03-11-2010, 07:23 AM
In my wierd little world I have a different perspective. We sometimes wish we had more visitors. There are several friends and relatives whom we wish would visit, but haven't managed after five years, despite frequent invitations. Two of these folks have honestly told me that their financial situations don't allow a trip, despite the fact that they would have free accommodations. (I should add that these are nice people who have brought lovely gifts and treated us to dinners out when they stayed at our home in Atlanta.)
When my dear cousin from Texas and his small wedding entourage chose to come to the Big Island, the first thing they asked was for me to help them find a family-style vacation rental for a reasonable price. Thanks to the good recommendations here on Punaweb, they were thrilled with the place I found for them and the price they paid for it. They rented a van with me as an additional driver and we had a grand time sight-seeing and exploring. They took us out to eat and cooked a great Texas-style meal for us at their rental. We did cook them a couple of meals at our home, treat them to a Hawaiian-style meal out, and show them some "secret" places that they would never have found on their own.
Our other interesting visitor experience has been with our good friend and massage therapist from Atlanta. He has stayed in our home here three times, and he always gives us each at least two massages during his three to five day visits. He also always rents a 4WD vehicle for a few days and treats us to visits to places like the Mauna Kea summit and Waipio Valley that we would rarely visit otherwise, if ever.
Maybe we are just lucky, but there is also the fact that Southern Hospitality has always been a two-way, give and take concept.
When my dear cousin from Texas and his small wedding entourage chose to come to the Big Island, the first thing they asked was for me to help them find a family-style vacation rental for a reasonable price. Thanks to the good recommendations here on Punaweb, they were thrilled with the place I found for them and the price they paid for it. They rented a van with me as an additional driver and we had a grand time sight-seeing and exploring. They took us out to eat and cooked a great Texas-style meal for us at their rental. We did cook them a couple of meals at our home, treat them to a Hawaiian-style meal out, and show them some "secret" places that they would never have found on their own.
Our other interesting visitor experience has been with our good friend and massage therapist from Atlanta. He has stayed in our home here three times, and he always gives us each at least two massages during his three to five day visits. He also always rents a 4WD vehicle for a few days and treats us to visits to places like the Mauna Kea summit and Waipio Valley that we would rarely visit otherwise, if ever.
Maybe we are just lucky, but there is also the fact that Southern Hospitality has always been a two-way, give and take concept.