Aulani - if you could day-trip to another island...

[edmartin]

...which one would you visit and what would you go to see?

We'll be at Aulani/Oahu for 9 days. We're thinking of doing a day or an over-night to another of the Hawaiian islands, but not sure of which we should visit. I guess it comes down to the idea that of we do it, we'd go to see something different than we could see on Oahu.

So for the Hawaii experts out there - where should we think about going any what should we go see?

 

[ldo]

fly into Hilo, see the volcano, stay overnight near volcano national park to be able to see lava at night--something you can only do in Hawaii a few other parts of the world. There are lots of tours---either take one or do a lot of research prior.

 

[spleen]

Agreed - if you're going to do a trip to an outer island and only could pick one, I'd go to the Big Island (Hawaii) and go to Hilo and visit the volcano.

 

[lilpooh108]

Totally agree. I think it might be cheaper for you to arrange it yourself. There are interisland flights direct to Hilo, rent a car and hike the lava tubes in the day time and hike to the lava flow at night. Make sure you bring flash lights for the hike since there aren't any real trails marked on the lava rocks (yellow tags) and at some point the markers stop. Last time we went we borrowed flash lights from the Ranger b/c we were dumb and forgot to bring them. It's a pretty far hike in, though, dunno if you have any kids.

 

[disneypoor]

We did a Hawaiian cruise and loved all of the islands, but I would definitely visit Volcano National Park. We have some great pictures of our kids standing over the steam vents, and you can see the steam in the pictures as well as how it's blowing my daughter's hair. It was a very cool experience. I agree with previous posters--where else can you go to see lava? Of course, I'm not sure you could go wrong with any of the islands. They are all amazing!

Susan

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

fly into Hilo, see the volcano, stay overnight near volcano national park to be able to see lava at night--something you can only do in Hawaii a few other parts of the world. There are lots of tours---either take one or do a lot of research prior.

 

[DenLo]

I agree with the others, fly to the Big Island and see a volcano. You can even take a helicopter fly over.

 

[edmartin]

Thank you all! Great info... and unanimous!

Any suggestions for a great place to stay near the volcano?

 

[ldo]

we are staying at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club in Waikoloa (Kona) this summer and are driving over to the volcano for the night. We are looking for options for overnight, as well.

 

[cj9200]

Agree with everyone else to visit the Big Island. When we go in June we will be spending a few days there before Aluani. The TA set us up at the Royal Kona. Main reason is it is near the diving operation we will be using but I looked at their site and it looks nice and is not ridiculously priced.

 

[taaren]

Just wanted to say that while I've had bosses that have commuted to other islands and done the flights 2x daily, I would not recommend any neighbor islands as a "day trip". (At least not from Oahu, only one that could be is from Maui to Lanai on the ferry.)

If you want to see another island, its a half hour flight, you have to be at the airport 1 hour ahead of time (longer if its a busy flight time), and probably won't get off the plane/get your luggage for another 30-40 minutes after, get a rental car ... so you're talking a minimum of 2 1/2 hours each direction (I've had to make this trip occasionally for grad school, tests, etc). Most of your day is wasted in getting there and back, its just enough time to catch a nice meal, see perhaps one thing, then head back. Plan on at least 2-3 days to see a second island. When I go "island hopping" I try to make a weekend of it if my schedule allows. Maui and Kauai also have some gorgeous unique features but the volcanoes truly are awe inspiring.

 

[spleen]

I'd agree with taaren about this as well. I'd probably plan for at least one overnight stay to do an outer island - too much time wasted otherwise going to/from airport, checking in and waiting for TSA, getting and returning rental cars., etc. etc. Especially if you're planning on staying until night time to do a dark hike out to the lava, you're going to be really pressed for time to make the last flight out of Hilo back to Honolulu. You're probably looking at an overnight stay in Hilo.

For those looking for accommodations in Hilo, you're not going to find any glitzy high end hotels - they tend to be quiet, older hotels/resorts since most tourists tend to stay on the Kona side and drive over to visit. For recommendations, you can always check out Trip Advisor's recommendations for Hilo. While I've lived essentially my whole life in Hawaii, I've never actually stayed in Hilo myself ...

 

[Pocahantas]

For those looking for accommodations in Hilo, you're not going to find any glitzy high end hotels - they tend to be quiet, older hotels/resorts since most tourists tend to stay on the Kona side and drive over to visit. For recommendations, you can always check out Trip Advisor's recommendations for Hilo. While I've lived essentially my whole life in Hawaii, I've never actually stayed in Hilo myself ...

Do you know how long it is to drive from Kona to the volcanoes? We are in the very early stages of planning a trip to Aulani and I have decided that seeing Volcano National Park is a must do so we'll probably spend a couple of days on the Big Island but my husband would like to stay in Kona.

 

[jekjones1558]

Do you know how long it is to drive from Kona to the volcanoes? We are in the very early stages of planning a trip to Aulani and I have decided that seeing Volcano National Park is a must do so we'll probably spend a couple of days on the Big Island but my husband would like to stay in Kona.

It will take you a good 3 hours if you don't stop anywhere along the way (and there are sights to see along the way). When we are in Hawaii we always stay near Kona and when we drive to the Volcano Park we leave early in the morning and don't get back until dark. The roads outside of towns are not well lit so we try to do the trip in daylight.
An advantage of staying in Kona if you are there for a few days is that Kona is sunny while Hilo is rainy. Also, you can drive the other direction (not towards Volcano Park) from Kona and see totally different sights--lovely beaches and, if you go far enough, Parker Ranch. Depending on the time of year, there are places to see whales when you head north from Kona.

 

[SusieBea]

We've stayed at the Hilton Waikaloa twice (Kona). We would drive to the volcano, then on over to Hilo, then back to the resort over the top of the mountain. It's a beautiful drive.

 

[crisi]

There are a few interesting looking B&Bs in the town of Volcano. I'd be really tempted to stay there. Nothing fancy or resorty. Its a little town that makes a living on tourists coming to see the volcano. The downside is that sometimes the town smells, well, like sulfur.

 

[downontheBW]

... we love to do a day trip to Lahaina on West Maui. You can fly directly into Kapalua (JHM) airport and take a taxi into Lahaina (10 min). You could rent a car but it would be an offsite company and may not be worth the time and cost.

Lahaina is a great little walking town; it used to be a whaling town. The main street has many restaurants and art galleries. There a historic old Banyan tree worth a visit, too.

The great thing about flying into Kapalua is that its a really small airport so you'd be in a small plane and its a bit like taking a sightseeing tour over the islands. From Honolulu, you fly over Molokai to get to Kapalua. I think its about a half hour in the air. Once we saw a submarine steaming out of Pearl Harbor. If you go in the winter (Dec-April), West Maui is a good place to see whales.

Kapalua can accommodate small planes (mostly turboprops, I think) and only operates during daylight hours. Hawaiian Air and Island Air fly into there. Check out partnerships with other larger airlines - you can use frequent flier miles (United for sure, maybe others too) to book inter-island flights. It's 5,000 for one-way; 10,000 for round trip.

If you go, have breakfast at Longhi's (Grand Marnier french toast) and a Mai Tai at Kimo's for me. We've done this day trip twice when staying on other islands.

 

[jekjones1558]

... we love to do a day trip to Lahaina on West Maui. You can fly directly into Kapalua (JHM) airport and take a taxi into Lahaina (10 min). You could rent a car but it would be an offsite company and may not be worth the time and cost.

Lahaina is a great little walking town; it used to be a whaling town. The main street has many restaurants and art galleries. There a historic old Banyan tree worth a visit, too.

The great thing about flying into Kapalua is that its a really small airport so you'd be in a small plane and its a bit like taking a sightseeing tour over the islands. From Honolulu, you fly over Molokai to get to Kapalua. I think its about a half hour in the air. Once we saw a submarine steaming out of Pearl Harbor. If you go in the winter (Dec-April), West Maui is a good place to see whales.

Kapalua can accommodate small planes (mostly turboprops, I think) and only operates during daylight hours. Hawaiian Air and Island Air fly into there. Check out partnerships with other larger airlines - you can use frequent flier miles (United for sure, maybe others too) to book inter-island flights. It's 5,000 for one-way; 10,000 for round trip.

If you go, have breakfast at Longhi's (Grand Marnier french toast) and a Mai Tai at Kimo's for me. We've done this day trip twice when staying on other islands.

If you decide to fly into Kapalua, there are several car rental companies that offer free shuttles. We have used Alamo, but there are others. Here is a link to info:
http://www.destination360.com/car-rentals/kapalua-airport-rental-cars

 

[bbowers]

If you do go to the volcano, I highly recommend NativeGuideHawaii (.com) for a personalized tour by a former national park employee. Warren was wonderful and took us to lots of places we never would have gotten had we gone on our own.

 

[amym2]

We flew into Hilo and stayed a few nights at the Volcano Village Lodge B&B near Volcanoes Nat'l Park. The B&B was awesome! Not sure if they have a minimum night requirement. We also really enjoyed Kona- stumbled upon Bayview Farms coffee farm and got our own little tour. So many neat things to see on the Big Island, but you would want multiple days to see Kona/Volcano/Hilo.

Since we've done the Big Island, I'm looking into either Kauai or Maui and can't choose between them. Both sound beautiful!