Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducay
+1 for Kauai; its a been more tame compared to the other islands. Quieter and less touristy. Which is good and bad in different ways. Still plenty to do/see.
I'd recommend a plane tour over a helicoper tour.
http://www.wingsoverkauai.com/
You're in a plane that seats 4 (including the pilot) and he flies you around and gives you his take on all the local sites; etc. The pilot is great (a longtime Kauai resident and a Biologist/Horticulturist scientist by original trade) so he knows tons on local flora and the tour is so much more intimate than the helicopter tours. Many of the heli tours are larger groups and/or have canned audio and more of a plasticy feel to it.
Other than that, you can't really go wrong with any island. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt near Poipu; (make sure you get the complimentary breakfast, its amazing and overlooks the ocean and these tropical gardens/ponds). Spent a lot of our time there just noodling around in our convertible checking local sites / exploring. |
To each their own but;
I clicked on the link and the plane looks like a flying bus, probably comparable to the blue hawaiian heli tours (which I wouldn't recommend). You need to find the right helicopter experience (which imo is open door with 4 passengers). Also our pilot that took us was ex military but he knew the island very well so the "tour" aspect was there as well. I really couldn't care less about learning about the flora while I'm up in the air. I can pick up a book and learn about that stuff.
I guess the it depends on your thrill tolerance as well. In a plane (or enclosed heli) you don't get the sound of the turbine winding up (keep your headset off while they're starting the heli) or the awesome smell of aviation fuel, wind through your hair. It feels like raw power and gets your adrenaline pumping (Wife loved it as well).
I've flown and been a passenger in many small planes and can honestly say that there is no way a plane tour could be comparable. The plane would't be able to turn around in some of places we went. Flying next to the waterfalls through the canyon would be a much different experience than having to fly over them.