26th November, 2016 Departure Day from Palm Desert drive to Los Angeles and flight Delta 1149 to Honolulu
/We checked out of Embarc Palm Desert at 9.45am, then topped up our gas then got onto the Interstate 10 from Cook Street Palm Desert and headed west toward Los Angeles with Jeanette doing the driving. It was another mostly clear morning, but with a change due to arrive in the desert later this afternoon.
Jeanette is driving and with the use of the GPS gets us through the major traffic and headed toward Sunset Beach, California where we are to have lunch with Lani and Jim. We have a good run and Jeanette does a fantastic job negotiating the freeways and also the multi lane issues with exits and changes from both left and right and often across up to 7 lanes of traffic.
The travel via the GPS takes us to Sunset beach arriving at 12.10pm, where we are greeted by Jim, following Ken's call on his US cell phone (206 900 1002) to Lani. We then are shown their 3 level, very comfortable home in a great location one block back from the beach .
Lunch is left overs of Turkey , salad and vegetables from Thanksgiving followed by lemon meringue pie. We have a good time and talk like magpies and we meet and are joined by Mary-Sue a friend they met on a cruise. We enjoy lunch and the conversation, but Lani, suggests we need to be on the road again by 1.30pm if we are to drop off the car at LAX car rental return.
As we begin to depart, there are some light showers, but this quickly changes to a tropical downpours, the first real rain in LA for several months. We have a long and difficult drive on the 405 to the airport and Jeanette then finds signs which guide us to the Car rental return facility at 2.50pm . Miraculously, the rain eases and then stops just as we are about to enter the facility.
At this time we are surprised as we are selected to be a recipient of a pilot scheme by Dollar, using a private individual driver service in a vehicle to the terminal. We are flying Delta and from terminal 5. Ross is the driver who selected us for the service. We are dropped at the Terminal just as the rain recommenced, we check in and progress through pre TSA security check very quickly.
We progress to Gate 57 but have a long wait and given the deteriorating weather conditions with continuing heavy rainfall, we expect further delays, but are pleased when we are advised that our flight is on time. Boarding commences at 6.50pm and we are sitting in 1A and 1C, we are quickly boarded and enjoy a comfortable flight after departure at 7.10pm.
Jeanette sleeps for in excess of 3 hours following an enjoyable meal. Ken also has a couple of hours sleep. We land a little ahead of our scheduled time of 10.44pm, we disembark very quickly and our luggage is to hand within 10 minutes of landing. We have a Blacklane driver and greeter meet us. they deliver excellent service and we are driven in a very comfortable Cadillac Escalade to Hilton Grand Vacation Club , Waikiki in quick time. In under 25 minutes.
Checkin is prompt and we have a one bedroom suite with lock off (making it a comfortable 2 bedroom. The Suites are 2163 and 2162 and the Lagoon has been totally refurbished with excellent results. We are delighted but very tired so only unpack essentials for the night and fall into bed at 12.20am. Jeanette comes some 15 minutes later by which time Ken is fast asleep.
This has been a long day of travel with extensive driving, adverse weather conditions and then a 5 hour flight from LAX to Honolulu, Hawaii.
