Hawiian honeymoon (Honolulu, Hilo, Kaneohe: rental car, rental, how much)

[Paul&Michelle]

Aloha
My fiancée and I will be honeymooning in Hawaii in Apr/Mar next year
we are on a cruise of the islands and will be calling in
Hilo (7am-4pm), Kauai (8am-5pm), Honolulu (7am-11pm) and (Lahaina 7am-6pm), as this is not really a great deal of time in each port we are looking for ideas of the best things to see and do in each one.

This is the first trip to Hawaii for both of us and being our honeymoon we want to do it well.
Like most of us these days, we are not made of money so very cheap or free places/site/museums etc would be a great benefit to us both.
We are also looking for great places to eat, perhaps trying traditional Hawaiian foods.

I hope that you can help us enjoy this very special time in your lovely state.
Thanks in advance
Paul & Michelle

[mogon]

Originally Posted by Paul&Michelle

Like most of us these days, we are not made of money so very cheap or free places/site/museums etc would be a great benefit to us both.
We are also looking for great places to eat, perhaps trying traditional Hawaiian foods.

First, congratulations! And e komo mai! I have friends who've done that same cruise on their honeymoon and enjoyed it greatly, even with the short time in ports.

I can only really comment substantively on your Hilo/East Hawai`i stop.

First, as to free/cheap/interesting attractions:

• Walk through the beautiful Liliuokalani Gardens (free)
• The Lyman Museum
• The Tsunami Museum
• Rainbow Falls (free)
• The Imiloa Astronomy Center has a fascinating presentation on the creation of Hawai`i
• Haili Church in downtown Hilo (lovely example of classic Hawai`ian church architecture; Haili was Hilo's first Protestant church dating from the 1820s)
• Walk downtown along Kamehameha Avenue and visit the shops; walk the next parallel street (Keawe) mauka (away from the ocean) of Kam Ave. You'll find lots of fascinating places. Free.
• Drive to Akaka Falls (~15 miles north of Hilo); along the way take the 4 mile Scenic Highway that parallels the Belt Highway between Papaikou and Pepeekeo. Free.
• Go a little further north from Honomu/Akaka Falls to Laupahoehoe; visit the Laupahoehoe Train Museum for a fascinating glimpse of an earlier time (small donation requested); drive another mile further north and then drive down to Laupahoehoe Point (the most dramatic oceanside venue on the whole island, in my opinion). See the sad and still-maintained-by-the-families memorail to the students and teachers killed in the 1946 Tsunami. (free)

There's a nice list here:Hilo Table of Contents

As far as eating is concerned, one of the things you need to know about Hilo and east Hawai`i in general is that there are many, many places that have very good food and zero ambiance. If you truly want to get off the beaten tourist path, eat with locals, and get tasty and relatively inexpensive food, try these:

In Hilo:

• Don's Grill. A down-home local favorite. Nary a tourist to be seen.
• The New Star Restaurant. Ditto
• The food court at the Waiakea Shopping Center (where Walmart is). I'm partial to Ychiba Noodle House, where a less-than-$5 "mini-plate" of a meat and either rice or noodles is more than I can usually eat. And it's very good!
• Blanes Drive In. Try the fried saimin!
• Sombats Thai Restaurant. Very good food using local ingredients.
• Naung Mai Thai Restaurant (written up in the NY Times, but still relatively unspoiled -- partly because it's hard to find!)
• Kuhio Grille or Encore Restaurant (sister restaurants with the same menus). You owe it to yourself to try their laulau!

This Big Island Grinds is the best source for Hilo food!

Given the time you have in Hilo, you basically can do some of Hilo and either a trip north or a trip south/west to the volcano area.

If you head north, then two suggestions:

• The Back to the 50s Diner in Laupahoehoe. Great food, lots of fun memorabilia, lots of locals.
• If you take the 4 mile scenic drive, in Pepeekeo is the What's Shakin' Smoothie stand. Excellent, although pricey, smoothies.

If in addition to doing some of the Hilo-kine things, you head for Volcanoes National Park then consider these:

• The Mauna Loa Mac Nut Store. Cheesy and fun. Mac nut products substantially cheaper than hotel prices, but not much cheaper than local drugstore prices. Enough free samples though that if you're brazen you can quite satisfy your sweet tooth You can also watch how mac nuts are processed (free except for what you have to buy )
• For a lovely example of old Hawai`ian church architecture, near Kurtistown (on the way to VNP) make a quick detour left on Hale **** ("House of Prayer") ** Road and drive past the Ola`a Hawaiian Congregational Church.
• Volcanoes National Park ($20 entrance fee -- although lately, given how much of the park is closed because of the SO2 plume being put out by Halemaumau Crater, the fee is $10). The vistors center is excellent, and has a short movie that is well worth watching. Be sure to walk 200 yards across the street to the historic Volcano Lodge. Take in some of the old photos and be sure to go to the back of the lodge for the breathtaking view of the caldera -- currently smoking up a storm -- in front of and below you.
• In Volcano Village, stop at some of the "artsy" places.

As far as food this direction:

• The dining room at the Park lodge is highly over-priced and highly mediocre.
• The best restaurant option in the area is the Thai Restaurant in Volcano Village. Some rate it as the best Thai in Hawai`i. Sometimes has quirky hours (like a lot of Hawai`i local-kine restaurants). Do NOT eat at the Lava Rock Cafe in Volcano Village unless you want overpriced banal food delivered at glacier speed.

I hope these are helpful. Happy to answer any questions via DM.

Aloha ahi ahi!


** I have no idea why the board's software filters the Hawai`ian word for "prayer"!!

[Galactastica]

Hilo (7am-4pm), Boiling pots state park is my favorite here. It's not really out of town at all, and of course it's free. Take the trail to the right of the lookout down to the pots for great swimming and then walk/swim upstream a few pots to Pe'e pe'e falls. It's a can't miss spot! The tsunami museum is fairily cheap and worth every penny. My favorite place to eat is Garden Spot Cafe right downtown.

Kauai (8am-5pm), i am assuming you'll come in Lihue? with minimal or no transportation i would suggest going to Kapa'a and doing the wailua river kayak to secret falls, or something to that effect. that way you don't have very far to go and it's something that will fill your day with beautiful sights and a kayak should only cost 50$ max. if you do have transportation, i would visit Polihale beach, then head up to see the Waimea canyon and Kalalau Valley overlooks.

i'm not really going to put any input in on maui and honolulu, i love both islands it's just because where you are landing and the time you have there don't fit the things i would suggest on the island.

since you have little time on the actual islands, try to see the land with what time you have. sure that means museums and food, but if that's all you see you'll have no idea what hawai'i is really like and i don't believe you can truley feel it. and if you do the trip right, you'll want to come back on your own later and stay on one of the islands for a few weeks!

[KonaKat]

Kauai - Waimea Canyon. There is a boat trip up the river to the canyon area, I think.
Honolulu - Arizona Memorial, driveabout just to see the sights and go to North Shore, Polynesian Cultural Center.
Big I East Side - what everyone else said, or just a day trip to the volcano.
Maui - Hana Road, if time permits

Most cruises have info on the many excursions available in port, so with just several hours in port your best bet is to choose 1 or 2 for each day and not worry about renting a car yourself.

[hothulamaui]

there is a walking tour of lahaina that is quite nice. after 10 am all the art galleries are open. there is the huge banyan tree. I would also check on the website tripadvisor in the hawaii forums for each island tons of suggestions there. if you are gonna have a car I would drive up the coast to kapalua

[whynot?]

E komo mai! I live in Lahaina. The dock is in the old whaling village known here as "Lahainatown." It's a busy little traditional 1800s seaport village that's now given over to tourism with lots of shops, restaurants, etc. There is a walking tour of historical buildings (old sailor's hospital, founders' homes, old jail, etc.) and there is another guided tour called Maui Nei that's specific to Hawaiian historical locations. (The first is free; there's a fee for the latter.)

If you want to get out a bit, you can rent a car (which takes some time -- you have to be shuttled from the dock to the rental car office/lot and shuttled back at the end of the day) or use our local bus system to visit the Kaanapali and/or Kapalua areas north of town. Kaanapali is a resort strung along 2-3 miles of beautiful beach with good snorkeling at Black Rock and Airport Beach, several hotels, and a small shopping center with a (free, I think) whaling museum.

Kapalua is an enclave-style resort about 7 miles farther north. The beaches there are gorgeous and there are rocky points and big bays. They have also opened an Adventure Center that has a nice cafe and is starting point for several activities, free and paid. They closed an adjacent golf course a couple of years ago and have turned the cart paths into a network of walking "trails" that cover the entire area. (Free with sign-in.) There is an 18-hole grass putting course. (Free with sign-in; you can borrow putters and balls.) There is a Disk Golf course. (Free with sign-in; I think you can rent or borrow equipment.) There is a self-guided hike of the original Kapalua Ranch manager's (DT Fleming -- there's a local beach named after him) arboretum, where he collected plants from around the world to see what would grow well here. (Free with reservations.) They recently built a coastal trail, too, along some beautiful shoreline. (Free.) For a fee, they have guided kayaking, guided hikes of the arboretum, two sets of zip-lines, a ropes course, etc.

Both Kaanapali beach and Kapalua beach have been rated "World's Best" by Dr. Beach in the past few years. (All beaches in Hawaii are public, even those within resorts. There are marked paths for access in/around private property.) If you're not interested in the beaches -- or want to get out of the sun, the trails go from about 100 ft above sea level to about 700[?], and the arboretum and zip line courses are between 1,200 and 1,500 ft elevation.

I don't know if you meant "Apr/Mar" or Apr/MAY, but in March and April there are still a few whales around. The area between Lahaina harbor and the islands of Lanai and Molokai is a major breeding ground for humpbacks. I know you will have been on a cruise ship, but if you are interested in a zippier trip on the water, there are several Zodiac and other whalewatch trips available from the harbor. By mid-late April, most of the whales are gone, but we often see stragglers into May.

I also noted that another poster suggested the Road to Hana. This is a gorgeous trip, but it is a very full day. You would need to book a tour from your cruise or rent a car and watch your time very carefully. Paia, the sort of generally-acknowledged "starting point/last stop for gas and snacks" for the Road to Hana, is about a 45-minute drive from Lahaina. Hana is 3+ long and winding hours from there, depending upon where and how long you stop along the way.

Enjoy your stay.

[Paul&Michelle]

thank you all for the replys
that has given us a good starting point

[sevenofsix]

My niece is just finishing her 2 week honeymoon in hawaii and she doesn't even want to think about leaving tomorrow. I think she caught the island fever bug.

[SkyBob]

Originally Posted by sevenofsix

My niece is just finishing her 2 week honeymoon in hawaii and she doesn't even want to think about leaving tomorrow. I think she caught the island fever bug.

The island fever bug - in reverse form. Dontcha just love it?

Bob

[TXLara]

For the Honolulu part of your trip- if you can rent a car, do it. Get OUT of Waikiki. There is so much more to Oahu!

Take the H-1 E out of downtown and it turns into 72 or Kalanianaole Hwy. From there, you can get to Hanauma Bay, Halona Blowhole, Sandy's Beach, Makapu'u Point, Kailua Beach.

Then you can pick up Kamehameha Hwy and drive thru Kaneohe and up around the Windward side. Hit the Valley of the Temples. See all the small towns and all the gorgeousness. Come up through Laie and see Lizard Rock. Then keep going through the North Shore. Come back down and hit the Dole Plantation, pick up the H-2 and get back to the H-1 and see Pearl Harbor. Then maybe go up Tantalus Rd and see Puu Ualakaa State Wayside Park, where you can see the best view of the island. Have dinner in Waikiki (I'm sure you can get some good recommendations for that).

My mom and dad made plans to come see us, but we had to move early. So I made up a list of things that I would have taken them to do. If you're interested in any of this stuff, PM me and I will be more than happy to send it to you. It's got complete directions and facts and everything.

Congrats!