I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wvjules]

I'm back from fabulous two weeks in Hawai'i. Anyone have any questions? We were on Ohau for most of the time but spent a weekend on The Big Island.

We stayed at the Sheraton-Waikiki (had an awesome beach front room) and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani on O'Hau then Sheraton Keauhou on the Big Island.

We ate at the following places for dinner:

The Pineapple Room
Duke's Canoe Club
Twist HanoHano
Top of Waikiki (rotating restaurant)
Jimmy Buffet's
Rimfire
Roy's Waikiki
Beachouse at the Moana Surfrider (my favorite)
Roy's (original - Waikiki was much better though)
Germaine's Luau
PF Chang's
Cafe at Turtle Bay

On the Big Island we did the Crater Rim drive and did some hiking. Somehow DBF managed to talk me into hiking 4 miles into and out of a crater. I was not a happy camper. Ugh! After the fun filled, wet day of hiking we went down the mountain to see the lava flow into the ocean. Oh, we also went to South Pt. which is the most southern point in the US. That was pretty cool.

Now back to Ohau. We stayed beach front for most of the time there. It was nice to come home from work change into the bathing suit and hit the beach for an hour or two. I would have been perfectly happy doing that every day. However, DBF isn't much of a beach bum. Here's what we did, in no particular order since my brain is still on vacation:

Hiked to top of Diamond Head
Went to the Palace in Honolulu
Went to Turtle Bay to see the big waves. However, those don't come until winter but it was still pretty on the north shore.
Rode an ATV and did a Jungle Expedition at Kaulau Ranch. Saw where some of Jurassic Park, Lost, 50 First Dates were filmed.
Swam with the Dolphins at Sea Life Park. That was the highlight of my trip.
Drove the coastline, stopping at scenic views along the way.
Went to a Luau at Germaines
Snorkling at Haumeau(sp) bay. I got attacked by a coral reef and have a bruise to show it. We did see a sea turtle up close though.


It feels like we did a whole lot more than listed but that's all I can think of at the moment.

I'm going to miss the fruity drinks! (

We are already planning a trip back in December 2010 when DD is on Winter Break.

 

[WriteDisney]

Hi WVJules.. I've posted on other Hawaii threads too.. planning a trip for May 2010.. staying at the Hilton Hawiian Village.. and I have questions!

Any tips on getting cheap airfare? I know the whole book early or late tips, but which airline did you use? Did you like it? Any recommendations or advice would be great, especially since it looks like you're in the same area as me.

Do you have a must list for Oahu.. besides Waikiki beach? Was it hard getting up to the North Shore? Did you rent a car the whole trip in Oahu? Do you think all the attractions you visited on Oahu were worth it? We definetely want to do the Kualau Ranch tour.

Can you get Dole Whips anywhere on Oahu besides the Dole Plantation? Oh and any pics???

Thank you!! I'm glad you had a great trip!

 

[clarabelle]

Did you rent a car?
Thanks!

 

[wvjules]

We had a rental car for the whole trip. However, it looks like "TheBus" travels the whole island. Oh, I forgot to mention our parting gift from the Hawai'i Highway Patrol-speeding ticket for $152. The speed limits on the interstate/freeway were ridiculously low (45MPH mostly).

My company booked my airfare so it was fairly expensive.

The only place I knew of to get the Dole Whip was at the Dole Plantation. We didn't have time for that so I didn't get one.

Navigating the island was pretty simple. Once you check-in to your hotel they will give you an island guide at the concierge desk. Its not an official road map but it worked great for us.

At Kaulau Ranch we did the 1/2 day adventure. We started off with the ATV tour then did the Jungle Expedition. Next time we will do the horseback riding and the Ocean Voyage.

I have lots of pictures but none on the computer yet. We got back at 7pm last night and I'm at work today.

The one thing I regret not having enough time for was a dinner cruise and/or a catamaran.

Be sure to drink a Lava Flow. Its a pina coloda with some strawberry stuff in it. Yummy! I had atleast one with dinner every night.

 

[WriteDisney]

We had a rental car for the whole trip. However, it looks like "TheBus" travels the whole island. Oh, I forgot to mention our parting gift from the Hawai'i Highway Patrol-speeding ticket for $152. The speed limits on the interstate/freeway were ridiculously low (45MPH mostly).

My company booked my airfare so it was fairly expensive.

The only place I knew of to get the Dole Whip was at the Dole Plantation. We didn't have time for that so I didn't get one.

Navigating the island was pretty simple. Once you check-in to your hotel they will give you an island guide at the concierge desk. Its not an official road map but it worked great for us.

At Kaulau Ranch we did the 1/2 day adventure. We started off with the ATV tour then did the Jungle Expedition. Next time we will do the horseback riding and the Ocean Voyage.

I have lots of pictures but none on the computer yet. We got back at 7pm last night and I'm at work today.

The one thing I regret not having enough time for was a dinner cruise and/or a catamaran.

Be sure to drink a Lava Flow. Its a pina coloda with some strawberry stuff in it. Yummy! I had atleast one with dinner every night.

Awesome! Thank you for the tips!!

 

[Chereya]

The speed limits on the interstate/freeway were ridiculously low (45MPH mostly).

The only place I knew of to get the Dole Whip was at the Dole Plantation. We didn't have time for that so I didn't get one.

I'm pretty sure that the freeway speed limit is 55 unless you're at a point where the lanes narrow or there's a big curve in the road they may drop it down to 45. But people take friendly driving seriously and you stick out like a sore thumb if you drive aggressively. Sorry you got an expensive ticket - they're based on how much over the speed limit they clocked you at.

There are also some small snack counters in Waikiki that sell Dole Whips but you kind of have to wander and find them. One that I recall in particular was at the International Market Place.

And in case any of the other readers try to search unsuccessfully: Kualoa Ranch and Hanauma Bay.

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

 

[wvjules]

I'm pretty sure that the freeway speed limit is 55 unless you're at a point where the lanes narrow or there's a big curve in the road they may drop it down to 45. But people take friendly driving seriously and you stick out like a sore thumb if you drive aggressively. Sorry you got an expensive ticket - they're based on how much over the speed limit they clocked you at.

There are also some small snack counters in Waikiki that sell Dole Whips but you kind of have to wander and find them. One that I recall in particular was at the International Market Place.

And in case any of the other readers try to search unsuccessfully: Kualoa Ranch and Hanauma Bay.

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

The road had gone from 60 to 45 within a mile or so when we were pulled over. And from what I remember we weren't going any faster than most of the traffic around us let alone driving agressively. We just happened to be the ones to get caught.

I was going to correct the spellings of the locations today. I was a little too tuckered out to be concerned with it yesterday.

 

[Claire L]

Oh sounds great, do you have any photos to share?

Claire

 

[minniebeth]

It sounds like you had an awesome trip! Would love to see photos!
I'm filing away your adventures for the future, right now, our idea is just to take a trip sometime in the future, and our islands we would like to visit are Oahu and the big island as well, just like you did. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[WriteDisney]

There are also some small snack counters in Waikiki that sell Dole Whips but you kind of have to wander and find them. One that I recall in particular was at the International Market Place.

And in case any of the other readers try to search unsuccessfully: Kualoa Ranch and Hanauma Bay.

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Awesome!!! We probably won't want to do the Dole Plantation since we'll only be there a week, but we definitely would want to get some Dole whips. I'm so glad I checked back on this thread.. I'm totally going to look there! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Deb in IA]

We were there a week before you, jules.

We also LOVED Roy's. We went to the one at Ko Olina, since we stayed at Ewa Beach. We also ate at The Pineapple Room as well.

Did you go to Pearl Harbor?

WriteDisney, you can easily work in a visit to the Dole Pineapple Plantation if you go up to the North Shore. It will only take a couple of hours to tour, and it was actually our DD's highlight of the trip - she loved the pineapple maze, and the Dole Whip afterward!

 

[KSchwagg86]

How was Duke's?

 

[minniecarousel]

We loved the North Shore & Turtle Bay. When I go back to Oahu, that's where I want to stay.

Don't be sad you didn't get out on a catamaran - I got seasick on one coming back to Maui from Lanai.