Hawaiian Vacation

[disneychrista]

My DD10 wants to go to Hawaii. I have only planned Disney Vacations and do not even know where to start to plan a "non disney" vacation.

Can anyone help? Are there any helpfull websites out there? What is there to see or do (other then the beautifull beaches/ocean)? And most importantly just how expensive it is?

 

[adamak]

I'm also researching for a potential Hawaii vacation some time in the future. So far, http://www.wheretostay.com is pretty good. Got good hotel reviews from publics on this site.
http://www.tripadvisor.com is also good for hotel reviews.

 

[LuvTigger]

I probably won't be able to help much from the planning standpoint since I live in Hawaii, but I'd be more than willing to answer any questions you have regarding Hawaii, what kinds of things there are to do, etc. I live on Oahu, I've visited the Big Island many times, Maui three times, and Kauai once (day trip only), so I might be able to tell you a little about the other islands.

I guess the first thing you need to decide is what you're willing to spend, which island(s) you want to see, and how long you have.

There are quite a few cultural and historical things to see around the islands. On Oahu, there's the Arizona Memorial, Iolani Palace, and the Polynesian Cultural Center, for starters. We also now have a waterpark, if you and/or your daughter are interested in those. If you like hiking, there are quite a few nice hiking trails. My favorite island is Maui, there is a wide variety of things to do, and it's developed enough where there are things to do at night and such, yet not overly developed with too many high buildings. It still has an "island feel" to it.

As far as expense goes, your biggest one after airfare will be the hotel. A decent room in Waikiki will probably be over $100 per night. Food CAN be expensive, but it really doesn't have to be. There are good, reasonably priced places out there. Almost everything in Waikiki tends to be expensive, even the prices at McDonalds are higher than other areas, but again, there are good prices to be found. An option to getting a hotel room is a condo. I'm not sure what's available on Oahu, but I know on Maui there are quite a few condo rentals that are good deals for great rooms in convenient locations.

Again, feel free (the offer is open to all DISers) to PM me if you have questions about the islands!

 

[lmj]

The best advice I can give is to go buy the guide book published by the guys who run www.wizardpub.com. There is a book for each island. I bought Maui Revealed. I found this website by accident and it gave great info but the best was actually buying the book. Once you buy the book it gives you a code to access other parts of the website with great hotel reviews. They also include arial pictures that show exactly where the place is. Waterfront can really be interpretted differently but when you see it in a picture you can see exactly where you are. The other great thing about this book is you can see some resorts and condo places that you never would have known about. They also supply phone numbers to call all of these places directly. We had gone to Maui several times but I can't stress how helpful this book was. We ended up staying in a 2 bedroom condo that was right on the beach (Kahana Sands I think). It had a huge balcony and we could watch the whales just sitting on the deck. There was a pool facing the ocean and a small beach just steps away. My kids LOVED it. They think Maui is better than Disney!!! This place was also great because cost less than $200 per night and gave us a full kitchen. We really didn't spend a ton of money but had a really great time.

Another tip is to go to the mousesavers website to get car rental codes. They are not all specific to Florida and I was able to get a great rate.

Entertainment books can also be a great way to save money on meals and activities. Feel free to PM if you have questions.

 

[disneychrista]

I will be looking into travel guide at the library on Saturday. I am not even sure where to start, so I will need a guide book or a dozen

The one thing that I do know is that my DD wants to visit Pearl Harbor and the memorials there. Will will probably want to do a luau.

We won't be going for another couple years (it'll take that long to save up) plus I figured it could be a graduation present for both DD's (elementry to jr high for DD who is bugging about hawaii and from jr high to high school for my oldest).

 

[Michelle]

I second the Maui Revealed book, it is EXCELLENT. I also have a couple of Frommer's guides that are helpful and are a good starting point.

There are a multitude of websites out there specific to certain islands or accommodations, I also looked at many of those as well.

Enjoy the planning, we will be in Hawaii ourselves in a little over two weeks!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee dad Says.....................................What ever you do don't take a cruise around Hawaii. We are doing that in November, but we spent a week on Oahu on one trip, and five days on Maui on another trip. You will not get to see enough and will feel cheated. It's our third trip, so we will hit Kauai and the Big Island as best we can, and "cruise" the rest of the way.

Focus on Oahu. Pearl Harbor, Missouri, Aloha Tower, Diamond Head. Poly Cultural Center, Dole Plantation.

I would spring for one of those circle island tours, it takes several hours, and you get to at least get a quick glimpse of almost everything. The driver will know his stuff.

Maui is really laid back, but DD then 12 loved it. There are enough shops to keep her happy! I don't know how you get this deal, but we got five nights at the Westin for $750. It included a car for five days and $75 resort credit, and we got another $75 for doing a timeshare for an hour! As nice as the Grand Floridian, if I ever get that deal again we are going back!

 

[shortbun]

I guess I'm still a frustrated travel agent since I feel
the need to answer your questions. I did this job for
29 years and Hawaii was one of my specialties-just
retired a year ago. Here goes. There are all options in
price. The B&B association has gotten quite developed
and can save you some money while introducing you to
some locals. Condos are available everywhere at all costs
and depend on obvious things for cost differences-location,
view,size,amenities. I prefer condos because I like the
space-I rarely cook anything besides breakfast but stopping
by the local grocery and buying ceral and milk save a pretty
sum if you like to eat breakfast. Also-lunch in a seafood
restaurant is much cheaper than dinner so if savings is your
bag-BBQ at your condo and eat out for lunch! Get a good view
and you'll enjoy this option all the more. Many tour books offer
lots of opinions on hotels/condos and if you stop by your
local Barnes and Noble, you can have coffee and browse the
various books, making notes and finally buying the one book
you find you like the best!!! IMHO-a care rental is a must on
all the islands but some folks think Oahu is a short stop with
just a few tours or actually take the public bus. It's been done
by many so who am I to argue?! Car rental agencies give
multi island discounts. The islands are pretty small and it's
tough to get lost-I've seen some of the best sights with a
car(one triple rainbow comes to mind while swooping up the
Maui shore-we almost had a head on collision -eek!)
If this will probably be your one and only trip, I recommend
taking as much time as possible and seeing all you can but
having quality time to do it. Hopping from island to island
takes loads of time and more money but each island has
lots to offer. Have two weeks-Oahu takes 3 nights - 1 to
recover from the long trip(in Ohio, Honolulu is as far away
as Paris) and two more so you can see Pearl Harbor and
the Polynesian Cultural Center or take a tour around the
whole island seeing the beautiful north shore/crater/surfing
beaches. Most people find that souvenir shopping is cheapest
in Honolulu so one could get that over with too. Make Oahu your first stop as coming there from one of the others will dissapoint.
two nights might even be enough here. I actually recommend skipping it to those who had been before or were not that
interested in Pearl Harbor(it's moving but just lots of water to see!) Then-on to Kaui-
-see the Fern Grotto(tourist trap but pretty cool anyway)
and Waimaia Canyon(great helicopter tours of this or bus
tour). Stay on Poipu Beach in Kauai for at least 3 nights - it's
a great beach. Gosh.. a week is already gone. Kauai is the
rainy island - I was there for 10 days once and it never stopped
raining!!!! It's georgeous though. My favorite and the biggest
island is Hawaii, yeah the name of the state is also the name
of one of the islands-weird, I know. Lots of cool things here to
explore and some of the best hotels in the world. Definitely
get a car here for exploring and just getting around. This is
the site of the Ironman triathalon and the active volcanoes.
Black sand beaches, the site of the King Kamehameha's rule,
the 2nd largest ranch in the U.S.-the Parker Ranch and the
last enclave of Hawaiians. landing on Hawaii at Kona airport
has been likened to landing on the moon-the lava flows are
facinating. Go to the volcano national park-allow a whole day
for volcano seeing; we loved our helicopter ride here as
we were able to hover over the flowing lava and right over
the cauldera volcano's bowl-amazing and the best money I
spent that whole trip! I've spent up to a week at a time on
this island and it's never enough. Horseback riding and even
snow skiing off the non-active volcano are available if you hit
the season right! Maui last but not least. Best beaches are
in Maui, Hana is facinating and so old Hawaii. Most folks like
the hustle and bustle of Kaanapali Beach area but I prefer
staying about an hour south in Wailea. Take the sunrise
bike tour down Haleakala-go snorkeling on crescent shaped
Molokini, go in February and see the whales migrate, visit the
Io Valley for a nice walk, shop in Lahaina(was an old whaling
village but now mostly shops and restaurants). Relaxing
on any of the islands for a whole day is an excellent activity too!
As you can see, two weeks disappears fast in Hawaii-the airfare
is your biggest expense so why not stick around for a while!?
I haven't even mention Molokai-an island that is hardly developed
and is the most relaxing. It's small but Molokai is a favorite for
folks wanting to get away from it all. I had clients spend a month
there every other year. They swore it was "the only place to go"
to see what Hawaii WAS.
Luaus are a fun thing and lots of people are not ready for what
they're going to see and eat. The food is usually mediocre-there
should be Polynesian dishes like poi to sample and a pig is
normally roasted with some ceremony. The shows vary. I recommend you do some research on this the year you are going
to see which luaus are "best" at that time. I normally directed
my clients to one with a good "torch ceremony" and an authentic
setting. This can be a highlight. Kona Village(a hotel on Hawaii)
normally has an excellent show. It's a very upscale resort and
they like to keep their reputation. Don't go on the mass marketed
luau if you can avoid it but do your research. I keep thinking
of stuff to tell you. I don't know where you are but airfares
flex to Hawaii just like anywhere else. Tour companies usually
have the best prices however, sometimes they don't offer a
sale price if it's one of those quick sales. Know which islands
and how much time you want before you start to shop price.
Play around on the internet with airline costs now and for the
next year so you can see the flucuations that take place. Since
you are starting way ahead of time, that type of research will
also pay off. I'd go to Hawaii every year for vacation if it were
not so far away. It's an overnight flight home for me in Ohio and
I HATE flying all night. We could plan a stopover in San Francisico
or L.A. but that's just more money and more time. sigh.
Have fun planning! www.gohawaii.com
mimi

 

[crazyme5kids]

Stupid question, but here goes. What transportation is avalible between Islands? Is is just air, or are there boats that go between them? I know this can't be answered 100%, but how much should you budget for getting around between the Islands?

Also, we have Marriott points, and I figure we can utilize those for some accomodations, so what ones would you suggest, which to avoid.

Last but not least, having been a travel agent would you say that that would be the best most efficient way to go, and do they work with you if you want to utilize any rewards programs? This will probably be the only time we go (at least as a family), so I would want to make sure we did it right.

Thanks for the invaluble advice!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Hawaii is our second favorite vacation spot next to WDW! We don't usually do Oahu and Waikiki anymore, but you need to plan a few days there if you haven't been before. Our favorite is the Big Island of Hawaii. There is such diversity on that island, and SO much to see and do. Believe it or not, we are not beach people, and we still love Hawaii! For kids, I would try some of the wonderful all inclusive resorts on the Kohala coast i.e. Waikoloa etc.

 

[LuvTigger]

crazyme5kids,

Not a stupid question at all! There are 2 major air carriers that provide inter-island air transportation, Aloha and Hawaiian. I think prices are comparable (sadly, they've gone up, even for those of us who live here). Cost will probably be at LEAST $75, maybe even $100, each way. However, I know Aloha Airlines has some kind of "tourist" pass where you can fly anywhere between the islands for 7 days for a fixed price. I'm not sure how much it is though, try www.alohaair.com for more info if you're considering it.

As far as other transportation, I heard there is a boat that goes between Maui and Lanai (they're fairly close to each other in comparison to the other islands), but no other regular boat transportation between other islands that I know of.

As someone else mentioned, there is also an inter-island cruise. I'm actually considering doing that some time, it'd be interesting to see the islands from a different viewpoint! It goes to the major islands, starting in Oahu, and it goes to the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai (not sure which order) and also stops off in Fanning Island in Kiribati which is a few hundred miles south of the islands.

Marriott has some nice properties around the islands (not sure if you can use them at other properties). There's supposed to be a really nice one on Kauai. On Oahu, the Ko Olina Resort is really beautiful, but it's in a kind of remote spot on the island (though personally, that's what I like about it). I looked at the list of Marriotts in the islands, and I don't think any of them are places to be avoided. The Waikoloa area on the Big Island is also really beautiful, I'm staying at the Hilton Waikoloa in about a week, I LOVE it there! On Maui, the Wailea area is FULL of beautiful resorts, right by the beach.