hawaii tips

[jax86]

im in the very early stages in planning a trip for a family of 4 to hawaii. If anyone has been,, i would appreciate any tips on the best way to do it. (on our own, cruises etc.) best islands to visit, places to stay, this is a very expensive trip and anyway i could save $ would be appreciated. the best air fare i could find so far is about $1100 round trip per person. (from nj) thanks!!!

[tink179]

Hi, I would sign up for Travelzoo and Shermans Travel. These are travel sites that send out weekly newsletters through e-mail notifying you of deals. About a month ago if even that, they had deals for Hawaii through Travelzoo for $531 pp and it included hotel and air! It was from Chicago, but there was deals from other cities too. We are a family of 5 and couldn't take advantage of it, because it would be less than a week after we returned from our Disney World trip. We would've loved to go at that price! I hope that helps!

[KappaRho]

Went to Hawaii for my honeymoon in 2005 and one of the best things my wife and I did was snorkel. We rented equipment the first day we got there from a place called Snorkel Bobs (or something like that). They had places all over Hawaii so we just kept them the whole vacation even though we changed islands. We would just drive to a beach, put our gear on, jump in and enjoy the wonderful coral, fish, and lots of green sea turtles. That's my recommendation.

Other things we did that we loved...
Helicopter tour over Mt. Kilaeua
Volcano National Park
Shark Diving on the North Shore of Oahu

Shark Diving and the Helicopter Tour were expensive.

I also recommend getting a travel guide (Frommers or similar). We found ours very helpful.

Enjoy Hawaii. I can't wait to go back!

[Suz36]

I would second the recommendation for Snorkel Bob's. The islands we visited, in order of preference, were Maui, the Big Island, Kauai, and Oahu. They are each very unique, so it really would depend on your family's likes and to-do list for the trip. This is getting nitty-gritty as far as planning goes, but I'd also recommend Lappert's Ice Cream - the chocolate macadamia nut was fantastic! It still makes me salivate thinking about it, 13 years later!

[AZ Disney]

I've been to Oahu several times and the most recent was this past October for 4 days. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on points and it was a great place, but it can be very expensive. There was a hotel next door called the Ilakai and I stayed there as a little girl many moons ago. They have very reasonable rates + they have kitchens which will lessen the cost of food. If you've been in the military the Hale Koa is the best option which is also next door to the Hilton on the other side. If I were planning for my family I'd look into renting a rental home or condo. I don't think I can give you the website here, but if you're interested PM me. We also snorkeled at Hanama Bay sp? and that was unbelievable. Maybe a 15 minute drive from Waikaki, but if you don't want to rent a car there are many other options to get there. We rented are gear on-site. The other fun thing we did was the outrigger canoe down near Duke's Barefoot Beach Bar (a must). This will give you the sensation of surfing, it's $10 pp for two waves. So much fun! I also did this really fun all day excursion about ten years ago that took us all over the island for body surfing, rain forest hiking, the big waterfall, and Dole. It was a fun day. Pearl Harbor is a must when you visit Oahu. They also have a huge flea market that can be good for inexpensive souvenirs if you have the time to go. The one thing to remember about Oahu is that Honolulu is a big city and at night is when all the ladies come out (if you get my drift). It is not a place to be with children. With that said, staying in Waikiki and enjoying the ocean/pools and the typical daytime activities will be a great family vacation. I hope to get to Maui and Kaui in the coming years.

[Daisy712]

Our family of 4 went in 2005. DD (8), DS (11), DH and myself. We spent 4 nights in Maui, which was awesome. The Whaling Village and Lahaina is fun. We also took a boat ride out to see the sea turtles. We went on the road to Hana which the kids found boring. We then spent 10 nights in Oahu in Waikiki. We stayed at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. It is now owned by Resortquest. We got a junior suite for $150 per night. The previous poster is correct, Waikiki and Honolulu can be very seedy. At night the "ladies" do come out and there are many, many homeless. I also found the international market to be not a family thing. It had many things that I didn't want my children to be exposed to ( sayings on shirts, etc...) We did love the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore was very fun. My kids loved it. I would spend a couple of days on Oahu and split my time up on the the other islands. Each island has its own flavor. My DH and I have gone to the Big Island and enjoyed seeing the volcano. It was very cool to see. Good luck with your planning. In 2005, we flew with Continental from Indy to Maui. They had personal tv screens for each passenger with a number of movies to choose from and video games to play. This really helped to pass the time. I know Hawaii is very expensive. It is well worth it. We can't wait to return. Aloha!

[Texas Tinkerbell Too]

I thought you might like to hear how Hawaii was from a teenager's experience. (Of course, this was back in the early 80's, so I am sure much has changed.)

We stayed 5 nights of our 8 day trip on the island of Kauai. The last couple of days we stayed in Honnolulu, Oahu. I enjoyed the island of Kauai much, MUCH more than Oahu.

Kauai was absolutely gorgeous. We took a catamaran along Napali Coast, where we also went snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming with huge sea turtles. The waterfalls were absolutely beautiful. We did the catamaran because the helicopter tour was closed that day. I also remember going to a place called Fern Grotto. I remember telling my dad I wanted to get married there (This did not happen, had to stay home and do the traditonal BIG wedding to appease the in-laws.)

I remember thinking Honolulu was like going to New York on the beach. It was very crowded and somewhat hectic. It just wasn't what I pictured Hawaii to be. Especially after experiencing Kauai. Please don't misunderstand me. I think you need to go to Oahu to see things like Pearl Harbor. I just wouldn't make this your main vacation site.

Like someone said previously, we also had a nice day at some "bay" area on Oahu. I believe it was on the northeast side of the island. And, we did rent their snorkel equipment. We saw stingray and a small octopus here.

Hope this helps. Have a GREAT trip!