Hawaii vacation coming up

[SoulAssassin]

Edit: 11/13 (err...11/14 for those still on the east coast of the mainland)

Any locals know a car wash with the powerwasher/wand type deal in or around Kona? I found one drive through car wash at a gas station a few miles south of the airport but that's it. Beat the hell out of the Wrangler rental down at the Green Sand beach and need to clean the underside before I take it back.


Going to Hawaii for 10 days in November and I'm looking for some recommendations on where to go and what to see. Staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Villagein the northeast corner of the big island. We'll probably make a day or possibly one night trip over to Pearl Harbor. I definitely want to do a helicopter ride over a volcano and swim at some black/purple/plaid/whatever colored beaches. Woman might want to do some horsebacking riding (and it would be cool if I could ride an ATV along side her as I'm not all into horseback riding and don't want to damage the jewels). I'm bringing the Nuvi and I'd like to do some exploring one day. I read some stuff about a road that basically cuts across the middle of the island past an observatory you need a 4x4 to get through.

Any recommendations on things like this or other cool stuff to do/places to eat are really appreciated. Got 10 days to kill and probably not getting back to Hawaii for a while (gd 14 hour flight from the east coast is gonna suck...back to the Caribbean next year) so I want to do this right.

 

[mugs]

I can't offer a whole lot of advice on the big island, because all of our trips to Hawaii have been to Maui. But when you go to Oahu are you planning on renting a car or taking public transit? There is a bus stop right at Pearl Harbor. Expect to spend the better part of the day at Pearl Harbor. We got there in the morning, got our tickets to the memorial, then we had to wait a few hours for our turn to come. In the meantime we went to the USS Missouri (battleship) and the USS Bowfin (submarine), which were pretty cool. I think we left Maui at ~9:00 in the morning and left Oahu at ~5:00 in the afternoon, and all we had time for was Pearl Harbor, late lunch at Subway, and we missed 3 buses.

IF you decide to spend a few days in Maui, I recommend
- Warren & Annabelle magic show
- A day trip over to Lanai. Rent a jeep and drive around on their jeep trails. You have to stick to the trails though

 

[MrChad]

My wife and I made the same trip last August. We also stayed at the Hilton.

1. We went horseback riding in Waipi'o Valley on the north side of the island. The views are spectacular and its well worth the trip. My wife has some riding experience but I was a total noob. The horses there are very well trained and its easy to get the hang of it. I think there are several companies that offer riding tours in that area.

2. Plan at least a whole day at the Volcano Park. There are so many trails and there's so much to see and do that you could easily spend more than one day there. If you stay towards the end of the day you can walk along the lava rock near the shore to see the lava flow at night. There is a short marked trail you can walk along and, if you're adventurous, a couple of miles of relatively unmarked lava rock that puts you much closer to the flow. That's what we did, and although it was exhausting (and a little bit unnerving in the pitch black), it was a great experience. Be sure to pack GOOD flashlights and extra batteries if you decide to go, and bring lots of water for hiking.

I would also recommend booking a room at one of the hotels near the park for that night. It's a long drive (2 - 2.5 hours, IIRC) from your side of the island to the volcano park, and after that night time hike you will not want to be driving.

3. You MUST visit Tex Drive In for breakfast at some point. Their malasadas and omelets are incredible. It's on the north side of the island and it's so good we visited the place twice the week we were there.

4. Be prepared to drive a lot. It takes a while to drive around the island, so plan your days accordingly.

5. We hiked to the Green Sand beach from South Point. It's a pretty cool sight, but again, pack LOTS of water and wear good shoes for the trip, as it's a hot and windy journey.

If I think of more things, I'll add them to the list. Have fun!

 

[mugs]

Oh yeah, they say you should leave your vehicle unlocked with nothing valuable inside. That way thieves won't break your windows.

And the "Revealed" series of books are the definitive guidebooks to the Hawaiian Islands.

 

[BoomerD]

If you like the traditional Hawaiian Plate lunches, be sure to try the Kamuela Deli...(IIRC, they have a couple of locations on the Big Island) but the best one (IMO) is in the town of Waimea (sp?) which is about 30 minutes from Waikoloa.
The Hilton's luau isn't bad, but after visiting them on 3 different islands, NONE compare to the Old Lahaina Luau in Lahaina Maui. Hands down, the best food and the best show, PLUS, the best open bar drinks you'll find...(make friends with your waiter, and he'll keep you well "lubricated" during the show/dinner)
The west side of the island is pretty dry/deserty with lots of open lava flows...kind of like a moonscape. The eastern side of the island is more lush and rain-foresty, but that comes with more rain and wet weather.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: mugs
Oh yeah, they say you should leave your vehicle unlocked with nothing valuable inside. That way thieves won't break your windows.

And the "Revealed" series of books are the definitive guidebooks to the Hawaiian Islands.

:laugh:

If you're parking the car in the middle of nowhere and leaving it there for the night maybe... But even then they usually just burn the car. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Originally posted by: mugs
Oh yeah, they say you should leave your vehicle unlocked with nothing valuable inside. That way thieves won't break your windows.

And the "Revealed" series of books are the definitive guidebooks to the Hawaiian Islands.

:laugh:

If you're parking the car in the middle of nowhere and leaving it there for the night maybe... But even then they usually just burn the car. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm just repeating what was in the Maui Revealed book... I believe it was referring to places like the road to Hana where people might park their car in a remote area and get out and walk around. I've never actually done the road to Hana in my trips to Maui.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
If you like the traditional Hawaiian Plate lunches, be sure to try the Kamuela Deli...(IIRC, they have a couple of locations on the Big Island) but the best one (IMO) is in the town of Waimea (sp?) which is about 30 minutes from Waikoloa.
The Hilton's luau isn't bad, but after visiting them on 3 different islands, NONE compare to the Old Lahaina Luau in Lahaina Maui. Hands down, the best food and the best show, PLUS, the best open bar drinks you'll find...(make friends with your waiter, and he'll keep you well "lubricated" during the show/dinner)
The west side of the island is pretty dry/deserty with lots of open lava flows...kind of like a moonscape. The eastern side of the island is more lush and rain-foresty, but that comes with more rain and wet weather.

Good info. I just realized I said the hotel was in the northeast which is not true, it's in the northwest.

I just rented a Wrangler for the full 10 days. I was thinking about just getting one for a couple days and then I decided I didn't feel like dealing w the hassle of switching. The hotel has a rental car company on site but supposedly the selection is limited and I'm sure a jeep would be the first to go.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Originally posted by: mugs
Oh yeah, they say you should leave your vehicle unlocked with nothing valuable inside. That way thieves won't break your windows.

And the "Revealed" series of books are the definitive guidebooks to the Hawaiian Islands.

:laugh:

If you're parking the car in the middle of nowhere and leaving it there for the night maybe... But even then they usually just burn the car. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm just repeating what was in the Maui Revealed book... I believe it was referring to places like the road to Hana where people might park their car in a remote area and get out and walk around. I've never actually done the road to Hana in my trips to Maui.

Y'know... Hawaii gets a bad rap about certain things. 30 years ago the warnings about "ooo... don't go to that beach or the locals will kick your ass" probably held true. And there are a few bars around my place that I wouldn't feel comfortable in... even now that I live here.

But really, how many tourists are going to hit some dive bar in downtown Wailuku at midnight? The places that tourists usually go are perfectly safe. If you're driving to Hana it's a neverending parade of rental cars from dawn till dusk. A thief really wouldn't have much opportunity to do anything. I wouldn't worry about it. The real danger of theft or vandalism comes from parking in a place like that overnight and leaving the vehicle.

The resort towns (Kihei, Lahaina, Kaanapali) are about as safe as you can get. Hana too...

Now the Big Island is a different story. I've seen things there that made me nervous... but even still... tourists tend to travel in packs and there is safety in numbers.

But the freaks do come out at night...

 

[SoulAssassin]

Any recommendations on different helicopter tours? There seems to be a million of them and I'm sure some suck.

 

[DangerAardvark]

The thing I love about Hawaii, and the Big Isle in particular is how you can drive for a hundred miles and see every type of terrain imaginable; from rainforest to desert to pasture land to rolling hills in the span of an hour.

 

[skyking]

Marked for later. We've gone to the Big Island for about 6 years out of 8 now. I'll post some suggestions, and some from iamwiz82.

 

[RKS]

We really enjoyed the scuba trip but hated the ride-to-the-top-of-the-volcano-to-see-the-sunrise-and-then bike-down attraction. I believe it was about 30 degrees and we were in light clothing.

 

[Lola]

Hi. We adore the BI and have been there 4 times in the past 4 years. We got married there and love the place.

The HIlton is a freaking HUGE resort with amazing landscaping and pretty cool water features.

Get ready to walk anywhere, no matter where you want to go within the hotel... no matter what tower you will be staying in. There is a tram, water ferry and little golf carts to take you from one end to the other. THe last time we stayed at the hotel 2 years ago, parking was free... when we stopped by last year, it was about $10 a day to park.
the only downfall to the resort is that there is no beach access in the hotel, but you can get to an amazing beach called A-Bay. The most perfect place in the world for a sunset.

There is a milling things i want to tell you because eventhough the island is getting really busy with new building and tourism, there are some amazing places to go.

Since you are going in November, there is still time to plan... I would love to talk more, but we are preparing to depart on a cruise today so.... if you have any specific questions, please PM me or Iamwiz82. also, take a look at the gallery in my sig. we have the last 3 times (including our wedding and honeymoon) on there.

I am jeleous and cannot wait to return.

 

[SoulAssassin]

bump...see op...i need a car wash near kona

 

[SoulAssassin]

^

 

[iamwiz82]

I took the Wrangler we rented out and played with it too, never washed it though. I never was charged or heard any complaints.