Hi all,
My wife and I are planning a trip to Hawaii in the fall (October). We will be spending a day at each island in this order:
Maui
Kona
Honolulu
Kauai
Hilo
Any suggestions on things to do and on which island to do them?
I am definitely interested in doing a helicopter ride. Has anyone done one?
Road to Hana on Maui is a nice all day affair. Plenty of short hikes off the road that end up at waterfalls and shallow pools to swim in. You can download a GPS Tour Guide app.
I love, love, love Hawaii. I’ve gone once (in 2008) for two weeks as a big graduation gift from my parents, and I’m planning to go again (likely in summer 2016) for a combination of my wedding & massive family vacation (girlfriend and I have both always wanted to get married in HI, and luckily our parents are supportive of this idea). On my prior trip, my family spent two days in Honolulu, six days on Maui, and six days on the Big Island.
The Polynesian Cultural Center (http://www.polynesia.com/) is a fantastic daylong experience, but it does take a whole day & requires an hourlong bus ride from Waikiki (Honolulu) to get there. If you can do it, totally worth it.
On Maui, I’d give a very strong recommendation to visit the town of Lahaina (cute little town with great affordable dining - don’t ask questions, just order the fish tacos) and see the musical show “Ulalena” (go to the 6-7 minute mark in this video: 'Ulalena - YouTube). Really, really cool island music and dance.
Also on Maui, you might consider doing the bike ride down Mt. Haleakala (http://www.bikemaui.com/), in which they drive you to the top of a mountain to see the sun rise and then you ride a bike down the mountain (minimal physical exertion, the ride is all downhill), catching the sun rise multiple times along the way. This does require a 3 AM wake-up, but 1) you can sleep on the ride up the mountain and 2) it takes several days to adjust to island time, so you’ll be waking up at 5-6 AM no matter what you do for a few days.
In general, if you want to eat local fish or seafood, eat at smaller, lesser-known joints. The big commercialized resorts tend to import frozen fish, while the smaller places are more likely to serve a local fresh catch of the day.
Oh, and go parasailing sometime when you can fit it in.
If I think of more stuff I’ll add it.
I’d suggest pick one Island, and stay there for a few days. One day on each is too short.
Maui > anyplace else on earth.
X2 on Lahaina.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
I’d suggest pick one Island, and stay there for a few days. One day on each is too short.
Maui > anyplace else on earth.
X2 on Lahaina. [/quote]
Thanks everyone for the comments so far. Unfortunately (in this context) it is a cruise to Hawaii so it’s a full day per island.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]Aggv wrote:
I’d suggest pick one Island, and stay there for a few days. One day on each is too short.
Maui > anyplace else on earth.
X2 on Lahaina. [/quote]
Thanks everyone for the comments so far. Unfortunately (in this context) it is a cruise to Hawaii so it’s a full day per island. [/quote]
That certainly takes care of the logistical headaches of island hoping.
It would be cool to summit each volcano.
Kona and Hilo are actually both on the same island. Kona’s the sunny side, Hilo’s the rainy side. I think the helicopter ride is a good choice. Assuming that’s either Hilo or Kauai? I would do it at Hilo if I were you.
Hilo’s just kind of shopping-oriented, and the helicopter ride is one of the more entertaining things to do out of there. It’s nice to walk around the town for a little while, but it’s pretty similar to a lot of beach towns on the mainland, like some of the lazier Florida beach towns.
In Kona, go to the Poke Shack if at all possible. It’s not too far from where the cruise ships dock, and it was recently rated by Yelp as the best overall restaurant in the world, I believe. Something to that effect. Google it. And it’s super cheap, you can spend 10 bucks there and die a happy man. (This is assuming you’re down with raw fish.) And you’ll have plenty of time to do other things on the island. If you play golf, this is a good island for that. It won’t break your bank, and some of the courses are pretty spectacular. If you’ve got a way to get there, and there is enough time, my absolute favorite thing in Hawaii is on this island. The green sands beach at the South Point. The problem is, it’s a 3 hour drive to get there, plus a couple miles of hiking in what looks like Nebraska (seriously, climate is crazy on this island). And you probably won’t have a car, so this may not be an option. In fact there’s almost no way it will be an option. BUT IF IT IS: go there. It’s unbelievable. There is literally nothing else just like it, anywhere.
I don’t know how much time you’ll have on Kauai, but if you have enough time, a catamaran trip from the south point of the island over to the west coastline and back is spectacular. The only way you can get over there is by boat or helicopter. I prefer boat. If you do the catamaran, you’ll be able to do some snorkeling and/or drinking. These usually take like 5 hours or so, and start early in the morning, but very much worth it. Kauai is beautiful, you’ll have a blast no matter what you do. Traffic sucks though, be prepared for that.
I compare Honolulu to Dallas on an island. Surfing on the North Shore is obviously legendary, but if you’re not a surfer… it’s just a city. An expensive ass city. Pearl Harbor is there though. That’s worth going to. Golf is nice there too, but it will be pricier.
If you let me know what sorts of things you enjoy doing (touristy stuff, nature stuff, beachy stuff, whatever) I can give you a little better guidance.
papakolea beach
That sucks that you only get one day on each island. If you like hikes there is a really nice hike to a more secluded beach on Kauai. Also, the ATV ride on Kauai was super fun because there was so much mud on the path.
As far as Maui, just don’t do the Hana Highway because you sit in a car for too long on a zig zag highway.
[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:
As far as Maui, just don’t do the Hana Highway because you sit in a car for too long on a zig zag highway.[/quote]
What i give to drive that road in an Ariel Atom
[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:
That sucks that you only get one day on each island. If you like hikes there is a really nice hike to a more secluded beach on Kauai. Also, the ATV ride on Kauai was super fun because there was so much mud on the path.
As far as Maui, just don’t do the Hana Highway because you sit in a car for too long on a zig zag highway.[/quote]
Kauai’s especially tough to do in one day. In my opinion, it’s the most beautiful island, but getting to anything good takes so much time. All the worthwhile hiking takes like 6+ hours. But yea, if you’re more into that than a boat ride, it’s a great option.
Do not miss out on the sushi. Raw ahi cannot be beat.
If you like beer, check out Maui Brewing Company and their brewery tour. Lasts about an hour.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:
As far as Maui, just don’t do the Hana Highway because you sit in a car for too long on a zig zag highway.[/quote]
What i give to drive that road in an Ariel Atom[/quote]
Great drive if you are the driver in a decent rental car, but I like to hit turns hard. Better to do the drive yourself than on a tour bus. The swimming is refreshing and cliff diving is fun off Hana. If you end up on Hana, Wai’anapanapa State Park is worth getting to. They do have a little grotto that if the rain and tides are right is great to swim in. And the black sand beach is amazing.
Tough to say what to do as you can make a vacation off each island. What are your board and departure times for the cruise?
Oh yeah there is the place on Kauai called Puka Dog which is fucking delicious. I had mine with pineapple relish which was so bomb.
Thanks again everyone!
I am definitely into the helicopter ride. The wife wants to snorkel and hike for sure. The brewery sounds cool. I didn’t realize Kona and Hilo were the same island, that’s good to know.
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
Kona and Hilo are actually both on the same island. Kona’s the sunny side, Hilo’s the rainy side. I think the helicopter ride is a good choice. Assuming that’s either Hilo or Kauai? I would do it at Hilo if I were you.
Hilo’s just kind of shopping-oriented, and the helicopter ride is one of the more entertaining things to do out of there. It’s nice to walk around the town for a little while, but it’s pretty similar to a lot of beach towns on the mainland, like some of the lazier Florida beach towns.
In Kona, go to the Poke Shack if at all possible. It’s not too far from where the cruise ships dock, and it was recently rated by Yelp as the best overall restaurant in the world, I believe. Something to that effect. Google it. And it’s super cheap, you can spend 10 bucks there and die a happy man. (This is assuming you’re down with raw fish.) And you’ll have plenty of time to do other things on the island. If you play golf, this is a good island for that. It won’t break your bank, and some of the courses are pretty spectacular. If you’ve got a way to get there, and there is enough time, my absolute favorite thing in Hawaii is on this island. The green sands beach at the South Point. The problem is, it’s a 3 hour drive to get there, plus a couple miles of hiking in what looks like Nebraska (seriously, climate is crazy on this island). And you probably won’t have a car, so this may not be an option. In fact there’s almost no way it will be an option. BUT IF IT IS: go there. It’s unbelievable. There is literally nothing else just like it, anywhere.
I don’t know how much time you’ll have on Kauai, but if you have enough time, a catamaran trip from the south point of the island over to the west coastline and back is spectacular. The only way you can get over there is by boat or helicopter. I prefer boat. If you do the catamaran, you’ll be able to do some snorkeling and/or drinking. These usually take like 5 hours or so, and start early in the morning, but very much worth it. Kauai is beautiful, you’ll have a blast no matter what you do. Traffic sucks though, be prepared for that.
I compare Honolulu to Dallas on an island. Surfing on the North Shore is obviously legendary, but if you’re not a surfer… it’s just a city. An expensive ass city. Pearl Harbor is there though. That’s worth going to. Golf is nice there too, but it will be pricier.
If you let me know what sorts of things you enjoy doing (touristy stuff, nature stuff, beachy stuff, whatever) I can give you a little better guidance.[/quote]
I’ll check out the Poke Shack and I’m gonna look into doing a catamaran trip for snorkeling as well. A friend mentioned doing a shark tank, any thoughts?
We are going to do Pearl Harbor for sure. My wife has talked about a plantation tour (I think dole is there?) any idea about that?
We want to spend as much time outside as possible since we will be floating in the Pacific for 8 days during the trip.
Here is the itinerary:
LA
Day 1-4 at sea
11AM - 11PM Maui
9:30AM - 7PM Kona
9AM - 11PM Honolulu
7AM - 3PM Kauai
8AM - 4PM Hilo
Day 11-15 at sea
Mexico
LA
A couple of the days are pretty short, which sucks. Helicopter in Hilo is probably doable. From what I’ve read they’re pretty short anyway. We talked about a Luau, but I think it’ll run to late? We definitely want to hike and swim of course.
Don’t miss out on the shrimp trucks parked alongside the roads.
[quote]cwill1973 wrote:
Don’t miss out on the shrimp trucks parked alongside the roads.[/quote]
Will check them out as well as the sushi (wife loves it).
If you’re into breweries, Kona is waaaaaaaaaay better than Maui as far as beers go, and their brewpub in Kona is pretty great. Also close to the cruise ship dock. I think Maui’s beer is terrible. But to each his own I guess.
I’ve never done the plantation tour. I would assume that’s pretty fun. Never done a shark tank either. I don’t know what to say about that, lol.
Helicopter in Hilo is definitely do-able, that’s more than enough time. The helicopter tours are fairly short, and you’ll get there early enough. My wife reminded me that tours get cancelled sometimes due to weather, so there is a slight risk there, seeing as it’s your last stop.
One thing I can’t believe I forgot to mention is swimming with dolphins. This is a really cool opportunity if you want to spend time in the water and you like snorkeling. It’s generally part of the Kauai catamaran trip, but it’s also a thing to do in Kona. There’s at least 1 dolphin ride in Kona that ends at the Captain Cook monument with some decent snorkeling. I’d recommend that for sure.
1 last thing that may be useful. If you’re going to snorkel on multiple islands, and you don’t bring your own gear, go to Snorkel Bob’s before your first snorkeling. They have locations on multiple islands, and you can drop off gear at different location from where you picked it up. So you could get it in Maui or Kona, and drop off in Kauai. Might save a little cash and time.