I need help with Hawaii

[ryka]

I am trying to plan our first trip to Hawaii and I have no idea where to start. Can somebody please point me in the right direction? Thanks.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

There are Hawaii tourism sites- just google them. I use Tripadvisor.com a lot when I'm going somewhere new. Lots of user reviews with hotel and dining info and things to do.

 

[wdwmom2]

There are Hawaii tourism sites- just google them. I use Tripadvisor.com a lot when I'm going somewhere new. Lots of user reviews with hotel and dining info and things to do.

www.tripadvisor.com

 

[ryka]

Thanks

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I don't know if you have a specific island in mind (or touring several), but we love Maui and have heard many others (who've been to all of them) say it's the best one. Went there for our honeymoon 13 years ago, and have been back 4 other times. Lots to see and do, lots of beautiful beaches and great snorkel spots.

Have also heard Kaui is beautiful and more quiet. Honolulu (Oahu?) is busier, more like being in a city rather than a small town. Molokai is rainy, but lovely; not sure if there is touristy stuff to do/stay there? Just depends on what kind of experience you'd like.

 

[ryka]

I don't know if you have a specific island in mind (or touring several), but we love Maui and have heard many others (who've been to all of them) say it's the best one. Went there for our honeymoon 13 years ago, and have been back 4 other times. Lots to see and do, lots of beautiful beaches and great snorkel spots.

Have also heard Kaui is beautiful and more quiet. Honolulu (Oahu?) is busier, more like being in a city rather than a small town. Molokai is rainy, but lovely; not sure if there is touristy stuff to do/stay there? Just depends on what kind of experience you'd like.

We were looking at Kaui or Maui.

 

[Mrs Quackmore Duck]

Tell my sis hi while your there... she moved there and it is sad

 

[Goofyluver]

meeskamouska (another wonderful disser) took a long trip there a year ago and she found all sorts of wonderful things to do...on a budget. You should PM her.

 

[mouseclick1]

We are taking our first trip to Hawaii in April, a trip I have been planning for almost a year now! I suggest going to fodors.com and visiting the discussion board over there. I would also suggest doing a search of Hawaii (on the fodors discussion board) before you post your own questions. You can get a ton of information which will help you narrow down what you specifically want to know about planning your trip. That way, when you do post your questions, you can get exactly what you're looking for.

You might also want to pick up a good guide book. I bought Maui Revealed and Oahu Revealed, which came highly recommended by others. Sometimes these books are criticized because they suggest visiting some "off the beaten path" trips, which can be dangerous for visitors and which we definitely plan to avoid. But for general knowlege on what to do on the islands, I think the books are great!


Good luck and have fun with your trip planning!

 

[ryka]

Thanks for all the help. I'm going to go check out the sites.

 

[llp479]

We've been to Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. Of the three, I like Kauai the best. It's the least commercialized of the islands. Are you traveling with kids? That may make a difference in which island you choose. While I love Kauai, not a lot of dining options for my very picky children.

 

[trip]

Here is another site for you to check out. http://hawaii.com/

 

[yo-ho-yo-ho]

What info are you looking for ?

 

[ryka]

No we are not taking the kids. It's a mini vacation for both of us. Will be the first vacation we have ever taken alone together. Maybe 5 nights.

 

[llp479]

If you're not taking the kids, and you're looking for any type of night life, then I would go to Maui. Kauai is beautiful, but not a lot of nightlife. Oahu can offer a combination. We stay at Ko'Olina which is on the west side of the island. A gated resort area that offers beauty and quiet lagoons. When we want the excitement of the city, we travel into Honolulu for the restaurants and bars. I know there are also resorts on the east side of the island that offer a similar experience. It all depends on what type of experience you are going for. For us, we like to get there and spend lots of time laying around enjoying drinks with umbrellas in them. Don't really do much sightseeing, mostly relax and soak up the sun and atmosphere.

If you're flying all the way from NJ, then I would try to go for more than 5 nights. It will take you almost an entire day just to get to HI. We travel from Chicago, and by the time we get there, along with the time change, we're beat. The return trip is also tough. Most of the flights are red-eyes, so you're pretty much useless the next day unless you are able to sleep on the flight.

 

[chyam]

No we are not taking the kids. It's a mini vacation for both of us. Will be the first vacation we have ever taken alone together. Maybe 5 nights.

Just my opinion but you may want to extend your stay to maybe 7 days, I say this because the time difference is 5 or 6 hours depending what time of the year you go and if you live in NJ, it doesn't sound like much but it does take your body at least a day to adjust. I was getting up at 3 am because it was 9 at home, My parents lived there for 7 years and everytime I visited I tried to sleep on the plane etc, but the time difference still affected me.