Originally Posted by kalina82 (Post 1199222)

I loved the Road to Hana. We left ass early in the morning to beat the traffic. Saw people along the way but they never slowed us down. the roads are kinda scary tho in some places. Instead of backtracking when we were done we just kept going around and boy are those cliffs steep. There were also quite a few cows in the way at some parts LOL i thought it was hilarious. We also drove around the north west part of the island which sacred the hell out of me. the roads were 5 times worse then the back end on the road to hana. talk about falling to your doom. If you don't get a jeep or all terrain vehicle do not go up there. Very pretty tho and lots to see if your brave.

Originally Posted by Rhapsody (Post 1199223)

I've been to Hawaii a few times. Gosh the entire place is so beautiful, and I can't think of a place that isn't a must see, lol, but I'd definately visit the Pearl Harbor memorial while you are there. Truly a moving place and it really brings WWII into reality. Have a safe and fun trip!!

Originally Posted by LuvMySissy (Post 1199352)

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!!

Originally Posted by njoydaride (Post 1199146)

Definitely go to Oahu then! You could even look for deals where you can visit a different island for a weekend or something. If you do go to Oahu, go around the island. It only takes a few hours and you can visit all the scenic points. When you go to the North Shore, be sure to stop by Matsumoto's Shaved Ice and get it with ice cream and red beans. You won't be sorry! Also visit Ko Olina beach if you go on the west of the island. It's a very relaxing, quiet beach. Hanauma Bay is also beautiful and you can snorkel and see fishes, but it's a lot more busy. If you do go to a luau, I suggest the Germaine's luau. My Mom always sends visitors there and they love it.

I'm sorry, I'm rambling. There's just so much to see and do.

Originally Posted by mizzwanned (Post 1199539)

How lucky are you!!!! I wish I were leaving in 2 weeks!!! Take a lot of pictures!! Are you taking Eddie and Jack with you?

Originally Posted by njoydaride (Post 1200179)

:yeahthat: Even though they lifted the mandatory 120 days in quarantine or whatever it was, you still have A LOT to consider like the dog has to be vaccinated twice in it's lifetime and administered more than 90 days apart. It's crazy. Here's the checklist:

http://www.hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqs-checklist-5.pdf

It's 4 pages long.

Originally Posted by margaritaville (Post 1199489)

We were in Hawaii in May on the Big Island. If you possibly can swing it take the helicopter tour-great view of the volcanos at the national park. It's amazing watching the fire and steam rising out of them.

Originally Posted by TLC (Post 1199504)

My sister has lived there for 1.5 years now (and her Silky Girl - LuLu).

Her and her boyfriend and LuLu moved to Oahu, Waikiki. Just this past month they all moved to the "Big Island" - I think Kona, but I am not sure.

Anyway, they just opened a Sushi and Martini Bar :)

It is called - Sushi En Fuego
It is located on the beach, next to Hooters and Bubba Gump Shrimp!

Check it out if you happen to go the "Big Island"

Her name is Dana and her Boyfriends name is Dave, tell them Nicole (Big Sis) sent you, they would freak out :eek:

Originally Posted by TLC (Post 1199512)

I don't think you can just bring pets for vacation :confused:

It took my sister about a year to get LuLu into Hawaii. Go to the Dept. of Agriculture for Hawaii, you'll learn about it from there ;)

Originally Posted by scrappymomma (Post 1199889)

I was also born and raised there on O'ahu....Kailua. We usually go back once a year, all of my family is still there spread all over the island. I was just there in Dec.

Luvmysissy, I thought they changed the quarantine to 5 days now? I remember when it was 30 days. That would be awesome if you didnt have to do it but also it would open Hawai'i up to Rabies. When I take my kids back we go for 3-4 weeks but the last 2 years I leave before them because I didnt want to leave the dogs for that long. How nice that would be if I could take them with me, shoot I might not come back home to Oregon...lol

Originally Posted by nvnvgirl (Post 1200418)

Oops...sorry; the quarantine thing has already been covered succinctly. From what I understand, and perhaps it's just the specific airline on the way back to the mainland, pets can be in the cabin on the way back, but have to go in cargo on the way there. Regardless, I'd never put my animal in cargo.



SUSHI EN FUEGO!!! I've been there! It's really good! My dad and stepmom go all the time! And it's right there in Kona on Alii Drive. Bubba Gumps is a great place too to sit on the deck and watch the sea turtles (along with eating and drinking;) ).

Originally Posted by camly (Post 1199901)

OMG! the shaved ice with red beans looove that .. we have that here :p

but we spent a week in Maui, a friend of ours has a house there .. it was beautiful .. i highly reccomend if you're able to go scuba diving by the crater (the name escapes me .. molokai??) we went snorkeling but damn would have wished i brought along my scuba gear. i went there just to relax so spent most of my time on the beach.

when you go take lots of pics and post when you get back!

Originally Posted by LuvMySissy (Post 1200046)

The quarantine has been lifted, but there are still lots of hoops to jump through. You have to complete special paperwork, make sure it is filed and received by their animal control and approved so many days prior to your arrival, you must enter the islands through Honolulu to claim your pet prior to 5:00pm on arrival day (or then they have to stay in quarantine for least 24 hours and you have to pay for it) and they must fly cargo. Too many regulations for a visit and I'd never put my small babies in cargo!!!

We did the helicopter tour while in Kauaii. It was fabulous and the only way you can see all the cliffs and many of the waterfalls up close. I've heard the one on the Big Island is also really neat, but you only see the red lava flow at night.

Take your time on each island, otherwise you only get a taste and you'll be exhausted. There is literally so much to see and do that you could be running from sun up till sun down every single day!!!!

Snorkeling/snuba/scuba at the Molokai crater off Maui is a good thing to do, but if you are into snorkeling or you are certified to scuba - there are many great places you can do this on your own without incurring a whole day and lost of $ as well. And, truly the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui is really the best there is. The dance is authentic and very good, as is the food. We've been to luaus on every island at all the recommended places and they don't even come close to comparing. Plus, our daughter has been a Polynesian dancer for 11 years, so we know our dancing.

For everyone wondering, yes there is Polynesian dance in Michigan!!!! Our daughter is actually VERY good at it and wants to make this her career. She will be visiting with a professional Polynesian dance troupe just outside of San Diego in August to audition for a permanent fulltime position starting in January!!!