Anyone Been to Hawaii?

A.,

My husband and I just came back from celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in Oahu. It was my first trip and here are some things I learned.

Accomodations:
We stayed at Turtle Bay on the North Shore because we didn't want anything to do with Waikiki - too crowded. Loved Turtle Bay. It's normally outrageously priced, but we found a deal on Kayak.com for an ocean view room for $178 a night (plus $20 resort fee) and got our 5th night free. Most of what we wanted to see and do was on the north shore, so we didn't mind being so far north. The resort offers free snorkling to guests and we liked watching the surfers. If you want to stay closer to Honolulu, I heard great things about the Hawaii's Hidden Hideaway B&B in Kailua, about 30 minutes from the airport.
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/hawaii-kailua-hawaiishidde... It's $150-$195 a night and comes with a lot of comforts a hotel room doesn't.

Transportation:

We found airline tickets through Kayak.com for less than $500 each. We took a daytime flight there and an overnight flight back. It worked out best to minimize jet lag.

Jim with Sunshine Shuttle www.sunshineshuttlehawaii.com ###-###-#### or (888) 531-1792 He was the most reasonable priced I could find. He will take you anywhere on Oahu and he is prompt and a good source for local information.

We stayed on the north shore and only rented a car for one day to go to Honolulu. We had good success riding TheBus, but would only recommend it for short distances (10-15 miles) when you are not on a tight time schedule. Crossing the island will take too long. www.google.com/transit will get you schedule info. The buses run every half hour and tend to run a few minutes late. It costs $2.00 to ride or you can buy a 4 day pass for $20. http://www.thebus.org/Fare/visitoradultfare.asp When you get on, you get a transfer slip that will get you on any bus going any direction for the next 3 hours. You can’t take the bus from the airport because they don’t allow luggage.

If you need to rent a car, use www.kayak.com and get one from the airport. It is about $35 a day for the economy vehicle after all the taxes. Gas is about 50 cents higher per gallon than in the Twin Cities. The drive up the windward side of the island on Kamehameha highway is really amazing and takes about 90-120 minutes depending on traffic.

Honolulu:
Pearl Harbor www.pearl-harbor.com
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial is free and opens at 7:30. Parking is also free. Arrive early; it is crowded and free tickets are gone by noon. See visitor’s center first. No purses or camera bags or backpacks allowed at the memorials. (Put them in your trunk BEFORE you get to the parking lot.) http://www.nps.gov/usar/ U.S.S. Bowfin Submarine Museum adjacent to Arizona Memorial. $8 for entrance and $16 for U.S.S. Missouri entrance. $20 for entrance to both. On Wednesday mornings/early afternoons at the Aloha Dome by Pearl Harbor, there is a swap meet with lots of fun, cheap souvenirs. There is a $1 entrance fee and I had two former BYU Hawaii students recommend it to me.


Manoa Falls Trail: Directions from Pearl Harbor - Start out going EAST on ARIZONA MEMORIAL PL toward KAMEHAMEHA HWY/ HI-99 E. Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto KAMEHAMEHA HWY/ HI-99 W. Merge onto INTERSTATE H201 E/ HI-78 E toward HONOLULU. INTERSTATE H201 E/ HI-78 E becomes INTERSTATE H1 E. Take the PUNAHOU ST exit, EXIT 23, toward WAIKIKI/ MANOA. Turn LEFT onto PUNAHOU ST. Take the PUNAHOU ST exit, EXIT 23, toward WAIKIKI/ MANOA. Punahou becomes Manoa Dr. Drive several miles on Monoa Dr. through residential area until you come to the trail. (I think parking is $5.) This trail isn’t too hard to walk, but wear comfortable shoes you can walk through a shallow stream in. Trail goes through incredibly beautiful rainforest and ends at a waterfall. If you have ever been to Multnomah Falls in Oregon, this one isn’t quite as impressive, but I have never seen rainforest like the trail has. Nice, shady walk. Takes about 90 minutes round trip.

Ono’s Restaurant: Best “hole in the wall” authentic Hawaiian food on the island. Some of the best food I have EVER eaten. Lau Lau plate is $13, Lau Lau and Kailua Pig plate is $17 and more than enough food for two hungry people to share. 726 Kapahulu Ave by Snorkle Bob’s. You can park at the gas station across the street.

Leeward Side:
Haleiwa:
Great shopping town off of Kamehameha highway. Kono’s is great for lunch. (Cash only.) $8 for a sandwich or wrap meal and one meal each with some pineapple was enough to last us through lunch and dinner. Dawn’s has great souvenirs for a lot less than most other places.

Dole Pineapple Plantation: http://www.dole-plantation.com
Didn’t make it, but Gretchen Butts says it’s a lot of fun. Entrance is free, but costs $ to ride the train, do the maze, etc.

Shark’s Cove: http://www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/beaches/sharks_cove.htm
Great place to snorkel. Sharks Cove Rentals 59-672 Kamehameha Hwy., Haleiwa, HI 96712 ###-###-#### or ###-###-#### Shark Cove Grill has good food.

Sunset Beach: http://www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/beaches/sunset_beach_park.htm
Popular beach. Pipeline with lots of surfing competitions. Fun to watch.

Ted’s bakery: 59-024 Kamehameha Hwy. Best roll I have ever eaten. Good breakfast sandwiches and famous chocolate pie.

North Shore:
Polynesian Cultural Center:
Best prices for tickets are on their website. I don’t know how long they will keep offering the 10% discount for taking a demographic survey, but here is the link. http://www.polynesia.com/online-survey.html Even without the discount, their website has the best prices. We did the all day pass (the day starts around noon) with the luau and the evening show (ends at 9). It was a lot of fun. You can go back within 3 days for free. There is a McDonald’s outside the center if you want to get lunch before you go in.

Turtle Bay:
If you aren’t a registered guest, you can still walk the 12 miles of trails or use the beaches and rent snorkeling equipment or horses. Don’t eat at Turtle Bay. The food is way overpriced and tastes like cheap cafeteria food. It is my only complaint about staying there. Everything else was fantastic.

Other Info:
The only bank we ever saw was Bank of Hawaii. Lots of restaurants and other places in Oahu only take cash. When we got low, we stopped at a grocery store (Safeway has the best prices) and used our debit card to get cash back from a purchase. I bought a cloth grocery bag for $1 and used it to take home souvenirs that wouldn’t fit in my luggage.

We stocked our little fridge with fruit from the stands alongside the highway and bought muffins / bagels / snacks from the grocery store. It kept us from paying for breakfast every morning or from overeating. We would go to a restaurant and get a plate lunch, then have snacks for dinner because lunch was so filling. No one ever gave us trouble about splitting meals when the plates were really big. Eating in Hawaii is still really, really expensive. Even grocery store food is 2-3 times higher than in the Twin Cities. ($3 per lb for grapes, $5 for a box of cereal, $6 for a pineapple, etc.)

You will probably read this when you get there, but don’t ever leave valuables in the car. Put them in the trunk before you leave so that no one in the parking lot sees you put stuff in the trunk. Apparently the crime rate – especially in the “touristy” areas – is really high.

You can’t bring most produce off the island because of pest issues. If you want to bring home a pineapple, you have to purchase an inspected one from the airport. They are 2 for $20 or 3 for $28. The Dole Plantation will also ship them home for you.

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

S.

Kauai - It has been a while, but my husband and I were there twice – about 10 days in May 2002 and then a shorter trip in March 2003. Our first trip we traveled and stayed all over the island – we spent a few nights at the Sheraton in Poipu (OK) and then headed up north and spent 2 nights in a small condo type resort in Hanalei (not great) and then headed south again and stayed one night at the Marriott (nice hotel and nice quiet beach) and then finished the stay at the Hyatt. When we went back for our honeymoon we only stayed for a 4 nights and stayed at the Hyatt. If you only have a couple of days and want to relax, I would stay at the Hyatt. It is absolutely beautiful. The spa is incredible and well worth the money (we had massages before catching the overnight flight and it was wonderful). There is not much of a beach for swimming, but the pools more than made up for it. Not sure if you are taking your little one, but the manmade lagoon at the Hyatt is perfect for kids. Both stays we had garden-view lower level rooms. So relaxing to sit on your patio, enjoy a bottle of wine and listen to the waves. If you do not stay at the Hyatt, I think you can get a day pass for the spa – we have friends that have stayed at condos in the area and then did the day pass option. My top attractions are as follows:
1)Day hike from the north part way down the Na Pali coast line
2)Catamaran trip (Captain Andy’s) - left from the south (Port Allen), went around the southern tip and then up the coast; the views were breathtaking; if the weather permits, you can snorkel(we were able to swim with a school of dolphins); take towels with you; guidebooks say it can be crowded, but we didn’t have a problem
3)Body surfing/boogie boarding at Kealia beach (stronger currents)
4)Hanging out at Poipu beach and having drinks/snacks at the little beachside restaurant (Brennecke’s).

We also took a kayak trip to the fern grotto and drove up the canyon area on the west side – all fun, but they wouldn’t be at the top of my list. If for some reason the weather is not ideal on the east side, you can always drive up along the west side and there is a good chance it will be sunny. We had a couple of great dinners at Roys and the Beach House Restaurant. We rented a car both trips – a jeep where we could take the top off, which was very nice. Enjoy the trip!

Everyone below has given great advice!
I would echo their suggestions and also add that we did a helicopter trip to the Big Island.
Once there, we rented a convertible and drove from the top of the island to the bottom and ended up at one of the black sandy beaches.
The volcano (on the Big Island) still spews lava and it is part of a national park. We walked all around it... very carefully.
To this day, I can still picture it. It felt like I was on some planet far, far away because the ashes and molten lava have covered the grounds of the park and given it a silver sheen. Then, the lava would flow into the ocean and cause a big hiss like a witches cauldron. It was really amazing and I would highly recommend that experience if you can fit it in.
Have a wonderful time!

We took our kids to Oahu and the Big Island in October. It was wonderful! You've already gotten some great, detailed advice and some of this might be duplicative and some of it might be a little different, but here are a few tips. First the Star Tribune recently had an article about a renovated hotel on Waikkiki. It just re-opened and they are running specials. You might want to try to find that article. It also contained general information about deals that are currently being offered at other hotels because of the economy. I know some people think Waikkiki is too crowded and touristy, but I loved it. October is the off season and with the bad economy we didn't find it to be crowded at all. I liked being close to so many things to do. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian village, which I really enjoyed. It is huge, but it's toward the end of the hotel row so it's a little off the beaten path and the beach is much larger and less crowded in front of the hotel than it is at other parts of the beach. Wherever you stay if you aren't able to get breakfast included be sure to have a fridge and keep some food in your room. Food was our biggest expense of the entire vacation (we used frequent flyer miles so the flights didn't count). Pearl Harbor is a must see. Go early in the morning before the lines get long. It worked out well for us to go our 2nd day in Oahu because we hadn't adjusted to the time change yet and were still getting up really early. Don't bring big bags or purses, etc., because you can't take it out to the Memorial with you. Rental car is probably the best way to get there. After Pearl Harbor we drove up to the North Shore to see the high waves, surfers and sea turtles. Pearl Harbor is also headed in that direction so you've got a good start once you're there. We weren't there at lunch time, but I've heard getting a "box lunch" from one of the lunch trucks or shrimp trucks is a delicious and economical way to have lunch on the North Shore. We enjoyed hiking Diamond Head on Oahu and saw all ages and shapes doing it, but it wasn't an easy hike. You can take your time though and it's well worth it. It is a 1/2 day adventure so you can combine it with something else. Right at the base of the entrance to Diamond Head is a community college. In front of the college is a small cactus garden that is quite lovely and worth a stroll. It's not advertised--our cab driver told us about it. Hanauma Bay is also one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. They make the snorkeling pretty easy, but even if you don't snorkel it's worth it just to see the cove and the beach. They are closed one day of the week to give the fish a "rest" and it might be Tuesday. I learned this too late, but it is recommended to preserve the coral that you wear a sun shirt instead of using sun screen while snorkeling. The parking lot can get full. We rented a car for 1/2 of our stay on Waikkiki because the traffic can get heavy and parking is expensive. We used the car for Pearl Harbor, the North Shore and Hanauma Bay, but took a bus or cab to the other things. Have fun and feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. Oh, you can order the Hawaii Entertainment book online and it will contain some deals and coupons. I didn't have time to have it shipped to me so I wasn't able to do that. Do NOT order the Hawaii Gold card. It was a complete rip off and we never used it. Actually, I live in north Eagan too and I still have my card. I don't know if it's transferable, but you are welcome to pick up my card if you want and see if you have better luck with it.

One more thing about the weather--we had pretty nice weather for our trip, but it can rain a lot in HI. The showers move in (and out) pretty quickly so if you leave your hotel for the day it's a good idea to have an umbrella and rain jacket even if it doesn't look like rain at the time. Also, different parts of the islands can be having very different weather although they aren't far apart. The North Shore can have a completely different type of weather day than Honolulu at the same time.

My husband and I went to Oahu right before my first daughter was born. We stayed in Oahu for 7 days and had plenty to do just on that island but I have heard Kauai is really nice too.

One of the best things we did on Oahu was go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We spent an entire day there and also stayed for the dinner and night entertainment. It was really something else! It is sort of like an epcot center where you can walk around the park and see and learn about the different cultures of polynesia. The dancing/entertainment after the dinner was also amazing and I highly recommend it.

If you like snorkeling then go to Hanauma Bay. Amazing fish and the waters aren't too rough even in the winter because I think it is further south along the shore.

We stayed at Hilton Hawaian Village and it was also absolutelty gorgeous. It is a whole complex with shops and restaurants. Not sure how expensive it is now but at the time we got 6 of our nights free from our Hilton points and only paid for 1 night at $200/nt. This was in Jan of 2004.

If you like hiking, there are lots of trails and waterfalls in Oahu also. You can probably get a hiking map ahead of time and find out which ones are worth going on. Diamond Head is a trail a lot of people go on because it has really good views at the top. We hiked Diamond head but also some smaller trails. Be aware though that it usually rains at least 1x/day sometimes late morning or early afternoon so you may get caught in the rain hiking. This happened to us on one of the days and we got soaked and had to turn back but if I were to do it again I would still go on all the hikes.

Lastly, Pearl Harbor is nice to visit and is almost a given if you go to Oahu. If there aren't many crowds then it is about a 2-3 hour visit. So I wouldn't plan a whole day around it.

Oh and one more thing...try and get a minifridge in your room and buy food at the grocery store if you can. Prices at restaurants are outrageous. We always packed a bag lunch with us when we went out sightseeing and it saved us a ton of money. We planned ahead and bought these backpacks with built in cooler so that it would keep our food and drinks cold. Also came in handy for the hiking.