What to do in Hawaii? (Honolulu, Hilo: rental car, rental, to buy)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have searched some infos what to do in Hawaii, but there are various things to do. The problem is I will have only 10 days in Hawaii, so I will be in Honolulu first then I will fly to Kauai and Big Island. I am not sure if it is worthwhile to go to Maui or not. My main points are to see the most pristine and beautiful beach/ocean views (if any beaches have less crowd but good pristine views for enjoying and photographing), the volcanos, snorkerling/skuba diving, falls, architectures, cultures,etc.
With the 10 days in Hawaii, I want to have my trip as the most memorable expereince and worthwhile what to do/ see there. Could you please advise how many days I should spend in Honolulu, Big Island and Kauai (or Maui if anything good/worthwhile to see)? What to see/do in each islands?
After searcing some infos, some travelled around by renting cars especially in Kauai and Big Island. Doo you think it's good and safe to drive around and have access easily to tourist attractions easily in each?
I know there there are daily flights with Hawaiian airlines flying around the island, but I would love to hear from the locals/expereinced which islands should I fly to firstly from Honolulu as I will arrive in Honolulu in late evening? I heard that Mesa airline flies around Hawaii as well, but there's no online booking. Which airlines is good and reasonable to fly around the island?
Mesa airline operates under the name "Go" airlines in HI, so try that. I would say 3 island in 10 days is a lot to see, so wouldn't try cramming in Maui on this trip. Each island has so many things to see and do, the best advice would be to buy a good guide book and do some studying.
A rental car is a neccesity everywhere except in Honolulu. You can take the bus around, but on a short vacation, you don't want to spend 6 hrs getting to the north shore, when you can drive in an hour.
how many days do you have scheduled on each place, or have you decided? also, with such limited time, have you decided on where exactly to stay on each island? you may already have your trip scheduled as far as travel goes, but i would advise against adding another island in; i think 3 is already too many for only 10 days. (if you decide to cut an island an only do 2, cut your time in Honolulu, since you are interested in unspoiled, uncrowded beaches, etc.)
Maui: Maui is great, but for what you are looking for i would stick to Big Island and Kauai. Once you fall in love you will be happy to do it on another trip!
So what are the must sees/do's with only 3-5 days on the islands? These are the things that i could do over and over again and would never miss:
Kaua'i:
*Hike from Ke'e Beach, 2.5 miles to Hanakapia'i Beach-i think it's the most beautiful on the island. From there you can take a 2 mile hike to the giant amazing falls. The hike means less people (plus the hike is to DIE for goreous!) (also, the whole kalalau trail is amazing, but you won't have time and it's not for the light travler/hearted)
*You can always find some deserted beach at Polihale Beach park. it's about 17 miles long so you can always find a place without others. Huge beach, great looking water. it can be rough here, so take a look at the time of year and conditions before getting in. there are a few places, like Queens Bath, that are a little protected and usually ok. the road here (last time i was on it) was epic-dirt, long, pot holes, pretty rough. totally worth it though.
*Koke'e/Waimea Canyon area: not a beach of course, but some great views for the person who desires not to have others around, like myself. If you are a hiker and want some great photos and visions that will stay with you forever, hike the Awa'awapuhi Grand Loop that starts near the cabins-this is one of the best hikes ever. Some of it's through amazing rainforest, some of it's through red dirt cliffs and the real eye candy of the trail is startling views, where the cliffs directly in front of you drop away to the enormous green valleys and perfectly blue shorebreaks that meet bright shorelines thousands of feet below you! lots of wild goats to see too!
Big Island:
*My favorite beach on island is Makalawena. It's not too far outside of Kailua Kona and it usually has less people on it. You drive down a bumpy lava rd, walk for abt 10 min and you are there. this beach looks like hawai'i beaches should. perfect white sand, perfect clear water, it's straight from heaven in technicolor. it's in sections and there is lots of room to spread out and be alone usually. on Big Island, the harder a beach is to get to, the less people are on it (usually teh case anywhere i guess!). There is also a nice freshwater pool, lots of palm trees, iron woods, sand dunes and pretty vines and greenery. on a clear day you can see Maui's Haleakala and Mauna Kea from this beach-very pretty!
*Volcanoes: duh. i won't elaborate here because it's all good. the park and the surrounding area alike. don't miss it!
*Pololu Valley/Honokane Nui overlook: All the way past the northern tip of the island is Pololu Valley. the view from where you park is great; a long black sand beach with a deep cut green valley behind it, a little river running from it to the water and large black dunes covered in iron wood trees. Hike down into the valley, spend some time, and if you are up to it, do the hike up the trail at the opposite end of the beach. it will take you over the other valley wall, across it and to the Honokane Nui overlook. I have never seen another person up there and i frequent there a lot. the view is impressive and haunting...although i'm pretty sure that valley over is haunted for real!
*Kealakekua Bay: the best snorkeling/scuba on the island. clear beautiful water, i see more fish varieties/animals here snorkeling than anywhere else. the access is more limited than it used to be, so be careful that info you read about it is updated. there are 3 ways to get in. 1. kayak: but you have to get a permit and they are hard to get because there are so few available. 2. tour company: pay a sailboat or zodiac to go out with other tourists. 150 bucks or so. i like Fairwind the best. usually they have a lunch and stuff, but it may not be the best choice depending on the time you have. 3. hike in/out: the hike in is easy. it's literally ALL downhill. great because it's free and you don't have to anchor a kayak or be on a boats schedule. then there's the hike out. make sure you eat your wheaties because it beats most people-all downhill means it's all uphill and steep. but i like it!
*Mauna Kea activities: a great drive there, can be spooky, but beautiful. the mountain is amazing, one of my favorite places on Earth. when you hit the intersection of Mauna Kea Rd. and Saddle Rd, there is a odd hill, Pu'u Hulu Hulu that you can't miss. it's a great place to climb up and get good pictures of the mountains. Then, drive up Mauna Kea rd and watch the sunset from a peak near the visitor center. After it gets dark, they'll start the star party where you're mind very well may be blown by what you'll see in the sky. When i lived on Big Island i helped with this, and even after doing the star party so many times, it's never boring-it makes people cry when they see it for the first time.
*I am really getting outta hand on the big island, so i'll just say visit all the freshwater pools, falls, hot springs-fresh or salt, all in Hilo and Puna. South point and Green Sands are a sight.
With the 10 days in Hawaii, I am not sure if a day in Honolulu is enough? I think I will do it the last day of my trip before leaving as my flight will be late evening to leave Hawaii.
In Kauai, I will spend time there for 4 days. In Big island, I will spend time for 5 days. Do you think which activities I should do in each islands and the must-see things to do and do not miss with the limited days each?
Yes, you will need to rent a car. Driving around the islands is really easy; the only bad traffic is in Honolulu.
I agree with Galactiastica about Makalawena being absolutely gorgeous. However, the drive in is very rough, and the walk is more like a half hour than ten minutes. You could more easily access Hapuna Beach or Anaeho'omalu Bay. I suggest you get the book Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed. It has pictures and driving instructions that would be very helpful to you.
There is a web site called "Trip Advisor" which is good for asking vacation questions and they have a lot of info that has been answered already.
When going places on the Big Island, try to group things you want to see all in one spot. It can take hours to get places, I think it is over three hours between Hilo and Kona so you'd not want to drive back and forth much or you'd spend all your time driving. It might be nice to stay several days in the Volcano or Hilo area and then a few days in Kailua town in the Kona district.
That blue book "The Big Island Revealed" is sometimes referred to as "The Big Island Reviled" since it seems the authors have occasionally suggested folks to go places they shouldn't. There have been several trails and outlooks which have been closed to the public since the access was through private property and what was okay for the occasional person to access became a problem when multiple tourists started arriving. Things like gates to cattle pastures were left open and increased liability problems where what caused the owners to close all access to the sites. So even if the book says it is okay to go through a gate or past a "private property" sign, don't do it.
At the very least I would allow myself 4 days on each island. There is so much to do on each island. Each island does have "the blue book" such as Kauai Revealed, Oahu Revealed etc., it is a great resource. I moved here 7 months ago and I still use it to find new things to do (and I still have MUCH more that I have not done).
Thanks, flygrl. Could you please advise if it's good time to go to Kauai? I think it's still summer there, right? I'm going there from Aug 25 to Sep 4.
I think I'd better go to Kauai and HNL. From what I have researched, it seems Big Island has more things to do than Kauai's? , but we both want to see the best pristine beaches and views of mountains emcompassed with the ocean. It must be nice in Kauai than Big Island. Any suggestion?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
