Drunken knight
Footballguy
I have not traveled to oahu very often. I really enjoy sansei on maui, and there is one in waikiki as well
Sansei
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Hawaii....help me (3 Viewers)
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I have not traveled to oahu very often. I really enjoy sansei on maui, and there is one in waikiki as well
Sansei
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Manta night diving, also on the west side, requires reservations. Historically hadn’t been hard to get them though.
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
You should definitely go to volcano national park. The are many decent day hikes, but the best thing to do is seeing an active lava flow.
Go to Mauna Kea visitor center to stargaze.
The botanical gardens in Hilo is decent.
Waterfall hikes around Hilo - boiling pots, Akaka and Rainbow Falls to start.
The Waipio Valley overlook is pretty, but entering the Valley is much better. It’s a bit out of the way though.
For something more adventurous (technically there’s some trespassing involved) the Narnia hike in Hilo is one of my favorites.
If you have more time and want to get off the grid, there are several great multi day backpacking trails.
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Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Nobu is probably the best sushi place, but very pricey. I also like Doraku and Sansei, which are much more reasonable.
Roy’s (Asian fusion) is always a safe bet. Azure (same) is upscale on beach, more romantic. Livestock Tavern (more meat and potatoes) is also good.
Less fancy places include Little Village (Chinese Noodle House), the Beach House, (downscale Roy’s), Dagon (Burmese), Opal Thai (realllly good, but owner is a bit eccentric) and the Pig and the Lady (Vietnamese fusion).
I usually try to avoid the touristy stuff in Waikiki, but Dukes is OK.
Those restaurants are scattered around Honolulu, but if you have a vehicle and really get out of town, the N Shore food trucks are great. Most people like the shrimp trucks, but there is a good Mexican and Thai one too.
Harry Frogfish
Footballguy
One of the most mind-blowing things I've ever seen in my life. You have to go at night and with a good, experienced guide.
I stared for hours at the earth forming. The whole thing was surreal. So much goes through your mind.
It might help if your guide has good weed.
The General
Footballguy
Couldn't agree more (although I hiked up there with just my brother).
We asked a park ranger and got the ok which was a surprise. He gave us the area to shoot for, had to hike for about 2 hours up and over the lava fields IIRC, might have been a bit longer.
Got the the area we thought we were supposed to be around sunset, sat down and the lava rock was very hot so we decided this was the spot. As sun went down you could see glowing cracks and vents all around us. A few smallish flows opened up near us during our time up there. Was truly amazing.
Hiked back in the dark. Not sure the lava conditions at the moment but this was one of the cooler things I have done.
If you do partake wear really good shoes (they will also get pretty trashed as the rocks are pretty sharp) and obviously a good headlamp.
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Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Yeah, I also went sans guide but with a head lamp. Definitely easy to get lost and twist your ankle on the uneven terrain, so I’d probably take it slow unless you’re an experienced hiker.
Phil Elliott
Footballguy
Just finishing a week in Maui and a week on the Big Island (first time). Did a tour around the Big Island (van). Bakery in Punalu'u was just ok. Black sand beach and then stopped at Kilauea and got some pics of lava in the crater during the day. Alaska Falls (425 ft), lava tube and the Wailpio Valley was cool. Staying on the Kona coast. Coffee Shack (like being in tree house at 1,000 ft above the coast) and Lava Java (on the coast) are excellent breakfast spots. Also visited several coffee farms - Mountain Thunder and Greenwell Farms are well known and had excellent coffee. Greenwell had about 10 different coffees to sample. Going to a festival today on Kailua-Kona bay. Lunch at Lava Lava in Waikoloa was excellent. Lots of "recent lava flows up there.
https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht/lonian/ Has been anchored off our condo for a few days. Our daughter said she saw it in Cabo in Nov.
lots of schools of yellow Tang fish which is supposedly the source of the Kona "Gold Coast" name.
https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht/lonian/ Has been anchored off our condo for a few days. Our daughter said she saw it in Cabo in Nov.
lots of schools of yellow Tang fish which is supposedly the source of the Kona "Gold Coast" name.
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PinkydaPimp
Footballguy
PinkydaPimp
Footballguy
Other places i would recommend that we went to:
Nico’s - https://nicospier38.com
had this twice once was a truck and once at the pier. Both excellent. Went for lunch. The kalua pork was amazing.
Strip steak - https://www.michaelmina.net/restaurants/stripsteak/waikiki/
super pricey but good. The squid was amazing. Probably not worth it if your paying for it though.
also went to a place in Chinatown which i will have to go check the receipt for the name which was very good. It was a poke/Korean spot.
Nico’s - https://nicospier38.com
had this twice once was a truck and once at the pier. Both excellent. Went for lunch. The kalua pork was amazing.
Strip steak - https://www.michaelmina.net/restaurants/stripsteak/waikiki/
super pricey but good. The squid was amazing. Probably not worth it if your paying for it though.
also went to a place in Chinatown which i will have to go check the receipt for the name which was very good. It was a poke/Korean spot.
krista4
Footballguy
Thanks for this! We're leaving on May 10 for eight nights on the Big Island, and all of this was already on my self-planned, spreadsheeted itinerary, so it's good to see some confirmation of things like Lava Lava and Greenwell Farms. Did you get malasadas at the bakery? That's what I was going there for, since it was allegedly a "cant' miss," but if you weren't impressed I might take it off. Love seeing the two breakfast recommendations as I hadn't really put much together for that.
Phil Elliott
Footballguy
The malasadas were just ok. It's right along the road so might as well stop to say you were there. The police drive their own cars!5 mpg over speed limit leeway-tough on seat belts and hand held phones. They have small blue lights on them.
Coffee Shack is excellent for breakfast/pie/coffee. We had the French toast and papaya boat with mixed fruit! If you call about 30 min ahead, they will put you on the "call ahead list".
had the banana/Mac nut pancakes at Lava Lava and going back for French toast tomorrow (only serve the French toast on Sunday's).
Harder to find good seafood for dinner. Hoggos (next to Hugo's on the Ricks) is best dinner we have found. Royal Kona Resort has a great Mai Tai bar - you can get a Mai Tai sampler of 4 Mai Tai's.
Most places also have POG juice (passion fruit, oj and guava juice!
shopping is limited. We found these two the best:Ali'i Gardens Marketplace and Kona Inn Village Marketplace.
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Harry Frogfish
Footballguy
PinkydaPimp
Footballguy
im not even going to lie, i do this too. Some of us enjoy the planning part as well
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Personally, I’d avoid the southern part of the island (aside from hiking to active lava flows) altogether. I wouldn’t go further south than Volcano on the east side, or Captain Cook on the west. You can easily spend eight days between Hilo, Kona, Volcano, Waimea and the Hamakua Coast. Take the Saddle Road instead of driving around the southern tip of the island, which is pretty desolate because of repeated Kilauea eruptions.
You can get malasadas in Hilo, and they’re essentially just hot hole-less sugar donuts anyway. Punaluu is far out of the way. The other major destinations going south are pretty meh - black/green sand beaches, South Point, hot springs (these were nice, but most are closed now).
krista4
Footballguy
Thank you! This is all great info, especially about the cops.
I've been known to exceed the speed limit, purely accidentally of course, from time to time.I had Huggo's penciled in for May 16 or 17, so we'll definitely try to hit that. A Mai Tai siampler at Royal Kona sounds incredible; wasn't aware there was such a thing!
im not even going to lie, i do this too. Some of us enjoy the planning part as well
I seriously might get as much enjoyment out of planning a vacation as I do going on it. That's weird, but I don't think the spreadsheet is. I'm aware of a lot of people that do that (though certainly nowhere near the majority).
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krista4
Footballguy
More great info - thank you! Sounds like that little diversion is just not worth it. One specific question: when we're down in/near the park, would you recommend driving Chain of Craters road, or just skip it?
Osaurus
Footballguy
I drove it when I went, but I wanted to see the cool petroglyphs and the sea arch down there. If you like getting away from people in national parks, this area is for you. You can also do a hike to see the ocean lava flow from the turnaround too iirc.
Osaurus
Footballguy
I’ve only been to two islands and Kauai exceeded all my expectations. I love the BI too, but it’s no Kauai.
Capella
Footballguy
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Osaurus
Footballguy
Drunken knight
Footballguy
i am not a big oahu guy. my brother was married at ko olina about 10 years ago and it was very nice (aulani was under construction at the time).
Capella
Footballguy
Harry Frogfish
Footballguy
Well, just know that the wife's got you on the two most touristy islands. Yikes. Definitely read up.
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Even if you had extra time, I wouldn’t recommend the southern part of the island.krista4 said:
CoC often is the starting point for lava hikes. Check with the park rangers when you arrive, to determine the best way to get up close. If you can access an active flow readily without doing it, I’d focus on day hikes off the main loop instead of driving CoC.
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Depends what you want to do. Most people like Maui best. It and Oahu are the most touristy IMO. Kauai and Big Island are a more wild, though they offer a bit less fine dining and resorty stuff. Lanai and Molokai are much less developed, but still worth a side trip for a day or two.Capella said:
Judge Smails
Footballguy
Ughh. Would be my last choice - by a lot.Capella said:
Terminalxylem
Footballguy
Phil Elliott
Footballguy
Navin Johnson
Footballguy
Headed back to kauai for ten days in August. Taking the folks who are both over 70 so we gotta plan some stiff for them while we do some hiking.Osaurus said:
Capella
Footballguy
Thanks! My first time there so I am ok with just the touristy stuff to start I think. Maui seems like the right fit. Maybe the big island.
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The General
Footballguy
Maui is fantastic. Definitely more resort oriented but you can also drive to the top of a 10,000 foot volcano and watch the sunset the same day you were snorkeling, do some hikes, see a bit less developed areas, enjoy 80 degree perfect weather poolside, great food and some amazing beaches. That southern tip of the island in the Wailea resort area is pretty hard to beat if you want to play the happy Hawaiian tourist role.
Never been to Oahu but Kauai and Big Island are also awesome.
glvsav37
Footballguy
how hard is it to island hop? We had plans on going 2 years ago but Covid hit. We are Disney Vacation Club members so obv we would be staying at Aulani which i believe is in Oahu, but I see above that the island is on the touristy side, and from a brief scan of the thread there are better experiences elsewhere.
The General
Footballguy
There’s flights all the time between islands it’s the time invested in getting to airport, dealing with that and then getting around on the other island that’s the more prohibitive part IMO.
I have never hopped to an island say for a day but did on one trip do a few days in one spot before moving to another island completely. That wasn’t too big deal but did spend a chunk of a day dealing with that so really depends how motivated you are to see the other island and how much time you have I think.
Drunken knight
Footballguy
Aulani is a nice resort, in a more quiet part of the island. I think you will really enjoy it.
Buck Bradcanon
Footballguy
Prolly said something about it upthread but just documenting here.
Maui 5 nights 6/15 - 6/20 Me and wife and 2 daughters
Our AirBnB
I found this site (owned by Tripadvisor) to be a good link for excursions with pics and reviews etc.
Doing this small group tour and also this snorkeling tour to Molokini crater.
Open to any and all advice. This thread has been invaluable.
Maui 5 nights 6/15 - 6/20 Me and wife and 2 daughters
Our AirBnB
I found this site (owned by Tripadvisor) to be a good link for excursions with pics and reviews etc.
Doing this small group tour and also this snorkeling tour to Molokini crater.
Open to any and all advice. This thread has been invaluable.
Capella
Footballguy
My wife has also discussed staying here. Taking the kid so the Mickey part is a big influence.
The General
Footballguy
You are 20 minutes from this spot: Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie ShopProlly said something about it upthread but just documenting here.
Maui 5 nights 6/15 - 6/20 Me and wife and 2 daughters
Our AirBnB
I found this site (owned by Tripadvisor) to be a good link for excursions with pics and reviews etc.
Doing this small group tour and also this snorkeling tour to Molokini crater.
Open to any and all advice. This thread has been invaluable.
Make this one of your lunch stops after snorkeling Honolua Bay / exploring the northern tip of the island.
Drunken knight
Footballguy
Honolua Bay was a favorite snorkeling spot for several decades. It looked very depleted on this last trip in jan/feb
The General
Footballguy
That will be awesome. My wife and I aren't big snorkelers, and she's not a very confident swimmer, but a similar trip that we took was one of the best days of my life. Only thing we saw that you'll miss out on due to time of year was whales breaching as the boat brought us out to Molokini.
Phil Elliott
Footballguy
Phil Elliott
Footballguy
FWIW - For those on early flight from Big Island (Kona) rental car companies open at 5:30. Park at terminal and check in at airline/check baggage, then go drop car off at rental office (only a few blocks away) and take shuttle to terminal. We have 7:00 am flight this am but people made the 6:15 flight. The people working at the airport were super friendly/helpful. Aloha time!
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Random
Footballguy
After researching the various Mauna Kea Summit & Stargazing Tours, they are really pricey so we are considering doing these on our own. Can you access the summit with a 4x4 vehicle without a tour company? Can you stargaze after dark without a tour company? Any suggesting for attempting to do this combo DIY would be helpful. Pro, cons, tips, etc...
We also plan to DIY our own lava tour. What areas are must see? What areas should be avoided? Is it possible to do this at night with headlamps? Any other special gear required?
Finally, is the manta ray snorkeling a must do? If our kids are not interested in the manta rays specifically, what is the next best snorkeling option on the Big Island?
We also plan to DIY our own lava tour. What areas are must see? What areas should be avoided? Is it possible to do this at night with headlamps? Any other special gear required?
Finally, is the manta ray snorkeling a must do? If our kids are not interested in the manta rays specifically, what is the next best snorkeling option on the Big Island?
Pipes
Footballguy
Last time I was there in 2019 you could but they only sell a very limited number of passes every day. Not sure how far in advance you can get them or if you can even reserve them online. We did the tour and loved it. We stopped at a spot on the way down, still above the clouds and our guide laid on the ground and took pictures of people jumping off a curb. With the clouds in the background it looked like we had jumped out of a plane. Super cool guy.
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
Forgot to post this, after my last trip. This is for Maui.
really chill scuba dude. Scuba steve!
He does dives off the shore with dive scooters which was a really cool experience
really chill scuba dude. Scuba steve!
He does dives off the shore with dive scooters which was a really cool experience
The General
Footballguy
About a decade ago I drove to the top of Mauna Kea in a rental car. It was some type of Jeep Cherokee type car. I don’t remember any issues with the road but coming down was very slow going in low gear with lots of stops to save the brakes, it is pretty steep. I don’t believe they let us stay up there at night but the visitor center that is half way or so up had telescopes set up for night viewing. Don’t think it was every day but a call to them would get that info. I’d think you get pretty amazing night viewing there, it’s far away from lights and up a bit on the mountain.
For lava viewing. This was also a decade ago so YMMV but there is a road that goes down to the ocean in Volcanoes Park. Believe it is Chain of Craters road. This road literally had lava run across it that made it a dead end. From there you park and walk out onto the old lava flows which go on for miles and up to the top of the mountain. I have been there a couple times and from there with a short walk you could see hot spots, little vents of red, and in the distance a spot where lava was going into the ocean crating a steam plume. Again this was years ago so conditions today may be different. In the daytime it was interesting because of the vastness of it all and that you could get the idea you were walking over active lava flows below your feet.
At the end of that road where you park there was a trailer with a Park employee who had info. He told us where active lava was flowing at the time it was a couple miles up the lava flows but he encouraged us to come back a bit before the sun goes down and hike up to it so you get up to the lava as sun is going down / night. We did and it was amazing.
For this if it is still allowed and lava is flowing you would absolutely need headlamps, good hiking shoes (these will get trashed pretty good as the lava rock is very sharp and tough) and typical hiking stuff like water, snacks etc. A hiking pole would be useful. It was a couple hours of hiking IIRC but not overly hard. There is no trail you are just aiming for a spot. As it gets darker it becomes easier because the lava spots are glowing. It was an amazing experience.
No clue if this is still a thing, if lava is still active in that area, if there is a better spot to access but definitely worth the research as it was extremely cool. We were staying near Hilo which made this easier as it’s a haul to get out there from the east side.
One note we had some friends who went to the Park last year. They did a hike somewhere up the mountain a bit and their car was broken into. Windows smashed. I believe they were told this was becoming a common thing.
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