Hawaii

[DementedReality]

i am going to Maui end of Feb!!! been before, looking forward to it again.

nothing else to say, but thanks for the reminder!

[Cowperson]

I've been to Maui three times.

Twice in October, which was ideal, still dry and sunny and the ocean was warm without the crowds.

We went in November and the rain was starting to pick up, the ocean cooler.

Stayed on the Kaanapali side. Great beach there but moreso if you can swim as it drops off fairly fast. I think the Kehei beaches are likely better for more of the novice type swimmers. Big Beach on that side is very nice and Little Beach is a nude one.

Yes, rent a car. Volcano at sunrise. Drive to Hana, 600 curves in 40 some miles, so be on the road by 8 a.m. to be ahead of the traffic. Lot less stress. Lots of other driving.

Beautiful place.

Cowperson

[Iggy Snipe]

I just got back from O'ahu yesterday. It is defineitly busy, but it is also Christmas time and New years. There are tons of things to do that are very close by.

The main beach "Waiikiki Beach" is very nice with the hotels all along it. That is where I think you should stay.

Pearl Harbour and that tour is unreal. You learn about everything and see everything. You even get to go to the U.S.S Arizona memorial and stand directly over the ship. Apparently there are over 900 American Navy Seals in the ship today.

Diamond head is another tourist attraction. Very cool hike as it over looks the entire Island.

[MoneyGuy]

Anyone who has not yet booked this kind of trip should really consider the Caribbean. Hawaii's weather can be horrible. I've heard of people who go for a week or two and it rains the whole time. Weather in the Caribbean is almost always terrific. I've spent time in both places and weather in the Caribbean is way better, although my luck with rain in Hawaii has been decent.

[go iggy]

We are getting married in august this year and would like to go when the weather here (Flames town) is cold so somewhere around november- february. It seems that its the rainy season during that time. Can you suggest the best time to go through your experience?

[DFO]

Originally Posted by go iggy

We are getting married in august this year and would like to go when the weather here (Flames town) is cold so somewhere around november- february. It seems that its the rainy season during that time. Can you suggest the best time to go through your experience?

We went for the first 2 weeks of Nov a couple of years ago and it was great for the most part. We did have a big rain storm while camping near Hana - but the wateralls were spectacular the next day! On the dry side we stayed mainly in & around Lahaina which was great.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Anyone who has not yet booked this kind of trip should really consider the Caribbean. Hawaii's weather can be horrible. I've heard of people who go for a week or two and it rains the whole time. Weather in the Caribbean is almost always terrific. I've spent time in both places and weather in the Caribbean is way better, although my luck with rain in Hawaii has been decent.

I have never ever heard this. I think the people you talked to stayed on the wrong side of the islands. We have been multiple times, never even had what you would call a full morning shower. That is why we have returned so many times, weather and beaches are always reliable.

But the Caribbean is nice too. Again, you can have both rainy seasons there and hurricane season.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by DFO

We went for the first 2 weeks of Nov a couple of years ago and it was great for the most part. We did have a big rain storm while camping near Hana - but the wateralls were spectacular the next day! On the dry side we stayed mainly in & around Lahaina which was great.

Exactly, you stay around Hana or anywhere on the east side, you can be guaranteed of rain EVERY DAY. There are rain forests on that side etc. You get rain forests when you have daily rainfall. Other side of the island is very dry, sunny and warm, great beaches.

[SarichFan]

I've never heard Hawaii having anything near horrible weather.. The winter is still in the 80's every day and it's just more wet than normal.

I'm sure the Carribean has nice beaches but Hawaii has everything

[DFO]

Originally Posted by redforever

Exactly, you stay around Hana or anywhere on the east side, you can be guaranteed of rain EVERY DAY. There are rain forests on that side etc. You get rain forests when you have daily rainfall. Other side of the island is very dry, sunny and warm, great beaches.

Yup, you just have to be prepared for vastly different weather conditions there for sure. We might have been lucky on the Hana side as it only stormed that one night out of the three we spent there. I was happy though that I took my 4 season tent - it held up well to the hellish wind & rain. Some other people had cheap pup tents that were essentially trashed by morning - and they were sleeping in the car.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by SarichFan

I've never heard Hawaii having anything near horrible weather.. The winter is still in the 80's every day and it's just more wet than normal.

I'm sure the Carribean has nice beaches but Hawaii has everything

I travel a lot but have had good luck in Hawaii. However, I know a couple of people who have been to Hawaii a whole week and have had rain the whole time (different trips,not traveling together). Most places you're taking a gamble if you put thousands of dollars on a trip and weather can ruin it. The Caribbean is way better for betting on weather. As I said, I've been lucky in Hawaii.

[SarichFan]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I travel a lot but have had good luck in Hawaii. However, I know a couple of people who have been to Hawaii a whole week and have had rain the whole time (different trips,not traveling together). Most places you're taking a gamble if you put thousands of dollars on a trip and weather can ruin it. The Caribbean is way better for betting on weather. As I said, I've been lucky in Hawaii.

It's probably best to research rainy seasons before planning a trip. If you book during that time you should be prepared for what the season brings you. At least I would before spending thousands of dollars on a vacation.

[Cowperson]

The rainy season for Hawaii is roughly December through February . . . . not torrential but it's going to rain. It was actually fun running for an hour in a torrential warm downpour on Maui one time. Not often one can do that.

Otherwise, the Carribbean probably has warmer ocean water while Hawaii is far and away the more interesting place to visit, rent a car and explore, getting away from the beach for a few hours a day.

Cowperson

[SarichFan]

Yeah one of the most peaceful moments in my entire life was being on the North Shore, and it just started pouring warm tropical rain. It felt amazing.

It really does make me wonder how many people just go to Waikiki and that's it.. that'd be a total shame

[redforever]

Originally Posted by SarichFan

It's probably best to research rainy seasons before planning a trip. If you book during that time you should be prepared for what the season brings you. At least I would before spending thousands of dollars on a vacation.

Best to research weather period, for whatever type of season you wish to visit in. All countries have hi-lite times and most people would prefer to visit during those times.

Like for instance if someone came to Canada during our winter months, say perhaps the Maritimes right now, they might go back and say, it was awful, freezing cold, it snowed all the time, so much that the airports were closed and I could hardly get out of that hell hole.

On the other hand, they might have come during our last July, when it was hot and tropical, high humidity every day, and gone home saying, Canada is a tropical country, we had sunshine everyday and temperatures were in the mid 30's every day, the scenery was spectular, I highly recommend you go there.

So then, which gives an accurate description of Canada?

[trew]

The Hawaiin islands have a lot of different micro climate zones where the weather, beaches, and ocean can be very different. There are places like Hilo and Hana that are very wet, and places like the Kohala coast on the Big Island that average 357 days of sun a year.

Getting a guidebook for a trip to Hawaii is probably one of the best investments you can make. I would highly recommend the "Hawaii Revealed" set of guide books as they do a good job of recommending restaurants, beaches, hikes, and things to do. I used the "Big Island Revealed" book for my last trip and it really helped me plan my trip and find hikes and things to do that I simply would not have known about otherwise.

If you decide to go to Maui, the one thing I would suggest is that, instead of a rental car, get a jeep from "Maui Jeep Rentals", http://mauijeep.com/. They allow you to take their vehicles on the dirt road on the south side of the island. This allows you to take a shortcut on the way back from Hana. You can drive around the whole island this way, where most people have to double back and take the "road to Hana" both ways. (which can be somewhat nauseating for the passengers). There's also some great hikes and things to do in Hana, so the shortcut is really handy if you want to just get there and back quickly.

[HockeyPuck]

We went on our honeymoon in Maui at the end of Oct, beginning of Nov of this past year. Went for 2 weeks and it rained ONCE. It was 30 degrees everyday, with the tradewinds cooling it down. We were in Kihei

If you're looking to save some money, try going during Jun-Nov, as this is the low season as far as accomodations are concerned. We were a block from the beach and we paid $85/night for our fully equipped condo. A guy we met said his condo was across the street from the beach and he paid $75/night!

I looked into going back in March, and the prices had jumped to $120/night...

Here's the site we looked at to find our condo:

www.vrbo.com

Also, here's a website to a card you can buy, that will save you some cash on the activities you're definitely going to want to do:

http://www.goldcard.hawaiifun.org

We didn't get the goldcard, but it sounds like a good deal. We saved by going to one of the many timeshare presentations - that saved us a bunch of money...

Definitely do a helicopter tour, and if you go up Haleakala for the sunrise, bring warm clothing!

I definitely would recommend Maui - but it depends on what you want to do - if you like to people watch and hang out in the hotels, go Oahu... if you like laid back, but not remote - go Maui.... Anyways, have a great time!!!!

[MoneyGuy]

Otherwise, the Carribbean probably has warmer ocean water while Hawaii is far and away the more interesting place to visit, rent a car and explore, getting away from the beach for a few hours a day.

I find the Caribbean more interesting culturally. It's a better mix of cultures. I love the volcanoes on the Big Island, but find the Caribbean fascinating geologically also. In the Caribbean there is a very strong cultural influence from all over Europe. I love Hawaii, but I absolutely love the Caribbean. Going back there this March. To each his own.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I find the Caribbean more interesting culturally. It's a better mix of cultures. I love the volcanoes on the Big Island, but find the Caribbean fascinating geologically also. In the Caribbean there is a very strong cultural influence from all over Europe. I love Hawaii, but I absolutely love the Caribbean. Going back there this March. To each his own.

completely agree with your thoughts on the caribbean. We did the Eastern Caribbean cruise about 5 years ago and I would do It in a second again. As you mentioned it's kind of neat being able to jump from one island to another and having a completely different europian influence. We've been in Maui now for 2 weeks and have had the odd sprinkle come through and it really rained on new years eve day all day but other then that besides the wind it's been really nice.

In the Caribbean we had Sun the entire time. Not to say that this is the way it is all the time but the weather seemed more reliable.

[Buzzard]

I was in Maui for the month of June once and it was a great place, so quiet at that time. Oahu on the other hand is busy whenever you go, even in June. I would want to go during winter but sure you'll have a great time in June.