10 day Hawaii Vacations
 

Ok my friends, to make things short I'm travelling 32 hours and more than 6000 miles to get to Hawaii. It's my first trip to Hawaii and I'm planning to make a tow-island trip, staying the first five nights in oahu, and another four nights in Big Island. I know I'm going to have the time of my life, but I'm a little worried about picking where to stay. Right now I'm between staying in a mid-range price hotel near waikiki beach, or trying to find a condo. I've looking for a condo in a lot of webpages, like VRBO, airbnb, craiglist, ando a lot more, but I'm worried I can get scammed because most of this places don't offer credit card payments ad I've read a lot of bad reviews about this webpages. Does anyone know if I can find some rental offices at the airports where they can let me visit the condo before making any payment?

About the trip, there are so many things to do in these two Islands that I know I'll have to miss a few good places and things to do. So far I got these as must-do things:
OAHU
- Beaches and Snorkeling spots: Waikiki beach, electric beach, turtle bay, Waimanalao, Waimea Bay.
- Trips: Shark Encounter, Zoo, Aquarium, Sea park
- Places: Polynesian Cultural Center,

BIG ISLAND:
- Beaches and Snorkeling: Hapuna Beach, Kahaluu Beach, City of refuge
- Trips: Lava flow tour, Manta ray night diving

Any advice of good things I'm missing?

Thanks for your advices.

If you are going to be out a lot and not really cooking then maybe just a hotel room would suffice, unless you are looking for extra things like boogie boards, beach chairs. Unfortunately from my experience with renting from VRBO, unless it's from a large management company, you're usually renting from the owners directly and so payment may be made in different methods. So it's probably best to do your research and read up on reviews. A hotel that I stayed at that we liked was the Hyatt Waikiki Place. It's a mid-tier hotel that was recently renovated and offers a lovely breakfast buffet too. It's located at the east end of Waikiki nearer to the zoo, and just a short walk to the beach (like 3 blocks). As for activities, I would definitely suggest not to miss Pearl Harbor. Book advance tickets for 1.50 at recreation.gov so you're guaranteed a time to visit the arizona memorial. The rest of the exhibits probably require at least 2 hours. If you want to visit the other submarines and ships that will be an extra cost but only do them if you are really interested in history and naval culture. Otherwise your other activities look great although I have never been to the aquarium or sealife park or any other marine life "museum" - I just prefer to spend my time exploring the island. Another thing you may want to look into is a tour of Kualoa ranch - they have ATVs, horseback riding, or just a regular tour in a bus. They take you to movie sites and it's interesting and fun.

On the big island - 4 nights is too short but the volcano is definitely a must-do, and hapuna beach is really nice. Snorkeling at place of refuge is great. I also enjoyed the kona coffee belt, hilo farmer's market, visiting punalu's black sand beach and south point but all that took us 2 trips of a week each! So just do maybe 2 or 3 activities that you cannot miss and stick with that. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for your advice! I'll add Pearl Harbor to the list.

By the way, any advice on what lava flow tour take? I mean, It's ok to see lava stones, and I imagine hiking through a lava valley can be cool, but I think this has no meaning if you can't see real lava flowing live in front of your eyes. Can you recomend any tour that can almost guarantee you'll see the real thing?

I would not bother with trying to rent a condo for such a short stay. They often involve extra work to book, cleaning fees, key fees, meeting the owner, etc.

I would just get a hotel room (many in Hawaii offer kitchenettes, those are easy to find). Waikiki is a very small central area near the beach so any hotel is convenient.

Definitely forget about the idea of waiting until you are at the airport and trying to go view condos. Not going to happen.

I am a budget traveler so these may or may not appeal to you, but I can personally recommend: The Royal Grove Hotel, Waikiki Sand Villa, The Breakers, and White Sands Hotel.

<Can you recomend any tour that can almost guarantee you'll see the real thing?>

It not about which tour you take, it's about whether there happens to be lava flowing at that time.

If you want to see as much of the volcano in a short amount of time...how about a helicopter tour? We did Blue Hawaiian and it was great. It is pricey but worth it. We also went to Volcanos national park one afternoon and went to the main points of interest like the Caulderon, and the lava tube. We didn't get to hike much other than the short walks through the lava tube because we had to drive back to Kona where we were staying.

If you really want to see the volcano the most I suggest you stay near there, like in the town of Volcano itself, because driving from Kona to the volcano took half a day. Hilo is also closer to the volcano and that's where we took the helicopter tour. We didn't do any other walking tours so can't help with that, sorry!

Seeing the lava is going to be costly. However, if it is what you want to do, go for it. Assuming no major changes in the flow, your two best options are a helicopter tour or a hiking tour. The hiking tours take you right to the edge of the flow but they can be long and strenuous. Multiple hours hiking across lava fields with a guide. I think Volcano Discovery Tours is one of the best. Check them out and ask them to explain to you what it really is going to entail.

If you want to see lava then stay at least one night in Volcano. The rest of the time, stay in the up in the Kohalo coast. Avoid Kahaluu Beach as it has been over run by tourists and the coral is dying. Hapuna is good, Place of Refuge has amazing snorkeling. Other great snorkeling beaches are the two associated with the Mauna Lani resort. Your best bet is to fly into Hilo, see VNP and stay in Volcano and then fly out of Kona.

Have a great trip

I took Poke A Stick Lava Tour this past February. They walk the pace of the slowest person (that was me on this trip). It was a fantastic tour. Cheryl (gal who runs it) is easy to talk to. We had to change our date at the last minute and she was more than accommodating. Check it out.
http://lavarefuge.com/poke-a-stick-guided-lava-tours/

On the Big Island, we have stayed a few times at Sea Village. It is VRBO, and I think some condos rent for less than a week. It is a low-key place, with nicely manicured grounds, free tennis, small pool, BBQ pits to use in the central garden. Look at the top floor units, with full-on ocean views. They are cheaper than many.

I didnt notice where you are staying on the BI. My favorite hotel (maybe anywhere) is the Marriott Waikaoloa. If is a smaller hotel, but on one of the nicest beaches A'Bay.
It is very close to the large Hilton so you can go check it out. We were at the Hilton, hated it due to it's size, old rooms and thousands of birds (another story) and changed to the Marriott and loved it.

I've used VRBO with no problem.

One week = One island. You'll lose a good part of one day flying interisland, picking up a rental car, finding your lodgings and settling in. Your first day will be a blur as your body adjusts to the time change.

Pick ONE island. I'd just stay on Oahu. You can do a daytrip or even an overnight to see the volcano. You need a minimum of a week to stay both sides on Big Island. It's big; lots of driving. There's little point to a condo for less than a full week and pricing is usually based on a full week's stay.

How are you spending 32 hours to fly 6000 miles? We fly Chicago-Maui every winter -- about a 14-hour day via either DFW or HNL.

WHEN is this trip? Summers...stay north. Winters...stay south.

"There's little point to a condo for less than a full week and pricing is usually based on a full week's stay. "

I DISAGREE from first hand experience many times.

That's the case with condo rentals in our neighborhood in South Maui. Guess YMMV. Often if you stay a full week the owner comps the cleaning and resort fee (if there is one). When I quote our condo it's based on a 7-night stay; shorter stays are more per night because there are fixed fees *per booking*. I haven't found it practical to spend time provisioning a condo for only a few days either. We stayed two to four weeks on each the four major islands many times for over 30 years before buying. It sounded to me as though our OP is traveling solo, too.

I think ChiSue's idea of 1 week, 1 island is good BUT I would put that week on the Big Island and just use a couple of nights coming and going on Oahu. Oahu's nice, but there's nothing like Volcanoes National Park, or the waterfalls along the east coast of the Big Island. And Waikoloa is fabulous.

Thank you all for your advices.
Chi Sue... thanks for your advice, but the thing is I'm traveling from Colombia to Hawaii, so the travel is a little more complicated and long than flying from inside the US. I have to make more stops on the way too, that's why the 32 hrs :(

But that's the same reason I'd like to visit at least two islands, because traveling from here to Hawaii is not an easy thing to do. And I have to say the main reason for my travel to hawaii is the combination of beach, sea and sun. I definitively prefer spending a day at the beach or walking around, than a few hours at a mall or a bar, and I've been told Hawaii has the best beaches of them all.

This takes me to another very important question, and I'd really appreciate your help with this one: Where are the best beaches, BI or Honolulu? (Or maybe another Island, perhaps) I think I'll spent more days on the island with the best beaches. Any advices???

It's hard to say as each island has fabulous beaches and it's own character. If you are set on visiting the volcano though, definitely go with the BI. Oahu is good to spend a few days there since you're probably flying in and out of there anyways, and it's nice to chill for a few days. 3 nights there would be good and then the rest on the big island sounds like an ideal plan.

Oahu - obviously waikiki beach, but will be crowded and more of a people-watching spot, but defnitely check out others: Ala Moana beach park, Kailua and Lanikai beaches on the east, and the numerous beaches on the North Shore such as Waimea Bay Beach Park, Sunset Beach, and for a treat, Turtle Beach where you can usually see turtles resting in the sand (don't touch them though!) - also you can pay to snorkel at Hanauma bay but go early.

Big Island: There are so many spots - Hapuna beach is a favorite as well as A-Bay in the Waikoloa Beach Resort. There were so many spots where we just drove to, put on our gear and dove in to snorkel. I can't even rememebr what some of those places are called. Place of refuge was definitely a great snorkeling spot.

Maui: Big Beach in Makena, Kamaole I, II, and III, Kaanapali (near the blackrock has fabulous snorkeling), Paia has a lot of wind surfers and kite boarders which are fun to watch.

Kauai - there are so many here too, and all beautiful, others can probably help more on Kauai since I've only been once, but we loved Poipu in the south, and Tunnels, Haena in the north...basically the north shore was lush and gorgeous, and the south more sprawling and dry. If you go to Kauai definitely make a trip to visit the Waimea Canyon, and if you can, a boat or helicopter tour of the Napali coast. Amazing!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that IMO it's not worth traveling all that way for beaches when you have Caribbean beaches in your backyard.

That said, if you're intent on traveling to Hawaii, what time of year is your trip? That will make a difference as to which beaches are swimmable.

Thanks for your advice, tifa..

Patty, about the caribbean, you're absolutly right, and I have been very fortunate for I've been able to visit great places and beaches, from Puerto Rico to Aruba, but believe me so many hours of traveling is nothing compared to visit these remote and beautifull islands. By the way, I'm planning to arrive at Oahu on September the 19th. I think is still summer, right? So maybe I won't see any huge tides.

September is the hottest month in Hawaii. IMO best beaches are on Maui -- easy-access, with good sealife for snorkeling. Big Island has better sealife, but fewer easy-access beaches, and it will be HOT, because it is farthest south, and because it has more bare lava baking in the sun. If the volcano is active there will also be noxious vog.

Kauai has beautiful beaches (leat good sealife) and gorgeous tropical scenery. Much of "The Descendents" was filmed there. It is also a small island, easily covered in a week. This island is my first choice for a helicopter tour.

Oahu's beaches are fine and it is a very tropical island with dramatic pali. North Shore Oahu is quite different from buzz-y Waikiki.

I would not base a trip to Hawaii on its' beaches, through. There are lovely beaches in many parts of the world. The Caribbean has lovely, turquoise waters. What *other* sights interest you?

You could be happy staying right on Oahu. This is not the season I would choose to visit Big Island, but you could enjoy an overnight to Hilo to see VNP -- or a daytrip there from HNL. I would also want more time for Big Island -- it's more spread out.

Maui has a little of everything. Haleakala is its' semi-dormant volcano. Road to Hana is its' most heavily tropical area (mini-Kauai). Nice beaches stretch from Big Beach in southernmost Makena to those around Napili and Kapalua. Upcountry is cool, with ranches. Fields of green cane fill the valley.

Late September is a transitional period so you'll need to check ocean conditions when you're there. I actually think Oahu has some of the prettiest beaches in the island chain.