Hawaii Suggestions.
08-11-2008, 05:44 PM
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Hawaii Suggestions.
Hi Guys,
I am going to Hawaii in two weeks for the first time and i will be going with my girlfriend. I was wondering if i can get some help from all you regular hawaiiers out there. First of all, which island offers the best balance for activities, scenary, bars, clubs, all the local spots, etc? My gf and i drink quite a bit and it'd be great if we can go to bars with awesome atmosphere where we can chill and have some fun. I know that i gotta sacrifice something with each island....but would like to get the most out of my money while i'm there for 7 days. Who should i book my travel with? expedia? orbitz? which hotels do you guys recommend? Which service is most affordable? Please help me in any possible i'd be grateful. I need to plan this ASAP for the trip is coming up. Thanks a lot guys.
Tim
I am going to Hawaii in two weeks for the first time and i will be going with my girlfriend. I was wondering if i can get some help from all you regular hawaiiers out there. First of all, which island offers the best balance for activities, scenary, bars, clubs, all the local spots, etc? My gf and i drink quite a bit and it'd be great if we can go to bars with awesome atmosphere where we can chill and have some fun. I know that i gotta sacrifice something with each island....but would like to get the most out of my money while i'm there for 7 days. Who should i book my travel with? expedia? orbitz? which hotels do you guys recommend? Which service is most affordable? Please help me in any possible i'd be grateful. I need to plan this ASAP for the trip is coming up. Thanks a lot guys.
Tim
08-11-2008, 06:28 PM
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We will be in Oahu on the 20th. Ask the guys in the Hawaii board they are very helpful.
We go 2 or 3 times a year. What's your budget? Lot of very cool things to do,just bring cash.
If your only there for 7 days keep it to 2 islands. Waikiki is party central. Maui and the rest are pretty tame. Once again it ain't cheap. Booking last minute may save you some cash, but you get what you pay for. Beach front ocean view rooms are in the 500 600 a night range. Cheap rooms are lower level with street noise or city mountain views.
We go 2 or 3 times a year. What's your budget? Lot of very cool things to do,just bring cash.
If your only there for 7 days keep it to 2 islands. Waikiki is party central. Maui and the rest are pretty tame. Once again it ain't cheap. Booking last minute may save you some cash, but you get what you pay for. Beach front ocean view rooms are in the 500 600 a night range. Cheap rooms are lower level with street noise or city mountain views.
08-12-2008, 07:04 AM
#4
My wife is from Hawaii and I have been there about 7 times to most of the islands.
The Big Island had my favorite hotel, the Hilton Waikaloa Village, but not much else. It is an unreal property but expensive. I had a fantastic whale watching tour but the humpbacks are only in from late dec through late march. I thought the Volcano was kind of boring. The island is very new geologically speaking and does not have very many beaches.
Kuai was beautiful, but slow. The Napali cost is really something to see as well as the canyon and the island has great hiking. Good snorkeling this time of year. A zodiac raft or ultralight plane tour of the napali coast is a must. Traffic is getting really bad on a couple parts of the island, and in those spots the locals can be serious dicks. I saw a yahoo in a jacked up pickup try to run a couple seniors off the road. I got into it with one guy on another occassion.
Oahu is the most populous spot but has lots to do. You could spend a couple weeks here and not run out of things to do. I recommend the Hilton Hawaiian Village as my favorite hotel in Waikiki, but a cheaper alternative that has decent rooms and is in a nice location is the Outrigger Waikiki Beach. Two of the better restaurants in the area are in that hotel, Duke's and Hula Grill. Hula Grill is my fav, try the kalua pork pot stickers. My favorite things to do are climb diamond head, see Hana Uma bay, drive to the north shore, spend a day at Waimea Bay Beach Park, see the Arizona memorial, just chill in Waikiki. WFO is correct to gett rooms high up as there is lots of street noise in Waikiki at night, and the garbage trucks come at 6 am to clean out dumpsters. If you are on a budget, do not be afraid of staying a couple blocks from the beach. Access to the beach is easy, but the hotels are places to sleep and generally will be of the 70's decor variety. Expect to add $15 to $20 a night to your hotel bill if you rent a car for parking.
Maui is by far my favorite. Lots of affordable places in Kaanapali. One that is in a good location and offers pretty good amenities for dirt cheap is the Kaanapali Shores. They are some condos. Lots of nicer places too, but much more expensive. Tour Lahaina, lots of good restaurants. If you want to spend big money its hard to beat the Ritz Carlton in Kaapalua. If you follow the road just past Kaapalua into oblivion you will find a great snorkeling bay. The cool thing about Maui is the whole island is surrounded by reef. You can jump in and snorkel anywhere. See the Iao needle. Bike down the volcano. Drive to Hana. Take one of the zipline tours. Definately watch the professional kite boarders and windsurfers at Hookipa beach. Maui also has great diving one the back of Molokini Crater or a place called the Cathedral. If you don't dive, you and your girlfriend might want to take a intro "resort course" that will take you out to do one tank in about 25 feet of water.
Have a good time, feel free to PM if you have any specific questions. Hawaii can be done for big dollars or fairly cheaply if you know what you are doing. Its an awesome place. And if you google some of this stuff you will find I probably have horrible hawaiian spelling.
And ANY island you go to, look for a Roy's restaurant. Upscale food but always VERY good. If you are not a seafood person, do not be afraid to try the local fish at a good restaurant. A tuna steak or other piece of fish might be the best you've ever had. You may have to specify that you want it medium well or the custom is to have it seared but a little raw in the middle. The Ahi tuna steak in Chinese mustard at Roy's is really good.
The Big Island had my favorite hotel, the Hilton Waikaloa Village, but not much else. It is an unreal property but expensive. I had a fantastic whale watching tour but the humpbacks are only in from late dec through late march. I thought the Volcano was kind of boring. The island is very new geologically speaking and does not have very many beaches.
Kuai was beautiful, but slow. The Napali cost is really something to see as well as the canyon and the island has great hiking. Good snorkeling this time of year. A zodiac raft or ultralight plane tour of the napali coast is a must. Traffic is getting really bad on a couple parts of the island, and in those spots the locals can be serious dicks. I saw a yahoo in a jacked up pickup try to run a couple seniors off the road. I got into it with one guy on another occassion.
Oahu is the most populous spot but has lots to do. You could spend a couple weeks here and not run out of things to do. I recommend the Hilton Hawaiian Village as my favorite hotel in Waikiki, but a cheaper alternative that has decent rooms and is in a nice location is the Outrigger Waikiki Beach. Two of the better restaurants in the area are in that hotel, Duke's and Hula Grill. Hula Grill is my fav, try the kalua pork pot stickers. My favorite things to do are climb diamond head, see Hana Uma bay, drive to the north shore, spend a day at Waimea Bay Beach Park, see the Arizona memorial, just chill in Waikiki. WFO is correct to gett rooms high up as there is lots of street noise in Waikiki at night, and the garbage trucks come at 6 am to clean out dumpsters. If you are on a budget, do not be afraid of staying a couple blocks from the beach. Access to the beach is easy, but the hotels are places to sleep and generally will be of the 70's decor variety. Expect to add $15 to $20 a night to your hotel bill if you rent a car for parking.
Maui is by far my favorite. Lots of affordable places in Kaanapali. One that is in a good location and offers pretty good amenities for dirt cheap is the Kaanapali Shores. They are some condos. Lots of nicer places too, but much more expensive. Tour Lahaina, lots of good restaurants. If you want to spend big money its hard to beat the Ritz Carlton in Kaapalua. If you follow the road just past Kaapalua into oblivion you will find a great snorkeling bay. The cool thing about Maui is the whole island is surrounded by reef. You can jump in and snorkel anywhere. See the Iao needle. Bike down the volcano. Drive to Hana. Take one of the zipline tours. Definately watch the professional kite boarders and windsurfers at Hookipa beach. Maui also has great diving one the back of Molokini Crater or a place called the Cathedral. If you don't dive, you and your girlfriend might want to take a intro "resort course" that will take you out to do one tank in about 25 feet of water.
Have a good time, feel free to PM if you have any specific questions. Hawaii can be done for big dollars or fairly cheaply if you know what you are doing. Its an awesome place. And if you google some of this stuff you will find I probably have horrible hawaiian spelling.
And ANY island you go to, look for a Roy's restaurant. Upscale food but always VERY good. If you are not a seafood person, do not be afraid to try the local fish at a good restaurant. A tuna steak or other piece of fish might be the best you've ever had. You may have to specify that you want it medium well or the custom is to have it seared but a little raw in the middle. The Ahi tuna steak in Chinese mustard at Roy's is really good.
08-12-2008, 07:16 AM
#5
Oh as far as nightlife, Hawaii is not known for it but you can find some. Outside of Waikiki and Lahaina on Maui there is not a lot. Kauai is very sleepy, and so is the big island. Lanai even more so.
There is so much beautiful stuff to see and do though I would not go to Hawaii as a party vacation. Lots of people do but you can do it for half the price in Mexico. For me personally, I tone it down and just do all the outdoor stuff when I am there. My friends stayed at the Hilton with us and just had 2 for 1's all week at the hotel but missed everything else.
There is so much beautiful stuff to see and do though I would not go to Hawaii as a party vacation. Lots of people do but you can do it for half the price in Mexico. For me personally, I tone it down and just do all the outdoor stuff when I am there. My friends stayed at the Hilton with us and just had 2 for 1's all week at the hotel but missed everything else.
Trending Topics
08-12-2008, 07:55 AM
#8
Originally Posted by Wildncrazy,Aug 12 2008, 09:44 AM
ROAD TO HANA!!
900 waterfalls, twisty roads like you've never seen before. Gorgeous scenery.
Scary as hell when a big lorry comes at you!
900 waterfalls, twisty roads like you've never seen before. Gorgeous scenery.
Scary as hell when a big lorry comes at you!
A couple weak picks of the road from my helicopter tour. Having problems linking pics. My work computer won't link them but they are in my gallery.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?act=m...bum&album=28868
08-12-2008, 08:26 AM
#9
http://www.network54.com/Forum/9927/messag...port+for+Hawaii
uh oh, bad weather ahead!
(Triumph the Insult Comic Dog does local weather)
uh oh, bad weather ahead!
(Triumph the Insult Comic Dog does local weather)
08-12-2008, 08:34 AM
#10
I had fun in a Suzuki Sidekick. I tried to climb all 900 waterfalls. Most had pools at the top and many were topless. Worth the climb.
I only fell once, but that scared the living daylights out of me so be very careful.
I only fell once, but that scared the living daylights out of me so be very careful.