Planning a trip to Hawaii

[RS_Rider]

Making our first trip to Hawaii next year for our 25th anniversary. Looking for recommendations on places to stay, things to do, etc. Visiting Pearl Harbor is a given. Also plan to do a submarine tour. Wife won't go in a helicopter so those tours are out. Not into golf either. So for those that have been, what did you like / dislike? 

 

[kerbie18]

Go to Manoa Falls, not that far from Pearl Harbor. It's a leisurely couple miles worth of hiking. The jungle that you will see on the hike is friggin' incredible, words cannot describe it.

[railfancwb]

Making our first trip to Hawaii next year for our 25th anniversary. Looking for recommendations on places to stay, things to do, etc. Visiting Pearl Harbor is a given. Also plan to do a submarine tour. Wife won't go in a helicopter so those tours are out. Not into golf either. So for those that have been, what did you like / dislike? 
 

Been a long time...

We found a couple tourist/preserved trains to ride. Might be more or less of them now.

We stayed only in B&Bs. Wife enjoyed those type establishments, so she researched and made all the arrangements.

On one of the islands there were remnants from filming South Pacific. Semi-buried electric wiring for all the lighting.

Visited Lindberg’s grave.

Got caught by a speed trap, but ticket was for expired license on rental car.

Lots of history to explore, and lots of touristy things to do.


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[Sgt 127]

The blowhole. Polynesian Cultural Center. Do a Luau. Pineapple plantation. Waves on the North Shore. Portuguese Sausage, eggs and rice for breakfast. Ala Moana Mall. Glass bottom boat.  The pillboxes on Diamondhead  

Don't leave anything of value in your car. Stay in kinda touristy areas. 

Lived there for years. Great memories. Homeless and crime is apparently way up based on a buddies vacation a few months ago. 

[Moshe]

Tell us how much things have changed, or haven't. 

[railfancwb]

And SPAM the canned meat is a menu item in most finer restaurants.


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[NPTim]

Waikiki is like Vegas without the gambling.

loved the submarine ride, do it at noon for the best light.

my wife hated the helo ride. We both LOVED parasailing, peaceful, we did the 1000’ option. BTW, my wife doesn’t like heights, but she is game for facing her fears.

 

I highly recommend Duke’s restaurant  https://www.dukeswaikiki.com/ 

if you want activities Oahu is good. If you want relaxation I’d recommend another island.

Edited May 29, 2019 by NPTim

[TXUSMC]

One other thing, bruddah...

Stop at a roadside shave ice stand and buy two passion fruit shave ices.

Two... because one ain't enough!

[TXUSMC]

Also recommend that you visit the other places on Oahu attacked by the Japanese on Dec 7, 1941: Hickman Field, Schofield Barracks (portrayed in the movie"From Here to Eternity"), and the Marine Air Station at Kaneohe Bay.

[Lazy R]

On Maui right now; my son lives here. Maui is less populated and very pretty. Real fun to drive around the island. But Pearl Harbor is a must-see too, I went there years ago. You can take an island hopper plane from one island to the next for about 100 bucks, which also gets you a nice birds eye view of a lot of stuff.

[tadbart]

I've never been, but besides Pearl Harbor, I plan to hit all the National Park sites whenever I get there. Definitely go see some lava.

[Borg warner]

20 hours ago, railfancwb said:

And SPAM the canned meat is a menu item in most finer restaurants.


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Seriously. It would be fun to try Spam in different places and see how they prepare it.

[saltwater]

12 minutes ago, Borg warner said:

Seriously. It would be fun to try Spam in different places and see how they prepare it.

mmmmm fried spam.  I lived there for 2 years, courtesy of USN but did 10 years worth of living.... long ago.

[SarahMcGlocklan]

If you’ve never been to Hawaii before there’s no harm in hitting all of the touristy things like a luau and the famous beaches.  

[railfancwb]

Seriously. It would be fun to try Spam in different places and see how they prepare it.

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[RS_Rider]

Appreciate the feedback. Definitely some good ideas here. Actually never considered renting a condo but that does have appeal. Hitting a grocery store for breakfast and lunch and having a real nice dinner out is kind of our style.  Hiking to Manoa Falls will probably be on our short list based on how much we enjoyed Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica. 

[kerbie18]

8 hours ago, RS_Rider said:

Appreciate the feedback. Definitely some good ideas here. Actually never considered renting a condo but that does have appeal. Hitting a grocery store for breakfast and lunch and having a real nice dinner out is kind of our style.  Hiking to Manoa Falls will probably be on our short list based on how much we enjoyed Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica. 

Thread-Jack: I've been to Jamaica on a cruise but didn't see Dunn's River Falls. What's it like?

And, BTW, the best way I can describe Manoa Falls is the fictional world of Pandora, from the movie Avatar. That's pretty much the jungle there.

[RS_Rider]

16 hours ago, kerbie18 said:

Thread-Jack: I've been to Jamaica on a cruise but didn't see Dunn's River Falls. What's it like?

And, BTW, the best way I can describe Manoa Falls is the fictional world of Pandora, from the movie Avatar. That's pretty much the jungle there.

It was awesome. Pictures don't do it justice kind of place. You form a human chain to climb the falls. Took some pics here and there as time allowed.

[F14Scott]

Agree with the second island. Maui has a completely different feel, for instance, than Oahu, much less crowded, more exclusive, more relaxed, less built up. Kauai is even more so. Hit one of them for the second half of your stay to relax and recover after wearing yourself out at the standard (but necessary to see, once) Honolulu stuff.

 

On Maui, Hertz rented me a brand spanking new Camaro SS convertible (450 hp) for

 

Get a mai tai from Monkey Pod. It was the best one we found, and we "interviewed" a lot... Their Ahi Tuna melt was also memorably delicious.

 

But the most dramatic thing I saw on Maui was the 3D humpback whale IMAX at the Maui Ocean Center. The 3D tech was incredible; all our senses were fooled, and we felt like we were in the water with full-sized whales swimming just feet from us. Just blew our minds. Nice little conservation zoo/park, too, but that movie was dynamite.

 

https://mauioceancenter.com/humpbacks-of-hawaii/

 

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[janice6]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 2:07 PM, tadbart said:

I've never been, but besides Pearl Harbor, I plan to hit all the National Park sites whenever I get there. Definitely go see some lava.

There are two kinds of lava to see.  One is scary sharp and crumbly.  It seems to be pushed out and breaks into pieces as it is pushed from the ground.

You want to be damned careful if you try to walk on grounds covered by this kind of Lava.  If you slip you can get cut up good!  

The other is more like a very viscous liquid that flowed out of the Earth. You see this type with current flows on the Big Island.

[tadbart]

4 hours ago, janice6 said:

There are two kinds of lava to see.  One is scary sharp and crumbly.  It seems to be pushed out and breaks into pieces as it is pushed from the ground.

You want to be damned careful if you try to walk on grounds covered by this kind of Lava.  If you slip you can get cut up good!  

The other is more like a very viscous liquid that flowed out of the Earth. You see this type with current flows on the Big Island.

I hear it is bad luck to steal Pele's lava. I'd be tempted to try.

[janice6]

2 minutes ago, tadbart said:

I hear it is bad luck to steal Pele's lava. I'd be tempted to try.

I think the bad luck is if you get to near the gases venting.  they are all over the ground around Kilauea Caldera, They are Sulphur Dioxide and will put an end to you quickly.  If nothing else the gas causes fluid buildup in you lungs to complicate your day.

It's a fascinating place.

[kerbie18]

Norwegian Cruise lines does a seven day cruise. You get to experience four different islands that way. We really enjoyed it.

[pipedreams]

Been several times, I agree Maui and Kauai are the places to go other than seeing Pearl Harbor.  Waimea Canyon is a must-see attraction when visiting Kauai.  We took a helicopter ride to see the canyon, just the pilot, wife and me, He paused right at the rim of the canyon so we could get a good view.  Wife was sitting right next to the pilot and I think he had permanent nail marks in his leg after swooping from the edge down through the canyon, lots side canyons with water falls he would go in. 

Stayed in nice bed and breakfast up on the hillside in a private location, could come and go as we pleased.  One other couple there during the week we stayed.  Breakfast out by the pool and a couple horses grazing in nearby pasture, and the wild roosters crow any dang time they please. 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2019 by pipedreams

[F14Scott]

Been several times, I agree Maui and Kauai are the places to go other than seeing Pearl Harbor.  Waimea Canyon is a must-see attraction when visiting Kauai.  We took a helicopter ride to see the canyon, just the pilot, wife and me, He paused right at the rim of the canyon so we could get a good view.  Wife was sitting right next to the pilot and I think he had permanent nail marks in his leg after swooping from the edge down through the canyon, lots side canyons with water falls he would go in. 
Stayed in nice bed and breakfast up on the hillside in a private location, could come and go as we pleased.  One other couple there during the week we stayed.  Breakfast out by the pool and a couple horses grazing in nearby pasture, and the wild roosters crow any dang time they please. 
 
 

We took a helo and went to the "Jurrasic Park Falls." Very worth the cost.

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