I think it is much windier up on the Kaanapali/Kapalua side. Wailea is perfect weather.wailea is nicer, but windy. if you go kaanapali side, go further east. hotel or vrbo?
1/29-2/5Booked 7 nights at Hyatt Regency Maui for late Jan/early Feb.
First trip since our youngest turned 5 and can be dropped in the kids club.
Can't wait.
1/29-2/5
let me know if you would like to grab a drink
family… mrs, daughter, and either a friend of hers or her bf. We spend a lot of time around kaanapali and Lahaina… so very easy to make that happen.Almost my dates exactly.
A drink sounds swell. You there with the fam or solo?
Since you’ll have kids with you hit Cool Cats Cafe in Lahaina. Great burgers and milk shakes. I know weird place to recommend in Maui but it’s fantasticFreeBaGeL said:Booked 7 nights at Hyatt Regency Maui for late Jan/early Feb.
First trip since our youngest turned 5 and can be dropped in the kids club.
Can't wait.
Will be there in a little over 2 weeksNavin Johnson said:Looking to book by the end of the year. Have some Alaskan vouchers from a covid cancelation that are due to expire. Usually go big island but did Kauai last time and it's our new top spot.
Way fun. The 2 huge but different pools make it cool for kids. Love it there.FreeBaGeL said:Booked 7 nights at Hyatt Regency Maui for late Jan/early Feb.
First trip since our youngest turned 5 and can be dropped in the kids club.
Can't wait.
The. Best! Highly recommendStar noodle in Lahaina. You will need reservations. Book now.
This is what I have always found as well. Prettier up on the north side but a bit wetter and can be super windy.I think it is much windier up on the Kaanapali/Kapalua side. Wailea is perfect weather.
We leave Kauai next Tuesday after two great weeks. Na Pali coast sunset dinner tomorrow. Watched from our lanai two whales this afternoon around 5:00 pm for a half hour breaching and showing their tales. Got several pics.Landed in Lihue a couple hours ago. Here for a week
wetter yes. but that afternoon wind in kehei is brutal. it's worse in the summer.This is what I have always found as well. Prettier up on the north side but a bit wetter and can be super windy.
Did the Na Pali cruise yesterday morning. Absolute perfect weather.Phil Elliott said:We leave Kauai next Tuesday after two great weeks. Na Pali coast sunset dinner tomorrow. Watched from our lanai two whales this afternoon around 5:00 pm for a half hour breaching and showing their tales. Got several pics.
Yes, it was great in the afternoon also. No dolphins but a bunch of whales and flying fish.We did Blue Hawaiian helicopter ride around the island two years ago also.Did the Na Pali cruise yesterday morning. Absolute perfect weather.
We're were lucky. Saw spinners and bottle noses, a few whales, and tons of flying fish. Awesome day.Yes, it was great in the afternoon also. No dolphins but a bunch of whales and flying fish.We did Blue Hawaiian helicopter ride around the island two years ago also.
Jealous of this one. Family wasn't yet experienced enough hikers to be comfortable with it when we were there a few years ago, so we did a bit of the Pihei Ridge Trail instead (until it got completely fogged in).Went up to Waimea today and took the Awa'awapuhi trail out to the cliffs over the Napali coast. Wow! Easily the most amazing view I've ever seen. Brutal hike back but well worth it.
Wasn't bad once we got through the Southern end. That is definitely the most beautiful part of the island. Hanalei has definitely been my favorite area. The Northeast coast looks like what you see on TV.Osaurus said:Enjoy the traffic
I might make that next on my list. Had always wanted to come and we got a killer deal at a condo, but it would be hard to justify doing this very often.Hawaii is just overpriced Costa-Rica![]()
Hawaii is just overpriced Costa-Rica![]()
I paid under $100/day for a 3 bedroom / 2 bath home with a private pool 300M from a pristine beach with no crowds and 85F waters. If you're looking to splurge you can get Drug lord caliber 4-5BR houses overlooking the pacific for a couple hundred a night.Interesting. Can you elaborate? I've never been to Costa Rica but it's on the radar.
I paid under $100/day for a 3 bedroom / 2 bath home with a private pool 300M from a pristine beach with no crowds and 85F waters. If you're looking to splurge you can get Drug lord caliber 4-5BR houses overlooking the pacific for a couple hundred a night.
Dinners were $5-12 on average. Beers were $1. Private Deep sea fishing charter for $300+tip.. landed a 4ft Marlin and a 60lb Mahi Mahi that we ate off all month. Incredible Fresh produce for pennies on the dollar from fruiterias and farmers markets. Bowling ball size slabs of fresh Mahi Mahi or Tuna for $4/lb....
Guided tours of scenic volcanic lava flows for $30, private rafting tour through jungles surrounded by howler monkeys, sloths, iguanas... $20/person.... bathing in natural hot springs in the mountains for free.... hiking trails and suspended bridges through cloud forests of Monteverde...
Flights are $600... sometimes $2-300 if you catch a sale. ~3 hour flight and you're central time zone.![]()
Thanks. That sounds awesome.
For downsides, what would you say? I know "safety" can mean a lot of things, but what are your thoughts there?
We took shuttles sometimes and drove with friends others. Great stuff. I have not been to Costa Rica yet but have friends who love it and def will make it there at some point.Honestly? In general Costa Rica is safer than most cities in America. Not to hijack the Hawaii thread but I'll drop a couple points here:
Much like any country.. certain areas have more or less crime. San Jose (Capital City) has areas that I'd certainly avoid, but it's likely still safer than the bad parts of most American cities, too. We spent 4 weeks in Playa Samara (beach), 1 week between La Fortuna and Monteverde (inland) and 1 week in Tamarindo (Beach).
Playa Samara: Heaven. "Crime" here is almost exclusively petty theft. I wouldn't leave a laptop on the table at a restaurant or on the passenger seat of your car for extended periods. For context it made big news in town during Santa Semana when some "bad guys" came down from the hills and snatched a few purses while on motorcycles. Never felt unsafe.
La Fortuna & Monteverde: Many more tourists... more petty crime I'm presuming. Never felt unsafe walking around.
Tamarindo: Tons of tourists. Petty crime. Bit of a drug trade (offered weed regularly like any beach town anywhere). Heard about a couple assaults over the past year but both were local on local. Also felt quite safe here.
Downsides: very minimal IMO but...
- Utilities: Some areas can have localized brown outs. Internet may drop periodically. Overall was plenty stable to work remotely. If anything it was kinda charming to be walking through down and the whole down goes dark for a minute or 5.
- Language: In general most ticos in tourist towns or in hospitality industry speak pretty good english. Some don't, so a bit of basic / transactional spanish can help. Getting a local SIM card installed in my phone as a 2nd line was a bit of a challenge until an employee who spoke english came over. I think a month of prepaid with 5-6GB of data was like $15.
- Healthcare: Generally very good but you'll want to understand that outside the major cities it's a bit of a small town medicine vibe. Solid equipment and well trained staff... but less "polished" vibe than you may expect in the States. That said standard of care is quite good, and very affordable even without any insurance at all. I had an incident that involved a Ultrasound scan, light surgery (cut and clear a wound), multiple rounds of antibiotic shots / anti-inflammatory shots. 4 visits total... I think I paid $250, no insurance (they only involve insurance for larger stuff). Doc was trained in Atlanta, perfect English, very friendly.
- Finding certain things - Particularly in smaller towns it can be challenging to find certain types of things. We were trying to find pint glasses and decent bath towels one day in Samara. Was a challenge. Larger cities have wider variety. Bring anything critical you need. There's no Best Buy or Wal-Mart around the corner![]()
- Travel between towns - There isn't much in the way of highways there.. most travel are smaller winding roads so getting from point A to B takes much longer than you'd expect. The drive, however, is usually so gorgeous you'll stop multiple times to get out and take photos like we did. Driving at night is a challenge due to dark winding roads and wild Tico driversWe took shuttles sometimes and drove with friends others.
There are a lot of resorts, tourist towns, etc. where you could feel right at home. We chose to go a little less touristy with most of our trip (Samara) and were rewarded with an experience of a lifetime. Ticos are generally extraordinarily kind and friendly.
I'd STRONGLY suggest skipping the highly touristy areas (Jaco, Tamagringo, etc) and spend a little time mixing and mingling with locals instead of fellow gringos.
If you're looking for more posh accommodations, Nosara is a great "small" town between Samara and Tamarindo with a bit more infrastructure and a big Organic/Yoga/Surfer vibe that attracts more wealthy tourists not unlike Tulum in Mexico. (example of a 4BR Casa for $1400/nt)
Playa Carillo is just south of Samara and has some crazy nice places too (example of 4BR Casa on a cliff with private chef for $800/nt)
To be clear I was just being playful about the comment... Hawaii Is absolutely a gorgeous place. Totally get the allure. Was just cheesing a bit on it for the bang/buck vs some other places I've been![]()
It's not easy and there's really only one way - fly from Maui to Oahu. I think Southwest and Hawaiian Airlines have the best fares, IIRC. The islands aren't as close together as they seem.Looking into our first trip to Hawaii. Decided to go to Maui, but would like to also see Pearl Harbor. Can anyone give advice on the best way to do that?
There are a lot of flights between islands and you could do this I think if you were highly motivated. I have never done the PH tour but it is very close to the Honolulu airport.Looking into our first trip to Hawaii. Decided to go to Maui, but would like to also see Pearl Harbor. Can anyone give advice on the best way to do that?
FWIW - For Pearl Harbor, I believe you still need to make an advance reservation online to take the brief boat trip out to the Arizona memorial. Check out the Pearl Harbor web site for details and current timing of when reservations are released.Looking into our first trip to Hawaii. Decided to go to Maui, but would like to also see Pearl Harbor. Can anyone give advice on the best way to do that?
Hawaiian airlines has island hoppers. It’s still a hassle and you waste a good chunk of a day. I wouldn’t island hop unless you’re spending 4 days or moreLooking into our first trip to Hawaii. Decided to go to Maui, but would like to also see Pearl Harbor. Can anyone give advice on the best way to do that?
followingOkay I am trying to wrap my head around the covid requirements as we get ready for our flight at the end of this month, and I am very confused.
gohawaii.com/travel-requirements says that we need a vaccine card AND a negative test within 24 hours of traveling.
But then for testing, it links you to hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/ which says we need a vaccine card OR a negative test within 24 hours of traveling.
Which is correct, and how do we even get a test within 24 hours of traveling when most tests take more than 24 hours to get results?
Okay I am trying to wrap my head around the covid requirements as we get ready for our flight at the end of this month, and I am very confused.
gohawaii.com/travel-requirements says that we need a vaccine card AND a negative test within 24 hours of traveling.
But then for testing, it links you to hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/ which says we need a vaccine card OR a negative test within 24 hours of traveling.
Which is correct, and how do we even get a test within 24 hours of traveling when most tests take more than 24 hours to get results?
You only need a test if you are coming from an international destination.
From your first link:
"The State of Hawaii welcomes all vaccinated international travelers and is aligned with the CDC federal international requirements. Non-U.S. citizen traveling directly to Hawaii must present BOTH a vaccination record AND a negative COVID-19 test result (NAAT or antigen) within one day of boarding a flight to the U.S. The airlines will screen passengers prior to their departure to the United States.
U.S. citizens flying directly to Hawaii from an international destination have two options: (1) fully vaccinated U.S. citizens must provide proof of vaccination AND a negative COVID-19 test result within one day of boarding a flight to Hawaii OR (2) if not vaccinated, a negative COVID-19 test result within one day of boarding a flight to Hawaii."
US citizens arriving domestically (and international travelers who are already in the US) go through the Safe Travels program. That's the one that allows for an exemption to the quarantine either through vaccination or a negative test.