Any advice for planning a trip to Hawaii??

[1disney25]

My husband and I have decided to take a vacation in June. We've chosen Hawaii. Now all we need to do is figure out which part, which hotel, what to do/see, and how long we should go for (we can go for up to 2 weeks). But we are on a budget so that will determine how long we go. I know he'd love to see an active volcano and I would like a romantic getaway. How much might we estimate needing per day??
If you have any advice on discounts, places, places to go, sites to see, etc------Please help us!!!----
Thank you!!

 

[AprilShowers]

We've stayed on Oahu, because that's where the most "touristy" things are. Any hotel in Honolulu (name brand) will probably be fine.
Make Pearl Harbor a must see. There is also a neat place on the Windward side called the Polynesian Culture Center. It's a great place where you travel from island to island seeing shows about all the Polynesian cultures. Very entertaining! At night they have a HUGE show...Hula, fire, the works!
Take a drive around Oahu, there is the Dole pineapple plantation where you get get the Dole Whip (pineapple) with a fresh spear of pineapple. YUM!!!
Get Hawaiian Shave Ice in a little town called Halieewa (sp?). It's an old surfer's town. Great atmosphere.
Go snorkeling at Shark's Cove (watch out for the sharks). Go to Hanauma Bay and feed the fish. It's amazing, you can snorkel there, or just walk into the water. The fish come right up to you!

If you want to see an active volcano, take a plane to the Big Island (Hawaii). There, you can go to the top of Kilauhea (sp?) It's an active volcano, but is erupting from underneath. We looked right down into the crater. Awesome! On that island there is also a black sand beach where there are loads of Sea turtles sunning themselves and feeding. Again, awesome!
Take the whole two weeks, you won't be disappointed.
PM me if you have specific questions. My Mom used to live there.

 

[DawnCt1]

I would take the entire two weeks because the cost of getting there is worth the time you will spend. Get a good travel book such as Fodors or Frommers, read about the characteristics of each island and decide which is right for you. As a general rule my impression is, everyone loves Maui. I think you will too. If this is your first trip to Hawaii I would consider two islands and if you are ambitious and can spring for the extra airfare, consider three. The Big Island of Hawaii is where you will see a real active volcano. One can easily spend a week there and divide it up into the Kona side and the Hilo side. It would be easy to spend 2 nights on the Hilo side, enjoy the volcano, hiking, etc. and then hit the beaches on the Kona side. The choices of accommodations range from simple bed and breakfasts, condos to opulent, expensive hotels. My philosophy on accommodations is; "the better the destination, the less in opulance I require". Hawaii is so beautiful that I could be very happy in quite modest accommodations. If you consider Maui, look for accommodations in Kihei, preferable S. Kihei. While everyone raves about the hotels, beaches and resorts of Ka'anapali and Wailea, Kihei also has very nice beaches and its way more affordable. Hawaii is all made up of islands and there is no beach, mountain or site that you can't drive to in a reasonable amount of time. When you narrow your choice down to which islands and which areas, consider bidding on Priceline. Go to www.biddingfortravel.com to get the...Island Air. Sometimes they run good specials.

 

[marydmjj]

Go snorkeling at Shark's Cove (watch out for the sharks).

WHAT?!?!?! Is this in the big wide ocean or in a place like Typhoon Lagoon?

 

[Joan1]

For inexpensive places to stay look at condos vs hotels

vrbo.com is one to start with

 

[MsDisney23]

Don't forget to swing by and pick me up! I will start packing

 

[bekkiz]

The absolute best guidebooks for hawaii are the hawaii revealed series

http://www.wizardpub.com/

They are AWESOME, and really help you pick the right places to stay, eat and visit. We used the maui one over Christmas, and just had a wonderful trip. We used their Hana drive tour, and saw all sorts of little things that other guidebooks never talk about. Actually, a local was swimming in a waterfall, and she couldn't believe a tourist had found it.

 

[CherCrazy]

For a two week trip, just make sure you don't stay on one island for too long.

Most of the historic sites are on Oahu. You may want to start there, because there is so much to see and do on the island. Maybe 3 - 5 nights.

The island of Hawaii has Volcanos National Park. You may want to fly into Hilo located one side of the island, rent a car, drive thru the park on your way to the other side of the island where you fly out of Kona. Tops 2 - 3 nights.

Maui and Kauai are the BEAUTIFUL islands. Great for relaxation, soaking up the sun, enjoying the scenery, etc. I would spend the remainder of my time at one or both of those islands.

The only thing you didn't mention is where you will be flying from. You may want to do a west coast stopover for a couple of nights to help you get used to the time change. (if you're flying from the east coast) The stopovers are usually offered at no extra cost by the airlines.

For the record, I've also been there several times....used to work for a company that ran escorted trips to Hawaii. I got to be the escort!! Such a tough job

 

[SunshineOR]

Kaui is gorgeous! If you really want to just relax--it's very rural and rustic and great for hiking, snorkeling, pictures...

The only other island we've been to is Maui, and although it's not as beautiful, we prefer it because there's more varied things to do. You can hang out at a nice beach, go hiking and see some scenery, visit a rural town or an action-packed touristy area and there are TONS of great restaurants.

We LOVE Hawaii. You'll have a great time. Enjoy!

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

This will help with my planning too. I need all the info I can get.

 

[1disney25]

Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions, you're all very helpful

 

[monkeyboy]

Avoid picking up idols at construction sites
It can lead to bad luck

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

Avoid picking up idols at construction sites
It can lead to bad luck

Good advice, Greg Brady!