lschrage

Hi there-

We will be staying 3 nights in Honolulu and then will be off to Maui. Our Schedule looks like this:

Thurs - 6:45 p.m. flight arrival
Fri- explore
Sat - explore
Sun- 10:30 a.m. flight to Maui

We will probably be to the hotel around 7:30 or 8:00 pm the first night, so by the time we check in, I figure we'll just go out for a bite to eat then call it a night.

Over the course of the next two days, I wanted to squeeze in Pearl Harbor, the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head, and the North Shore. Out of all of those, if I had to axe one off the list, I guess it would be Diamond Head. I've figured out that to accomplish all this, I'd have to break it out as follows:

Friday: Get up early and go to Hanauma early for a few hours. After Hanauma, visit the North Shore for the afternoon.

Saturday: Get up early and do Pearl Harbor and then the Aloha Stadium after (since they are close to each other). Take a break (and spend some time on Waikiki beach since we're staying there at the Sheraton-Waikiki) and then possibly do Diamond head in the late afternoon.

Sunday: Get up and leave for the airport

Now, is my plan for Friday and Saturday even do-able? How long does it take to get to the North shore from Waikiki? We're not planning on stopping at the Dole Plantation or the PCC, although I'm hearing good things about a shrimp truck/wagon in Kahuku that I'll need to investigate

I know I'm not leaving a whole lotta time for relaxing in, but relaxation is something I plan on getting in Maui for the 7 nights we're there.


Also, any one know of a good Seafood buffet in Honolulu on friday or saturday nights?

That's it for now. Thanks in advance!

Lynne

puddy

It's definitely doable. The North Shore, w/o stopping, should be less than an hour from Waikiki.

You could easily do Diamond Head in the afternoon of the second day. Most people would say don't because of the heat, but we did the hike up around 2pm with no problems. It doesn't take very long. Just depends on how tired you are from the other activities.

As for seafood buffet, check out Todai (http://www.todai.com/). While we didn't eat there, it was recommended by our hotel concierge. It's a Japanese seafood restaurant.

Nicolzee

I think you will have plenty of time. Go to Hanauma Bay early around 6-7am if you could get up that early. By 9am it is very crowded. As for Diamond Head, if you are an early riser, you could do that before you head out for Maui. You will only need to be at the airport a half hour early or so for the interisland flights.

Erin74

We are doing something very similar in Honolulu this November. We have 2 full days there before flying on to Maui. We've broken our time up like this (one day for the sights in each geographical area)...

DAY 1-- Diamond Head (early AM sunrise tour), Pearl Harbor, Waikiki sightseeing/ beach.

DAY 2-- Polynesian Cultural Center (have heard this is a *can't miss* place), North Shore, possibly one of the parks in the area.

We're going to do a little more laying on the beach once we reach Maui, where it's more peaceful.

I think you'll be able to do everything you're planning on. The distances are not that far on Oahu.

BeachBoi

lschrage......just curious....how did you book your rooms at SW? Priceline?Hotwire?

lschrage

Hi there-

A few more questions now...

Puddy: Glad to hear the North Shore is an hour away! I was expecting a "Raod to Hana" type drive and was thinking that it would take 6+ hours. Now I may have time to stop at the Dole Plantation afterall!! Regarding Todai's seafood buffet, I'll have to take a closer look at it...I was thinking of something more traditional in terms of shrimp cocktail, lobster, and crab legs. Not sure if something like this exists there, though.

Nicolzee: Even if we check lugguge for the interisland flights, we will only need to allow for 30 minutes? Is security not as tight for the interisland flights? If that's so, would leaving the hotel at 8:30 am be enough time to return the rental car, go through security, and check in for a 10:30 am flight, or am I still allowing too much time?

Erin74: Just out of curiousity, when are you going in November?

BeachBoi: We picked up our Sheraton-Waikiki room through Priceline. I managed to get it for $99/night. Since we won't be in the room much, I don't really care what type of room we get. I just wanted something on the beach so that when we had some down time, we could make use of the beach without it being a major production. The fact that it's close to everything makes it even nicer for us.

That's it for now.

Lynne

BeachBoi

Ok--just so you know...I have friends who just got back...they did the same thing thru PL.....when they got there they were escorted to the Manor Wing, and informed that ALL rooms booked thru PL or HW or any internet based agency would get those rooms.The Manor Wing is ON the parking lot out front.The wing was built before 1950, to accomodate flight crews for a rest stop on TransPacific Flights.The rooms are very basic,very small and have window units for air conditioning....If you call PriceLine they will tell you differently.But if you call the hotel,they will confirm it..I'm just passing this info on to you....If it doesnt matter to you,you'll have a great time.......S

puddy

I would arrive at the airport at least an hour before your flight... the airlines say 90 minutes. Especially if you will have a car... and it sounds like you will.

puddy

Sorry... didn't read your last post that closely.

I think if you left at 8:30am, you would be OK. I didn't rent a car in Waikiki at the airport so I don't know how easy it is to return. If you are running short on time, you could always do curbside check-in before you return your car, leave SO with bags and porter to deal with details, and return the car. Did this leaving Maui where we arrived at the airport late due to traffic and worked great.

Patty

I would say one hour at minimum also. There isn't a separate security line for interisland passengers so if your flight departure coincides with lots of mainland departures, you be in a very long line. In April we had to be pulled out of line, otherwise would have missed our flight to Kona, but someone else on this board said that they aren't pulling people out of line anymore. Can anyone confirm?

The Parc Cafe at the Waikiki Parc hotel has a seafood buffet on Fri/Sat/Sun nights. You can find the menu here:

http://www.waikikiparc.com/dining/im...ood-buffet.pdf

I've only been there on Wednesday nights for the Hawaiian buffet which is pretty good.

Patty

Hmm... I just noticed they don't list crab legs or lobster on the menu. The restaurant at the Waikiki Marriott also has a seafood buffet on weekends and I'm pretty sure they have crab legs. Don't know of any buffets off hand that have lobster.

MelissaHI

Waterfront Crabhouse at Aloha Tower serves lobster on the buffet, but I don't know if it's every night. We like to go there for Sunday night dinner buffet, which is when we have the lobster and crab! I am sure they have the same on their Fri/Sat buffet.

Peachy267

We returned from Honolulu this past Tuesday and found the lines, especially the security check to be long and slow. Our flight was to SF leaving at 1 PM. It took about 20 minutes to get to the rental car place and return the car. We timed it perfectly and jumped right on the shuttle to the airport. We used curb side check in at American Airlines and after checking our ID's the skycap suggest my husband stay and complete the luggage check in while the rest of us got on the security line. We waited perhaps 30-40 minutes on the line as they had everyone remove their shoes for inspection. Suggest you remove anything you think may set off metal detector as they were manually wanding everyone who set it off. At no time did we see anyone being pulled off the line to get to the front in order to make a flight. By comparison, at JFK no one had to take off their shoes unless they set off the metal detector and security personnel were constantly walking up and down the line calling flights and bringing people to the head of the line if they were cutting it too close. Hope this helps.

kez

Saturday is good. pearl Harbour/ Aloha stadium.Then go home and take it easy. best way to get there is in a shuttle. you get coupons in the little tourist books that are around everywhere. hopefully , you will find one that can get you to both places and back home again. Dont be tempted to take a public bus. it is one and a half hours each way. a great wast of time. A taxi will cost more than $30 each way.
Hanauma bay can be a big time waster. We lined up for half an hour to get in, then everyone is forced to watch a film then it is quite a hike to the water. All the coral is dead but there are some fish to be seen. It can take ages to experience and you could well be dissappointed.I would probably save snorkling for Maui

anony

Sounds like youre going to have a fun vacation! For Friday: completely doable. That was good advice to get there by 6-7am. By 7:30 the lines do get longer, and the bay begins to be crowded. An added bonus if you go early is that more of the fish are around, as well as the turtles, and the water is usually much clearer. It should take you about 20-30 min to get to Hanauma Bay from your hotel.
For the North Shore trip, as long as you go by 2:00pm, it should take you about an hour to reach there. Rush hour traffic starts to build up on the freeways about 3:00pm, so you may want to keep that in mind. Waimea Bay is worth stopping at, as well as a section of Laniakea Beach that sea turtles come up on shore to sunbathe.
Saturday: completely doable, The Flea Market is fun, but pretty tiring if you stroll the entire thing, (the heat can really drain you) A lot of great deals on gift items as well as Aloha wear. The hike up Diamond head is nice too, not overly strenuous or long, and you do get a wonderful view of Waikiki Beach, Waikiki itself, and the great blue Pacific.

If the idea of the PCC is intriguing from what youve heard, then you may want to do it. Ive taken many out of town guests there, and theyve all loved it, heck, I live here and find it entertaining! The best day for you to do it would be the day you visit the North shore since it is nearer to that side of the island. In addition, they offer an evening show/luau that goes from 6-9 I think, so that may fit well for your schedule.

Well, I could go on and on, but anyow, have a lot of fun!

Sarah

Hi Ischrage,

I was just at Hanama Bay on Monday. I won't be visiting that park any time soon again. It has become the same headache that Pearl Harbor is. You need to go early, you have to stand on line to get a ticket to see a movie before you go into the park. After you get that ticket you have to wait until your time is up for the movie (8minutes) so go and get on another line. I think it took us a good hour to get into the park under the mid day sun. I was a touch of sun sickness by the time I hit the water and I had to leave. Oh you want to catch a tour or city bus but no driving after 8am the parking lot fills up.

I saw way more fish/turtles on the North Shore when I just jumped into the water. Turtle Bay's remake is gorgeous too. They have this wonderful glass wall that breaks right over the ocean. It is about 45 minutes from the airport but WELL WORTH IT and certainly the tropical shangrila you will have in your head.

Skip either Hanama Bay or Pearl Harbor both are line nightmares. You can survive one but both would be trip disaster imo.

Sarah

PS The lounge on the second floor of the Rainbow tower (Hilton Hawaiian Village) host Jerry Santos every Friday and Saturday night 8pm-12am. This is a great show. There is a two drink minimum but no cover. Jerry Santos is a former member of Olomana one of the first groups responsible for bringing back Hawaiian language in contemporary Music. He had his most popular success in the 70's but his music is performed on the radio everyday in Hawaii by himself and other artists. His shows are great not only for his music but for the way he brings up friends to do inpromtu hula from the audience. I met a Hoku (Hawaii's music awards)award winner in the audience. We also got a treat because a falcetto singer from another popular group was in the audience, he joined in.
All in all his shows never disappoint. I like to go on a saturday night because I am guessing the audience will be bigger, show will have more energy but going on a Friday might prove me wrong. Go early to get a seat and view. There are these annoying wooden pillars that block the view of the performers and hula dancers from some seats.



A lot of locals frequent this performance it is not just another lounge act. Have fun!!!

islandmom

Check the buffets at the Kaneohe Bay Golf Course or the new place at the Turtle Bay Hilton.

Deloris

You didn't mention where in Maui you plan to go. Want expertise from 1959 to NOW!!??? We go to Hawaii twice a year and I must tell you that Honolulu for the first visit = Pearl Harbor if you are an American. Amen. Rent a car and go there for the full tour, then head to North Beach, Check your tour map for fun local spots on the way. Polynesian Cultural center is a once in a lifetime must and more if you must. Many beach stops on the way around the island. Haunama bay if you like to play bumper-bod with other bodies and scrape your skin on coral, which your doctor must remove! ( A big warning for tropical snorklers) Then head back into Honolulu.
A full dya trip and wear t shirts or the like to keep you from a 3 degree sunburn.
Interesting is the Royal Palace in downtown with history of all the Hawaiian Kings, Queens and history.
Don Ho's show is a classic fest for all you Tiny Bubbles fans. If you come from a distance, the first day should be spent on the beach, with gallons of 45+ sunblock and cover ups (NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE TROPICAL SUN'S ABILITY TO BURN BADLY IN 1 HOUR) and maybe a surfing lesson (you probably will never want to do it again!) And an out rigger canoe ride. More fun than that is a sexy 'COCKTAIL catamaran sunset cruise!' Check with your hotel.
Keep jet lag in mind. Many folks crash at 10 pm when they consider the time where they come from..same goes for early dawn wide eyes! Now Maui...look at rhe map...shaped like a woman. The airport is at the neck,(Costco near the airport for supplies!!) Kaanapali at the nose, Kapalua at the forhead and Wailea, at the BREAST. Hana is mid back,
Wailea is my favoite. Don't tell anyone I told you this!!Promise??? The best snorkling on the island is in front of the Maui Prince in the morning. The water is calm, the sun is perfect on the water and the fish and turtles are at their friendliest. DO NOT TOUCH, AGANST THE LAW!!!! Enjoy, but you won't be alone, but not the butt jam Haunauma bay promises. If you go early, enjoy a lovely buffet brekkie at the Prince after a good look-see! Other smaller beaches in the area and do be careful of cuts from lava and coral. Wear coral shoes unless you hit only sand beaches.
Then there's Kauai, Hawaii and the most
typical Hawaiian Island of all-Molokai!
Aloha....lotsa fun in the sun!!

MelissaHI

Sarah--did I already miss you on your trip to Honolulu? I wonder if we passed each other?! My friend Cherie is a dancer for Jerry Santos at the Hilton, my friend Richard does his lights, and a bunch of us were there on Saturday.....