guess what - I AM GOING TO HAWAII!!! :D seeking input

pink_fortitude

pink_fortitude

Banned
For our 10 year anniversary DH is taking me to Hawaii, and I can't tell you how excited I am!!! :7 Golly, I love him! We have a couple of options and he is letting me choose which isle we will be staying on. I am asking from those of you who have gone where we should go. We don't care a thing about golf (which is all that seems to be advertised on the websites I have seen), but really want to do a lot of hiking and sightseeing. Where are the most scenic hiking/running trails? Here are our options: the big island, Kauai, Oahu or Maui. I know next to nothing about Hawaii so anything you have to offer would be great (we love to venture off the beaten path when we travel). TIA!

Missy
 
I can only speak to one island, Maui. It is beautiful!! We went in November and had a wonderful time. From what I understand Maui is less commercial than the other island liket the big island. But Pearl Harbor, I understand is something to see. If you are interested in something like that. We did a helicopter tour, submarine tour (not so good), road to hanna, snorkling tour. All were great except the submarine- it was just OK. The scenery is beyond real. I would love to go back and see one of the other islands one day. I am sure someone else will chime in with more info.

Catherine

http://bestsmileys.com/exercising/1.gif
 
RE: guess what - I AM GOING TO HAWAII!!! :D seeking inp...

Hi Missy

I'm sorry,but I've never been to hawaii but just wanted to say:

HAVE FUN,*can I come*;);)


Amy:)
 
YWAHHHOOO! I am so excited for you!!! Can I come?? ha ha It is THE most beautiful place on Earth, IMHO. OK, I have been to three of the islands: maui, Big Island, and Kauai.
Maui: The absolute BEST for me. It felt we were on a Hollywood movie set because it was so perfect and beautiful. When you are outside, the smells and the scenery seem pretend. It is gorgeous. But, it the by far the most expensive. And, it has great golf courses. (which you could care less about) We saw a rainbow every single day when we were there. We also saw whales right outside of our hotel window, so when I would go for walks in the morning - there were the whales. (I think it depends on when you go...we went in Feb)
Kauai - We hiked, jumped off waterfalls, swam, went from lush rainforest-type areas to areas that looked like we were walking on Mars. I have the most pictures from there because it is so different. It is not nearly as congested or "touristy" as Maui, and definately the Big Island. I felt like I was on an outward bound trip at times. Very natural place. I know you want to avoid one section because of the high winds...the place where the surfing competitions are held...(I forgot)The Ritz is on that part.
Big Island - I felt like I was in California. It was great to see, but if you are going once - I would skip it...BUT...there is tons to do there for everyone!

Well, whatever you decide it will be great!!!!!!!! YWAHOOOOO
 
RE: guess what - I AM GOING TO HAWAII!!! :D seeking inp...

Hey, good for you!!! Have fun!

I went to the big island last May and had a great time! There is lots to do-snorkelling, hiking, etc. I hear Captain Cook's Monument snorkelling is the best in the whole state. I did snorkel there and it was AMAZING!!

I think anywhere you go, you will have a great time!! What a great present and a sweet DH!!
 
RE: guess what - I AM GOING TO HAWAII!!! :D seeking inp...

Hi Missy Maui is so beautiful my favorite part was swimming with the giant sea turtles out in Turtle Island! Also we went snorkeling at black rock mountain. YOu of course have got to go to a luah (sp?)
Have Fun!!!
Randi
 
But Pearl Harbor, I understand is something
>to see. If you are interested in something like that. We did
>a helicopter tour, submarine tour (not so good), road to
>hanna, snorkling tour. All were great except the submarine-
>it was just OK. The scenery is beyond real.

We would LOVE to see Pear Harbor! Thank you so much, Catherine! We will definitely avoid the sub tour. :)

Missy
 
RE: guess what - I AM GOING TO HAWAII!!! :D seeking inp...

My DH and I just went a couple of weeks ago to Maui for our 25th anniversary. We loved it so much, we didn't want to leave after being there 8 days! We stayed in a condo, which I loved, went to a different beach everday, drove to Hana (an all day drive there and back), drove to see the sunrise early one morning. I tend to get motion sick, but if you don't....go on a boat to go whale watching and snorkeling. you can take a downhill guided bike ride after watching the sunrise or horseback. We took a hike down to the bottom of the volcano. Didn't really care for the laui (only food that wasn't so great!), but it is the touristy thing to do. All the other food was wonderful!!

Enjoy!
Gin
 
What a great present. I hope to go back next year for our 25th. It's been 12 years since we went. We have been to Oahu, Maui and Kauai.

Oahu is a great place for historical value with Pearl Harbor. Waikiki beach was nice. Hanama Bay (spelling) was a great snorkeling area, but it was starting to get some damage from tourist's suncreen so I don't know how it is currently. Hike up the steps at Diamond Head which was fun and the view from up there was beautiful.

Maui, is very nice. We did the road to Hanna, snorkeling and a pineaple and sugar cane plantation tour. On Maui you can do the bike ride down the mountain. I hear that is it fun. Our DD was only seven back when we went so we didn't even try it. We did alot of hiking around the waterfalls and the beaches. (Seven Pools, Black Beach and others)

Kauai, is very beautiful. When we went it was very laid back and non-commercialized. We only had 2 days so we didn't get to do alot. We did one of the boat tours that goes around the coast line which showed areas where several movies had been filmed(or so they told us anyway) and hung out at the hotel. When we were there they didn't recommend swimming in the ocean due to jelly fish.

Since you are looking for hiking trails, I would go to your library or book store or travel agency and see if they have any books that list them. We used the Foder's Guide to help us around, but we weren't into fitness then so hiking was not a priority. I do remember doing a lot of walking around though. We also contacted Hawaii Tourist Bureau and they sent us out a bunch of pamplets.

Hope you have an wonderful trip.

Jean
 
It is a really good idea to go to the library and check out books. We did every hike in Maui, including the 14 mile hike into the volcano. We had to hitch a ride to the top of the mountain, hike into the volcano and found our car waiting for us at the bottom. It was breathtaking. Make sure you do the road to Hanna and hike the 3 bamboo forests. That was amazing!! The little road to Hanna (just a single lane for miles) was also worth the drive. The world's best banana bread will be on route. The book we checked out at the library also gave cheaper places to eat. If you have a kitchen, a trip to Costco is worth your weight in gold as Maui is so, so, expensive.

According to our research riding down the mountain is dangerous and expensive. I don't know, we didn't do it. I hope you are there when it is whale mating season or when their are "little" whale babies. A boat trip getting near the whales may be worth it.

Enjoy!!! It will be a trip of a lifetime. I am so happy for you.

Cheryl
 
I have been to Oahu and Maui. I would vote for Maui also, for many of the reasons listed here. It was a beautiful place in so many ways! Enjoy the planning! I always find the planning and dreaming almost as much fun as the actual trip!!!:) :) :) :) :7
 
I've been to Hawaii 8 or 9 times. Best hiking and scenery are at Maui or Kauai. Kauai is the quieter of the two, but lush and green (hence, more rainfall, except for the Poipu Beach area). Lots of variety at Maui - upcountry is a nice place to get away from it all for a day. But be sure to stay on the west coast of the island (I read where someone made the mistake of staying near the airport on the East coast!) Napili Kai Beach Club is a personal favorite resort of mine (Maui). If you want shopping, restaurants and the like, then Honolulu, Oahu - but the beaches are crowded. Northshore Oahu is wonderful and peaceful (we stayed at the Turtlebay Hilton).

My opinion of the Big Island is to choose your resort carefully. Things are so spread out that you're better off to be at a resort you never want to leave.

Let us know what you decide!

Diane
 
I'd definately vote for MAUI!! We've been many times and are planning a return trip next fall.

The volcano bike ride is amazing, snorkeling & whale watching (Pacific Whale Foundation) at Molokini or Lanai (which has a ferry out of Lahaina and apparently good hikes.) The road to Hana is for the adverterous! The Old Lahaina Luau is wonderful. Learn to surf with Goofy Foot Surf School.

I think most of these places have websites so just start googling. There's also a publication you might be able to get sent to you called The Best 808-667-1905.

Have a FANTASTIC time - it's absolutely a great place!

(and happy anniversary)
 
Missy,
I am so excited for you! My DH and I have stayed on Kauai and it was breathtaking. We stayed at a condo on the beach and it was very quiet and serene. Kauai is not very commercialized and filled with lovely, friendly people. The Na Poli Coast is phenomenal and offers hiking throughout. We swam, snorkeled, kayaked to a waterfall, and hiked on the island. It was very romantic and unstressful. Have fun deciding!

Kara
 
My DH is military so we were stationed on Oahu for 4 years - DS was born there. There are some lovely spots to go to but to tell you the truth, if we had decided to up and go for a vacation I would have been disappointed with the places tourists typically go. I would definitely vote for one of the smaller islands!
 
I live in Hawaii so if you want the ins and outs of where to go or what do to do just let me know. I've only been to Maui a couple times so I can't help you with Maui too much, but Oahu and Kauai definitely. I can tell you which hiking trails are good and relatively safe. What beaches to go to. You can't swim at all beaches, but some are definitely worthwhile going just to see. Oahu and Kauahi have a lot of hiking trails. I'm not too sure about the Big Island. I just came back from the Big Island, but it was only in Hilo. I could find out though because I have family there. Whatever you and your hubby do while hiking - STAY ON THE TRAIL!!! There are too many times where tourists go off the trail and get lost or even some die. Not to scare you, but that's super important. I'd be more than happy to give you some tips of where to go once you decide which island to visit. Oahu is definitely more city like than the other islands, but they're all beautiful and worth going to.

Lisa
 
I went to Hawaii for my honeymoon. It was gorgeous!! We stayed in Waikiki in Honolulu at the Marriot. Just beautiful and the hotel was nice. We didn't do any hiking,just a lot of sight seeing and snorkeling. I will tell you this, DO NOT and I mean DO NOT leave ANYTHING in your rental car. I had a bag stolen (with all of my Estee Lauder makeup :eek: among other things including my wallet)and a new digital camera. We were a few yards away from the car and actually saw the guys pulling out of the parking lot. By the time the police got them, the guys had gotten out of the car and it was just the driver. They didn't find my stuff. Sometime later during our stay, a bag of books got stolen out of the trunk and they didn't even have to break the lock to take them. I don't know what in the world anyone would want with my books,but they sure took them. The police told us that there is a really big crystal meth problem among the youth in Hawaii. They don't mess with the locals, they only target tourists because they know most people won't bother with coming back to press charges. I would love to go to some of the other Islands. My cousin went to Kauiu (however you spell it) and loved it. I would definately go back, I would just be more careful.

Ashley
 
Dh, the girls and I went to Maui for the first time this year. We picked Maui based on what our friends who go there often suggested, and we loved it. We stayed at the Westin, which is really nice. We took the easy (read expensive) route and had the hotel help with our tour planning, and had a blast. We went out on a Catamaran sail boat (motored out, sailed back) and went snorkling. That was probably the best thing we did. It was GORGEOUS! And they had a buffett that was wonderful. The crew really knew what they were doing and we all had a wonderful time. We also rented jet skis (I could have lived without that), went horseback riding through an ancient village - and the guide again was very knowledgable - that was cool. We also drove around the island - which was beautiful. We did not take the road to Hana - which I would do when we go back. And we did not do the bike ride - to do it right, you need to get to the top of the mountain before sunrise to see it come up and that meant leaving the hotel at 2:00AM - that was a bit early for us with the girls. If it were just DH and I, no question - I'd do the bike ride. We did the luau - the food was just okay, but the whole presentation was really very good. I enjoyed seeing that hula and the fire dancers (those fire dancers can really heat you up - and not from the fire! They're gorgeous!). I did think DH was going to turn around and fly right back during the drive to the west side of the island because you drive through a lot of volcanic rock - it's not exactly what you expect especially if you've been to the Carribean. But once you get past that, it's beautiful. And I want to hike some of those trails!
 
Ashley, I am so sorry about your experience!!! That must have been horrible. x( We will definitely take your advice and keep everything in our room under lock and key.

Missy
 
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