Oahu & Maui - what to do???

[BriarfoxinWA]

We're going to Oahu and Maui in June. What are some of the "must see" things to do??? I know we'll go see the Arizona & snorkle in Hanama Bay on Oahu. But what else???

 

[DawnCt]

Drive to the north shore and watch the surfers. Visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. (Its closed on Sundays). Climb Diamond Head. Visit the Zoo. Go to China Town. Visit the Palace and the Bishop Museum. Go to the International market. Go to the Flea Market in the stadium. Visit the Dole Pineapple maze. That should keep you busy for a while.

Now for Maui: Drive up to Haleakala for sunrise. Have breakfast at the Kula Lodge on the way back. They have great banana macadamian nut, coconut pancakes. Drive the Hana Hwy. Bring a tape so you can hear what the highlights are. They are noted by mile markers. Its the journey not the destination. Stop on the mauka side of the road and play in the pools. You will notice where all the cars are parked. Visit Wainapanapa State Park and the black sand beach. Pack a lunch. Stop in Paia and have breakfast with the aging hippies. Watch the wind surfers. Have dinner at Mama's fish house. Go to a time share presentation and get a big discount on a luau or a snorkeling trip. Go to the Old Lahaina Luau. Eat a plate lunch. Eat portuguese sausage and rice for breakfast. You can often find it at Mc Donalds.

 

[Megan's Mom]

Dawn sounds like you have spent some time in Hawaii. Can you give me some suggestions for the Big Island? I think we have planned all the things you have listed for Oahu. We are going to take the Grand Circle Island tour of the Big Island and that will show us everything and then we have a couple of days to go back to the Volcano state park and other things we want to spend more time at.

 

[catsrule]

http://www.hawaii.com/

 

[Laura]

I really liked my Lonely Planet guidebooks. I went to Hawaii for my honeymoon last year. We went to Maui and the Big Island, and I got a guidebook for each (they do have one for Oahu). They gave great details about how to find beaches and things like that. The section on the Road to Hana is awesome; we visited Blue Angel Falls/Blue Pool on the way. It was gorgeous.

Snorkel Bob's is great for snorkel gear; you can get it on one island and drop it off at another. They can tell you great places to snorkel, and what to avoid.

On the Big Island:
(We stayed in Kona.) Do a helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian if you can. Great but costly.
Visit a coffee farm. We did Greenwell Farms; it's very interesting.
The Painted Church (St. Benedict's) is a great place to visit, it's near the Place of Refuge, which is a wonderful spot to see as well.
We drove to Volcano National Park and on the way stopped at Punalu'u Beach and saw sea turtles. It's a black sand beach; very pretty. Then we stopped for lunch at Tex Drive-In in Pahala. Malasadas are gooood.
Scandinavian Shave Ice in Kailua-Kona is yummy.
(We have to go back there and do the Hilo half of the island!)

On Maui:
Definitely the Road to Hana is a must-do. We stopped for lunch at the Hotel Hana-Maui, which has a lovely restaurant with a view. Nice tasty lunch. We saw Waianapanapa and hiked a little on the King's Trail.
More good food: Hula Grill in Whaler's Village, Aloha Mixed Plate and Mama's Fish House.
We snorkeled in Honolua Bay, which is calm in summer, so it'll be very nice in June. It's very calm at that time; good for beginners too.
The Old Lahaina Luau is awesome. Try to book it asap; the sooner you do, the better your seats.
The Maui Ocean Center is fun; if you have kids I think they'd appreciate it too.
Iao Valley was pretty but kinda boring.

Great cheap souvenirs can be had at any ABC Store; awesome t-shirts are at Crazy Shirts.

Aloha!

Will you take me with you? Vegetarians are cheap to feed...

 

[mommytotwo]

Don't forget to do a luau on one of the islands so that you can taste the island foods and see the polynesian show.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Hi BriarfoxinWA:

We were on Oahu in December and had a great time. Are you staying anywhere near Hilton Hawaiian Village? If so, they do fireworks on the beach every Friday night.

Also, we found one of the best places to buy souvenirs was at a WA State favorite: Costco! There are several of them on the Island, we went to the one by the airport. In addition to macadamia nuts and candy, they also had freshly roasted 100% Kona coffee and some beautiful leis much cheaper than any of the stands around the airport. We had a rental car so we went there a couple of times to stock up on snacks, bottled water, and of course, a pizza for dinner one night.

Enjoy your trip and have a shave ice for me!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

The Big Island is our favorite. Be sure to drive the volcanos as well as take a helicopter of airlplane tour of them. We did the circle island airplane tour, and we circled not only the island, but also the volcanos 3 times. The small coffee plantation tours are fun too. I recommend the Greenfield farms one. I love the painted churches on the big island, and be sure to visit the old heius for a dose of polynesian culture. Maui is a good relaxing island. There wont be any whales to watch in June, but a drive up Haleakala to see the sun rise is a must as is the road to Hana.

 

[momof2inPA]

On Oahu, I second the Polynesian Cultural Center. It's well worth an entire day, and make sure you stay for the show at the end. I don't think I have ever seen such beautiful people as the performers there.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't realize they have Costco there - my favorite place to shop! We're staying at the Marriott - Waikiki Beach and getting a rental car so we'll have time to explore the island.

 

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by Megan's Mom
Dawn sounds like you have spent some time in Hawaii. Can you give me some suggestions for the Big Island? I think we have planned all the things you have listed for Oahu. We are going to take the Grand Circle Island tour of the Big Island and that will show us everything and then we have a couple of days to go back to the Volcano state park and other things we want to spend more time at.

I LOVE the Big Island. We will be returning this summer for the third time. I would spend two nights in Volcano National Park. Once you pay your admission, it is good for a week and all of the tours and hikes are free or you can set off on your own. Very important to be there at night and watch for a moonbow! The stars are incredible and the lava is so black that the stars are even brighter and more plentiful. I would visit the Tsunami Museum and the memorial to the little school that got washed out in the Tsunami. Very interesting. Certainly Akaka Falls and head north to get to the Kahala Coast. Its a beautiful drive and you will see the weather and the landscape change before your eyes. Drive through Waimea. Take a horseback ride through Waipio Valley. Note the "graffitti" on the lava on the Kohala coast. People took the coral that was used for the road bed of the highway and shape it into names and messages. Very unusual. Definately go kayaking to Captain Cooks monument and the Kealakakua Bay. There are kayak outfitters all around Kona that can give you everything you need. There will be someone available to help you put in. Its a cheap way to do it and fun. Go to a luau somewhere. Visit the place of refuge and stop at the various petroglyph sites and heiaus Respect the kapus (taboos). If you have time visit the observatory.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We stayed at the same Marriott for three nights. It had the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in. The location is good as it's on the section of the beach where they set up movies and stage shows, etc. Also, if you have small children, there is a great swimming area for kids on that part of the beach.

Another great thing about Costco is that the one by the airport has a gas station and would be a great place to stop on your way out and fill the tank (one of the lowest prices we saw on the island) as well as pick up some candy and things for the folks back home. Most of it is boxed in a bulk pack with a handle that you can carry right on the plane.

For any others that may be going to Hawaii but aren't Costco members, you can get a one-day shopping pass that allows you to buy merchandise at 5% over the posted price without buying a membership.

Geez, I think I deserve a free year's membership from Costco with all this free advertising!!!

 

[Growin'upDisney]

We were in Oahu in both June and November last year staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Last June they did something called Sunset on the Beach way down at the end of Waikiki Beach near the Aquarium. They had a huge stage set up where there were live bands and then right after sunset they would raise a screen and play new released movies. I think they do it on Saturday nights. I know it was our first night there and there was nothing like sitting on the beach with a full moon watching a movie. It was a truly unique experience.

Also, a MUST MUST hit restaurant on Oahu is John Dominis. www.johndominis.com. a bit pricey but probably one of the top 3 restaurants I have ever eaten at all over the world.

Also, don't forget to find Leonard's and have malasadas. It's a Portugeses style doughnut which are very popular on the island. My husband and I also rented mopeds one day and had a great time with those.

I have lots and lots more info. If you are interested just PM me and I can tell you some more.

 

[Megan's Mom]

We leave next Friday and we will stay four nights at the Outrigger and we are doing the luau there at the hotel on Sunday. Then we have 3 nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Both of these hotels seem to have enough to do there that you wouldn't have to leave the hotel if you didn't want to. I am so looking forward to this trip and the weather looks like it will be great.

 

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by Megan's Mom
We leave next Friday and we will stay four nights at the Outrigger and we are doing the luau there at the hotel on Sunday. Then we have 3 nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Both of these hotels seem to have enough to do there that you wouldn't have to leave the hotel if you didn't want to. I am so looking forward to this trip and the weather looks like it will be great.

Please, please leave the hotels. Hawaii , all of the islands are so beautiful that you will miss so much if you don't venture out.

 

[Megan's Mom]

Oh I know to leave the hotels I was just amazed at how much they offer there. We have several tours already planned and other things that we are planning to do. Which tower did you stay in at the Hilton Hawaiian Village? I think we are in the rainbow building. I don't remember about the Outrigger I think we have an ocean view suite. I can't wait. I have been planning ever since DH gave me the trip. I can't begin to tell you how many books I have read and Travel Channel shows I have watched. We even had Hawaiian night one friday night to get us ready.
After we planned this trip we found out that DH will be doing a field test there next summer for three weeks, so whatever we can't get in this time I look forward to for next year.

 

[Claudia1]

We will be on Oahu for spring break. Has anyone done the submarine tours there? I think our DS might enjoy those.

 

[Disney-Kim]

We have stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village the last 3 years in a row. We stay in the Alii tower always...its all concierge and the prices are the same as the Rainbow tower.
It is a beautiful hotel but don't miss out on all that Oahu has to offer.
Wailea Beach on the North shore and Kailua and Lanikai on the East shore are 2 of the nicest beaches in the world. Kailua and Lanikai win best beach all the time. Its beautiful with calm water and pristine powdery sand.
check out this pic of Lanikai...this is a 25 minute drive from Honolulu.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...om/beaches/lanikai2.html&type=&no=18&tt=1,790