Barbara Campbell, formerly of Kona Village on...

Barbara Campbell, formerly of Kona Village on the Big Island of Hawaii, has taken wing and settled at Kamuela (also on the Big Island), where she operates a lodging service called Hawaii’s Best Bed & Breakfasts. Everything from B&Bs; to private cottages. Her headquarters are in upcountry Kamuela (10/20 minutes by car from the ocean, less than an hour from Kailua-Kona and 57 miles from Hilo). One of Campbell’s hosts is former Los Angeles newspaper reporter Dee Dickson.

High on Campbell’s list is a converted barn with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, fireplace, TV, telephone, stereo. (The owners live in a separate cottage nearby.) Another rental faces Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, with a view all the way to the Pacific. Campbell’s own Waimea Gardens cottage features antique furnishings and a kitchen where guests prepare their own breakfasts with ingredients supplied by Campbell (she lives just next door).

Barbara Campbell’s Best Bed & Breakfasts, P.O. Box 563, Kamuela, Hawaii 96743. Call (808) 885-4550. Rates: $60/$120.

B&B;, Beverly Hills Style: Meanwhile, here’s the ultimate B&B;, with a price tag (hold on to your hat) that ranges from $2,000 to $2,500 per night . That’s the cost for living the celebrity life in a 4,000-square-foot spread at the Bungalows at Mauna Lani Bay, which is downcountry from Campbell’s cottages. Five enormous homes, each with two bedrooms, two baths, a steam room, individual swimming pools, a film/stereo library. A butler on call 24 hours a day. Limousine service from the airport. Cocktails/hors d’oeuvres served every afternoon, or you can pour your own drinks all day from your own private bar. And of course, breakfast, too. Something to consider if you ever hit the Lotto.

The Bungalows at Mauna Lani Bay, P.O. Box 4000, Kohala Coast, Hawaii 96743. Telephone toll-free (800) 367-2323.

Condo Rentals: Peter Henze of Creative Leisure began renting condominiums in Hawaii 22 years ago. Now represents 3,000 properties on Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and the Big Island. Some excellent deals. On Kauai, Henze will put you up in a condo that sleeps two couples for $101 a day, including a car, swimming pool, daily maid service. Another on Maui lists out at $103 for one couple (car included). Others in the luxury category (two bedrooms, two baths) on the beach near Lahaina. In addition, Henze has condominium rentals along Mexico’s Riviera, and has expended his operation to include European properties (private homes in Provence, only 45 minutes from the airport at Nice).

For brochures/details, see your travel agent or contact Peter Henze c/o Creative Leisure, 951 Transport Way, Petaluma, Calif. 94954. You can call toll-free: (800) 426-6367.

Fine Dining: Everyone (islanders and visitors alike) agree that Merriman’s at Kamuela is the finest restaurant on the Big Island. Young Peter Merriman, 34, who distinguished himself at restaurants on the mainland (including a Laurance Rockefeller property in Woodstock, Vt.), brought honors to Hawaii’s Mauna Lani Bay Hotel before opening his own restaurant at Kamuela. Merriman’s specializes in fresh meats from local ranches, fresh fish. Gets raves for his wok-charred ahi (local fish), his veal with mango and peppercorn sauce, and his steak kiana (filets with shiitake sauce). Merriman, who is credited with introducing the idea of regional cuisine in the islands, is the son of Woodene Merriman, the former food editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Food/cooking is his lifetime love.

Merriman’s Restaurant, Opelo Plaza, Kamuela. Lunch served Monday through Friday, dinner nightly. For reservations, call (808) 885-6822.

Hawaiian Weddings: Greeters of Hawaii is mailing an 11-page wedding planner to couples interested in getting married on the Big Island or on Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai. Ceremonies conducted on beaches, beside waterfalls, in a Japanese garden. There’s even one that’s performed on a volcanic crater at sunrise. Other weddings at sea, in Maui’s Iao Valley and Kauai’s Fern Grotto (with a torchlight river cruise). The wedding planner provides details on licenses, flowers, photos, refreshments. Aloha Wau ‘ia ‘oe. Means “I love you.”

Free copies of the wedding planner from Ida Kim c/o Greeters of Hawaii, P.O. Box 29638, Honolulu, Hawaii 96820-2038. Call (800) 367-2669. At the same time, request a price list for limousine service for wedding parties, plus limousine pickup for tourists at Honolulu International Airport and tours of Oahu.

Tours: On the Big Island, Akamai Tours does all-day circle-island trips (300 miles) that take in remains of a visitor center destroyed in a 1989 eruption, lava flows that block highways, views of new black-sand beaches. Other visits to Kona coffee plantations, macadamia nut orchards, sugar cane fields, an anthurium nursery, Kilauea Volcano Observatory, Hilo orchid farms. The price: $38.50 (lunch is extra).

Contact Akamai Tours, P.O. Box 2476, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740.

Note: If you’re driving to Kilauea Crater (world’s most active volcano), plan to have lunch or dinner at the Volcano House. For reservations, call (808) 967-7321.

Shopping on the Big Island: --Kona Inn Shopping Village, 75-5744 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona. Thirty shops/restaurants. Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

--Keauhou Shopping Village, 78-6831 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona. Forty shops/restaurants. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

--Waterfront Row, 75-5770 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona. Sixteen shops/restaurants. Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

--Parker Ranch Shopping Center, Junction 19 and 20, Kamuela. This complex (35 shops/restaurants) is also the site of the Parker Ranch Visitor’s Center and Museum (ranch tours provided). Hours of individual shops vary.

--Big Island Shopping Center, 70 Kekuanaoa St., Hilo. Thirty-six shops/restaurants. Open Monday, Thursday, Saturday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

--Kaikoo Mall, 777 Kilauea Ave., Hilo. Twenty-eight shops/restaurants. Open Monday to Wednesday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Reader Recommendations

New Mexico--Alan and Meredith Feddersen, Los Angeles: “Vogt Guest Ranch, P.O. Box 716, Ramah, N.M. About 35 miles southeast of Gallup. Decorated with Indian relics. A large, old-fashioned kitchen. Rates: $42/$55.”

Alaska--Judy Guffey, Kaneuhe, Hawaii: “A wonderful B&B;, 204-BR Front St., Fairbanks, Alaska 99701. I’d go back any time. Rates: $60/$75.”

Canada--Jim and Donna White, Palm Springs: “An outstanding small hotel in the center of Jasper--Chateaux Jasper, Box 1418, Jasper TOE 1EO, Canada. Immaculate rooms, excellent cuisine. Rates: double room from $65 U.S. plus tax in the off-season. Never had a more enjoyable stay anywhere.”

England--Betty O’Brien, Torrance: “A delightful B&B; farmhouse built in the 1700s, operated by Ruth Shephard--Maidenhill, Morton-in-Marsh, Gloucester GL56 9AA, England. Rates: about $20/$22 U.S. per person per night. This is in the Cotswolds.”

Germany--Claire Haller, Blue Jay: Enjoyed the National Hotel, 50 Baselerstrasse, Frankfurt. “Takes top honors for cleanliness, courteous staff and excellent cuisine. Rates: $98 U.S. single with bath.”

Austria--Chris Mynatta, Granada Hills: “Great B&B; on the outskirts of Salzburg--Gastehaus Herbst, Himmelreichstrasse 28, A-5071 Salzburg, Austria. Paid $37.50 U.S. for two persons per night.”

France--Mary Pat Dorr, Manhattan Beach: “On temporary assignment in France, I discovered the ultimate in a hotel: Chateaux de Vault-de-Lugny, 89200 Avallon, France. Prices: from about $113 to $350 U.S. per day. This is a family-owned chateaux on beautiful grounds. Private tennis court, baronial dining room.”