Hawaiians...
 

This is a question for anyone that lives in Hawaii or has been to Hawaii. My famil and I are thinking of taking a trip to Hawaii this summer, my husband, myself and two boys. When I do reasearch it is so confusing, which Island to visit, where to stay, what extras to do? Which Island would be best to visit with two boys age 14 and 11. We want to stay in a place on the beach that is nice but not grand, an all inclusive place would be great, but I hear they don't offer that anywhere in Hawaii. Any advice anyone??

Personally, I did not like Wikiki on Oahu. Last year I went on a cruise around a handful of the islands - Maui and the Big Island stick out in my mind. Maui has a lot to do with many different places to stay - after the cruise my bf and I stayed for 5 days in Maui. We rented a condo off Craigslist for a very good price. I also liked the Big Island, I really liked Kona in particular. It all depends on what you want to do - you should get a Hawaii Frodors travel book. :)

Good luck!!

I was born and raised in Hawaii so I can probably help. Need to know what all you want to 'do'. O'ahu is the main island as far as Waikiki, Arizona Memorial, beaches for swimming and/or surfing, and other touristy stuff. It pretty much is open 24/7. The other islands (Kauai, Maui, Hawaii - the big island) are more scenic - so lots of hiking and driving but the towns tend to close down fairly early in the evening except at the larger hotels.

As for hotels, if you stay in O'ahu anyone with a good special will probably be okay. There are some pretty pricey ones so you have to research it. Tell me what you've planned so far and I'll give you my opinion:)

I've been to all the islands. Maui is hands down my favorite, followed by the "Big Island" of Hawaii. Oahu (and in particular Waikiki) is like NYC on a beach. Lots of buildings & high rises very close together and much hustle bustle. The rest of Oahu is a little more laid back, but pretty heavy traffic and I think more expensive than the other islands for sightseeing as well.

As far as an all-inclusive goes, my recommendation would be for renting a condo (depending on the time of year, there is no need to pay more than $100/night for a one bedroom with a pull-out couch or $150/night for a two bedroom) and then you have a fully furnished kitchen and most times a washer/dryer as well. If you stay some place that has a nice pool(s) and beach front (and I'm not sure there are any that don't) you can hang out during the morning/early afternoon, eating breakfast and lunch at your condo (big savings here) and then sightseeing in the afternoon/evening and either eat dinner out or go back to the condo. You can also go the opposite direction and stay someplace like the Sheraton (on Maui) where you will spend $200-300/night on a hotel room and although there are lots of restaurants and things on the complex - they are very expensive.

Maui has lots to do for all ages. The road to Hana with the waterfalls, black sand beach/caves and 7 Sacred Pools is an all-day adventure, you have the volcano, the Iao Valley, tons of places to snorkel right off the beach and as many water adventures as well. If you stay near Lahaina, nothing closes before 9:00pm.

The big Island has fabulous snorkeling with lots of green sea turtles because of all the lava, but much less beach front (unless you are on the Hilo side and it rains lots every day there), but also tons to see with the Volcano National Park, you can spend a day driving around the island stopping at the waterfalls and botanical gardens, etc.

I found Kaui to be beautiful and nice if you like outdoor hiking, kayaking and golf - but everything closes just after lunch and it was boring at night even for us early birds who go to bed at 9:00pm!!

I hope this helps and I am sure that Hokule'a can be even more helpful!!!!

I'm going to be spending some time on Kona - what are the best hiking sites or other need to go places?

We'll have a car so we can go away from Kona too. Send the suggestions.

Sorry to hijack the thread. :)

Definitely go to Volcano National Park - this is an all day trip from Kona, but well worth it. If you drive down the Ali'i Hwy beyond the airport (away from Kona), there are a couple really nice beaches where you have to drive down a hidden road (looking for a mile marker along the road) and then park and hike the rest of the way. Just down from Kona (further away from the airport) is what is known locally as "turtle cove", a salt-n-pepper beach where the sea turtles frequent and can be seen along the water's edge eating the moss off the rocks. The "Painted Church" is worth the drive and there are many coffee plantations that can be toured. There is a gorgeous green sand beach at the tip of the island (sorry, I can't remember if it's Southern most or Northern most) requires a long hike. Take water with you and wear good hiking shoes, cause if you want to go down to the beach you have to hike down scaling big rocks!! If you pick up a guide book or do an internet search you'll find all this stuff I'm describing.

I love the scenery the most on the big island. You can walk along the water front and be amazed at the sea life contained in the tide pools!!!!

Have a blast!!!

I forgot to add my two cents - for the BEST, most authentic Laua - the Old Lahaina Laua can't be beat. We've been to many of them on all the islands and this is the only one we've gone back to. The food is good as well. Make reservations in advance - like now if you're going in a few months. All the laua's are expensive, but this one is actually worth it. If you take the time to go to a timeshare presentation while you're there, you can get significant discounts on the big ticket items such as the snorkel/sail/lunch to Molokini...

Which island is this laua on? or is it offered on all? I was thinking all inclusive because it would include meals. We really just like to lay around on the beach and swim in the ocean, swim at a pool, eat good food, shop a little and maybe see some waterfalls or a volcano, go to a luau, maybe snorkel. So where is the best to do these things?

This luau (sp?) is on Maui and in the town of Lahaina. Maui is pretty laid back and has nice beaches and lots of them. You need to go toward Hana to see waterfalls, but there is a volcano and the snorkeling is very good. I understand your thinking about the all-inclusive, but I don't know of any. The larger hotel chains might have some packages, but I would guess they would be very expensive - and it doesn't have to be that way. There are many travel sites that coordinate booking condos/flights/rental cars and even sightseeing. The link below is just one I like.

http://www.greathawaiivacations.com/index.html

Do some research on both Maui and Hawaii. I think both of them would be good options for you....

I agree, I think Maui would be the best bet for what you want to do. I would only add O'ahu and/or Hawaii if you were going to be there longer than a week and wanted to hit more spots of interest.

I was born and raised on O'ahu so it's 'home' to me and my favorite island. However, if I was going to go somewhere just to 'relax' and play tourist then I would go to Lahaina, Maui:) Lots of info on the internet on places to see there. Or you could take LuvMySissy's mom as a tour guide - she gave wonderful descriptions of fun places to go:)

And yes, go with a condo because the food and entertainment is very expensive and you can save money eating breakfast at your condo and even packing sandwiches and stuff for lunch and then treat yourself to dinners out:)

Thanks Jodi, I think Maui does look like where we would find what we are looking for. Is there a certain area in Maui to be in for easy access to things, or should we plan on renting a car?

That is a big help, I was wondering what part of Maui, and I think we would go with a condo, i never even thought of that till you and Jodi mentioned it. It is so much cheaper.

You'll definitely need a rental car - but this is the case on all the islands, particularly if you want to do any sightseeing. For the easiest access to most things, look for someplace in Lahaina, Kaanapali or Kahana. You will have more luck with condos in Lahaina and Kahana.......

I sure appreciate all of your guys help, I am doing some searching on web.

We found some great places on Oahu as well. Everyone should visit Pearl Harbor at least once in their lives, and the hike on Diamond Head is awesome!! The North Shore is also a site to see, though I thought the Polynesian Cultural Center was pricey and the snorkeling is much better on the other islands.

If I find myself routing through Oahu anytime in the near future, I'll let you know and we can meet up. We are going to Maui again this year the end of February, but we're flying directly from the mainland to Maui and then back to the mainland.

Have you figured out that the Hawaiian Islands are my FAVORITE place on earth?! Even though the flight is long and icky - I've done it every year for 8 years now. I hope to continue!!

I also know a great little yoga studio in Lahaina as well as a wonderful surf instructor ........