Visiting Hawaii

[sam_gordon]

So many decisions/choices! I'm not sure if you all have helped or hurt.

 

[holden]

If you want to check out the Grand Wailea resort (Maui) watch the movie Just Go With It. We stayed at the GW many years ago and loved it! The movie really gives you a good feel for the resort.

 

[Pooh2]

We did Hawaii for our 30th!
Our trip:
Flew to Hawaii from the east coast and stayed at Disney's Aulani Resort for 9 days,;
flew to Anaheim for 3 days at Disneyland Hotel and were first timers at the west coast parks;
took a train from Anaheim to San Antonio (where our daughter was stationed) and visited 2 days before flying back to the east coast.

We rented a car and toured the Oahu, walking and swimming at beaches all over the island, visiting Pearl Harbor and the other touristy stuff in the mornings then back to Aulani late afternoons to float in the cove, sit on the beach or float in the lazy river.

I would do it again without island hopping as 9 days seemed a bit short.
We were glad we still had our first Disneyland visit to look forward to on the way home as it was tough to leave paradise!

Congrats on your 30th!

 

[sam_gordon]

Bumping this to help our planning continue. There are WAY too many options.

I *THINK* our current plan is June 7-10 on Oahu, then hop to Hawaii for 10-16.

I'm hoping for at least one day @ Pearl Harbor, maybe a day for Waikiki/Honolulu. DW would like to spend some time on the North Shore. Does it make more sense to stay in one "central" place or two for Oahu?

 

[soccerdad72]

Bumping this to help our planning continue. There are WAY too many options.

I *THINK* our current plan is June 7-10 on Oahu, then hop to Hawaii for 10-16.

I'm hoping for at least one day @ Pearl Harbor, maybe a day for Waikiki/Honolulu. DW would like to spend some time on the North Shore. Does it make more sense to stay in one "central" place or two for Oahu?

If you're only spending a couple days (which is more than enough, IMO) on Oahu, I would just stay in one place for the stay. Too much time and effort would be spent on repacking and moving locations for a short stay.

Personally, I would stay somewhere in Waikiki, but it's not for everyone. It's a bit of a hectic scene in the main area by the beach.

 

[kdonnel]

Does it make more sense to stay in one "central" place or two for Oahu?

I say one place.

I have done split trips, 3 days in Waikiki, 4 days in Kapolei area.

I have done trips all in the Kapolei area.

In both cases I ended up driving to the otherside of the island no matter where I was staying. The island is small enough though.

Hawaii is where I would potentially recommend a split stay. Some days in the Hilo area and some days in the Kona area. Way more driving on Hawaii than Oahu.

 

[monsterkitty]

Bumping this to help our planning continue. There are WAY too many options.

I *THINK* our current plan is June 7-10 on Oahu, then hop to Hawaii for 10-16.

I'm hoping for at least one day @ Pearl Harbor, maybe a day for Waikiki/Honolulu. DW would like to spend some time on the North Shore. Does it make more sense to stay in one "central" place or two for Oahu?

If you're only spending a couple days (which is more than enough, IMO) on Oahu, I would just stay in one place for the stay. Too much time and effort would be spent on repacking and moving locations for a short stay.

Personally, I would stay somewhere in Waikiki, but it's not for everyone. It's a bit of a hectic scene in the main area by the beach.

If your plan is to do one day in Waikiki, I agree to make that your homebase as opposed to switching resorts during a short stay. Like soccerdad said, Waikiki isn't for everyone, but it is a fun place to stay at least once.

If you do stay at Waikiki, look at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa. It is on the edge of the Waikiki area so not as crowded, but still and easy walk around the area. We also find it easier to travel in and out of by car because you don't have to drive the crowded streets in the center of Waikiki.

Other here will tell you to stay at Aulani. Personally, I would rather save the money for experiences on the islands that on the resort. If you do want to stay in a quieter area, Ko Olina is perfect for that but I would look at the Marriott or the Four Seasons cost wise first.

We love the Big Island as well and have visited several times (going back in September!) so if you have questions about the Big Island as well, let me know!

 

[monsterkitty]

Bumping this to help our planning continue. There are WAY too many options.

I *THINK* our current plan is June 7-10 on Oahu, then hop to Hawaii for 10-16.

I'm hoping for at least one day @ Pearl Harbor, maybe a day for Waikiki/Honolulu. DW would like to spend some time on the North Shore. Does it make more sense to stay in one "central" place or two for Oahu?

I need to add that while on the Big Island, I highly recommend staying at least one night on the Hilo side so you can see VNP and then moving to the Kona side. While the drive isn't too bad, staying in Hilo makes for a better experience in my opinion as you can easily go up to VNP at night to see the lava at night.

We stayed at a B&B outside the park and have also stayed at Volcano Lodge right in the park. Both were amazing.

 

[sam_gordon]

I need to add that while on the Big Island, I highly recommend staying at least one night on the Hilo side so you can see VNP and then moving to the Kona side. While the drive isn't too bad, staying in Hilo makes for a better experience in my opinion as you can easily go up to VNP at night to see the lava at night.

We stayed at a B&B outside the park and have also stayed at Volcano Lodge right in the park. Both were amazing.

Sorry, VNP?

Volcano National Park? Do hope to see that.

 

[monsterkitty]

Yep! Volcano National Park.

We fly into Hilo, stay at least 1 night, usually 2, then drive over to Waikoloa or Kona. We then fly out of Kona for our return home.