Hawaii advice.....Takin' the fam mid-August....

[redgtxdi]

So kids are growing up fast & before they're all grown up & out of the house, wife wants us to take a fam-vacation to Hawaii. We did go on our honeymoon so we've been before but that was many moons ago.

FWIW, we split the time between Maui (uncle's time-share which he no longer owns) and Kauai which was nice for honeymooners but probably too quaint for kids.

Suggestions for which island, hotels, any activities for named places, etc. (So Cal so flying out of LAX if that matters)

TIA

 

[purbeast0]

i've only been to maui and loved every part of the 11 days i was there.

strongly recommend taking a snorkel trip to molokini. very clear water with some good food to boot.

i'm not sure how old your kids are, but the road to hana and then the hike up the mountain at the 7 sacred pools to see the 400ft waterfall is also simply amazing. we took a whole day to do this adventure and stopped at many places along the way to check out.

going to see the sunrise at mount haleakala is really awesome too. it's very cold up there though before the sun comes up so if you do go, bring something warm very awesome experience being above the clouds and seeing the sun come up through the clouds.

if you all like to snorkel in general there is a lot of places to snorkel from many beaches. the best i saw was right by my hotel at black rock. it's on kanapali beach by a bunch of hotels and is public. just exploring the north side of the island is pretty cool too.

 

[redgtxdi]

Indeed! Yes, the wife & I did do the Molikini trip.....(rented the underwater camera....35mm film back then...har har).....and even still have the pic of me holding a rainbow fish in my hand. (way cool)

We didn't do the Hana trip which would be cool. I'm definitely partial to Maui (Cheeseburger in Paradise anyone?)

But I know the main island/Honolulu is definitely tourist central & don't know if that's something my kids would like more or not.

Would you recommend your hotel?? (IIRC, my uncle's timeshare was just north of there between Kaanapali and Kapalua)

THx!

 

[Soundmanred]

Tips!
-Don't buy flowers or produce from natives standing around. They took them from someone's garden and sell them to stupid haoles.
-Do not get into arguments with locals about who would win if one species fought another species. You'll be there all day and most of the night being shown very old pictures and getting yelled at.
-Do not "take in the local culture" by "just trying" methamphetamines. You might think it will help you blend in, but it won't.
-If you see a homeless person hanging around the public library that has silver primer paint around his mouth from huffing, DO NOT APPROACH THEM. (This will also help with tips 1-3)
-Have fun!

 

[purbeast0]

Indeed! Yes, the wife & I did do the Molikini trip.....(rented the underwater camera....35mm film back then...har har).....and even still have the pic of me holding a rainbow fish in my hand. (way cool)

We didn't do the Hana trip which would be cool. I'm definitely partial to Maui (Cheeseburger in Paradise anyone?)

But I know the main island/Honolulu is definitely tourist central & don't know if that's something my kids would like more or not.

Would you recommend your hotel?? (IIRC, my uncle's timeshare was just north of there between Kaanapali and Kapalua)

THx!

i stayed at the westin in kanapali and if i ever go back to maui will probably stay there (if i don't get a condo from vrbo). the location was perfect and that stretch of beach there is fantastic.

 

[HN]

if i may ask (as i'll be heading out there as well in a few weeks)...

where can one go to stock up on beer/liquor? is the only option the ABC stores or is there a cheaper / lesser known alternative?

 

[SamQuint]

Maui has a Costco right near the airport for your booze run. So does Kauai. They also do have supermarkets on the islands.

 

[SamQuint]

i've only been to maui and loved every part of the 11 days i was there.

strongly recommend taking a snorkel trip to molokini. very clear water with some good food to boot.

i'm not sure how old your kids are, but the road to hana and then the hike up the mountain at the 7 sacred pools to see the 400ft waterfall is also simply amazing. we took a whole day to do this adventure and stopped at many places along the way to check out.

going to see the sunrise at mount haleakala is really awesome too. it's very cold up there though before the sun comes up so if you do go, bring something warm very awesome experience being above the clouds and seeing the sun come up through the clouds.

if you all like to snorkel in general there is a lot of places to snorkel from many beaches. the best i saw was right by my hotel at black rock. it's on kanapali beach by a bunch of hotels and is public. just exploring the north side of the island is pretty cool too.

I did all this stuff as well when I was on Maui. I have only been to Maui and Kauai but both Islands are amazing. I would take the kids to Maui though since there are tons of things to do. Also the beaches on Maui are amazing.

You can also go over to the Island Lanai, they have a preserve where you can swim and snorkel with spinner dolphins I hear.


Can you bring me back a shave ice???

 

[Daverino]

I have wanted to go back to Kauai since I left from my last vacation. I swear I could retire there. One of the nicest most beautiful places I have ever been.

 

[Stopsignhank]

You can either rent your snorkling gear there, or I found a CVS and just bought our gear. One of the funnest snorkeling I did was where I pulled over to let some guy who was tailgating me go. It was right near a beach so pulled the stuff out of the trunk and went in.

The trip to Molokini is cool. I did the SNUBA thing and that was really cool!!!

If you see a pineapple stand on the side of the road, pick yourself up one. It was only $5 for two and the best we ever had. Where we were there were no people at the stands, just the pineapples with a donation can.

There is also a great snorkling place where you have to walk through the woods to get to the area. Just a fantastic experience, I will have to try and find where this was. I know it was on the north side of Maui.

 

[boomerang]

Look into condo rentals. Should be cheaper than a hotel, you will have more room and the overwhelming majority of them will have a pool.

 

[purbeast0]

You can either rent your snorkling gear there, or I found a CVS and just bought our gear. One of the funnest snorkeling I did was where I pulled over to let some guy who was tailgating me go. It was right near a beach so pulled the stuff out of the trunk and went in.

The trip to Molokini is cool. I did the SNUBA thing and that was really cool!!!

If you see a pineapple stand on the side of the road, pick yourself up one. It was only $5 for two and the best we ever had. Where we were there were no people at the stands, just the pineapples with a donation can.

There is also a great snorkling place where you have to walk through the woods to get to the area. Just a fantastic experience, I will have to try and find where this was. I know it was on the north side of Maui.

after renting snorkel gear for a week while in maui Iin 2008), i came home and just bought my own gear. i bought some decent stuff too so it has lasted me many trips since then. i take it with me on any trip i take to a beach area. i will still go on snorkel trips out on boats where they provide it for you, but it's nice to just have something i know will fit and be comfortable the entire time. i also can just get in the water anywhere i want and have done this multiple times on different islands. if it's something you do on vacations a lot, i strongly recommend it.

 

[Stopsignhank]

after renting snorkel gear for a week while in maui Iin 2008), i came home and just bought my own gear. i bought some decent stuff too so it has lasted me many trips since then. i take it with me on any trip i take to a beach area. i will still go on snorkel trips out on boats where they provide it for you, but it's nice to just have something i know will fit and be comfortable the entire time. i also can just get in the water anywhere i want and have done this multiple times on different islands. if it's something you do on vacations a lot, i strongly recommend it.

Exactly. I even got myself some prescription goggles made for our second trip to Hawaii. Made all the difference in the world and it was not that much money. I think $60 or so.

Buy yourself an underwater camera also. About $150, but great for taking pictures while you are snorkeling.

 

[Exterous]

Any recommendations on a company to do the Molokini snorkeling with? The wife and I are going at the end of July

 

[CottonRabbit]

The snorkeling in Maui is better than Kauai. More reefs and varied topography. I prefer snorkeling at my own pace from shore and Ahihi Kinau was probably my favorite snorkeling spot in Maui. On land, both islands are equally beautiful.

 

[redgtxdi]

Man, I can almost hear the palm branches rustling already!!!

Any suggestions for how to rent a condo out there??

I'm torn cuz somebody also mentioned Pearl Harbor which I've never seen & would be a good "life" experience for the kids. That's a living history book right there in itself!!!

We'll only have a week so I don't want to spread us too thin & really don't want to island hop.

 

[purbeast0]

vrbo is good for condo's. i used it twice this past year (havent gone to the spot yet though). once for turks and caicos, which i'll be at in less than 2 weeks, and another in north carolina for a beach house. the process was simple and i'll definitely use it again. you can bargain too if you want tot ry and get a better deal.

as far as companies to take you to molokini, i'd just read reviews at tripadvisor and go with the top ones there. i can't remember who i used as it was almost 6 years ago. just try to go with one that gets there early because a lot of boats go to it, and the ones that bet there earlier get the better spots.

 

[D1gger]

My wife and I just got back from a week on Maui (Honua Kai Resort) and week in Honolulu (Hilton Hawaiian Village).

We had to have a rental car on Maui and the resort was too far away from restaurants, etc to walk to. The upside was we had a huge two bedroom suite with full kitchen and full use of beach toys that are stocked in the unit. It was nice to get up in the morning and have breakfast on the lanai. Really liked Honu Seafood and Pizza for dinner, although we never did try the pizza.

Reservations were required every night unless you want to wait 45 minutes to an hour, as the restaurants were very busy.

Waikiki Beach is definitely much more crowded and touristy, but it also offers lots more to do. Everything from the usual snorkelling, fishing charters, paragliding to gun range rentals. A rental car is not required as you can walk to just about everything you might want to do. We stayed in the Lagoon tower at the Hawaiian Village, and they are definitely starting to show their age. The newer tower has nicer rooms.

Restaurants were not as busy and we could get seating pretty much any time we wanted.

 

[redgtxdi]

Thanks Digger! And, yes, I recall we did rental car on both Maui and Kauai when we went. Again, we were between Kaanapali & Kapalua so driving to Front St in Lahaina was a drive no matter what. (no prob, we rented a convertible so fun all the way)

I just know that a vacation like this could be a couple thousand bucks up to $10K depending on how you do it & it's hard to know unless you know somebody who's recently done it with success. (budget-minded, of course)

 

[SamQuint]

Any recommendations on a company to do the Molokini snorkeling with? The wife and I are going at the end of July

I highly recommend the Pacific Whale Foundation.
http://www.pacificwhale.org/

They have an awesome tour called Molokini Wildside

http://www.pacificwhale.org/cruises/snorkel-cruises

This is a smaller boat so they limit to about 30 people. Some of the large boats are huge with 50-100 people. They take you to Molokini for the snorkeling then they take you to a place so you can swim with the sea turtles. The turtles are amazing. Best part of my entire trip. They also serve you lunch and provide you with the snorkel gear. I think they will rent you a wetsuit shirt for 10 bucks extra. (sometimes the water is a little cold. When we were there we were fine without the wetsuit, although I was wearing a rash-guard type shirt)

 

[norseamd]

Tips!
-Don't buy flowers or produce from natives standing around. They took them from someone's garden and sell them to stupid haoles.
-Do not get into arguments with locals about who would win if one species fought another species. You'll be there all day and most of the night being shown very old pictures and getting yelled at.
-Do not "take in the local culture" by "just trying" methamphetamines. You might think it will help you blend in, but it won't.
-If you see a homeless person hanging around the public library that has silver primer paint around his mouth from huffing, DO NOT APPROACH THEM. (This will also help with tips 1-3)
-Have fun!

washington dc?

 

[LikeLinus]

i've only been to maui and loved every part of the 11 days i was there.

strongly recommend taking a snorkel trip to molokini. very clear water with some good food to boot.

i'm not sure how old your kids are, but the road to hana and then the hike up the mountain at the 7 sacred pools to see the 400ft waterfall is also simply amazing. we took a whole day to do this adventure and stopped at many places along the way to check out.

going to see the sunrise at mount haleakala is really awesome too. it's very cold up there though before the sun comes up so if you do go, bring something warm very awesome experience being above the clouds and seeing the sun come up through the clouds.

if you all like to snorkel in general there is a lot of places to snorkel from many beaches. the best i saw was right by my hotel at black rock. it's on kanapali beach by a bunch of hotels and is public. just exploring the north side of the island is pretty cool too.

Maui is amazing and the Road to Hana is a must do for anyone there. It takes the better part of a day if you stop and visit the sites, but it's such a great experience and loved it.

 

[redgtxdi]

Maui is amazing and the Road to Hana is a must do for anyone there. It takes the better part of a day if you stop and visit the sites, but it's such a great experience and loved it.

Do you think the beauty of the Road to Hana is more significant a vacation experience than Pearl Harbor for a family vacation??

(I know that's a pickle but my conscience can appreciate both venues)

 

[Fingolfin269]

We like the aina nalu in lahaina town. Cheap and you can walk to front street which is more important to us than paying the extra for beach front. We have a 2br condo booked there for 11 nights in July for right at $2k. Booked through vrbo.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Oh I believe you asked about snorkel companies as well. I highly recommend pacific whale foundation.