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Hawaii recomendations

Pokoloco

By Pokoloco
in Can You Help Me With This?

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Paper_jam

Paper_jam 831

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Do you think you want city stuff or nature stuff? Honolulu has your museums, shopping, dining, fancy hotels, close to Pearl Harbor if history is your thing. But it's pretty urban and crowded. While Oahu certainly has beaches and some nature stuff, f you want to Get Away From It All and see natural beauty, other islands would probably be better for that. 

 

 

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DalTxHornFan

DalTxHornFan 3101

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Big Island is a great first Hawaii trip.  Lots of different topography.  

Oahu is another great trip.  Pearl Harbor is an amazing experience.  Waikiki is like Las Vegas with sand and water.

Maui is like being in California.  Which is great if you like that sort of thing.

All of your other Hawaii trips should be to Kauai.  Such a great place.

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LebongJames

LebongJames 1811

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Just got back from Kauai. It was incredible. We did multiple hikes and a few other excursions including mountain tubing and an ATV tour where they filmed Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones.

We got a rental car and were able to see the full island. Had no desire to go to Oahu because we live in a city and really didn’t want high rises and shopping. Not the reason we would go all that way.

The North Side of the island is absolutely gorgeous but it’s very rainy. We ended up staying at the Marriott in Lihue. Right on the beach and it has an incredible pool for days that you just want to relax. The rooms could use an update but it didn’t bother us at all. It was nice because Lihue is in the middle of the island and it allowed us to go all around. Also had multiple restaurants we could walk to.

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joe dirt

joe dirt 285

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we just got back from a week in oahu without the kids. i hadn’t been in nearly 20 years and this was the first trip there for lady dirt. we stayed in waikiki and did all the tourist stuff like hiking diamond head, waimea falls, dole, north shore, etc. now that that’s out of the way,  next time we can go to a different island and actually just relax. 

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Tailgate

Tailgate 3021

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Mrs. Tailgate and I did Lanai one year and had a great time. Not many people....great resort on the ocean with some killer golf courses. Relaxation level was at a max.

Not as much to see as other islands but beautiful and a great place to chill. Four Seasons delivers in spades here from rooms, to service, location, views....etc.

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  • 3 weeks later...
zork

zork 629

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15 minutes ago, Poolflood said:

Next time we do Hawaii we're going to stay in Hana on Maui.  Love Hana.  Maui was ok.  

why in particular one and not the other in your opinion?  better for couples, better for kids, less crowded, etc, etc?

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Poolflood

Poolflood 845

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4 minutes ago, zork said:

why in particular one and not the other in your opinion?  better for couples, better for kids, less crowded, etc, etc?

More secluded.   My kids are 14 and 17 now.  I don't need/want entertainment.  I want quiet beauty.  Quiet beaches.  Snorkeling.  Good food and booze.

Our annual vacation is to St. John usvi.  Hana seemed similar.  

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bluto

bluto 4929

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Do Oahu but rent a car and an Airbnb in Kailua within a couple blocks of the beach. Only 30 min to get over to Honolulu for Pearl Harbor or w/e off peak. Kailua is a great setup as there’s minimal beach access so the beach is hardly ever crowded, and almost no commercial housing/resorts so it’s retained small beach town setup.

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TKthunder2

TKthunder2 4991

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3 hours ago, bluto said:

Do Oahu but rent a car and an Airbnb in Kailua within a couple blocks of the beach. Only 30 min to get over to Honolulu for Pearl Harbor or w/e off peak. Kailua is a great setup as there’s minimal beach access so the beach is hardly ever crowded, and almost no commercial housing/resorts so it’s retained small beach town setup.

We did that one year and enjoyed it but if you want to go even further we airbnb’d up near the Dole Private Beach Park on North Shore which was even more secluded and the drive isn’t bad at all.

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bluto

bluto 4929

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1 minute ago, TKthunder2 said:

We did that one year and enjoyed it but if you want to go even further we airbnb’d up near the Dole Private Beach Park on North Shore which was even more secluded and the drive isn’t bad at all.

nitpicking, but couple issues I have with north shore are the surf can be hellacious and  the 2 lane road factor with how much the tourism has exploded on oahu in the last 5 years (according to the locals i talked to, it's total overload now). i saw an army convoy  back up traffic multiple miles around north shore area, they were going 15 mph and no way to pass them. 

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Zombie

Zombie 284

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It may be common knowledge already, but a heads up that Oahu, and just Oahu as far as I know, passed a law earlier this year banning about 8,000 of the 10,000 short term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO, etc...) that had been operating on the island without licenses.

Basically the law said the island is actually going to start enforcing its rental laws to free up housing stock for locals. I imagine hotel prices will be increasing as a result. If you use a short term rental, make sure the owner shows you they are in compliance with the law so that you aren't left without your rental if the owner gets busted before your arrival. Evidently a lot of renters have been cancelled on last minute.

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Texas Jeff

Texas Jeff 1945

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We've been to Maui and Kauai in the last few years and used the GyPSy guide as an audio tour book as we drove around the islands.  They have them for most of the Hawaiian islands and also some mainland US and Canadian spots.

It's a phone app that you connect to your car radio.  As you drive around and pass GPS waypoints, the guide gives you some local information on what you are about to pass or see.  The waypoints have direction, so if you do something like the road to Hana you hear one set of stories on the way out and another on the way back.

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Zombie

Zombie 284

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23 minutes ago, Texas Jeff said:

We've been to Maui and Kauai in the last few years and used the GyPSy guide as an audio tour book as we drove around the islands.  They have them for most of the Hawaiian islands and also some mainland US and Canadian spots.

It's a phone app that you connect to your car radio.  As you drive around and pass GPS waypoints, the guide gives you some local information on what you are about to pass or see.  The waypoints have direction, so if you do something like the road to Hana you hear one set of stories on the way out and another on the way back.

I used that on the Road to Hana. It was a nice accompaniment to the long ride. Lots of interesting information. 

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  • 1 year later...
UnivTex34

UnivTex34 1763

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1 hour ago, Longhorn94 said:

we are headed to hawaii in mid-june. we are headed to oahu first but would love to visit the other islands. best way to do that?

We had to fly Hawaiian to Kauai, because Southwest hadn't started their route. Was $119 both directions. Flew Southwest to the Big Island. $39 both ways. Both from Honolulu. I hear Southwest flies to all islands now, so that would be the way to do it.

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XYZ

XYZ 2154

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1 hour ago, Longhorn94 said:

we are headed to hawaii in mid-june. we are headed to oahu first but would love to visit the other islands. best way to do that?

Doesn’t Hawaii make tourists quarantine for 10 days upon arrival?

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Superhero

Superhero 8830

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Piling onto the discussion about the different islands, my wife and I have been to the 4 mentioned so far;

Big Island was our first trip. We did a night swim with manta rays, took a helicopter ride to see the volcanos. Surprisingly the most enjoyable part of the trip was driving across the island on Route 200 - seeing snow along the way, and back down to hot humid Hilo. We also drove back along the north coast and enjoying the scenery and time with the wife. We found a sketchy looking place that turned out to be some fine dining establishment that thankfully didn't have a dress code. Completely unexpected and totally amazing.

Kauai was our second trip. We stayed at Poipu Beach on the south side of the island, but ventured out everyday. Drove up to Waimea which was breathtaking. Too bad we didn't go to the north coast until the last day, but wish we had spent more time there - more nature than development and I can see why people love it. What I appreciated most was finding these little road-side restaurants and shops that had their own unique offerings. Oh, and chickens.

Don't have much opinion on Maui since we were stuck at Kaanapali without a car.

We're going to Oahu for the 3rd time in June. It's MY getaway trip for the year. We land, jump on a shuttle straight to the Disney resort and veg out for the next 5 days. I know it sounds dumb, but I really look forward to this trip because the kids only want to play at the water park, and there's no pressure to drive off to see anything else. It's 5 days of being present with the wife and kids without work and other daily obligations.

 

If you're going to Hawaii in the next few months, be prepared to pay a hefty premium for a rental car. Read an article yesterday where a daily rental cost of a subcompact being north of $350/day and people are renting U-Hauls to get around.

https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/2021-04-rental-car-shortage-Hawaii-uhaul-tourists-16129894.php

 

For first timers, I'd recommend Kauai for the nature and slow pace of life.

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TKthunder2

TKthunder2 4991

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6 hours ago, Longhorn94 said:

we are headed to hawaii in mid-june. we are headed to oahu first but would love to visit the other islands. best way to do that?

You can book a multi-destination flight and go from the 48, to one island, to another and back for very little, ESPECIALLY if you go to Oahu and figure out how to read the flights going in and out.  So many flights go from the other islands and stop through Honolulu before returning to the lower 48 the planes between the islands aren’t full.  When we did it it only cost us like $70 for that short flight when doing it via multi-destination while booking it as a one way would have been nearly 3 times that rate.

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gsoda3

gsoda3 3262

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we're going to maui in july.  i have no idea what to expect, i've never been.  we're going with my wife's family, they've all been multiple times.  we're bringing all the kids.  seven kids 10 and under with the youngest being 4.  am i going to hate myself?

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Superhero

Superhero 8830

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1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

we're going to maui in july.  i have no idea what to expect, i've never been.  we're going with my wife's family, they've all been multiple times.  we're bringing all the kids.  seven kids 10 and under with the youngest being 4.  am i going to hate myself?

Depends on if you like the kids...

A bad day in Hawaii is still better than a good day on the mainland. The weather is great, food is mostly good, and the locals are just really chill and friendly. 

 Where in Maui are you staying? 

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gsoda3

gsoda3 3262

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8 hours ago, Superhero said:

Depends on if you like the kids...

A bad day in Hawaii is still better than a good day on the mainland. The weather is great, food is mostly good, and the locals are just really chill and friendly. 

 Where in Maui are you staying? 

well most of the kids are mine.  sometimes i like them?  

 

we're staying at the royal lahaina, about a mile from the whalers village shopping center.  less crowded there supposedly.  any recs?

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Billy Pilgrim

Billy Pilgrim 1963

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14 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

we're going to maui in july.  i have no idea what to expect, i've never been.  we're going with my wife's family, they've all been multiple times.  we're bringing all the kids.  seven kids 10 and under with the youngest being 4.  am i going to hate myself?

Not gonna lie- the red eye flight home is going to be a bitch if you’re flying directly back to Texas with kids that young. Chances are they won’t sleep on the flight home and they’ll ask you questions and for snacks so you can’t sleep. All that being said- Hawaii is still worth it. 

Edited by Billy Pilgrim
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gsoda3

gsoda3 3262

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16 minutes ago, Billy Pilgrim said:

Not gonna lie- the red eye flight home is going to be a bitch if you’re flying directly back to Texas with kids that young. Chances are they won’t sleep on the flight home and they’ll ask you questions and for snacks so you can’t sleep. All that being said- Hawaii is still worth it. 

they're pretty experienced travelers.  we've been to asia and europe with them several times.  they get their ipads and they're happy as clams.  the worst part is always taking them to the bathroom.  i hate that.

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Superhero

Superhero 8830

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12 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

well most of the kids are mine.  sometimes i like them?  

we're staying at the royal lahaina, about a mile from the whalers village shopping center.  less crowded there supposedly.  any recs?

Whaler's Village is a zoo during meal times, so modify your meal schedule a bit.

Looking at Google Maps, doesn't look like the Roya Lahaina has much in the way of kids' stuff. I'm assuming you already have reservations, but in case you can change it, look into the Westin Maui Resort & Spa. Our friends who stayed there said they have a pretty good kids area. The Westin is south of Whaler's Village.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency just south of the Westin. It was nice, but it was lacking in kids' amenities with just a tiny play area and a small wade pool. The kids were 6 and 4 at the time so they didn't mind, but it was a HUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEEEEE step down from Aulani. (I know, different island, but that's the gold standard IMO).

There should be a shuttle bus that goes to the "town" about 3 miles from Ka'anapali beach. It drops you off at a sad outlet mall, but you can walk to Front Street which has restaurants and other interesting shops. Keep going and there's a little marina where you can go for boat tours.

Ultimately, when going to Hawaii, put your mindset in chill mode, relax by the pool, play on the beach, drink cocktails with little umbrellas, and enjoy the beautiful sunsets. 

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DonkeyCigars

DonkeyCigars 143

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On 4/26/2021 at 6:30 PM, Superhero said:

 

 

If you're going to Hawaii in the next few months, be prepared to pay a hefty premium for a rental car. Read an article yesterday where a daily rental cost of a subcompact being north of $350/day and people are renting U-Hauls to get around.

https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/2021-04-rental-car-shortage-Hawaii-uhaul-tourists-16129894.php

 

For first timers, I'd recommend Kauai for the nature and slow pace of life.

The cheapest car in Maui these days is now a Toyota Camry for $722/day

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/04/22/why-are-visitors-cruising-around-u-hauls-blame-pandemic/?utm_source=morning_brew

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Superhero

Superhero 8830

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1 hour ago, XYZ said:

This question is in general, not just Hawaii, but why is there a shortage of rental cars?

During pandemic, no one was renting cars, so rental car agencies sold their cars to cover expenses, e.g. rent, corporate type salaries, etc. Now that demand is coming back with a vengeance, there is a shortage of available cars. Low supply, high demand, yada yada.

Same reason why a Courtyard Marriott in SF can charge $1,000/night when there's a convention in SF, instead of their normal rate of $230/night. 

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