Going to Hawaii... what should we do?!

[Buff]

Do a day trip to another island, or a couple of day trips to other islands.

On Kauai you can do a helicopter tour of the island. Pretty cool. You get to see lots of beautiful scenery of which many locations were used in many movies (ie. Waterfalls in Jurassic Park or waterfalls from Fantasy Island).

I also hear that the helicopter tours on the big island is pretty cool because you fly over top of the live volcanos.

There are bus tours on all of the major islands in which you get to see beautiful scenery and learn quite a bit of the culture and history of the islands.

Don't rent a car while in Honolulu. There are cheap/free shuttle buses that you can use to get around.

I recommend three days in Waikiki at the most, and spend the rest of the time on one other island.

Pearl Harbour is the only must. I can't think of anything I did or didn't do that I feel like I have to go back for. Pearl Harbour is the one thing that I am glad I did not miss, and the one thing I would make sure I see again if/when I go back.

[jolinar of malkshor]

As has been mentioned by others, Pearl Harbour is a must, Hanuama Bay was good. We checked out the dole plantation, I didn't find it a that interesting. North Shore is nice and you get out of all the hussle from the City. We rented a convertible and drove around the island. If you are going to be there for 12 days I would try and hit some other Islands like others have said. I liked Oahu, it was nice but after 5 days there I started to get bored.

[Peanut]

Thanks for all the tips! We were originally thinking Maui but the Honolulu flights were cheaper, so we're flying in and out of there. We haven't booked a car or place to stay or anything yet, so all the advice is really helpful... I do think we will probably will head to Maui for at least a few days as well, since that was the original destination we kind of had in mind.

[Resolute 14]

Make sure you take Gate 17A instead of Gate 17B...

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Make sure you take Gate 17A instead of Gate 17B...

Particularly because I hear flights out of 17B go to straight to Regina. That would be a disappointing turn of events.

Edit: Whoops... I thought I would make a little joke about the Regina thread, but it appears I actually didn't get the original joke about Winnipeg. Tomato... tomato!!

[Jake]

I live just outside of Waikiki since I go to UH. If you come here and stay in Honolulu I doubt you'll like it. Honolulu is cramped, has homeless people on every corner, the water is dirty and wildlife is virtually non-existant unless you like pidgeons. Two weeks is enough time to see a lot of Oahu so I'd fly to another island for a few days, but theres plenty of things to do here. If you get bored after 5 days like the poster a few posts above me, you just don't know where to go.

Tourists like seem to like Waikiki lots.... there are some good restaurants like the Yardhouse (my favorite), Tikis, Dukes, the Ocean House, Cheesecake factory and what not and good night life.

The spots I listed below are very nice. You need to rent a car though... the bus from Waikiki to north shore takes three hours and from Waikiki to Hanuama Bay 45 minutes (plus it only comes once an hour).
- East side: Hanuama Bay, Sandys Beach, Makapu'u beach (good hikes around there too, Makapu'u is beautful), Kailua and Lanikai beach
- North shore: favorite place on the island... Waimea Bay, Sunset beach, Sharks Cove, all are great. At this time of the year the waves are often huge.
- West shore

Pearl Harbour isn't really my thing, but some people enjoy it. The Dole Plantation closed down I believe, but your not missing anything. It was a waste of time. Don't swim with dolphins either, its like $150 for tourists and you touch the dolphin for like 30 seconds... along with 10 other people. Make sure to stop at some shrimp shacks.

You won't have much trouble finding a hotel. There is a lot available in every price range.

Hope you have fun! Say no to aloha shirts and other tourist apparel. If you don't the lifeguard on every beach with even a small surf will tell you to stay out of the water

[Jake]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Surfing there isn't anything you see on tv, it's very very gentle... it's essentially going on the smallest dinkiest waves you can find but very fun but tiring.

I'm sorry, but thats just ridiculous. Maybe if you surf in Waikiki its like that... North Shore during the winter can see wave faces over 30 feet. During the summer its fairly calm, but so is the rest of the northern hemisphere.

[IntenseFan]

People have generally covered all the good stuff here, but I have two things to add.

1) If you head to Maui like you say and happen to be on the South West of the Island, you should certainly head to Buzz's Warf (in Ma'alea Bay Harbor) for dinner and have the Tahitian Prawns. The prawns are from the Hawaiian prawn farms where they are force fed to become larger than normal. (How do you force feed a prawn? I don't know, but it works). I can honestly say that was the best dinner I had in Maui and I had a lot of good seafood dinners there.

2) While on Oahu, you could also visit the beach set of Lost as it is located on a beach accessible to the public. The crew keeps you well back of the action, but it is neat to see. (Not sure if they are on a break in April, however as we were there in the fall).

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Jake

I'm sorry, but thats just ridiculous. Maybe if you surf in Waikiki its like that... North Shore during the winter can see wave faces over 30 feet. During the summer its fairly calm, but so is the rest of the southern hemisphere.

I agree. The north shore has some pretty good waves. Only thing to be aware of is the sharks roam that area. When i was there in mid Jan a local told me 2 kids on boggie boards were taken by sharks late last year.

[SeeGeeWhy]

I'll try to get a picture of Barack's childhood home for all of you Obama fans.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Jake

The Dole Plantation closed down I believe, but your not missing anything.

Unless there's more than one Plantation in Hawaii it's still open according to my dad who along with my mom, aunt, and uncle are in Hawaii right now. He told me they went there today and checked out the Pearl Harbor tribute yesterday. He said you can still smell the oil seeping up from the ship that sunk.

He told me it looks like he wont be able to bring me back any lava rock. He cant find any shops who will sell it because of the 'curse' it apparently holds for people who take it home. So instead he told me he'll bring me home a shark tooth necklace and a shirt.

[Draug]

Originally Posted by Inferno

He told me it looks like he wont be able to bring me back any lava rock. He cant find any shops who will sell it because of the 'curse' it apparently holds for people who take it home. So instead he told me he'll bring me home a shark tooth necklace and a shirt.

Uh oh ... we simply threw a piece in our suitcase and brought it home. Come to think of it, my daughter has been sick pretty much straight for the two weeks since we got home. I dont believe in curses, but maybe I should.

I second the suggestion for the tour books from Wizard publications. We stumbled across one in Kauai and it was a trip saver.

I also agree with spending only a couple of days in Honolulu. We spent 8 days in Kauai and 3 in Honolulu on the way home and that was enough. Kauai is very laid back and not touristy. Tons of hiking in the mountains (awesome!) and tons of nice beaches. You can also do whale tours there during this time of year, and not just in Maui, although they are more numerous in Maui.

Be prepared for your days to be very expensive. I found the restaurants to be especially costly.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by Jake

I'm sorry, but thats just ridiculous. Maybe if you surf in Waikiki its like that... North Shore during the winter can see wave faces over 30 feet. During the summer its fairly calm, but so is the rest of the southern hemisphere.

Sorry, I meant surfing in Waikiki. That's the only place I went and tried... the other places looked too rough for me. I should have clarified that, thanks

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Draug

Uh oh ... we simply threw a piece in our suitcase and brought it home. Come to think of it, my daughter has been sick pretty much straight for the two weeks since we got home. I dont believe in curses, but maybe I should.

http://www.snopes.com/luck/pele.asp

The guy told my dad if he really wants to bring it home he can but he advises against it. Personally I think the bad luck that occurs after someone brings it home is just coincidence but I just told him not to worry about it and just get me something else.

[kipperiggy]

I stayed in Waikiki last February.

- I agree with others, skip the Dole Plantation.
- Unless you are big into history, honestly, I would skip Pearl Harbour. I probably will be alone in saying this.
- What you do depends on the kind of holiday you want. We didn't do a whole lot of travelling around the island, and elected to stay at our own beach and suntan. If you want to travel around more of course there is a lot to do.
- Diamond Head
- We did a sunset dinner cruise as well
- Society of Seven show in the Outrigger Hotel

[cyclone3483]

Anything involving local young ladies dancing wearing coconuts...

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by Inferno

http://www.snopes.com/luck/pele.asp

The guy told my dad if he really wants to bring it home he can but he advises against it. Personally I think the bad luck that occurs after someone brings it home is just coincidence but I just told him not to worry about it and just get me something else.

Tell your Dad to walk along any beach and he'll find a piece of lava rock. I was in Honolulu\Oahu in this past month, and I brought back a small lava rock. Note I have not won anything at 649 since I've been back so the curse is probably real.

[Byrns]

OP check this list for things to do on Oahu. (Look for "Dusty's" post)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...hu_Hawaii.html