindle Book on Amazon.com. There are a lot  of guide books so it is easier to look it up by the author: A. Lee Meyerson. It is available* for readers to purchase here. By publishing it on Kindle we are able to provide people with a convenient, transportable book which contains abundant pictures so people don’t have to guess if they are looking at the appropriate thing. If we did a print book, the price would be unreasonable for such a book.

Dining near Volcanoes National Park

Most people who visit the island visit Volcanoes National Park. It is the premier attraction on the island. To explore the Park is at least a full day affair; more if you are into hiking. When we offered tours to the Park, we would be ready to exit the Park at about 6:00 PM. There was no way that people would tolerate a two hour ride back to the Kona Coast without dinner. We would take them to Kilauea Lodge in the town of Volcano, just outside the Park. It is a gem situated in the rain forest and good enough that we didn’t mind eating there several times in a week.

The Lodge is situated in an old YMCA camp. The first thing that catches your eye on entering the dining room is a huge fireplace, usually with the fire roaring. That is particularly inviting on a winter night. It is the Fireplace of Friendship and contains items from all over the world embedded in it, a fitting relic of the YMCA camp.

The Lodge is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Check out their website at www.kilauealodge.com. We will dwell on dinner, since that is when we visit after a full day in the Park. First of all, if you would like a drink before dinner, they have a full bar. They even have a nice list of Scotch whisky at reasonable prices. We once took a liquor distributor on tour and he allowed as how they have an excellent wine list.

Kilauea Lodge is owned by Lorna and Albert Jeyte. Lorna was a local school teacher and Albert was an Emmy winning make-up artist. He was working on the Magnum PI show and when it closed, they bought the Lodge on their honeymoon in 1986. Albert was born in Germany and loved to cook. He went off to school and became the executive chef. As you might imagine, with that background, many of his dishes have a German flavor.

We have had almost everything on the menu and it is all superb. Naturally we have our favorites, since we have been eating there for 20 years, including just last week. Our favorite is Paupiettes of Beef, which consists of rolls of sliced prime rib stuffed and crispy fried. It is the only restaurant that we have visited that offers that entrée. Be sure to check out the menu on their web site.

The wait staff is excellent. Some have been working there for the entire 20 years that we have been going there. They are attentive and knowledgeable. You will be treated as family, or as we say in Hawaiʻi, ohana.

In addition to the restaurant you can book a room to stay there overnight. We have stayed there and found the rooms to be excellent. Of course, breakfast is available when you arise.

We cannot recommend Kilauea Lodge more highly. It is a restaurant you will not want to miss.

Who we are and what we will do

My wife, Betty, and I have lived on the Big Island of Hawaii for 20 years. Prior to that we conducted college geology tours of Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii for 15 years. Upon moving here we started a tour business, Hawaiian Eyes Tours, which operated for 5 years until we retired.

Before moving here Betty was a high school science teacher and Lee was a geology professor at Kean University in New Jersey. We have an avid interest in all things Hawaiian, including  geology, botany, astronomy, and archeology. In addition we will be presenting restaurants, events, and cultural attractions such as musical performances, theater offerings, ethnic festivals, academic events and our special places to visit, as well as anything else that might be of interest to our readers.

As we are dedicated foodies, we will particularly focus on our favorite restaurants. Since we are also Scotch lovers, that will be an aspect included in our posts.