L
Lola
It is not anal to want a name spelled properly, but cripes.... whine about it. :roll:
OP, no matter where you choose, i assure you it will be a nice vacation. You have tons of time to plan it as well!
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Going to Hawaii next march - need suggestions
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It is not anal to want a name spelled properly, but cripes.... whine about it. :roll:
OP, no matter where you choose, i assure you it will be a nice vacation. You have tons of time to plan it as well!
Overall, I would just suggest you do some research into which island fits you and your SO the best. From there plan to go to that island and research everything available there and then plan your days. Make sure you leave days for being lazy...that is what Hawaii is all about 🙂
mugs
Lifer
Same with Maui - they have Costco, Walmart and Kmart along with tons of other small stores. You can buy a set for $15-20 or rent for about $1-1.50.
I don't snorkel much when I'm there, but that's mostly because my wife is afraid of the fish. :roll:
If you go to to Maui, check out Warren and Annabelle's magic show, it's awesome. http://www.warrenandannabelles.com/. Their adds look pretty lame because he has that goofy grin on his face, but we went and it was a great time.
We always stay in South Maui, but personally I think West Maui would be better, because Lahaina is a much better town than Kihei.
I took a day trip to Oahu once to see the Arizona Memorial, and I think that's about the only reason I'd go to Oahu. Also took a day trip to Lanai and rented a Jeep to take on their trails; that was a lot of fun but kind of expensive ($100 for 2 ferry tickets + $130 to rent the Jeep)
BoomerD
No Lifer
My wife & I own a timeshare on Maui, so we go almost every year. We've been to O'ahu, and while it's still tropical and nice in places, Honolulu is still just a big city...kind of like a tropical San Francicso.
As has been mentioned many times, the Big Island (Hawaii) is less developed in many areas, and the west side is pretty desolate with all the lava fields. The Kona coast can be an absolute traffic jam some times of the year however. (Too many people, not enough roads)
Hilo is ok, (still trying to figure out how we can move there) but not a lot of touristy things to do IMO.
Maui pretty much has it all. It has one "city" (Kahalui, where the airport is) that has Target, Costco, etc. where you can stock up on whatever you're going to need for the visit, yet once you leave there, it's more or less all country setting, except for the occasional small town...and Kihei, which I don't like.
The "local surfers" (even though most aren't locals, they just came to surf and never left) can be rude as hell to newcomers, there are a lot of drugs (they're everywhere, but seem to be worse there than most of the island) and because of that element, Kihei has more of a crime problem than the rest of the island. (except Kahalui)
Now anyone living there may disagree with my assessment of the Kihei area, and they will probably be more right than I am, I can only give my impressions as a tourist in the area. The snorkeling off the Kihei coast can be spectacular however, (lots of fish to see) but like ALL the beaches, don't leave anything of value in your car...odds are not good for it being there when you return.
Maui is pretty laid back, but is pretty heavily developed, so at certain times of the week, there may be quite a bit of traffic on the roadways. DO NOT get in a hurry. MOST of the roads on the island have a 30-40 mph speed limit, and the Maui County cops really enhance the revenue on speeders. Be aware, MANY do not drive cop cars, but drive their own personal vehicles...so you COULD get pulled over by any make/model of car/truck with a flashing blue light.
Someone asked about island hopping...Yes, it can be done, but with all the hassles at the airports, you basically lose a full day every time you change from one island to another.
As has been mentioned many times, the Big Island (Hawaii) is less developed in many areas, and the west side is pretty desolate with all the lava fields. The Kona coast can be an absolute traffic jam some times of the year however. (Too many people, not enough roads)
Hilo is ok, (still trying to figure out how we can move there) but not a lot of touristy things to do IMO.
Maui pretty much has it all. It has one "city" (Kahalui, where the airport is) that has Target, Costco, etc. where you can stock up on whatever you're going to need for the visit, yet once you leave there, it's more or less all country setting, except for the occasional small town...and Kihei, which I don't like.
The "local surfers" (even though most aren't locals, they just came to surf and never left) can be rude as hell to newcomers, there are a lot of drugs (they're everywhere, but seem to be worse there than most of the island) and because of that element, Kihei has more of a crime problem than the rest of the island. (except Kahalui)
Now anyone living there may disagree with my assessment of the Kihei area, and they will probably be more right than I am, I can only give my impressions as a tourist in the area. The snorkeling off the Kihei coast can be spectacular however, (lots of fish to see) but like ALL the beaches, don't leave anything of value in your car...odds are not good for it being there when you return.
Maui is pretty laid back, but is pretty heavily developed, so at certain times of the week, there may be quite a bit of traffic on the roadways. DO NOT get in a hurry. MOST of the roads on the island have a 30-40 mph speed limit, and the Maui County cops really enhance the revenue on speeders. Be aware, MANY do not drive cop cars, but drive their own personal vehicles...so you COULD get pulled over by any make/model of car/truck with a flashing blue light.
Someone asked about island hopping...Yes, it can be done, but with all the hassles at the airports, you basically lose a full day every time you change from one island to another.
We booked ATA from DFW to HNL an the return flight from Maui OGG.
3 nights HNL 5 nights Maui.
ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel in HNL, includes breakfast very reasonable priced.
We booked the interisland flight through Hawaiian Air $19 each one way from HNL to OGG.
Stayed at the Outrigger Aina Nalu in Maui, 1 bed studio condo in Lahaina, again very resaonably priced through Outrigger.com. We went all over the island, staying in Lahaina made for a lot of driving.
Island hop flight was completely painless.
Took maybe 3 hours total. Do two islands if you have enough days. We would of got bored on Oahu staying there more that a few days.
3 nights HNL 5 nights Maui.
ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel in HNL, includes breakfast very reasonable priced.
We booked the interisland flight through Hawaiian Air $19 each one way from HNL to OGG.
Stayed at the Outrigger Aina Nalu in Maui, 1 bed studio condo in Lahaina, again very resaonably priced through Outrigger.com. We went all over the island, staying in Lahaina made for a lot of driving.
Island hop flight was completely painless.
Took maybe 3 hours total. Do two islands if you have enough days. We would of got bored on Oahu staying there more that a few days.
If you want to see some awesome stuff on Maui buy the book Maui Revealed it lists everything that is on the island. Some of teh waterfalls are spectacular. Also i agree with votequimby buy some coconut candy the stuff is addictive.
p.s. is you see a woman in a green hut selling freshly made banana bread BUY SOME. It was quite possibly the best banana bread I had ever tasted.
p.s. is you see a woman in a green hut selling freshly made banana bread BUY SOME. It was quite possibly the best banana bread I had ever tasted.
L
Lola
I have said this before and will say it again... in regards to the Revealed books, do NOT take everything they say as absolute. Use common sense and courtsey when visiting.
L
Lola
EXACTLY my point. I have done much research and educated myself on the islands and the culture for the past 6 years or so and the more I visited the more I got annoyed when I saw slobbish tourists not caring where they were or what they were doing because "THE book" said it was ok to do so.
Thanks for the input everyone - its incredibly helpful! I'm really going to have to do my reasearch before going - i didnt even factor in the cost of a rental car - is it an absolute necessary, or have you guys gotte naround without one? I am starting to think its a little bigger then I thought!
I'd love to do some light-moderate hiking, see some nice scenery and waterfalls, etc. I'd like to go to places that wont be too crowded, but where i can still sit in my hotel and get a massage/enjoy the pool/ocean.
I'd love to do some light-moderate hiking, see some nice scenery and waterfalls, etc. I'd like to go to places that wont be too crowded, but where i can still sit in my hotel and get a massage/enjoy the pool/ocean.
iamwiz82
Lifer
Without a rental you will miss 99% of what Hawaii has to offer.
EDIT: We have used this site to get cars a few times: http://www.carrentalinhawaii.com/
They are great, plus there is no payment until you pick up your rental, so you don't have to worry about being scammed or anything. I've never found a place that could beat their rates.
EDIT: We have used this site to get cars a few times: http://www.carrentalinhawaii.com/
They are great, plus there is no payment until you pick up your rental, so you don't have to worry about being scammed or anything. I've never found a place that could beat their rates.
obviously you need to show common courtesy, keep things clean, leave things exactly as they were when you got there. Also respect other people's property (this should be a given). The only thing i disobeyed that was supposedly off limits was apparently there was a waterfall that years ago used to be open to the public but the property was owned by some garden. You had to go to the side of some bridge climb down a bunch of rocks. Personally I am glad i did because it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. But i could also see where you are coming from because I also saw alot of jerk tourists who thought the world revolved around them and could do anything they wanted. Anyone who goes to Maui please don't be that person.
to Lola: What offerings? I'm kinda curious.
On Oahu you could technically take TheBus but it would take a bit of training to learn the routes and its public transport so its slow. There are lots of shuttles and tour buses but they mainly take you to the tourist trap areas and you have to play by their schedule (not very Hawaiian).
Renting a car lets you go to the sites that you want to see when you want to. You can also get to the places that are infinitely more secluded. On the other Islands short of resort shuttles a rental car is the only way to get around I believe.
To BKLounger
Tourist would leave Leis, fruit, coins, little "hawaiian" trinkets they got at the flee market (which were made in China). Stuff like that.
Example
I've been to Big Island and Kaua'i recently.
Big Island:
It's big for an island, I guess. Definitely bigger than the other islands. The Volcanos National Park is pretty awesome and worth a visit if you are willing to hike. The have numerous trails where you can see rainforest, craters, lava fields, steam vents, and lava tubes. As for seeing lava, the current flows are waaay back in a lava field and take a full day to hike to and back, so it's no small task. Lava flows can change at any time though. Kona is very touristy. We went on a submarine ride while there -- it was okay if you would get a kick out of riding a submarine, but unless you are really lucky, you won't see much. If you want to see fish and other sea life, you are better off finding a good snorkel beach somewhere. Hilo is non-touristy, but there are a few things to go see and do. If you stop at Rainbow falls, make sure you walk up the stairways and check out the large trees near the top of the waterfall -- very cool. If you go up to the Mauna Kea summit, wear something warm, and make sure you go to the bathroom at the visitor center half way up, because there are no facilities at the top. A 4WD is highly recommended for going to the summit on your own, as part of the way is a dirt road. Use 4WD Low going down so you are not riding the brakes.
Kaua'i:
Very neat island geographically, but services are limited. There are some great snorkeling beaches on the north side. And Waimea Canyon State Park has some awesome trails if you are into hiking. Go to the canyon early, as clouds tend to start impeding views in the late afternoon. If you are adventurous, 4WD will be of value on this island as well. The rental places from the airport seemed much more laid back than the ones on the Big Island.
General Hawaii Notes:
Nice weather in general, but not nearly as much sun as I had initially expected. Not sure if that's normal or not. Despite the general cloudiness, we didn't really see all that much heavy rain. Again, could have been an abnormal week.
Airports are oddly open. You can find birds wandering around inside.
The misquitos seemed a bit ferocious, but we only encountered misquitos in two places. In some parts of Hilo, and we also encountered a massive swarm on Kaua'i, on the insanely steep path down to Secret Beach. Of course, due to the steepness, misquitos will be feasting on you as you huff and puff your way back up. Maybe take some repellant.
Big Island:
It's big for an island, I guess. Definitely bigger than the other islands. The Volcanos National Park is pretty awesome and worth a visit if you are willing to hike. The have numerous trails where you can see rainforest, craters, lava fields, steam vents, and lava tubes. As for seeing lava, the current flows are waaay back in a lava field and take a full day to hike to and back, so it's no small task. Lava flows can change at any time though. Kona is very touristy. We went on a submarine ride while there -- it was okay if you would get a kick out of riding a submarine, but unless you are really lucky, you won't see much. If you want to see fish and other sea life, you are better off finding a good snorkel beach somewhere. Hilo is non-touristy, but there are a few things to go see and do. If you stop at Rainbow falls, make sure you walk up the stairways and check out the large trees near the top of the waterfall -- very cool. If you go up to the Mauna Kea summit, wear something warm, and make sure you go to the bathroom at the visitor center half way up, because there are no facilities at the top. A 4WD is highly recommended for going to the summit on your own, as part of the way is a dirt road. Use 4WD Low going down so you are not riding the brakes.
Kaua'i:
Very neat island geographically, but services are limited. There are some great snorkeling beaches on the north side. And Waimea Canyon State Park has some awesome trails if you are into hiking. Go to the canyon early, as clouds tend to start impeding views in the late afternoon. If you are adventurous, 4WD will be of value on this island as well. The rental places from the airport seemed much more laid back than the ones on the Big Island.
General Hawaii Notes:
Nice weather in general, but not nearly as much sun as I had initially expected. Not sure if that's normal or not. Despite the general cloudiness, we didn't really see all that much heavy rain. Again, could have been an abnormal week.
Airports are oddly open. You can find birds wandering around inside.
The misquitos seemed a bit ferocious, but we only encountered misquitos in two places. In some parts of Hilo, and we also encountered a massive swarm on Kaua'i, on the insanely steep path down to Secret Beach. Of course, due to the steepness, misquitos will be feasting on you as you huff and puff your way back up. Maybe take some repellant.
Haha. I loved that about Oahu! Over a year there not a single misquito bite! Even when hiking in the rain forest. The girls got a few however, guess they don't like mainlanders hairy arms!
On the hike up to Manoa falls there was an attendant at the parking lot with bug repellent and drier sheets. You're supposed to tuck the drier sheets in your shoe or a belt loop and its supposed to keep them away, but I never had a use for that!
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