Discussion
Flights are booked with minimal research - too easy to get worried and change our mind if we read too much 
Well, the flights to LA are booked and it's now time to fill up the rest. After our first bouts of research, the plan is looking like this:
April 23rd - 26th Kauai
-No area or hotel picked
-Lots of scenery walks
-Helicopter tour a must apparently
April 26th - 30th -Big Island
-Probably to stay in Kona - hotel undecided
-Look at lava
-Walk through moonscape
-Climbing facilities in Kona
April 30th - 5th O'ahu
-Thinking about staying in Diamong head - hotel undecided (originally I wanted to stay on Waikiki but lots of reading has put me off and suggested this is a nice compromise) - Lotus Honolulu looks quite nice?
-Pearl Harbour
-Lots of walks for lovely scenery
-Waikiki beach
Probably quite a standard Hawaii type holiday, although it's part of our honeymoon so we're pushing the boat a little in general. Walks, Hikes, Helicopter tours, cocktails on the beach type of thing. The only caveat is we're both (indoor) rock climbers so are revolving things around Big Island & O'ahu due to facilities (sounds a bit mad but the logistics of outdoor are too much to consider planning at this stage).
From what I gather we'll really need a car on each island, so airport pickup & dropoff a given. We are contemplating an extra night on Kauai instead of Big Island but will see.
Our budget is upto £300 a night per hotel (very happy to pay less) but very much open to hear any suggestions on trip structure, hotels, must do activities etc. Personal experience wanted as long as it's not "don't bother" !
Well, the flights to LA are booked and it's now time to fill up the rest. After our first bouts of research, the plan is looking like this:
April 23rd - 26th Kauai
-No area or hotel picked
-Lots of scenery walks
-Helicopter tour a must apparently
April 26th - 30th -Big Island
-Probably to stay in Kona - hotel undecided
-Look at lava
-Walk through moonscape
-Climbing facilities in Kona
April 30th - 5th O'ahu
-Thinking about staying in Diamong head - hotel undecided (originally I wanted to stay on Waikiki but lots of reading has put me off and suggested this is a nice compromise) - Lotus Honolulu looks quite nice?
-Pearl Harbour
-Lots of walks for lovely scenery
-Waikiki beach
Probably quite a standard Hawaii type holiday, although it's part of our honeymoon so we're pushing the boat a little in general. Walks, Hikes, Helicopter tours, cocktails on the beach type of thing. The only caveat is we're both (indoor) rock climbers so are revolving things around Big Island & O'ahu due to facilities (sounds a bit mad but the logistics of outdoor are too much to consider planning at this stage).
From what I gather we'll really need a car on each island, so airport pickup & dropoff a given. We are contemplating an extra night on Kauai instead of Big Island but will see.
Our budget is upto £300 a night per hotel (very happy to pay less) but very much open to hear any suggestions on trip structure, hotels, must do activities etc. Personal experience wanted as long as it's not "don't bother" !
Edited by Calza on Tuesday 9th January 14:06
The best advice I was given was to give O'ahu (i.e. Honolulu) a miss because if you go there, you might as well go to Florida and save lots of money and travel time as they are very similar. To get the 'proper' Hawaii experience you need to go to one of the other, less developed islands. Which clearly you are but the times I've been I've not stayed on O'ahu.
But if you're set on staying there a few days, personally I'd make the O'ahu stay a bit shorter and Kauai a bit longer. Try and cram too much in and you won't get chance to relax. There is so much to see on Kauai and yes, would recommend the helicopter tour.
Yes a car is essential and getting around is pretty easy. As for locations, you can't really go wrong with anywhere as you can get to most parts of the islands quite quickly from your base. Look for some guesthouses / Air BnB too as some are very nice and cheaper than hotels.
I'd recommend buying a guidebook rather than just doing internet searches. The series of guidebooks by Andrew Doughty are widely regarded as the best (loads of tourists I saw had the same guidebook and they are superb).
Enjoy, you'll love it whatever you end up doing when you're there.
But if you're set on staying there a few days, personally I'd make the O'ahu stay a bit shorter and Kauai a bit longer. Try and cram too much in and you won't get chance to relax. There is so much to see on Kauai and yes, would recommend the helicopter tour.
Yes a car is essential and getting around is pretty easy. As for locations, you can't really go wrong with anywhere as you can get to most parts of the islands quite quickly from your base. Look for some guesthouses / Air BnB too as some are very nice and cheaper than hotels.
I'd recommend buying a guidebook rather than just doing internet searches. The series of guidebooks by Andrew Doughty are widely regarded as the best (loads of tourists I saw had the same guidebook and they are superb).
Enjoy, you'll love it whatever you end up doing when you're there.
Kauai is beautiful and my favourite of the islands; been to Hawaii maybe 5 times but to Kauai 3 of those. Helicopter tour is a great way to see the island if you don’t have a massive amount of time there. Been a good few years since I was there (about 8 years I think) but there used to be great quad biking tours, zip lining, guided nature trails inc kayaking and of course beaches. Lots of beaches. The Olympic Cafe in Kapa’a was always the first port of calls for wings and beer first day on the island.
Been to the others but I was much younger and tbh I don’t recall much about them, but I remember Honolulu being very American and concrete, completely different story on Kauai.
Been to the others but I was much younger and tbh I don’t recall much about them, but I remember Honolulu being very American and concrete, completely different story on Kauai.
Princeville/Kilauea at the top of the island is/was where all the high-end hotels and resorts are. Lihue is nice also but can be busier as that’s where the cruise ships come in. Kapa’a on the east coast is a nice quiet Hawaiian town although not sure of the quality of hotels there; there did used to be some nice, basic but comfy beach cottages but not sure if they are still there. West coast is pretty sparse for accommodation.
I’d be looking at airbnbs for something different. The stretch from Kilauea to Hanalei and along to Tunnels Beach is stunning.
I’d be looking at airbnbs for something different. The stretch from Kilauea to Hanalei and along to Tunnels Beach is stunning.
If you want to enjoy sunsets over the water then south coast is good. West coast is pretty sparse and kind of the end of the road so you have to drive back around the South coast to get east or north. The middle bit is mostly hills and rainforest which may have some B&Bs dotted around but no hotel complexes. Stick to the coast if you want shops etc nearby.
The guidebook will inform you of the places you'll like to visit so maybe choose your base around that.
The guidebook will inform you of the places you'll like to visit so maybe choose your base around that.
Edited by xx99xx on Wednesday 10th January 12:09
Calza said:
I had a look at those guides but couldn't find any revised versions and thought that 22 years ago might be a bit long? 
There's this one from 2019.....The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed (Ultimate Guidebook) https://amzn.eu/d/avo7Srw
Or the 2022 edition: https://amzn.eu/d/e33unVq
Info on beaches, places to visit etc won't have changed much since then.
Edited by xx99xx on Wednesday 10th January 16:24
It may be too late but I think you're missing a trick not going to Maui.
Probably one of my most favorite places on earth and I have been to the other islands.
We go regularly (Live in CA) and would recommend adding Maui if you can.
Aside from that I would say to not forget how big Big Island is (Clues in the name I guess!) The drive to various lava / volcano spots are long. Expect to spend most of the day in the car.
Probably one of my most favorite places on earth and I have been to the other islands.
We go regularly (Live in CA) and would recommend adding Maui if you can.
Aside from that I would say to not forget how big Big Island is (Clues in the name I guess!) The drive to various lava / volcano spots are long. Expect to spend most of the day in the car.
I've not been to Kauai so can't comment, but I've done the Big Island, and Maui and Oahu quite a few times - first time in 1985 and last time in 2022. Last trip we stayed in the Old Lahaina hotel which was excellent...but sadly all gone now 
. I'd avoid Maui until the dreadful devastation of the fire has been cleared-up; I read quite a few of the locals don't want tourists back yet too, so a good thing you're missing it.
On The Big Island I'd stay in Kona. You may decide to visit Hilo; fine, but don't expect to stay there too long as it's a tip in need of serious renovation and investment. Best hotel location we've found is the King Kamehameha at Kona. It's at the edge of the 'town' so easily walkable, but right on the harbour where you can rent paddle boards and the like and it's safe to swim. Nice for breakfast too as you're overlooking the harbour and the town of Kona. But, it's also the start/finish for the Iron Man championships when they're held so prices go through the roof at that time. In fairness the rooms are not too different from any other modernish hotel (Mariott) so you want one with a view; it's the location that makes it.
You've already listed things to do, and I'd add to that going to the top of Mauna Kea. Popular times seem to be sunrise and sunset where I understand it can get real busy, but we've only ever gone during the day when it's been quite quiet. You WILL need 4wd - not because the road to the very top is especially difficult, but park rangers stop every car to check. We had a rental Jeep and they also checked it was in low ratio by looking in the car. They're posted at a visitor centre maybe half way up where you also have to stop for a while to 'acclimatise'. I tried to blag it and just drive straight up, and they wouldn't let me through until I'd 'acclimatised' for 15 minutes. My argument was I'd skied above 12000 feet without issue. Their response was 'yes, but not directly from sea-level in one go' Fair point
And the roads on the Big Island are mostly just regular 2-lane roads with low speed limits and miles and miles of no overtaking lines. Nobody seems to speed or disobey the no overtaking, so factor that in when calculating journey times. It takes quite a while to get from Kona to the Volcanoes park and for a lot of the road there's no view as such as it's obscured by trees.
We really like Oahu and Honolulu. I can well understand the haters as it's extremely built up - but we like the juxtaposition of a modern American cityscape with a beachfront. We've never stayed at Diamond Head, but in the 80s used to be a windsurfing mecca, second only to Ho'okipa on Maui - and one reason to visit there in the 80s...and I own the URL diamondhead.co.uk
Of the hotels we've stayed in in Honolulu the only one we'd go back to (and have done twice) is the Royal Hawaiian. Not because it's the best, the swankiest or has the best rooms or facilities, but it's got some proper heritage that we like - it's the 'pink hotel' from Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi fame. It's featured on all the old photos of Waikiki as it was one of the first built - way before all the high rises. Great location too - right on the beach, but also right on the main drag through Waikiki so very much in the centre of things...assuming that's what you want. I'm assuming you're not a surf god as you wouldn't be asking these things so it's also well situated on the beach for surf rentals and lessons (on property), and right on what is maybe the best break for beginners/intermediates. I'm a windsurfer but only a novice surfer (actually, that's the only place I've surfed!) but it's quite neat to get a board for an hour or so before breakfast. And if you accept a Luau is really going to be a 'show' (with food and drink) and not a historical encounter, then the Royal Hawaiian probably has the best 'hotel style' Luau show right on the beach with Diamond Head as backdrop. Plus it's where they invented the Mai Tai 
So far so good if you add it to your list of possible hotels. On the down side, given its age/heritage, the rooms in the original block don't have much of a view and I don't think any have balconies...and some of it as a bit like The Shining (which I like!). New 'new' block has a 60s/70s feel (and you used to get free drinks in the afternoon, but they stopped that with Covid and hadn't restarted again on our last trip.) but the rooms have balconies that look out over Waikiki and Diamond Head for a stunning view. But...the palm trees out front (between hotel and beach) are now quite tall so unless you pay for an unobstructed view you might end up just staring at palm tree greenery, There are, of course, far more modern a swisher hotels and even resort hotels, but we like a bit of heritage. I think the only other one we'd consider is the Surfrider - we've not stayed there but have eaten/drunk there and again it's got a bit of heritage with it. Agatha Christie stayed there and went surfing there.
As for things to do, yes - Pearl Harbor. Nowadays it's pretty busy so if you want to actually get out to the Arizona Memorial you have to book ahead; you can do it on-line. If you just turn up then you can see if from the shore and do the visitor centre, but not actually get out to the actual memorial over the Arizona. Remember when thinking how long your visit should be that there's also the USS Missouri battleship you can get round (the place on-deck where the Japanese signed the surrender is marked) and also quite a few historic aircraft in hangers. You used to get a free bus from the visitor centre to the 'Mighty Mo' and the aircraft; I assume it's still the same. Oh, and there's a submarine you can get on at the visitor centre too.
Probably worth a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Centre - maybe en route or return from Waimea? Obviously a tourist attraction, but has replica homes, structures and artifacts from each of the different islands and folks from each of the islands represent their island and do cultural stuff. In reality it's mostly all done by students from some nearby Mormon college that attracts students from all over Polynesia. But at least you're getting real Fijians in the Fiji bit, Samoans in the Samoa bit etc. You could probably spend a full day there (and they also do evening shows/luaus) but 1/2 a day is probably enough.
Waimea has a decent beach, but if surfs-up then it's experts only. But it's also the Waimea Valley, which is a national park (I think!) with a walk up through the valley from its own car park with labelled native plants and some ruins, which is nice. It ends up with a pool and waterfall where you can take a dip. It used to be you could just go in for a swim...which was nice, but now there's a park ranger there insisting you can only go in with a (supplied) life jacket on
I've not bothered swimming there since the life jacket rule came in, but many still do. I can understand it though as I guess quite a few of the visitors aren't great swimmers and it is deep and so if someone does get in to trouble they ain't going to be touching the bottom. Elf and safety and all that.
There's also Hanauma Bay. It's an under-water national park or something like that. Basically it's a bay where you can hire a mask, snorkel and fins and just float about watching the reef fish...of which there are a decent amount there as it isn't fished. Of course you can also swim out further and deeper for a better look at more fish. On our first trip in '85 the reef/coral was 'coloured' as you'd expect, but over the years it's got kind of just a dull grey so the reef/coral isn't much to look at now...but there's still the coloured reef fish.
On the last trip we also took the submarine trip from Waikiki - it operates from the pier off the Hilton. A boat take you out to it - it doesn't come in to the shore. Actually the boat ride out and back was quite nice with views of Waikiki. It's 'OK' inasmuch as it's a proper submarine and dives to about 100 feet deep. It then plots a standard course past some wrecks and a plane (than have been sunk for the benefit of the trip) and you see fish. But it's then luck of the draw what you actually see - we saw loads of 'regular' fish, but no sharks or anything properly large. And of course at that depth everything loses its colour so it's blue water and white fish...but the visibility is very good. Glad we did it, but I wouldn't do it again.
We have never done any of the party-boat/booze trip stuff as it's not really our scene, but folks that do do it seem to have a good time.
I'm sure there's more but I've written enough. I can really understand why Honolulu/Waikiki is disliked by some folks, especially wilderness folks who are expecting Hawaii to be endless empty beaches and palm trees, but as city-folks we like it a lot.
Enjoy.
. I'd avoid Maui until the dreadful devastation of the fire has been cleared-up; I read quite a few of the locals don't want tourists back yet too, so a good thing you're missing it.On The Big Island I'd stay in Kona. You may decide to visit Hilo; fine, but don't expect to stay there too long as it's a tip in need of serious renovation and investment. Best hotel location we've found is the King Kamehameha at Kona. It's at the edge of the 'town' so easily walkable, but right on the harbour where you can rent paddle boards and the like and it's safe to swim. Nice for breakfast too as you're overlooking the harbour and the town of Kona. But, it's also the start/finish for the Iron Man championships when they're held so prices go through the roof at that time. In fairness the rooms are not too different from any other modernish hotel (Mariott) so you want one with a view; it's the location that makes it.
You've already listed things to do, and I'd add to that going to the top of Mauna Kea. Popular times seem to be sunrise and sunset where I understand it can get real busy, but we've only ever gone during the day when it's been quite quiet. You WILL need 4wd - not because the road to the very top is especially difficult, but park rangers stop every car to check. We had a rental Jeep and they also checked it was in low ratio by looking in the car. They're posted at a visitor centre maybe half way up where you also have to stop for a while to 'acclimatise'. I tried to blag it and just drive straight up, and they wouldn't let me through until I'd 'acclimatised' for 15 minutes. My argument was I'd skied above 12000 feet without issue. Their response was 'yes, but not directly from sea-level in one go' Fair point
And the roads on the Big Island are mostly just regular 2-lane roads with low speed limits and miles and miles of no overtaking lines. Nobody seems to speed or disobey the no overtaking, so factor that in when calculating journey times. It takes quite a while to get from Kona to the Volcanoes park and for a lot of the road there's no view as such as it's obscured by trees.
We really like Oahu and Honolulu. I can well understand the haters as it's extremely built up - but we like the juxtaposition of a modern American cityscape with a beachfront. We've never stayed at Diamond Head, but in the 80s used to be a windsurfing mecca, second only to Ho'okipa on Maui - and one reason to visit there in the 80s...and I own the URL diamondhead.co.uk
Of the hotels we've stayed in in Honolulu the only one we'd go back to (and have done twice) is the Royal Hawaiian. Not because it's the best, the swankiest or has the best rooms or facilities, but it's got some proper heritage that we like - it's the 'pink hotel' from Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi fame. It's featured on all the old photos of Waikiki as it was one of the first built - way before all the high rises. Great location too - right on the beach, but also right on the main drag through Waikiki so very much in the centre of things...assuming that's what you want. I'm assuming you're not a surf god as you wouldn't be asking these things
so it's also well situated on the beach for surf rentals and lessons (on property), and right on what is maybe the best break for beginners/intermediates. I'm a windsurfer but only a novice surfer (actually, that's the only place I've surfed!) but it's quite neat to get a board for an hour or so before breakfast. And if you accept a Luau is really going to be a 'show' (with food and drink) and not a historical encounter, then the Royal Hawaiian probably has the best 'hotel style' Luau show right on the beach with Diamond Head as backdrop. Plus it's where they invented the Mai Tai So far so good if you add it to your list of possible hotels. On the down side, given its age/heritage, the rooms in the original block don't have much of a view and I don't think any have balconies...and some of it as a bit like The Shining (which I like!). New 'new' block has a 60s/70s feel (and you used to get free drinks in the afternoon, but they stopped that with Covid and hadn't restarted again on our last trip.) but the rooms have balconies that look out over Waikiki and Diamond Head for a stunning view. But...the palm trees out front (between hotel and beach) are now quite tall so unless you pay for an unobstructed view you might end up just staring at palm tree greenery, There are, of course, far more modern a swisher hotels and even resort hotels, but we like a bit of heritage. I think the only other one we'd consider is the Surfrider - we've not stayed there but have eaten/drunk there and again it's got a bit of heritage with it. Agatha Christie stayed there and went surfing there.As for things to do, yes - Pearl Harbor. Nowadays it's pretty busy so if you want to actually get out to the Arizona Memorial you have to book ahead; you can do it on-line. If you just turn up then you can see if from the shore and do the visitor centre, but not actually get out to the actual memorial over the Arizona. Remember when thinking how long your visit should be that there's also the USS Missouri battleship you can get round (the place on-deck where the Japanese signed the surrender is marked) and also quite a few historic aircraft in hangers. You used to get a free bus from the visitor centre to the 'Mighty Mo' and the aircraft; I assume it's still the same. Oh, and there's a submarine you can get on at the visitor centre too.
Probably worth a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Centre - maybe en route or return from Waimea? Obviously a tourist attraction, but has replica homes, structures and artifacts from each of the different islands and folks from each of the islands represent their island and do cultural stuff. In reality it's mostly all done by students from some nearby Mormon college that attracts students from all over Polynesia. But at least you're getting real Fijians in the Fiji bit, Samoans in the Samoa bit etc. You could probably spend a full day there (and they also do evening shows/luaus) but 1/2 a day is probably enough.
Waimea has a decent beach, but if surfs-up then it's experts only. But it's also the Waimea Valley, which is a national park (I think!) with a walk up through the valley from its own car park with labelled native plants and some ruins, which is nice. It ends up with a pool and waterfall where you can take a dip. It used to be you could just go in for a swim...which was nice, but now there's a park ranger there insisting you can only go in with a (supplied) life jacket on
I've not bothered swimming there since the life jacket rule came in, but many still do. I can understand it though as I guess quite a few of the visitors aren't great swimmers and it is deep and so if someone does get in to trouble they ain't going to be touching the bottom. Elf and safety and all that.There's also Hanauma Bay. It's an under-water national park or something like that. Basically it's a bay where you can hire a mask, snorkel and fins and just float about watching the reef fish...of which there are a decent amount there as it isn't fished. Of course you can also swim out further and deeper for a better look at more fish. On our first trip in '85 the reef/coral was 'coloured' as you'd expect, but over the years it's got kind of just a dull grey so the reef/coral isn't much to look at now...but there's still the coloured reef fish.
On the last trip we also took the submarine trip from Waikiki - it operates from the pier off the Hilton. A boat take you out to it - it doesn't come in to the shore. Actually the boat ride out and back was quite nice with views of Waikiki. It's 'OK' inasmuch as it's a proper submarine and dives to about 100 feet deep. It then plots a standard course past some wrecks and a plane (than have been sunk for the benefit of the trip) and you see fish. But it's then luck of the draw what you actually see - we saw loads of 'regular' fish, but no sharks or anything properly large. And of course at that depth everything loses its colour so it's blue water and white fish...but the visibility is very good. Glad we did it, but I wouldn't do it again.
We have never done any of the party-boat/booze trip stuff as it's not really our scene, but folks that do do it seem to have a good time.
I'm sure there's more but I've written enough. I can really understand why Honolulu/Waikiki is disliked by some folks, especially wilderness folks who are expecting Hawaii to be endless empty beaches and palm trees, but as city-folks we like it a lot.
Enjoy.
Or, without a 4x4, you can visit Kilauea and walk across the crater. There are also boat trips to see the lava flowing into the sea. However these can occasionally get cancelled if the wind is blowing off shore due to the gases (or they're not allowed to get close to actually see much).
Stayed on the big Island in 2011 as part of a longer hol to California, car rental essential. Hotel was Fairmont Orchid on Northwest coast nice place. Did a helicopter tour which was great to see some lava flows and canyons etc. Did a stargazing trip to the top of Mauna Kea where they have all the large observation telescopes, think it’s about 15k feet at the summit so you can feel how thin the air is if you’ve come straight from sea level. We drove around a fair bit and the drives to the interesting spots were far alright. Great to have ticked it off the box but I doubt if I’ll ever venture back given the distance involved .
xx99xx said:
Or the 2022 edition: https://amzn.eu/d/e33unVq
Well I look daft, my google skills clearly suck. Thank you!InformationSuperHighway said:
It may be too late but I think you're missing a trick not going to Maui...
No nothing actually booked internally yet so we're not locked in. I was a bit worried about the fire damage still, and kind of had to choice between Maui and Kauai. We felt 4 islands would be a bit too much hoppping.tvrolet said:
A lot of great stuff
Fantastic, thank you. A brilliant amount to work through there. Nice to see some love for O'ahu too. I looked at the hotel you mentioned in Kona, looks great but is coming in at £420 a night which seems a bit peaky for me 
We have a house on Castles Beach on Oahu, which is about 30 minutes drive from Honolulu. There's a lot more to the island than the typical American city so don't worry about staying somewhere further afield. Waikiki does tend to be a tourist trap and for the locals but most people we have over want to go just to say they've been there.
Be careful if you surf or swim in the ocean, there are box jellyfish around, amongst other things.
There was a good post above with probably eveything you need but in addition to that, there are wildlife sactuaries, nature reserves, and biking trails around if you're into that type of thing.
Be careful if you surf or swim in the ocean, there are box jellyfish around, amongst other things.
There was a good post above with probably eveything you need but in addition to that, there are wildlife sactuaries, nature reserves, and biking trails around if you're into that type of thing.
Alexandra said:
We have a house on Castles Beach on Oahu, which is about 30 minutes drive from Honolulu. There's a lot more to the island than the typical American city so don't worry about staying somewhere further afield. Waikiki does tend to be a tourist trap and for the locals but most people we have over want to go just to say they've been there.
Be careful if you surf or swim in the ocean, there are box jellyfish around, amongst other things.
There was a good post above with probably eveything you need but in addition to that, there are wildlife sactuaries, nature reserves, and biking trails around if you're into that type of thing.
Do you do rentals? Be careful if you surf or swim in the ocean, there are box jellyfish around, amongst other things.
There was a good post above with probably eveything you need but in addition to that, there are wildlife sactuaries, nature reserves, and biking trails around if you're into that type of thing.
The weather and storms over there have been awful recently. We were going to go for Spring break but decided not to based on the weather.
There has been infrastructure damage to roads and bridges but they will sort that out quickly. There have also been blackouts on the island, although they don't last long. Depending on when you're going, you should be okay as the forecast looks like it's improving from tomorrow.
There has been infrastructure damage to roads and bridges but they will sort that out quickly. There have also been blackouts on the island, although they don't last long. Depending on when you're going, you should be okay as the forecast looks like it's improving from tomorrow.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff