| LuvMySissy | 06-27-2007 03:47 PM | Hi there!!! I've been to all the islands. We have been going every year for the past 9 years. Long flight, but well worth it.
My least favorite place is Oahu. I call it "New York City on a beach". Waikiki is always voted one of the 10 most beautiful beaches, but I find it dirty, loud and crowded. Visiting the Arizona at Pearl Harbor is a MUST!! Diamond Head is a really great hike and the North Shore is awesome in every way, but I found the Polynesian Cultural Center to be pretty corny. If you don't go to Oahu but fly in and out of your destination through Honolulu, you can take the first flight to Honolulu on the day you leave and spend the day at Pearl Harbor before you fly out.
My favorite place is Maui. I love the atmosphere!! It is very laid back and you can find virtually everything there. The volcano is not active but has great views and much to do around it, the Road to Hana is fun (and the back road coming home is just FINE to drive if you are used to big city driving and horrible road conditions). The Iao Valley is nice, the Old Lahaina Luau is simply the best there is on any island (been to LOTS of them)!! There is just so much to see/do. There is awesome yoga and the town of Lahaina is just so much fun to shop and people watch. I can also recommend a fabulous surf instructor here. This is the best island to see the humpback whales during the season (January-March) as they calve and mate in the channel.
I also really love the Big Island of Hawaii. Two very different halves of the island; one volcanic and one rainforest. The island is very easy to drive. The Volcanoes National Park is fabulous. The rainforest side of the island has spectactular waterfalls and flora and the volcanic side has the best snorkeling with lots of green sea turtles.
Kauai is very quiet and laidback. Great for folks who love hiking, kayaking and golf. In most of the smaller towns, everything (and I mean everything) closes at 2:00pm, so it can be VERY BORING at night unless you are at a major resort. Gorgeous scenery and the Waimea Canyon is beautiful.
Molokai has a very different feel altogether. Not very welcoming to tourists, but a highly spiritual island. Home to the Father Damien Leper Colony and can only be seen on a tour.
Lanai has hardly anything on it, a couple hotels, some houses and a few golf courses. Worth doing a dolphin/snorkel/island adventure for one day if staying on Maui if time permits.
Love everything about the Hawaiian Islands. Highly recommend them to everyone!! Would love to live there some day!!!!!! PM me if you'd like more details........
P.S. The quarantine information has changed in the past year. As long as the paperwork is filed with enough notice, you can bring your baby. The problem is they MUST fly cargo and you MUST route through Honolulu and arrive to claim your baby prior to 5:00pm!! |