Hawaii....help me (1 Viewer)

[zoonation]

INSANE to take a 1 hour flight!?

lolol

it's not just the 1 hour though is it? If you stayed in Kihei it is a 45 minute drive to the airport and you have to be there an hour early. Then from the airport in Kauai to the north shore (where I would recommend staying) is another 45 minute-1 hour drive after you get your bags and rental car (30 mins to an hour) it is a 4 hour process easily. Just what you want on what is already a very tight trip when you have taken a 7+ hour flight just to get there.

Float the idea at trip advisor and report back. I know...ALL of those people are wrong too.

lol

Why is trip advisor the king of travel itinerary advice? Analogous to listening to the idiots in the Shark Pool for Magic Football advice. Just a bunch of lemmings following each other off the cliff in both places.

Seems to me to be a personal choice issue. Trip advisor is probably ok for hotel or restaurant advice but there's no way I'd rely on them to plan my itinerary.

That's not what I said though, is it? The people who hang out on those forums are dedicated Hawaii enthusiasts, many of whom either live on the island or own rental property there. They have a lot of experience and good insight. They would universally tell you not to island hop on a six day trip. The locals on the Kauai forum would tell you not to move condos/hotels on that island (north to south) if you only had 5 nights.

The travel forums on TA are always a good place to lurk when planning trips. Like anything, you have to weed out the good and bad info, but you generally can get a sense of who knows what they are talking about. However, unlike you I would never rely on TA for restaurant advice.

And, the Shark Pool analogy is a poor one.

Listen, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just think recommending that the OP island hop on a 6 day trip is horrible advice.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Do the brilliant people at Trip Advisor also universally tell everyone to not bother flying anywhere for a 3-day weekend vacation? I mean, if you have to drive to the airport, fight through security, take an hour (or more) flight somewhere, and then actually travel a bit more to get to a hotel once you land, what's the point, right? Might as well sit on your couch all weekend relaxing. This traveling stuff is too stressful to waste any valuable time actually moving around the world unless you have a minimum of 2 weeks to relax once you get wherever you are headed.

I bet these Trip Advisor jedi's probably all hate taking vacations where you actually have to drive somewhere too. I mean, how wasteful is that? It's INSANE to drive anywhere that might allow you to see something new when you could just stay in bed and sleep.

These travel "experts" sound like they hate travel to me.

 

[zoonation]

This thread is ridiculous.

 

[Whitetail Hunter]

INSANE to take a 1 hour flight!?

lolol

it's not just the 1 hour though is it? If you stayed in Kihei it is a 45 minute drive to the airport and you have to be there an hour early. Then from the airport in Kauai to the north shore (where I would recommend staying) is another 45 minute-1 hour drive after you get your bags and rental car (30 mins to an hour) it is a 4 hour process easily. Just what you want on what is already a very tight trip when you have taken a 7+ hour flight just to get there.

Float the idea at trip advisor and report back. I know...ALL of those people are wrong too.

lol

Why is trip advisor the king of travel itinerary advice? Analogous to listening to the idiots in the Shark Pool for Magic Football advice. Just a bunch of lemmings following each other off the cliff in both places.

Seems to me to be a personal choice issue. Trip advisor is probably ok for hotel or restaurant advice but there's no way I'd rely on them to plan my itinerary.

That's not what I said though, is it? The people who hang out on those forums are dedicated Hawaii enthusiasts, many of whom either live on the island or own rental property there. They have a lot of experience and good insight. They would universally tell you not to island hop on a six day trip. The locals on the Kauai forum would tell you not to move condos/hotels on that island (north to south) if you only had 5 nights.

The travel forums on TA are always a good place to lurk when planning trips. Like anything, you have to weed out the good and bad info, but you generally can get a sense of who knows what they are talking about. However, unlike you I would never rely on TA for restaurant advice.

And, the Shark Pool analogy is a poor one.

Listen, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just think recommending that the OP island hop on a 6 day trip is horrible advice.

I'd strongly question the value of all the advice I'm getting from a group of people who universally suggest not splitting up a 6-day trip. Maybe the OP will never get back to Hawaii and this will be his only chance to see both places. Following the pack of lemmings is almost never a good idea.

FWIW, we used a rec from TA for a hotel in Salvadore, Brazil and were really happy. Mexico, not so much. I must admit that I haven't relied on TA for restaurant advice (prefer Zagat) but probably would use it. Why do you disagree?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

The people who hang out on those forums are dedicated Hawaii enthusiasts, many of whom either live on the island or own rental property there. They have a lot of experience and good insight. They would universally tell you not to island hop on a six day trip. The locals on the Kauai forum would tell you not to move condos/hotels on that island (north to south) if you only had 5 nights.

If I was going to Hawaii, had only 6 or 7 days for my trip, and knew there was a good chance I would not have a chance to return anytime soon, I wouldn't really want to take this type of advice from people who live there or own rental property there. Those people have as much time as they want to explore all the islands so I don't see how they are a great resource or expert for someone who wants to see as much as possible in the short time they have available.

When I went to Hawaii, I wanted to see and do as much as possible. I treat every vacation that way when I am going someplace for the first time. Sure I wish I had more time to spend there but I felt like I made the most of the limited time I had available.

If you go back there often, then of course spending more time on one island makes sense. And if you have more time to spend in Hawaii, of course you should do so. That's not going to apply to everyone though so I'm not sure why you keep saying it's insane or stupid to spend a few days on several islands instead of 6 on one. Some people want different things when they travel. Explain the options and let people decide what they prefer.

I'm sure 6 days is pushing it for splitting up the trip into two islands, but it can be done.

 

[Whitetail Hunter]

If I was going to Hawaii, had only 6 or 7 days for my trip, and knew there was a good chance I would not have a chance to return anytime soon, I wouldn't really want to take this type of advice from people who live there or own rental property there. Those people have as much time as they want to explore all the islands so I don't see how they are a great resource or expert for someone who wants to see as much as possible in the short time they have available.

When I went to Hawaii, I wanted to see and do as much as possible. I treat every vacation that way when I am going someplace for the first time. Sure I wish I had more time to spend there but I felt like I made the most of the limited time I had available.

If you go back there often, then of course spending more time on one island makes sense. And if you have more time to spend in Hawaii, of course you should do so. That's not going to apply to everyone though so I'm not sure why you keep saying it's insane or stupid to spend a few days on several islands instead of 6 on one.

 

[johnnycakes]

INSANE to take a 1 hour flight!?

lolol

it's not just the 1 hour though is it? If you stayed in Kihei it is a 45 minute drive to the airport and you have to be there an hour early. Then from the airport in Kauai to the north shore (where I would recommend staying) is another 45 minute-1 hour drive after you get your bags and rental car (30 mins to an hour) it is a 4 hour process easily. Just what you want on what is already a very tight trip when you have taken a 7+ hour flight just to get there. Float the idea at trip advisor and report back. I know...ALL of those people are wrong too.

lol

Why is trip advisor the king of travel itinerary advice? Analogous to listening to the idiots in the Shark Pool for Magic Football advice. Just a bunch of lemmings following each other off the cliff in both places.

Seems to me to be a personal choice issue. Trip advisor is probably ok for hotel or restaurant advice but there's no way I'd rely on them to plan my itinerary.

Wrong. the trip advisor forums are an incredibly good resource. I used them for all my Hawaii trips, and for my 20 day multi-city European honeymoon. There's some good advice from experienced travelers on those forums.

OK Scoresman. Like I said, probably ok for certain types of advice i.e. hotels and restaurants and I will add that you can probably get info on excursions but relying on their advice as to whether you should break up a 6-day trip is stupid. Even then, some of their advice is terrible--my wife booked a hotel in Mexico based on the 4- and 5-star ratings from past guests and it was terrible. A bunch of people who'd never been out of the country before giving advice as if they're experts.

I've traveled more than most--lived on 3 different contingents and have ~3MM miles on AA. Probably ~1MM on other airlines. One thing I know for sure is that my family and I have our own way of doing things and taking itinerary advice from someone named "Scoresman" or idiots on Trip Advisor isn't one of them.

OK "Whitetail Hunter"

You know the alias isn't referring to deer, right?

 

[The General]

This thread is ridiculous.

Agreed.These people all need a vacation to Hawaii to calm down a little.

 

[johnnycakes]

This thread is ridiculous.

Agreed.These people all need a vacation to Hawaii to calm down a little.

Going back next May for two weeks.

 

[Whitetail Hunter]

This thread is ridiculous.

Agreed.These people all need a vacation to Hawaii to calm down a little.

Going back next May for two weeks.

DO NOT ASK FOR ADVICE ON ISLAND HOPPING. IF YOU DECIDE TO ISLAND HOP, YOU ARE INSANE AND WOULD BE BETTER OFF KEEPING THAT INFO TO YOURSELF.

 

[zoonation]

This thread is ridiculous.

Agreed.These people all need a vacation to Hawaii to calm down a little.

Going back next May for two weeks.

DO NOT ASK FOR ADVICE ON ISLAND HOPPING. IF YOU DECIDE TO ISLAND HOP, YOU ARE INSANE AND WOULD BE BETTER OFF KEEPING THAT INFO TO YOURSELF.

lol. Except that he is going for two weeks. The OP has 6 days and 5 total nights. Three of those days will be spent on a plane.

But good use of the all caps there.

 

[Scoresman]

The people who hang out on those forums are dedicated Hawaii enthusiasts, many of whom either live on the island or own rental property there. They have a lot of experience and good insight. They would universally tell you not to island hop on a six day trip. The locals on the Kauai forum would tell you not to move condos/hotels on that island (north to south) if you only had 5 nights.

If I was going to Hawaii, had only 6 or 7 days for my trip, and knew there was a good chance I would not have a chance to return anytime soon, I wouldn't really want to take this type of advice from people who live there or own rental property there. Those people have as much time as they want to explore all the islands so I don't see how they are a great resource or expert for someone who wants to see as much as possible in the short time they have available.

When I went to Hawaii, I wanted to see and do as much as possible. I treat every vacation that way when I am going someplace for the first time. Sure I wish I had more time to spend there but I felt like I made the most of the limited time I had available.

If you go back there often, then of course spending more time on one island makes sense. And if you have more time to spend in Hawaii, of course you should do so. That's not going to apply to everyone though so I'm not sure why you keep saying it's insane or stupid to spend a few days on several islands instead of 6 on one. Some people want different things when they travel. Explain the options and let people decide what they prefer.

I'm sure 6 days is pushing it for splitting up the trip into two islands, but it can be done.

If you won't have a chance to return, why waste precious travel minutes on more planes? And no, before you respond with the "But its only an hour!?!?" strawman argument, no its not only an hour.

Yes, people want different things when they travel and it's not impossible to island hop on 6 days, no one's doubting that. But it's almost universally accepted that when you're planning a trip to multiple places, its better to soak up a few places rather than try to cram in many places just to say you saw it and get only a highlight or two. If you happen to not like TA for some reason, go to other travel sites. You'll see the same advice. It's no different for Hawaii, in fact it's especially true for Hawaii since most people also go to Hawaii for some downtime/relaxation and in Hawaii, this means fitting in days where you just sit at the pool/beach drinking mai tais.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

If you won't have a chance to return, why waste precious travel minutes on more planes? And no, before you respond with the "But its only an hour!?!?" strawman argument, no its not only an hour.

BECAUSE YOU GET TO SEE A WHOLE DIFFERENT ISLAND in exchange for a short amount of travel time!

Get 4 less hours of sleep on your trip and you won't miss out on anything at all.

Maybe when you go to Hawaii, you should never leave your hotel b/c there's plenty of things to do and you wouldn't want to waste time driving in a car to another part of the island. When you go to Vegas, just stay in one casino. You don't want to waste any time moving around to different casinos as that could be spent relaxing.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

When I took a trip to Australia (13-15 hour flight to/from LAX), we were there for about 12 days. Flew into Sydney for a few days, then flew to Melbourne for a few days, then flew up to Cairns to go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef for a few days, then flew back to Sydney and flew back home. That's 3 domestic flights within a 2-week period plus almost 24 hours of travel on either end of the trip. I got to see a lot of the country in a short amount of time and it was awesome. Don't know when I'll ever get back there but it was definitely worth packing as much in as we could IMO.

I'm sure the Trip Advisor "experts" would have said that wasn't enough time to do all that, but they are apparently not that smart.

 

[Scoresman]

If you won't have a chance to return, why waste precious travel minutes on more planes? And no, before you respond with the "But its only an hour!?!?" strawman argument, no its not only an hour.

BECAUSE YOU GET TO SEE A WHOLE DIFFERENT ISLAND in exchange for a short amount of travel time!

This is where we fundamentally disagree and where you fundamentally disagree with the majority of experienced travelers. Rushing through an island seeing maybe 1 or 2 things is not really "seeing" it in my opinion. It's more "passing through". You have no time to really absorb anything. If your only goal is to check off as many travel bucket list items as possible, then by all means continue to do so, but realize that most people don't want this out of a Hawaiian vacation.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Point is there's a lot more to see and do in Hawaii than sit around and drink Mai Tais on the beach. If that's all you care about, there are plenty of places easier to get to and much less expensive that can offer almost the same type of experience.

How did I see "one or two things" on each island? What exactly did I miss out on that I would have needed 3 more days to see and experience?

Maui: Road to Hana, Haleakala, Lahaina, Kihei, Molokini

Kauai: Waimea, Koloa/Poipu, Na Pali, Hanalei

 

[Scoresman]

Point is there's a lot more to see and do in Hawaii than sit around and drink Mai Tais on the beach. If that's all you care about, there are plenty of places easier to get to and much less expensive that can offer almost the same type of experience.

You really should change your forum name to Strawman.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Point is there's a lot more to see and do in Hawaii than sit around and drink Mai Tais on the beach. If that's all you care about, there are plenty of places easier to get to and much less expensive that can offer almost the same type of experience.

You really should change your forum name to Strawman.

you really should stop giving travel advice and claiming to be an expert

when someone asks you what to do on a 6-day trip, your answer is to not do anything.

 

[Statorama]

Four Seasons Maui.

/thread

Top two hotel I've ever stayed at.

Looked at the pictures there and wasn't crazy about their ocean views. Anyone have some recommendations of hotels with great ocean views? (Ocean front preferred)

 

[Scoresman]

Point is there's a lot more to see and do in Hawaii than sit around and drink Mai Tais on the beach. If that's all you care about, there are plenty of places easier to get to and much less expensive that can offer almost the same type of experience.

You really should change your forum name to Strawman.

you really should stop giving travel advice and claiming to be an expert

when someone asks you what to do on a 6-day trip, your answer is to not do anything.

take your own advice and look up, Copernicus.

look at the itinerary I posted and tell it really "isn't doing anything".

 

[Statorama]

FYI, just from the small amount of research I've done, Road to Hana looks epic

 

[zoonation]

FYI, just from the small amount of research I've done, Road to Hana looks epic

It is a really fun trip and worth doing once. Long though. Takes the whole day and is several hours in the car. Some people like to break it up and stay the night in Hana. Gives you more time to really see everything up there apparently.

 

[zoonation]

Point is there's a lot more to see and do in Hawaii than sit around and drink Mai Tais on the beach. If that's all you care about, there are plenty of places easier to get to and much less expensive that can offer almost the same type of experience.

You really should change your forum name to Strawman.

you really should stop giving travel advice and claiming to be an expert

when someone asks you what to do on a 6-day trip, your answer is to not do anything.

You are really flailing away here. The choices aren't island hop on a 5 night vacation or do nothing. I'm not sure why you are resorting to hyperbole and strawman arguments.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

it's not just the 1 hour though is it? If you stayed in Kihei it is a 45 minute drive to the airport and you have to be there an hour early.

why does a 20-minute drive take you 45 minutes? are you on a moped?

public transportation gets you from Kihei to OGG in 45 minutes according to google maps, and that involves a transfer!

also, why get to an airport an hour early if you're not checking bags and the security lines are non existent?

so much drama over giving up 4 hours of a weeklong trip.

if the tradeoff is sitting on the beach for 4 hours vs getting to see some highlights from another awesome island, I'm taking island #2 everytime.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

You are really flailing away here. The choices aren't island hop on a 5 night vacation or do nothing. I'm not sure why you are resorting to hyperbole and strawman arguments.

you're the one who said going to a 2nd island was "out of the question" and "insane"

not to mention the gem about needing a 17-day vacation to Hawaii to have enough time to visit more than one island.

it's ridiculous advice and I'm calling you on it.

 

[Scoresman]

it's not just the 1 hour though is it? If you stayed in Kihei it is a 45 minute drive to the airport and you have to be there an hour early.

why does a 20-minute drive take you 45 minutes? are you on a moped?

public transportation gets you from Kihei to OGG in 45 minutes according to google maps, and that involves a transfer!

also, why get to an airport an hour early if you're not checking bags and the security lines are non existent?

so much drama over giving up 4 hours of a weeklong trip.

if the tradeoff is sitting on the beach for 4 hours vs getting to see some highlights from another awesome island, I'm taking island #2 everytime.

To me, its not even the travel time that makes it bad advice to suggest island hopping on a 6 day trip. It's going to feel rushed and hard to take any one thing in entirely. And feeling rushed seems to be the exact opposite of what Hawaii is about.

 

[culdeus]

great open handed slap fight here

 

[zoonation]

You are really flailing away here. The choices aren't island hop on a 5 night vacation or do nothing. I'm not sure why you are resorting to hyperbole and strawman arguments.

you're the one who said going to a 2nd island was "out of the question" and "insane"

not to mention the gem about needing a 17-day vacation to Hawaii to have enough time to visit more than one island.

it's ridiculous advice and I'm calling you on it.

I didn't say that, actually. I said that is the trip I did it on. I may have been somewhat hyperbolic in the adjectives used in some posts, but you are delibrately mischaractrizing posts to bolster your argument.

No way you make it from South Kihei to OGG in 20 minutes (and return your rental car and catch shuttle to terminal). 45 total minutes is reasonable from my experience. Depends on the time of day. Traffic on the highway can be bad sometimes. In any event you are going to leave yourself that much time and you won't be doing anything else anyway. It's a travel day. I get that when you arrive in Kauai you can pick up your car and check into new place and still have something to do, but that day is also still a travel day.

We obviously have different vacation styles. You're the guy I met in Europe trying to hit 8 countries in 30 days. I'm the guy who would rather do Greece and Italy or Spain and France in that time.

My real point on the Hawaii thing is that doing two islands on a 5 night trip is definitely not what most people do or would recommend. I get that it works for you and that is fine.

It just should be noted for the OP that it is very uncommon on not advice that is typically given.

Edit: I will concede that if the OP is only going to Hawaii once in a lifetime then seeing two islands might be something to consider. I would at least add on two more days to the trip though.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Different strokes for different folks. I'd agree that one island is probably considered standard for a trip of that length and doubt you could go wrong with spending 6 days on Kauai or Maui or the Big Island, but I just disagreed with the idea that a 2nd island is completely out of the question. Obviously you could take a side trip anywhere if you really wanted to. It's all about what type of vacation you want and what your priorities are.

I rarely get to relax on my vacations as there's too much stuff to see and do, especially when it's my first (and possibly only) time vising someplace.

 

[datonn]

Different strokes for different folks. I'd agree that one island is probably considered standard for a trip of that length and doubt you could go wrong with spending 6 days on Kauai or Maui or the Big Island, but I just disagreed with the idea that a 2nd island is completely out of the question. Obviously you could take a side trip anywhere if you really wanted to. It's all about what type of vacation you want and what your priorities are.

I rarely get to relax on my vacations as there's too much stuff to see and do, especially when it's my first (and possibly only) time vising someplace.

Different strokes for different folks. But that bolded statement above...what's the point of even going on vacation, if you don't have time to relax?

 

[Scoresman]

Different strokes for different folks. I'd agree that one island is probably considered standard for a trip of that length and doubt you could go wrong with spending 6 days on Kauai or Maui or the Big Island, but I just disagreed with the idea that a 2nd island is completely out of the question. Obviously you could take a side trip anywhere if you really wanted to. It's all about what type of vacation you want and what your priorities are.

I rarely get to relax on my vacations as there's too much stuff to see and do, especially when it's my first (and possibly only) time vising someplace.

Different strokes for different folks. But that bolded statement above...what's the point of even going on vacation, if you don't have time to relax?

Especially on a hawaiian vacation, which should be the definition of relaxing.

 

[johnnycakes]

Different strokes for different folks. I'd agree that one island is probably considered standard for a trip of that length and doubt you could go wrong with spending 6 days on Kauai or Maui or the Big Island, but I just disagreed with the idea that a 2nd island is completely out of the question. Obviously you could take a side trip anywhere if you really wanted to. It's all about what type of vacation you want and what your priorities are.

I rarely get to relax on my vacations as there's too much stuff to see and do, especially when it's my first (and possibly only) time vising someplace.

Different strokes for different folks. But that bolded statement above...what's the point of even going on vacation, if you don't have time to relax?

That's part of the reason why I left The Firm... always had to work even while on vacation, and it was fully expected you would check in and handle any issues that came up during your absence. Never could relax on vacation while I was with them.

 

[datonn]

Different strokes for different folks. I'd agree that one island is probably considered standard for a trip of that length and doubt you could go wrong with spending 6 days on Kauai or Maui or the Big Island, but I just disagreed with the idea that a 2nd island is completely out of the question. Obviously you could take a side trip anywhere if you really wanted to. It's all about what type of vacation you want and what your priorities are.

I rarely get to relax on my vacations as there's too much stuff to see and do, especially when it's my first (and possibly only) time vising someplace.

Different strokes for different folks. But that bolded statement above...what's the point of even going on vacation, if you don't have time to relax?

Especially on a hawaiian vacation, which should be the definition of relaxing.

Maybe I'm just a recovering "tripaholic" from my childhood. But my Dad's idea of vacation (both my parents were teachers, Summers off, with family in Hawaii, California, Illinois, Georgia, and Florida...so we'd hop in the car and go most Summers) was to plan every route, book every hotel months in advance, plan every stop/sight we were going to visit, etc. Great and efficient on paper! But what ended up happening more often than not was us seeing something really cool on the side of the road, and him saying "no time...gotta make our hotel check-in by ________." Or spending 10-12 hours trapped in a car. Or literally racing through national parks and other tourist destinations because we had 3-4 more things to see/do on our checklist before dark.

Some people maybe like that. Me? I'd rather go in for elective dental surgery than be forced to go on any more Bataan Death Marches with my Dad. When I travel? Half the time, I don't even know where I'm gonna stay until I get into town or out of the airport. Drives my wife and mom crazy...me just parachuting into "Dubai" or "San Diego," then saying "okay...I suppose I need a place to sleep tonight." The exact, POLAR opposite of my father. But to me, when I travel, that is fun/relaxing...and I know I end up finding, seeing, and staying in lots of cool off-the-beaten-path places that I never would have seen had I booked reservations months in advance.

When we were on the big island, all we knew is that we were going to see Volcanoes, spend a lot of time on SOME beaches, and I was going to hike Mauna Kea. We'd wake up (whenever we wanted to), check the weather, then say "what do we feel like today?" If it took 60 minutes to get there, we'd make sure it'd take 90+ minutes (so we could meander and see a few extra things along the way). Same way we traveled through Japan. And Italy. And the same way I travel across the US and Dubai/Abu Dhabi (for work).

Oh yes, and if you want to have the best experience possible in Hawaii? Pick up a copy of the Hawaii __________ Revealed blue book before you go. Best investment we made before our trip.

 

[The General]

great open handed slap fight here

Absolute definition of First World Problems. Fighting about best way to see Hawaii!

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Different strokes for different folks. I'd agree that one island is probably considered standard for a trip of that length and doubt you could go wrong with spending 6 days on Kauai or Maui or the Big Island, but I just disagreed with the idea that a 2nd island is completely out of the question. Obviously you could take a side trip anywhere if you really wanted to. It's all about what type of vacation you want and what your priorities are.

I rarely get to relax on my vacations as there's too much stuff to see and do, especially when it's my first (and possibly only) time vising someplace.

Different strokes for different folks. But that bolded statement above...what's the point of even going on vacation, if you don't have time to relax?

to see places I've never seen before and do things I wouldn't normally be able to do. I like to have fun and be active when I'm traveling and on vacation rather than sit around and "relax".

I can relax at home. What's the point of spending money on flights and hotels to just be lazy somewhere different?

 

[ffldrew]

In my opinion the beauty of Hawaii is not in all the sights - it's Aloha time. That moment when you are freaking out about 60 minutes after landing and realizing things move a lot different around here - you finally get it and just go with the flow and kick back and get on Aloha time yourself. The Islands are a lot more enjoyable that way and it's the best feeling in the World and why we go back each year.

 

[3 hour lunch]

3 weeks away!

We've got lots of stuff planned....Road to Hana, the volcano bike ride, golfing twice (once on Lanai), snorkeling, a cocktail cruise, few nice dinners, etc.

Staying at Honua Kai in Kaanapali.

For those who have done the Road to Hana- do we need to plan on being back in Kaanapali by dark? Or, if we at least make it back to Paia are we OK?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

For those who have done the Road to Hana- do we need to plan on being back in Kaanapali by dark? Or, if we at least make it back to Paia are we OK?

I think we got back to Paia after dark and it was fine. You just can't see a ton of scenery, but the roads are fine.

 

[The General]

For those who have done the Road to Hana- do we need to plan on being back in Kaanapali by dark? Or, if we at least make it back to Paia are we OK?

I think we got back to Paia after dark and it was fine. You just can't see a ton of scenery, but the roads are fine.

Yup. You will be fine.

 

[3 hour lunch]

Not to turn this into tripadvisor, but enjoyed the Maui trip. If anyone is thinking of going:

- The Road to Hana was boring for long stretches, but worth it IMO to swim in Wailua Falls and take the hike at the end to see Waimoku Falls in the park at the end. A few other cool stops along the way. Definitely takes all day.

- Enjoyed the sunrise at the top of Haleakala crater; and the bike ride down. Probably wouldn't do it again if we went back though...had a great view of the sunrise from our lanai every morning. 2:40 am pickup time was tough.

- Honua Kai is a great resort, and is reasonable especially utilizing VRBO. Tons of kids though- I guess I've gotten used to some of the adults only Cancun all inclusives.

- Golfers should do themselves a favor and play the Challenge at Manele on Lana'i. I know it's a 45 minute ferry ride, and $275....just go. We could make a photo book with just pictures we took that day. Liked Plantation as well, but not as much.

- Was a little disappointed by the snorkeling; expected more kinds of fish I guess. The big sea turtles were cool though; and a new experience.

- Enjoyed Lahaina Grill, Merriman's and Roy's (and Duke's at the resort as well).

 

[Scoresman]

my wife and i spent a week on kauai a few weeks ago and it was just about the best trip ever. island hopping would've added unnecessary hustle and stress and we were already in paradise anyway.

 

[thayman]

INSANE to take a 1 hour flight!?

lolol

give a sample itinerary of a six day trip that includes island hopping. I can only speak for Kauai, but there is no way you can soak in the majority of what it has to offer in just 3 days, no, 2.5 days because half of one of those days being travel time.

Kauai:

Day 1: Land early, drive to see Waimea. Have a nice dinner at the Beach House.

Day 2: Head up to the north shore. See Hanalei Bay. Take a hike along the Na Pali Coast. Take a helicopter tour of the island.

Day 3: Do whatever else you want to do.

Maui:

Day 1: Drive up Haleakala. Maybe throw in a luau. Take a boat out to snorkel Molokini.

Day 2: Road to Hana

Day 3: Do whatever else you want to do.

OMG, that's INSANE!!!!!!!

It depends on what you are into. I lived in Hawaii for a while and my wife was born and raised. Your itinerary is very go, go, go and although that sort of jam packed vacation can be fun and for some people it's not really what Hawaii is about. You aren't going to really appreciate everything each island has to offer in it's own way if you don't take the time to relax a bit.

 

[Rick James]

What kind of itinerary would you plan if you had 14 days beginning May 21 this year? This will be a trip for me and my wife. We're both 31 and love outdoorsy stuff. From what I've read, it sounds like a week in Kauai and a week in Maui would be perfect. My family has history in Honolulu (dad stationed there while in the Navy... mom and dad gave birth to my sister there in 82). So I guess we should check it out, but to be honest I'm really not a big history buff.

I'm thinking of doing a resort for one of the islands and a condo for the other (cheap 7-day rates) to kinda balance out the lodging costs.

 

[The General]

On Maui, you can hike into down into the Haleakala crater and back up then watch the sunset from up there (a lot of people do the sunrise but I liked sunset just as much without the 4 am wakeup call). I would recommend that for one of the days on Maui.

Also buy some snorkel gear before you go.

 

[Polish Hammer]

Condo for Kauai, excellent value there. Stay in Princeville. A few FBGs hooked me up with a ton of info here when the wife and I did our 10th anniversary there. If you decide to do it, PM me and I can send you all of that info to save you a ton of time.

 

[nightmare]

I've been to Hawaii twice (ten days each) and all I can tell you is you'll

enjoy the place more without a "rigid" schedule or time table.

If you have multiple things planned every day or have a "must do"

planned for every day I think you've missed the point of a vacation

in Hawaii.

Whatever you do or don't do you will still have a great time

 

[jon_mx]

What kind of itinerary would you plan if you had 14 days beginning May 21 this year? This will be a trip for me and my wife. We're both 31 and love outdoorsy stuff. From what I've read, it sounds like a week in Kauai and a week in Maui would be perfect. My family has history in Honolulu (dad stationed there while in the Navy... mom and dad gave birth to my sister there in 82). So I guess we should check it out, but to be honest I'm really not a big history buff.

I'm thinking of doing a resort for one of the islands and a condo for the other (cheap 7-day rates) to kinda balance out the lodging costs.

I might try to squeeze a few days on the big island in there.

 

[Rick James]

Condo for Kauai, excellent value there. Stay in Princeville. A few FBGs hooked me up with a ton of info here when the wife and I did our 10th anniversary there. If you decide to do it, PM me and I can send you all of that info to save you a ton of time.

yeah, sounds good.I'll send a PM.

 

[Random]

We are going to Kauai in July. Staying at the Hyatt. Planning on doing the NaPali coast kayak tour and probably a hike in/around the Waimea Canyon. I think a helicopter tour is on the radar as well. Anything else a must do for the adventure types?

 

[Polish Hammer]

Rick James - responded to your PM.

The wife and I didn't get to do Waimea Canyon...just didn't have enough time. Wish we had 10 days there instead of 7. If you are going to do the kayak tour, go with the guy recommended in the Kauai Revealed book. (Definitely get the book on Amazon.) I met him in a bar our first night there and he was cool as hell. He was actually good friends with the FBG that gave me all the tips. I think his name is Ivan (the kayak guy). We did the helicopter tour out of the Princeville airport and really recommend it...more time seeing the sights north and central to the island and less time flying there (compared to if you left from Lihue).

Oh, and the thing you are "supposed" to do is rent a jeep when you get there, of course. But if you don't plan on off-roading (driving it onto a beach) then I'd just get a plain old FWD sedan and save the money on the rental and the gas. (We got the jeep and while it was nice to fold the roof back, you can't really drive around with the top off b/c of the frequent rain showers.)