rosebud

Our family of four (mom, dad, two teen sons) are hoping to visit Hawaii next spring/summer. I'm trying to redeem frequest flyer miles (ha! seems next to impossible but I'm still somewhat optimistic). From reading this board, I get the feeling we should plan to visit two islands in our week to 10 day trip. Do most people fly into one island then leave from another? I'm thinking we might try to fly into Oahu and out of Maui. Any thoughts or suggestions for us?

Marginal

For 10 days or two weeks, you can enjoy 2 islands easily.

I much prefer an "open-jaw" flight- into one island, out the other.

Oahua and Maui are a great combinations. Oahu has the museums and monuments, Maui has the beaches.

There are several guide books out there ( Fodors makes one, of course) that can give you reasonable itineraries. You can also search on this board for the innumerable Hawaii posts. You would probably want to rent a car on both Oahu and Maui. You could take the superferry from Oahu to Maui, instead of flying.

MelissaHI

I don't know if there is a "most" common way to do it, but you could probably fly into Oahu and leave from Maui. What did your airline say? If the airline can do it, that would save you on inter-island round trip fares.

Have you been to Hawaii before? What kinds of things do you guys like to do?

nanawick

I would agree that 2 islands are perfect. The best, in my opinion would be kauahi and Mauhi (sorry about spelling) We took our kids and grandkids, 9 people, 9 days, 3 island. Wonderful trip, but too much traveling. Oahu is not worth it to me. I"ve been there twice and always ready to go to the other islands. Too many people! We stayed at the Hyatt Resorts on all 3 islands and would highly recommend them.

Kerry392

I know it seems frustrating but it is possible to get FF tickets- my husband and I did it last summer. Just keep checking and be flexible with your dates. You can also check on different combinations of islands. Good luck!

Weadles

We got FF tickets in September for our trip this coming Wednesday. It can be done! Good luck!

rosebud

Thanks for all of your responses so far. This will be our first trip to Hawaii. Can't believe it will be a longer flight than to Europe (we live on the east coast). I'm thinking that we'll want to go to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor. I think my sons will enjoy Maui. We like to snorkel, go fishing, boogie boarding, horseback ride. My oldest boy mentioned biking down the volcano but I hear that's pretty dangerous...? What about the helicopter tours? Are they worth the money? Too risky?

Thanks for the encouraging words about the frequent flyer miles. I'm checking every day and am flexible about dates but no luck yet.

dusty56438

Spend half the time on Oahu & half the time on Maui.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34812564

elsiemoo

Are airlines very different regarding FF miles? Honestly, I can get FF tickets on American within 12 weeks, being reasonably flexible with dates ... and if I want to go 6 mos. to a year out, it's a piece of cake. I never understand when I hear that people are having such a problem (and I hear it a lot) ... Best of luck, rosebud, with that. I agree with Dusty on doing half Oahu, half Maui ... so much to do on both!

Maggi

Rosebud, which airline are you looking for FF tickets? I've been successful twice on NW for our Hawaii trips (once was first class which was awesome). Granted I usually try 330 days out and have no problem whatsoever. That said, I think as the dates get closer, they release more FF seats. Your problem might be trying to get four seats, since they only allot a certain number per plane. Another might be trying to fly into Oahu and out of Maui. We had to fly in and out of Oahu and take a small plane to another island. Since your dates are flexible, I would keep checking both FF and the pricing. You might get a really good deal. Travelocity has FareWatcher, which will email you when the price goes down on a watched location. I like to check www.airfarewatchdog.com when I'm waiting for a good fare.

North shore Oahu is great for watching the surfers, although that time of year the surf is not a big as in winter. We rented a house on the beach up there. We haven't done Pearl Harbor yet, can't stand crowds on a tropical vacation. Waikiki area was fun for a day or two, but I don't go to Hawaii for the city - I want to see nature. That's why I prefer Kauai. The guys could snorkel to their hearts' content at Ke'e Beach and could hike part of the Kalalau Trail. Maui for me was more populated than I like, except for the road to Hana (we rented a house in Hana as well) and Haleakala. They should have no problem with the bike ride, as long as they are not prone to recklessness! It would be an adventure they would never forget. Just my two cents - have fun researching and good luck on the flights!

Maggi

PS: Read the recent thread: "Oahu/Kaua'i Trip Report for first-timers" which might be helpful to you.

rosebud

In response to those who asked, our frequent flyer miles are on Delta. We live in Atlanta so that's the way it is!

jcn

Rosebud,
We just returned from our trip to Hawaii and I think you posted a reply on my trip report. In my opinion, don't miss Oahu if for no other reason than Pearl Harbor! Also, we went there with a tour group and it did take the best part of the morning and early afternoon. The good thing about a tour is that you learn all the history along the way but it is time-consuming. Your teenagers might not be history buffs but every American can benefit from being a part of Pearl Harbor for an hour or so. My kids are 12 and 9 and my 12 year old could have stayed much longer reading all the history and seeing artifacts. Plus, we visited on July 4 and there were 5 Pearl Harbor survivors there telling their story of the attack. That was worth standing in line for!

We left Atlanta at 2:00 pm on Monday and got into Honolulu at 8:30 pm. This was perfect timing because you are so tired when you arrive and this gave us the opportunity to look around a little bit and then try and get some sleep. The first day, you'll be up early and I've heard other suggestions of going to Pearl Harbor that day because you'll have to get up early to avoid the lines. The bus picked us up at 6:30 am and we still had to wait at the memorial until 11:30 am to get in. You have to stand in line to get tickets and then they give you a time to be back to enter. Be aware that you can't take a bag of ANY kind with you - not even a purse. The USS Bowfin and The USS Missouri are close enough that you can tour them if you have a long wait before your entry time but just be aware that you might have to wait. Please don't miss this experience. You'll be glad you made the time for it. I'd say spending 3 full days on Oahu will be plenty of time to see the sights and move on to a slower pace. If you arrive on a Monday, for instance, stay Tues., Wed., Thurs. and fly out early Friday morning and on to another island. That'll give you one day for Pearl Harbor, one day to do Diamond Head and enjoy the beach, and one day to tour the island.

You already read my report on Kauai so you know that would be my choice for your second island but if you're sold on Maui, I agree with the superferry. That'll keep you out of the airport and will probably be a great experience in itself. If you do fly, don't make my mistake. I didn't realize that Delta flew to Kauai so I booked a separate round trip flight between Oahu and Kauai using Hawaiian Airlines. This was an additional $500 to our trip. I could have probably worked it out as a one way ticket with H.A. and flew Delta from Kauai if I had realized it was possible. You'll still have to stop at HNL and possibly change planes but it'll still be Delta. We had to check our bags with H.A. and then hope they made it to ATL. They did and all was well.

Sorry I can't help you with advice on Maui but I can promise you a great time on Kauai! The boys will have so much to do and they'll enjoy the riding around and sightseeing, too. Stay at the Grand Hyatt and you won't be sorry - just ask for a room close to the lobby. We had about a 10 minute walk to our room everytime we went out to leave.
If you go to Kauai, be sure and have a "Bubba Burger" for us! Don't forget to buy Frommer's Hawaii Guide Book; you'll be glad you did.

Aloha! Feel free to ask any question you think I can answer for you - one southerner to another.

jpiwaron

I agree - two islands in 10 days works great. The airfare is the same for 7 days or 10, so stay for as long as possible. I also agree that Oahu and Maui are good choices for a first visit.

Hawaii is one destination where you can fly to one island leave from another without them charging fares as if they're a bunch of one way tix. They'll treat what you want to do as a round trip ticket. No problem.

Oahu (Honolulu) has Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Iolani Palace, The North Shore (surfing), The set for "Lost" and Leonard's (Malasadas). Those are Portuguese donuts. They're very good.

Maui - go to Molokini for snorkeling. There's plenty of companies that can take you there. Pony Express runs a few horseback rides including one into Haleakala crater. Reserve that well in advance. The bike ride down is cool. I saw people doing that. I didn't think it was especially risky.

crazyhorse42

The volcanoes are located on the Big Island, and they are definitely worth the trip over there! My family went to Hawaii for ten or eleven days and were able to manage three islands: Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii. We flew into Oahu and visited the North Shore and Pearl Harbor (it left us in awe). We then spent four days at Kaanapali Beach in Maui. Quite honestly, we didn't want to leave Maui since it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, but as I said, the volcanoes are breathtaking. Check out the Outrigger resorts for your stay in the Hawaiian islands. They have wonderful rooms and even timeshares.

islandsnoopy

Aloha Rosebud,

We returned from our 2 wk Hawaii trip ( 1w wk on Oahu, 1 wk on Maui) on Sun, 13 Jul. We used FF miles on Delta which we redeemed back in Feb. Don't know if it's more difficult to redeem now. We flew from Dulles (IAD) to Salt Lake City to Honolulu on the arrival and returned HNL to ATL to IAD. Interisland flight was via Hawaiian Airlines FF miles Oahu to Maui (roundtrip). Last time we visited, we did fly mainland to Oahu then from Maui to the mainland and had problems with getting confirmed seats together on the return trip but think that was the particular airline (America West).

Not sure how you're dividing your time between the two islands, but here are a few suggestions:
Oahu - Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, Paradise Cove luau, Aloha Swap Meet for all of your souvenirs (beats all of the malls, Hilo Hatties, etc..), snorkel
Maui - if there in March, definitely take a whale watching tour, snorkel at Molikini (we went with Trilogy), Road to Hana, Haleakala, snorkel at Black Rock.

Both islands are beautiful and you've got lots of time to plan your visit! Aloha!

rosebud

Woo-hoo!!! Success at redeeming the frequent flyer miles--finally. We're going into Oahu on June 2 and leaving from Maui on June 10. Now the real research and planning will begin. Any suggestions about lodging and/or things to do for a family of four would be appreciated. I'm thinking that a condo is going to be the way to go.
Thanks.

jcn

Rosebud,
We stayed at the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower (not to be confused with RQ Waikiki Beach Hotel) and I'll have to say that it wasn't worth it. Every single time we asked the concierge a question, they sent us across the street to the Pacific Hotel. There is no restaurant in the hotel but there is a McDonald's at the entrance (next to the ABC store). For the price we paid, $565/night, it definitely was NOT worth it. It's at the upper end of Waikiki and was a good location as far as the beach is concerned but it was just too expensive for a room. There are much nicer places at a better price, surely. If we ever go again, I'd like to check out the Sheraton but I don't think it's a condo. Also, I don't know what the rooms are like, but the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel had a full breakfast by the pool each morning with a hula dancer and music. It looked like a really nice place but, again, it's not a condo. Sorry I can't be of more help. Just don't stay at RQW Beach TOWER unless you want to spend TOO much on the room.

Have a great trip!

Marginal

The Kanapali Alii has condos with ocean views in a convenient location.

Maggi

Congrats rosebud on snagging the FF seats! Now you can relax and have fun planning.