A month in Hawaii

[farmerEd]

OK guys...those of you that live in Hawaii or have traveled there.

Next winter (18 months from now), we are tentatively planning on visiting HI for 4 weeks. With a family of 6, we always rent houses and according to cyberrentals.com, there is no shortage of places with enough bedrooms...

BUT, never having been there, I have some basic questions:

We are on the east coast USA, with 4 kids under 12, it makes sense to split the traveling up into two parts - east coast to west coast, maybe an overnight stay or two and then west coast to hawaii...which city has the "best" flights to HI...I would guess LAX, true? or is there a better route?

As far as staying on HI, is it crazy to think about spending a week on 3 or 4 different islands? I heard there is a car ferry service starting up soon, so renting a car for the month and then staying a week on each island seems plausible.

As far as the various islands...anyone care to give me a quick run-down on the pros and cons of the various ones? i.e. most built up, best beaches, most private etc? most scenic, most expensive/exclusive etc?

Last question, (for now), generally speaking, which island/airport is the one you fly into or are there several big ones to choose from?

[steve88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd OK guys...those of you that live in Hawaii or have traveled there. Next winter (18 months from now), we are tentatively planning on visiting HI for 4 weeks. With a family of 6, we always rent houses and according to cyberrentals.com, there is no shortage of places with enough bedrooms... BUT, never having been there, I have some basic questions: We are on the east coast USA, with 4 kids under 12, it makes sense to split the traveling up into two parts - east coast to west coast, maybe an overnight stay or two and then west coast to hawaii...which city has the "best" flights to HI...I would guess LAX, true? or is there a better route? As far as staying on HI, is it crazy to think about spending a week on 3 or 4 different islands? I heard there is a car ferry service starting up soon, so renting a car for the month and then staying a week on each island seems plausible. As far as the various islands...anyone care to give me a quick run-down on the pros and cons of the various ones? i.e. most built up, best beaches, most private etc? most scenic, most expensive/exclusive etc? Last question, (for now), generally speaking, which island/airport is the one you fly into or are there several big ones to choose from?

Actually if you fly straight its not that bad.

Las Vegas, San fran, or lax would be a good place to break your trip and do some sightseeing.

It depends on what kind of experience you want to get out of visiting the islands. If you want to see 4 different islands then you can spend 1 week on them. I might warn you though that you might end up being tired from running around instead of having a nice vacation. Another way you can do it is 2 weeks on 1 island and another 2 on another island. I think this is your best option. Spending 2 weeks on 1 island, what I would do is 1 week of sight seeing or depending on what you want to see then the rest of the days just hang out with the locals. You will learn the way of life there and get most of the island. Its pretty cool.

Most built up is oahu but you can't beat the diverse culture that comes with it. Lots of things to learn on that island. Scenic big island, or maui but oahu is pretty scenic too. Expensive? nowadays its all relative.

Honolulu international airport is the main airport for all the islands.

[farmerEd]

Thanks for the tips...probably a good idea not to do 4 islands, 2 would probably be good enough and more relaxing...especially if each island is not so unique to justify the extra traveling.

Glad to know SF is a gateway to the islands, have no real desire to be anywhere near LAX, but a few day layover in SF might be a good place to sightsee a bit. Need to check out airline tickets...I was pleasantly surprised to find them relatively cheap (around $300 LAX->HI->LAX), so I'll see if SF has similar deals.

Mostly we go to the beach, and sightsee on the way to and from...perhaps take in a volcano or any other local attractions that are kid suitable.

[steve88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd Thanks for the tips...probably a good idea not to do 4 islands, 2 would probably be good enough and more relaxing...especially if each island is not so unique to justify the extra traveling. Glad to know SF is a gateway to the islands, have no real desire to be anywhere near LAX, but a few day layover in SF might be a good place to sightsee a bit. Need to check out airline tickets...I was pleasantly surprised to find them relatively cheap (around $300 LAX->HI->LAX), so I'll see if SF has similar deals. Mostly we go to the beach, and sightsee on the way to and from...perhaps take in a volcano or any other local attractions that are kid suitable.

Those deals that you mention go fast and hard to come by. You won't be dissapointed with SF. I also forgot you can also fly out of san diego. I believe if you fly out of san diego the plane usually heads north picks up passenger then head west.

Sometimes when you stop on a scenic point you might see a whale, giant turtles floating on the water, dolphins and end up being there for hour or 2.

[laurence]

I second the notion of 2 islands. Also, start with Ohahu (if you desire) and do things like the USS Arizona memorial, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc. first, then fly to one of the other islands for the second half and just veg and take it real slow. That's how we did our two week trip. I have been to the 4 main islands, and I lived on the Big Island for half a year, and I think you should take a look at that one for the second half. There are plenty of beaches there, but you also have an active volcano that you can walk right up to the lava flow ( how many chances in your life do you have to do that?). Plus there is diverse climates and scenery. Stay on the Kona side vs. Hilo (rains too much there). One other thought, I'm not sure what your plans are for Hawaii, but if you are planning on being at the beach a lot, be sure your hotel is at least walking distance from it. You might save some $$$ by staying inland, but save yourself the stress of driving a car, packing, etc. We stayed at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island and it was wonderful. Snorkeling off it's beach is not too shabby, whales were passing by in the distance from our window, and if you forgot to bring something to the beach, you just walked up to your room to get it. It's expensive, but it's such a nice experience. Now the thing about a resort like that is it's a bit isolated. But it's perfect for a second half of a long vacation.

You are truly a great Dad for taking your kids on such a spectacular trip! If any of them whine that they are bored etc. cuff them on the ear and say it was from me!

[justin]

I'm in the middle of booking 3 tickets from Raleigh, NC to Cambodia for my in-laws. The cheapest possible tickets that got them there in a reasonable period of time are actually two sets of tickets - 1 set from Raleigh to LAX (non-stop), then another set of tickets LAX-Cambodia with a layover in Taipei.

So it may end up being cheaper to do as you mentioned FarmerEd, and fly to a west coast city, hang out a day or two, then hop on an el cheapo flight from LAX or SD to Hawaii. Plus you're essentially getting the airfare component of your LA/SD vacation free.

[Arif]

We're flying from Panama to LAX and spending 4 days in Santa Barbara and then heading to Maui for a week. It really made sense for us to break the flights up since we get into LAX on the red eye. I didn't want to get to Hawaii and be too tired the first few days to enjoy anything.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd OK guys...those of you that live in Hawaii or have traveled there. Next winter (18 months from now), we are tentatively planning on visiting HI for 4 weeks. With a family of 6, we always rent houses and according to cyberrentals.com, there is no shortage of places with enough bedrooms...

Absolutely. Keep an eye on the condotels and the time-share rentals, too.

You might want to check when (and how much) the prices go up this winter. I don't know exactly when high-season rates go into effect but it's no later than mid-December and it lasts until well into February. It might be worth seeing if you can arrange a month's rental at one place or lock in a lower rate on shorter rentals. A couple other posters on the board really did their price research (especially Trombone Al) and might share their secrets with you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd We are on the east coast USA, with 4 kids under 12, it makes sense to split the traveling up into two parts - east coast to west coast, maybe an overnight stay or two and then west coast to hawaii...which city has the "best" flights to HI...I would guess LAX, true? or is there a better route?

Believe it or not, the best flight I've ever had was a first-class seat out of... Newark NJ. Continental goes straight to Honolulu in a 10.5-hour marathon that eliminates a lot of weather & crowds hassles, to say nothing of lost luggage. I don't know how young your youngest is but the longer flights have given our kid a chance to settle in, watch a couple movies, eat a couple meals, and play with all the features of the entertainment system before crashing for a long nap. I never heard a single "I'm bored" and ours was much less frazzled when we finally arrived. I think it's way better than switching planes every four-five hours and keeping track of everyone in the departure lounges.

If you're seriously planning to travel during snow season then I'd stay far away from O'Hare. Go through Atlanta or LAX/SFO or even DFW... but not O'Hare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd As far as staying on HI, is it crazy to think about spending a week on 3 or 4 different islands?

Yes, it is crazy. There are no prizes for island-hopping, they're not different enough to make it worth your family's logistical effort, and you're gonna get punchy real fast with the "It's Tuesday so this must be #$%^ing Ka'anapali" attitude. If this is your first visit then you might want to do 10 days in Waikiki and three weeks elsewhere, but with four kids in tow I wouldn't go for more than one other island. To the kids, the beach is the beach no matter where it is or how hard you had to work to ditch them there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd I heard there is a car ferry service starting up soon, so renting a car for the month and then staying a week on each island seems plausible.

So far I'm not impressed with the ferry (Hawaii Superferry A Whole New Way To Get Around The Islands). It's in the harbor, it looks great, the crew is making practice runs, the website is taking reservations, but it hasn't actually hauled anyone yet. The only service route is Honolulu - Kahului (Maui), it leaves Honolulu at 6:30 AM, and it takes three hours each way. No one knows if the rental-car companies will let their fleets go holoholo (I'm guessing it'll cost extra money for the option). But if you want to see Maui, if you're going as passengers (no car), and if you're able to handle the schedule then it's cheaper than the airfare. Rent a different car at the other port.

Last year our kid & I flew to Kahului Maui for a weekend. Our plane tix & rental car were under $300 for a 30-minute flight and will probably be about the same this fall. I worked a quote through the SuperFerry's website and after all the special fuel surcharges, taxes, and "fees", the price came to over $500 for three hours of sea duty. I'll pass. But it may be a good deal by the time you get here-- after these guys get some experience and the initial crush dies down I suspect the pricing will get better. They might even float a second ferry by the time you get here, but right now it's not quite ready for prime time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd As far as the various islands...anyone care to give me a quick run-down on the pros and cons of the various ones? i.e. most built up, best beaches, most private etc? most scenic, most expensive/exclusive etc?

Start with the "101 Things to Do" website (Hawaii Vacations - Hawaii Travel - 101 Things To Do in Hawaii - Hawaiian Island Information -).

If this is your first Hawaii visit then you should do Waikiki. Very kid-safe beach and plenty of other things to keep everyone entertained. Hanauma Bay, the Diamond Head Lookout hike, & Makapu'u Point whale-watching are right around the corner. There's Sea Life Park, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and plenty of shopping/browsing. You can even visit a zoo and an aquarium, which are surprisingly good for their age & location. Your kids will forever remember their ride on the Atlantis submarine, although you'll probably forever remember the price.

If you can bear to haul everyone out of Waikiki for an hour's drive to Kalealoa (Kapolei/Ewa) then I'd be happy to meet you at White Plains Beach for a family surfing lesson. If they can swim then I'll have you all stand-up surfing in less than an hour, and I can rustle up enough boards to keep everyone busy at the same time. (I'll push 'em into the surf, you catch 'em at the beach turnaround for the paddle out.) Of course you can also get surfing lessons in Waikiki from the beach concessions by Duke Kahanamoku's statue-- but White Plains is much more open, much less crowded, a much shorter paddle out, and a lot cheaper. When they get tired of paddling, White Plains' shore break is awesome for grommet boogie boarding and sand castles. It's not dangerous but it's a real Disney-quality thrill ride.

IMO your best bet for a second island would be the Big Island. Your kids cannot return home to their friends if they haven't seen the lava. You can spend some time at the volcano, spend some time at Hilo, spend some time in a cheap rental home in Pahoa, and even drive to the other side for the big city lights of Kailua-Kona. But I think after Waikiki (and its bustle) you'll be ready for quieter family time on the Big Island. Hilo captures the most of the charm of Old Hawaii while retaining the convenience of a Wal-Mart and CostCo. Prices are a bit higher than Oahu but lower than the other islands.

Our best-ever family vacation was on the Big Island's Pahoa coast at a Kapoho Beach rental home. (Google that phrase and you'll find a couple dozen of them.) The gated community had great walking trails, an old lava field to explore, and unbelievable snorkeling. Turtles visited daily. The neighborhood was built with water channels and tidepools to nearly every backyard, so your kids can don their snorkel gear on the lanai and splash among the fish while you man the frosty beverage & BBQ grill lifeguard station. The tidepools are very safe (only about 4-6 feet deep) and heated by subterranean lava flows to 85-90 degrees so it's great just to soak (the last eruption there was over 40 years ago). A petrified-forest state park is 15 minutes by car, the volcano is an hour's drive, and Hilo is about 30 minutes. You might need to bring video tapes or DVDs for the evenings after everyone collapses (check your rental house to see if they have a VCR/DVD player... and a TV).

Maui has its own imitation of Waikiki with the Lahaina/Ka'anapali area. We prefer Ma'alaea Bay (lots of rental condos) with the oceanarium, boat harbor, and beaches. If your kids are old enough then Oprah's Thompson Ranch land may be open for horseback trail rides. You'll also want to take a snorkel cruise. Don't bother with the road to Hana; your kids will go car crazy and you won't enjoy the driving.

Kauai is our favorite island for Kapaa & Poipu, but there are fewer kid-friendly activities. Lihue is a small airport and the island is more expensive than the Big Island or Maui. Waimea Canyon is breathtaking, as are the eco-tours and the beaches. Our kid was bored.

Molokai & Lanai are very small, very rustic, and (compared to the other islands) very lacking in visitor amenities. Prices are much higher than the other places. We've lived here 18 years and I have yet to haul my butt over to either of them, although I'm told that their surfing is like it was in the rest of the world during the 1940s. Some day I will spend a week at Molokai Ranch and another week on Lanai.

Niihau is private property and closed to visitors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerEd Last question, (for now), generally speaking, which island/airport is the one you fly into or are there several big ones to choose from?

You can fly from the Mainland into Honolulu or Kahului Maui, and perhaps also into the Big Island's Hilo or Kona (they keep changing their schedules and I don't remember). Honolulu has the most airlines & flight times. Lihue is generally only accessible from Honolulu.

One other idea: I'd repost your questions at the Hawaii Threads board (HawaiiThreads.com - The Hawaii Forum). It has a very busy section of people asking questions about moving to or vacationing in Hawaii, and a lot of the board members live to know it all share their experience. You'll get a lot of kama'aina recommendations and some posts from the neighbor islands. You might even find rental home bargains that you'd never see on a consolidator's website.

[laurence]

What Nords said!

[wildcat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Kauai is our favorite island for Kapaa & Poipu, but there are fewer kid-friendly activities. Lihue is a small airport and the island is more expensive than the Big Island or Maui. Waimea Canyon is breathtaking, as are the eco-tours and the beaches. Our kid was bored.

I second Kauai. Fantastic place. My highlight of the trip was a cruise up the Nepali coast at dusk - Captain Andy's I believe was the name of the outfitter. Beautiful. We stayed on the southern part of the island near Poipu. Nice area and plenty of nice beaches. Kauai, to me, is much more for the nature lovers and laid back lifestyle. I liked it better than Maui -- not that Maui is a box of rocks.

[Zoocat]

Kauai is a dream come true. Try to stay near Hanalei. It hasn't changed since I was there in 1976, despite the hurricanes.

Also, with kids, you will probably enjoy renting a condo. Take a look at ..VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner® Vacation Homes Rentals by Owner, especially for condos in the Wailea area of Maui.

When I was on Oahu last Feb I stayed in a vacation rental I found on vrbo which was a fabulous deal a block from Kailua Beach, beautiful beautiful beach and safe for swimming. With kids, be careful about which beaches you go to, especially in winter.

Have a wonderful time!

[clifp]

As another Hawaii (Honolulu) boy, I second what Nords said. Definitely two Island, possibly a 3rd Island (especially Kauai or Maui if you can ditch the kids for a few days and have 2nd honeymoon). Maui and Oahu are somewhat similar both have great beaches, real resturants and a very well developed list of tourist activities. Kauai is the most romantic and Big Island the best outdoor adventure place. My top choice for first time visitors would be Oahu and Big Island, with Maui/Big Island being a close 2nd. It is important to schedule a mix of doing some tourist activity, and and scheduling some time to do nothing more that sit around the beach or enjoy the view from your condo.

[steve88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldbabe Kauai is a dream come true. Try to stay near Hanalei. It hasn't changed since I was there in 1976, despite the hurricanes. Also, with kids, you will probably enjoy renting a condo. Take a look at ..VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner® Vacation Homes Rentals by Owner, especially for condos in the Wailea area of Maui. When I was on Oahu last Feb I stayed in a vacation rental I found on vrbo which was a fabulous deal a block from Kailua Beach, beautiful beautiful beach and safe for swimming. With kids, be careful about which beaches you go to, especially in winter. Have a wonderful time!

Watch out for man of war

[farmerEd]

Thanks for all the good info everyone, and the links to other websites. I'll check them all out - this is all tentative right now, but got months of virtual exploring to do to iron out the details.

As far as the flight, the 10.5 hour flight from Newark (plus a 45 minute flight to get there), may in fact be the lesser of two evils when you factor in the hassle of deplaning etc. In 18 months, my youngest will be just under 6, and the oldest 13, so maybe, just maybe, we'll consider that option. Price-wise (based on todays prices), it works out about the same. $650 RT out of Newark, or two $325-$350 flights. (BOS->SF SF->HON)

We've done 1 and 2 month vacations before (Bahamas), but this would be the longest flight - but as the kids get older it will be fun to travel to more remote locations. Don't think they'll get bored since the alternative is being home during a New England winter.

May take you up on the surfing lessons, or at least a quick in-person hello.

Sounds like the consensus is 2 islands at most...Oahu and the Big Island.

[kcowan]

One other thing. If you pick Oahu, make sure to go all the way up the east side, stop for some Boston Cream Pie, and then see the Bonzai Pipeline. Get out of Waikiki and experience the restaurants in Honolulu. I would pick Oahu over Maui and stay for more than a week. You can probably count on 7 days of going to one major attraction/destination each day. Then add in beach time, surfing with Nords, shopping and you can see the amount of time you need there. (The major thing that attracted us to Maui was body-surfing.) Kauai is for lovers and, with four kids, 3 days of sightseeing would do it.

[laurence]

Yes, be sure to get out of Waikiki, there are a ton of beaches that are awesome and uncrowded, even deserted. This one was next to Bellows Air Force Base, I believe. Great bathrooms, outdoor showers, shady trees lining the beach and the view is ideal blue waters as far as the eye can see.

[Calgary_Girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildcat I second Kauai. Fantastic place. My highlight of the trip was a cruise up the Nepali coast at dusk - Captain Andy's I believe was the name of the outfitter. Beautiful. We stayed on the southern part of the island near Poipu. Nice area and plenty of nice beaches. Kauai, to me, is much more for the nature lovers and laid back lifestyle. I liked it better than Maui -- not that Maui is a box of rocks.

DH and I were in Kauai in March (also stayed in Poipu). It was our first time there and I couldn't believe how beautiful it was...we definitely plan on going back there.

Honolulu is fun if you're the type that always has to be doing something. We've been to Maui twice (DH and I were married there and sister and BIL copied us and were married there as well). I like Maui because it's not as crazy as Honolulu but there's still enough to keep the whole family entertained. We spent our honeymoon on the big island - it was nice but I'm not sure if I'd go back.

[Arif]

For those of you that vacationed in Maui was a rental car neccessary? We're staying a week and are not sure if a car is needed or not. We'll be doing mostly water activities there.

[AltaRed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arif For those of you that vacationed in Maui was a rental car neccessary? We're staying a week and are not sure if a car is needed or not. We'll be doing mostly water activities there.

IMO, a rental car is necessary. Especially if you want to sample different restaurants, go to the summit of the old volcano, or try different beaches. I think you would feel constrained otherwise. DW and I could not have survived without a car for the week we were there in the late '90s. But you might want to try without and rent a car on a daily basis (if that option is available to you conveniently to your hotel)

[clifp]

You can get away without a renting a car on Oahu. The bus system is very good. For all the rest of the Hawaiian islands, forget about it unless you are staying at one of the very high end resort and just want to enjoy the beach. Maui in particular you will find youself driving a lot between the Airport and Upcountry Maui (central area) and the tourist areas on the west side of the island.