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ASSIGNMENT: Family trip, Easter week.

REQUIREMENTS: Activities for teens, accessibility for seniors, great food, scuba, beaches and oh, PS-We don't do crowds.

SELECTED: The Big Island
    *Scuba-best coral reefs and manta rays.
    *Diversity-great beaches, rain forests, ranching, Hawaiian historical     sites, snow-covered mountains and an active volcano.
    *A direct flight from San Francisco.

NIXED:
    *Resorts, condos, Kona--too packed at Easter.
    *The entire east coast-too much rain.

WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO?
Call Patti at Hawaii Vacation Rentals. She's in Puako, on the Kohala Coast. We found her through friends and what a find it was! We've already been back twice.

Easter week found us driving north from the Kona airport through a moon-surface of black lava. Oasis' of palms and bougainvillea mark the entries to posh resorts. Indeed, that is all most people think is here.

Then a road marked only by a sign, leads to a residential street cum neighborhood running along the coast. Modest homes, homes on stilts, and gorgeous estates mix with verdant and exotic (to us) flora to create a most inviting spot. This is Puako.

The Puako "Mall" consists of a Hawaiian house divided between the community store and Patti's office. There's a church, petroglyphs at the end of the road and beach access. That's it. No crowds. No Mickey D's. No T-shirt shops.

So, where's all the activity? Well, that's the neat part, you're away, but not very far away. Go 5 miles north and you are at the little port town of Kawaihae boasting a few restaurants shops, and a fish market.

Six miles inland from Kawaihae is the once company town of the Parker Ranch, Waimea. Home to about 10,000 souls, there are grocers, restaurants, shops and a Saturday AM Farmer's Market with just picked tomatoes and Kona Coffee direct from a grower. There is also Merriman's, a great restaurant.

As for beaches, they're all public, so we hit the resorts. Some, like the Mauna Kea and Royal Waikoloan, have great snorkeling spots. Most rent all the aquatic accoutrements you could need.

More action? Go to Kona: restaurants, shops, nightclubs, bars, tourists--the whole happening thing. I went only to rent snorkel gear (much cheaper than at the resorts) and to dive with the good folks at Jack's Dive Locker.

Some of us just lounged at our beautiful Hawaiian homes:

THUMPS UP: Wonderful house, well equipped, very functional, and a fabulous ocean view.

THUMBS DOWN: Can’t swim in the ocean in front of the house because of the sharp lava shoreline.

As soon as we entered the gate we knew we were some place special. A path winds through a secret tropical garden to a lanai (patio) where we could see straight through this beautiful house to the blue-blue ocean. What a welcome!

The house has a Hawaiian feel with lots of windows-- for views and breezes and handmade Hawaiian quilts for decor. Two of the three bedrooms have dramatic ocean views.

So does the other lanai. Every evening we gathered for our private viewing of the sunset--watching ever so carefully for the green flash.

THUMBS UP: Access to a divine white sand beach, and house is a work of art.

THUMBS DOWN: Can’t use outside dining room when it’s windy (often in summer), not well equipped, and can't see sunset.

An artist with exceptional talent and humor created Aina Malia. Ceramic geckos crawl up the outside walls that are also imbedded with antique Hawaiian woodcarvings. The kitchen is an underwater world of ceramic tile, fish, seaweed, and sea horse sculptures. One bedroom in a turret comes complete with an indoor tropical garden and ceramic banana tree.

Ania Malia sits above Waimea Bay, a cove of white sand, exceptional beauty, few people and good snorkeling. We thought we had died and gone to heaven. Access is either by a short difficult walk, an easy swim or car.

THUMBS UP: Feels like you are in your own tree house, there's an easy 100-yard walk to beach and price.

THUMBS DOWN: Can’t see the ocean.

We raved so about our first trip, we had more people sign up for the second and so a cottage near Aina Malia with access to the same great beach was commandeered. It is really a guesthouse Price of a large house nearby (very nearby) which Patti also rents.

Ulu Niu is fully equipped with deck, living/dining area, kitchen and bedroom. It is plain, but pleasantly furnished.

So you see my mission was accomplished. Beaches, activities, all the creature comforts, off the beaten path and no crowds. We loved it.

Hawaii Vacation Rentals – Patti's great vacation rental site.

Go Hawaii – A site with all the information a visitor to the Hawaiian Islands needs.

Alternative Hawaii – A very interesting site with lots of non-touristy information about Hawaii and places to go and things to see and do.

Hawaii Independence – An interesting site dedicated to promoting Hawaiian Independence.  Interesting articles and a great book list.