Hawaii?

[m00n]

So wife and I are looking into a Hawaian vacation. Wanted to hear from some of you how have been there. What did you do, what island did you stay at, what recommendations do you have?

We have a bit of time to plan this and we want to do it right.

Thanks

[Istari]

Take lots of CASH!!!

Take the helicopter ride over the volcano, you'll need lots of cash.

If you can swim fairly well, take snorkeling equipment. If you rent a car you will be able to pull over and snorkel on some of the remote lagoons. It was wonderful and not as crowded as the most popular spots. Won't cost anything if you take your own snorkel equipment.

Go to the Polinesian Cultural Center. One of the cheaper attractions and its a full day.

Go to the Punch Bowl, its the VA cemetary, awsome experience. Won't cost anything but gas.

Go to the Pearl Harbor area, tons of stuff to see and do. Visit the Arizona memorial, oil is still bubbling up from the wreck, even after 63 years! Visit the WWII submarine, I think its free, it makes you wonder how people actualy functioned in those sardine cans!

These are just a few of the tings we did back in '93, oh by the way, take lots of cash!!!

We werer able to fly for free (frequent flyer miles) but ti was still expensive!

[LarryC]

I've had three great trips there. Two on the Big Island (Hawaii) only and still enjoyed the entire two weeks both times, and one 4-island trip, 2-3 days per isle, which is one neat experience with tremendous scenic variety. A very logical trip for you as a West Coaster if I recall right.

Most of the time, Hawaii has wonderful, very temperate weather and is not humid and sticky like the Carribean, though the winds sometimes switch from trade to "Kona," which is less enjoyable.

To me and many travelers, Oahu was the least interesting, although the Arizona memorial is moving. I liked driving over to the knife-edge ridge to the east of Honolulu. Kauai is, or was, a much quieter, more gentle place with much to see, both around the south and west sides, and to the end of the highway to the north.

Maui is a great isle. I suggest taking the famous road to Hana, which had become much less scary by my last trip (take the little diversion to the small Keanae peninsula). I strongly suggest finding a place to stay in Hana instead of driving back in one day (we stayed in a less-expensive condo there), and then drive some to the south for great, peaceful views and a visit to Lindberg's grave. The drive to see the sunrise at the 10,023' summit of Hakeakala is a very interesting experience, though you have to get up at 3 or 4 in the morning to make it. It's a real experience in Hawaii to descend those trademark extraordinarily gentle slopes (its lava was/is very fluid) from surprising altitudes, and the drop from 10K to sea level is definitely no exception (use your gears, don't burn out your brakes!). You should also drive up around West Maui for great views of the ocean and Molokai across the way (other islands are often visible from Maui). You can also take the forbidden (by car rental cos.) loop the rest of the way around if you dare. There's also the Iao Needle on West Maui.

The Big Island is a mini-continent. The west (Kona) side is very arid, like driving in the West a la east of the Cascades, except for the big, almost-disconcerting deep blue ocean 2,000 to 3,000 feet down the usual gentle slope, while the east side gets up to 150" of rain annually. Definitely see Kilauea and all the associated volcanic wierdness around it. I also suggest being driven down into the Waipio valley (can't do it yourself). Driving around the entire isle is really beautiful if you have the time; drive around at least half of it, either north or south (you'll have to, if you stay in Kona and visit Kilauea). I think the south half is slightly better, but only slightly.

Now, I can't suggest specifics for eating and lodging. Get Roadside Geology of Hawaii (Mountain Press) if you're into that.

Larry

[ricktate]

We stayed in high dollar hotel,,,but if you go back away from the beach a little,,,cheaper rooms in older type motels,,,,i had the most fun walking up and down waikiki area looking at the stores and street vendors ,,had live bands at hard rock cafe to,,,also went to Pearl....you can go to internet cafes to keep up on Kipsch stuff,,,,also look into renting a motorcycle,,,or bicycle...stuff to close for car and to far to walk sometimes,,,you can also do laundry in small laundry matts they are hard to find but they are there,lol,,,dont forget wal-mart for food and chips to,,,stock up save a lot of money....pringels on waikiki were like 3.00 but at wal-mart .98.Milk is real high along with gas for car.....my wife could help you out more than me,,,just some thoughts,,,Rick

[Bartdude]

Been to Maui 2-3 times and the big island 2 times with the third time coming up in November (supplier sends us there along with about 20 other couples from Oregon/ Washington). Maui is beautiful and I enjoyed it (been 6 years since last been there and dont remember a whole lot of what we did). The big islands volcano is a neat place to visit. Take flashlights and water bottles so you can see it at night when the lava glows. As was told above, half the island is arid (lots of old lava fields) and the other half is very green. There is a park in the NW? corner of the island that has a nice waterfall and interesting plants/ flowers. Hilo has a farmers market that we chanced upon that had some delicious foods, will definately hit it again. The green side of the island gets huge amounts of rainfall sometimes that can be pretty amazing to be in. We caught the farmers market during one such rainfall and barely made it out of the city before the main highway started to lift up from the runoff and force it to be closed (30" of rain in 24 hours! but the arid side only got 13").

The volcano, while a bit of a drive, is a must see. We are taking our young daughters this trip and our 10 year old is psyched to see it.

If you go, go to the stores (safeway, costco..) in the area and get some food. We got breakfast items and some lunch items for when we didnt want to pay an arm and a leg for meals at the resort.

Snorkling/ scuba diving is great there and the booze/ snorkle cruises are fun.

I'd really like to go back to Maui, but for some reason (golf courses) the owner who is sending us has chosen the big island again (3rd time in a row we will go there). Oh well, a free vacation IS a free vacation!

[dougdrake]

Maui is great, and I second the drive to Hana. But don't go all the way around the island that way - turn around and come back (or stay the night and come back on the same route you took). The return from Hana on the south side of the island is long, and very boring (IMO). Take the time to take the little side trips/hikes suggested in Fodor's guide. My wife and I found some great secluded areas that were perfect for, umm, reading without being interupted.

There is also a section near Hana where you can drive to the north, towards the ocean, and hang out at a waterfall that dumps into a natural pool, with the ocean just about 30 feet away across the rocks - you can see it from the waterfall. Incredible!!

Eat at Mama's Fish House - plan to spend about $150 on dinner for the two of you. Well worth it. Take a surfing lesson from Big Dog Maui - they operate out of a white van (no, you can't buy speakers from them) in a parking lot south of Lahaina.

We stayed in Waiamea (spelled wrong?). Very pretty, but we found ourselves driving to Lahaina several times for activities.

[Seadog]

Went for a week in 1987. Never left Oahu while we were there. Highlights of our trip: Pearl Harbor, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay (spelling?), Paradise falls (a long walk, but worth the effort), and hanging around the beaches on the North Shore. Unless things have changed, avoid the dinner cruises, terrible food and even worse entertainment on board.

[Poindexter]

Me and the wife went spent a week in Kauai for our honeymoon. believe it or not, we met a lot of Hawaiians there from other islands on their honeymoon. I was told that Kauai was the least commercialized of all the islands (Most of the island is Forest Preserves anyways).

So, here's my ad- Kauai: Where Hawaiians take their Vay-kay-shuns.

[Piranha]

Kauai, Maui, or the Big Island. My personal favorite is Kauai. Great surf there. Some of the best in the world.

Honolulu and Waikiki is one big tourist trap. Once was enough. Very dissapointing to me.

[IndyKlipschFan]

Snorkeling at Hanauma (SP?) Bay .. yes a must!! The Arizona memorial in the early am is great.

Take Pepto Bismal. At some point you will get something..LOL.

Food is very expensive as people have said. If your at Waikiki Beach, for sure, stay at one of the hotels on the beach or accross from it. You may only go 1-2 times in your life, spend a little more and enjoy it. (the outrigger hotels are a great bargain here.. Look up

http://www1.pleasantholidays.com/PleasantHolidaysWeb/Welcome.do

They are the best by far we have used them 3 times and have been in business since 1959, They have a great web page full of info.

The Helicopter rides are incredible. Maui is a honeymooners paradise.. better and newer hotels. I would listen to your travel agent as well as pick up the regular books on Hawaii from Borders too. We did a sunset cruise that was def one of the highlights, with the music and dancing the HULA LOL. I have had friends do a downhill bike ride... They rave about. Good suggestions, like always, on the BB.

And I still think Don Ho is still alive too.. He must be like 120 years old by now! Tiny Bubbles.... BTW in case you did not know the ukaleli (small Hawaiian guitar) means dancing flea..

[LarryC]

(Bump) Moon, have you and the wife decided what you're going to do there?

[Piranha]

You could always go see Riding Giants if you were really bored while you're there. All kidding aside, Riding Giants is a great movie to see if surfing has every interested you at all. Another really good one is Step into Liquid. Both films feature some of the best big wave riders in the world, ala Laird Hamilton. These dudes carry their n#ts around in a wheelbarrow!

[Guest PromediaCS/TS]

I went about 7 years ago and stayed on the island of Maui. It is incredibly beautiful. I will warn you, that if you or your wife get motion sickness rather easily, the road to Hana, may be something to think over before you set out for the 2.5 - 3 hour drive. Although it is beautiful, you may feel incredibly miserable because of all of the twists and turns. It just really depends on tough you are! The waterfalls and views were breathtaking! Enjoy!!!

[jdm56]

here in the ozarks, we call it hu-wah-yu.

[RangerSix]

Hey m00n, I lived on Hawaii for several years. I intend to retire there eventually. My wife is still living there with her family while Im here in Korea. As many have already mentioned, its a beautiful island(s).

Oahu is typically the default spot for most tourists. Many of the usual points of interests are Waikiki, the North Shore, Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hanauma Bay, etc. All of them are good if vacation time is limited. If you want an awesome view of Honolulu, then I would also recommend walking up Diamond Head. If you are into surfing like I am, then the North Shore is the place, but Waikiki is nice also. If youre into scuba, then my favorite spot was Tigers Cove also on the North Shore.

Pearl Harbor is a favorite spot of mine. Every time I had relatives or friends that visited me on the island, Pearl was always one of the places to go. To date, Ive been there nine times and have never lost my reverence for this place. I even had the honor of raising the flag over the Arizona one morning during a ceremony. A must see spot. Being a Navy vet, thats probably a no brainer for you.

If youre into history, then there is the Nu'uanu Pali where King Kamehamehas army either pushed or forced the Oahu warriors over the cliff. Its also a great view of the windward side.

If you have additional time, I would also recommend the Big Island. Its the newest of the island chain and it looks it. Its very different than Oahu. Two massive volcanoes Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, anchor the island. From the air, you can see huge tracts of old lava flows that cover the ground. Kilauea is currently active if you want to see a live volcano. A few soldiers and myself went to Kilauea in the 90s for sightseeing. From the roped off area in the distance you could see lava flowing into the ocean. Being the cocky dumb sonsof*****es that we were, we decided to go beyond the roped off area for a closer look. We got to within about 15 feet of actual lava flow. However, the heat was too intense to get any closer, not too mention the reality of how reckless we were finally caught up with us so we headed back to the rope line. Needless to say, the Park Ranger was waiting for us and gave us a huge lecture on how dumb we were. He threatened us with a fine, but let us off with a warning because of our military status. He was right, it was extremely foolish, but I have to admit it was an awesome experience.

To the west of the Big Island, there is Kona that is very beautiful and great to scuba off. I had a friend that was an Army helicopter pilot that did range safety sweeps over a training area in the center of the island called PTA. One day he offered to fly me to a place called Kawaihae harbor for some logistical coordination in the area. The view of Mauna Kea and the north part of the island was fascinating. On approach to the harbor we noticed some construction going on. Upon landing, our arrival stirred up interest and concern as to why we were there. Turns out, the construction was the set of the Kevin Costner movie called Waterworld. Because we were in our uniforms and landed by aircraft, the set designer thought us important and gave us the royal tour of the place including seeing the Costners catamarans used in the movie. I never had the heart to tell them we were just wasting time and sightseeing. Too bad the movie turned out to be a flop.

Well, Ive digressed enough. If you want to know some of the non-tourist spots frequented by locals you can contact me offline for further details.

[picky]

m00n: A very expensive endeavor, but everyone should do it at least once in their lives!

We took our kids and my mom on the once-in-a-lifetime-family-vacation back in 1988. We stayed for 17 days and did 4 islands all with 5-Star accommodations and a guided tour. There are far better ways to go. First, no need for the 5-star accomodations nor a guided tour. Also, we learned to always stay in hotels that are on the west side of each of the islands (where possible) as the east side of the islands tend to get a lot more rain. Here is what we did:

Oahu - We stayed at the Hilton Rainbow Tower on Waikki Beach. Outstanding views of the beach, the ocean and Diamond Head.

- Pearl Harbor (a must)

- Polynesian Cultural Center (especially see the Samoa Village (very entertaining) and the big evening show there in the arena)

Maui - We stayed at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Wailea

- The assent to the summit of the Mt. Haleakala Volcano (Sea Level to 10,000 feet in 27 minutes by van). View the crater (take a jacket: You'll need it!)

- The Iao Needle

- Shopping in Lahaina

- Whale-watching in Maalaea Bay

Hawaii (The Big Island) - We stayed at the Kona Hilton in Kailua-Kona

- Mt. Kilauea Volcano (the World's Most-Active Volcano) Awesome!

- Snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay where Captain Cook was slain years ago by the natives.

- Deep Sea Fishing off the Kona (West) Coast of the Island (I landed a 5-foot Marlin in 16,000 feet of water and saw a pod of whales)

Kauai (The Garden Island) - we stayed at the Kauai Hilton in Wailua

-Helicopter trip over Waimea Canyon

-Boat Trip to the Fern Grotto

-Sitting at the beach bar drinking Zombies

Have a great time!