Anyone been to Hawaii fairly recently? I could use some help

[Jeafl]

We (DH, kids and I) are going to Hawaii next June. We know for sure that we are going to Maui for the first week, but we can't decide on the big island or Oahu for the last part of the trip.

DH wants to go to Oahu for the sole purpose of seeing Pearl Harbor. Since there are 5 of us, it's going to be too expensive to keep hopping islands, so his vote is to spend the second week in Oahu. From looking at a few Hawaii websites Honolulu looks not much different from Chicago, only with a better beach. Is there anything else to do or see that's worthwhile, or are we better off on the big island?

Approximately how much is it to fly back and forth between islands?

Do you need a rental car in Maui? It doesn't look like you need on in Oahu though.

Has anyone bought an Entertainment book for Hawaii to get a deal on a rental car?

Can anyone recommend a nice place to stay in Waikiki without spending a fortune?

Has anyone ever rented a condo in either Maui or Waikiki?

and finally, does anyone know of any discussion boards like the DIS for Hawaii?

Thanks in advance to any help you can give me.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

We just came back a few weeks ago. We went to Oahu and Maui but we split it 4 days on Oahu and the rest of the time on Maui.
There is plenty to do on Oahu aside from Honolulu, we did the polynesian cultural center luau which is good for most of a day and some great beachs etc.
We had and heavily used a rental car in both places. I joined the Budget frequent user program they call it fastbreak or something and when they sent my stuff they included a coupon for a 2 level upgrade. I paid for an intermediate and was supposed to get a full sized but got another upgrade when we got there.. to a ford explorer! It was perfect.
We stayed in Waikiki at the Hyatt...but I wouldn't call it cheap.
I paid 160 rt for the air fare between islands, it doesn't look to me like there are any huge discounts. I did save a little by joining the Aloha Airlines Frequent Flyer program.
One thing I HEAVILY reccomend is a book called "maui revealed". It was full of excellent advice. I think there is one for each island and I found their reviews of lodging and eating spot on.

 

[mommytotwo]

I'm from Hawaii, and would be happy to answer your Hawaii questions, just pm me.

 

[adamak]

I got back yesterday, so that qualifies as "recently".

See my tan?

We split our trip, 2 nites in Waikiki, 5 nites in Maui. PM me for any questions.

1. Yes, you'll need a car in Maui. We didnt' rent one in Waikiki because it's a short trip. And decidedly, we wanna save money and just do the tourist thing in Waikiki.

2. We didnt' do the Pearl Harbor thing. Heard that the lines are very long. You can take a tour bus for that. We saw it from the plane though.

3. From Honululu to Maui is 30 min flight. Seats are first come first serve. (All flights should operate like them BTW). I used my Northwest miles for the interisland flight. It's one of the best deal.

4. I got an Entermainment book, not for the Maui rental car. I am Emerald Club member (free from way back when I got it for Disney). Got a very good deal too. I only use the book twice, both in Honululu. (Still worth the $15 I paid). I wouldn't recommend it just for Maui. BTW, you should get the book as close to your travel date as possible. I got it back in June, and it's half off. $15 only. Allow about 6-8 weeks delivery time.

5. We stayed in Sheraton Princess in Waikiki, got the cheapest room there, $100, then get free upgrade (because we're Starwood member). It's just a block from the beach.
The beach though is very very very packed. Remind me of MK during July 4. Maui is a lot better.

6. Here is a fantastic website about frequent flyer miles, and has a board for Hawaii. http://www.flyertalk.com/forumsfr2.shtml Go under Featured Destination, and click on Hawaii.

7. Maui Revealed is really the best book. Borrow it from library if you wanna save money.

Just enjoyed the view when you're there. I cried when I left. Maui is not cheap, but with good planning, you can do it reasonably.

 

[chyam]

Having lived in Hawaii for awhile several years ago, perhaps I can help a little too........As far as the Oahu---Big Island question I guess it is what are you looking for. Oahu does have the big city but it also has many interesting areas also, The Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor, Pali Lookout, the north shore area , Hanama Bay, the international marketplace, and the pineapple fields. There are places on the island to get away, I liked the climb to the top of Diamond Head for some great views. On the other hand the Big Island is alot quieter, exploring Volcanos National Park, going to the black sand beach and the isle of refuge but the Big Island is very spread out and you would need a car and a little more time whereas on Oahu you could rent a car for a day and then take the buses, the buses there are very convenient. You will love Hawaii, and the people of the islands. The water is so blue!

 

[LuvTigger]

Another Hawaii person here! I live on Oahu, but out of all the neighbor islands, I've visited the Big Island the most, so I might be able to help with that in terms of what there is to do.

For hotels in Waikiki, try looking at hotels that are NOT on Kalakaua Ave., which I would expect to be more expensive since they are either on or across the street from the beach. There are several Outriggers hotels that I've heard are reasonable. I saw one, I think it was above a Denny's, on the corner of Kuhio and another street, BF's dad stayed there, it was in a good location. Kinda small rooms, but they were nice enough, and you won't spend a lot of time in the room anyway.

You might also want to look into the Ilikai or Ala Moana Hotel. The Ala Moana Hotel is semi-attached to a large shopping center. It's not quite in Waikiki, but it's extremely convenient, and you can walk across the street to Ala Moana Beach Park, and you can catch the bus or a trolley into Waikiki if that's where you want to go.

We rented a condo on Maui once...there are MANY there. I think the one we stayed at was the Aston Kaanapali Shores, but I'm not positive on that. We liked it a lot, lots of space, full kitchen and bath, across from the ocean...

$160 (about $80 one way -- I don't think there is any break in price for booking a RT) is about average for a RT between islands, you can generally fly directly from one island to another, but check either Aloha Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines website to be sure. Residents used to get a good price break, but not anymore.

Because I live here, I am always trying to get away, so I'm not that objective, but Honolulu and Waikiki to me are overdeveloped. However, there are some great things to see here, like Iolani Palace, Diamond Head, driving around the island to the North Shore, Kailua Beach (you've probably seen the twin islands in ads somewhere), etc. One nice thing about Oahu is that things are open later.

However, if you want a more relaxing getaway and want to see lots of different things, the Big Island might be for you. There's the volcano, there are lots of steep cliffs and waterfalls on the drives along the coast, there is a water flume in Hawi on the northern shore, and the Kohala Coast has some really beautiful hotels (if you can afford to splurge a bit, the Hilton Waikoloa is awesome!). But, things close earlier in most places there.

Anyway, I am also welcome to PM's if you'd like more info!

 

[catsrule]

We went to Oahu for 8 days in May. My clippie in siggy is me at Pearl Harbor. We did all the touristy things, and we had a rental car. We rode to the North Shore and saw a couple of secluded beaches there, but very windy and cooler there. We went to the Polynesian Cultural center, Dole Plantation. Loved the zoo. Did some museums. It really depends on what you like.
Here is a link to my Oahu pics.
<A HREF="http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286699583"><IMG SRC="http://www.imagestation.com/images/is/community/this_album_button.gif" BORDER="0"></A>

 

[Meriweather]

DD just got back from a week on Maui. Lahaina was her base of operations. No car.
She surfed, horseback riding through the pineapple fields, luau, ATV tour through the interior, parasailed.
She had such a good time and fell in love with the place....so much so that she is moving there at the end of the month!!
She thought the people were very friendly too.

 

[Jeafl]

Thanks for all your great advice everyone!

adamak, your tan looks fabulous! I checked out that website and I can't believe how much GREAT information is on there. I got some codes for a rental car which should be helpful. Also, I didn't know that you could use American Airlines miles for the inner-island flights on Hawaiian airlines. That is a huge bonus for us. Hopefully we'll be able to split the second week bewteen the big island and Oahu now.

Beautiful pictures catsrule! I'm getting excited now!

luvTigger and mommytotwo--I sent you PM's.

 

[aprincessmom]

Just returned on Saturday from 8 days in Maui. Can't answer your Oahu questions...sorry...but for Maui:

Do you need a rental car in Maui?

Yes. It's much easier to get around to all of the island with one. We used it frequently to go to different beaches and were happy we had one.

Has anyone ever rented a condo in either Maui or Waikiki?

We stayed in a condo in the Ka'anapali beach area...it was terrific! PM me if you'd like details.


I also recommend the following: The Lonely Planet's Maui book (they were spot on for beach information), the Old Lahaina Luau, Big Makena Beach, Ulua Beach, renting snorkel equipment from Snorkel Bob's and the Pacific Whale Foundation Molokini and Lanai snorkeling trips.

 

[binny]

we went in Feb. We spent 5 days in Waikiki and 3 days in Kauai. I would love to go back to Kauai!! so quiet and peaceful and just lovely!!


Waikiki was wonderful too but not quite our pace, were old fogeys and not night people for the most part.


We stayed in the Radisson on Oahu. The renovations should be done by now and theyre supposed to be beautiful. Nice hotel, good location ( just 2 blocks from Waikiki beach). I would really recommend a car though. You can see the whole Island that way

Have a wonderful time!