webazoid

I decided at last minute to go to hawaii. I booked a RT tix from LAX to HNL plus 7 days of car rental for $500. Booked a cheap 1 star hotel for 4 days. Still undecided about the remaining 3 days. During first 4 days, i want to see pearl harbor, wakiki beach, polynesian cultural center. On day 5, i was thinking about taking superferry to maui. However, once I get to maui, not sure what to do or if there's a tour guide company that could show me around. I'm going by myself so just trying to get a feel for the area. thanks. would love any advice. will have my handy nuvi 350 gps.

hulajake

Problem with day 5 is you will be changing hotels unless you are looking at the 3 days on Maui as the Superferry departs early morning.
It is also right around a 4 hour trip which takes up quite a bit of daylight.

Marginal

You don't need a tour on Maui. You need a rental car and a guidebook. A GPS is fairly useless. The places you will want to see are all well posted.

suze

I've been solo to Hawaii a couple times recently. But for myself, I prefer to stay on Oahu. There's plenty to see & do there to fill one week. Especially since you have a car (I've never rented one).

If you skipped Maui, you'd also have a little more money for Oahu and could get a slightly nicer hotel. Where are you staying that's a "cheap 1 star", if you don't mind me asking?

I have also been to Maui with a family group. It was nice but I would not bother if you only have a couple days. I'd save it for another time & just go there for the week.

Supercilious

Sounds like you got a good deal on the flight and car.

Unless you can change your flight and car rental to Maui, I'd stay on Oahu. You have a car for 7 days so why not use it there? There's plenty to do although parking at some of the Waikiki hotels is a pain in the neck.

webazoid

it was the Aqua Honolulu Prince. I got it via priceline but dreading it since i read the reviews after they took my bid. I paid liek $45. What should I do about parking? I'll prob just stay in oahu...but need to find another hotel for the 3 days after that.

Andrew

I did five days in Oahu solo, first time to Hawaii, two years ago. I could easily have stayed a week on the island; I felt a bit rushed seeing everything (including Pearl Harbor), honestly, while also swimming and snorkeling every day. I personally wouldn't do a 2nd island with only a week, for your first trip.

Just roll with the Aqua Honolulu Prince, make the best of it. You might try a site called www.discounthotelshawaii.com for the remaining days; I used them in 2006 and found what was then a screaming deal ($65/night at a place in Waikiki 1 block from the beach, under renovation but totally OK; now that renovation is complete their rooms are 3X more expensive!).

You really don't need a car in Waikiki (or to do nearby sites like Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay), but I disliked Waikiki myself - very crowded, feeling to me like a tacky tourist trap in many places. The rest of Oahu I found delightful, however, and I would have missed so much of it without a car. For example, I got up before daybreak one morning to drive 30 minutes across the island to photograph the sunrise on Lainkai Beach (I'm a photographer) - one of the highlights of my trip. There are a whole variety of beaches all over the island - do drive all the way around it, it doesn't take long.

hulajake

Yes the Kailua-Lanikai beaches are great and the drive around Makapuu Point up to there is very good.
Here's a link Dusty found for many of the available parking garages in Waikiki.
http://travel-hawaii.com/waikiki_hotel_parking.html

I agree with Andrew as far as the hotel but if you're wanting another option here are a few in the budget class.
Royal Grove
Queen Kapiolani
Waikiki Prince

Barbara5353

For your remaining 3 days you should consider staying on Oahu, but in a different area. There is a totally different vibe and ambiance on the windward and north shores. You can rent studio or 1 bedroom condo in Punaluu for around $100 a night. (Check vrbo.com, and put "Punaluu Oahu" in the search box. I think most have a 4 night minimum. Personally, I would double-book for one night and leave the Waikiki hotel early.
There are some licensed B&B's in Kailua that are affordable, also.
One that I liked is:
www.sharonsserenity.com
Return to the airport on your last day is easy from either spot.

iamq

Spend your three days up here on the north shore.

http://www.keikibeach.com/

suze

I'd agree with the idea of staying on Oahu but spliting your time between Waikiki & the North Shore. That would be a perfect trip!

If you do end up staying just in Waikiki see if you can get a reservation at The Royal Grove hotel. www.royalgrovehotel.com

If you're already got a room for $45/night, I'd just stay with that and hope for the best.

but if you want to keep the car nearby, don't be surprised if you end up paying to the tune of $15-25/night.

webazoid

what are some good indoor activities to do in hawaii? looks like it'll rain next week for a couple of days while i'm there.

dusty56438

If you go to Maui you are better off flying.

There are no car rentals at the pier where the Superferry moors. So you would have to take a cab to a car rental agency.

Often in the winter, the Superferry cancels on short notice because the surf is too high.

Superferry takes 3 hours compared to 45 minutes by plane.

Then there are many environmental issues yet to be resolved with the Superferry.

Lots of info:

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

andrew8

topping

margyb

Webazoid...we're here in Punaluu and have been since last Monday. We only had about a day and a half of sun and then the rains hit! We've been heading south to the mall, went up north to Haleiwa and have spent WAY too much time inside online and watching TV. The roads have been closed off and on and the power has been out quite a bit also! Most of the restaurants near here have been closed and the beach here at the condo is off limits as well. It's been quite a vacation!

Let me know if you think of anything else to do inside!

Margy

suze

Indoor activities in the Honolulu area:
Iolani Palace
Bishop Museum
Doris Duke ShangriLa estate
Honolulu Academy of the Arts
Ala Moana mall

webazoid

margyb..where are u staying? i'm thinking about bringing my laptop with me. u getting internet through ur hotel?

Andrew

There are plenty of Starbucks in Waikiki (not a place I recommend on a sunny day, but if it's rainy, not such a bad place to spend an hour with your laptop to catch up or email some photos home). My hotel in Waikiki had free WiFi nor did it ever rain during my trip, so I never hit a Starbucks on my visit.

suze

I have always been able to find a nice internet cafe, right near my hotel, with reaasonable prices. Local people using them, as much as tourists.

hulajake

A couple of places to add are the Aloha Tower Marketplace which also has live entertaiment in the evenings in the restaurants.
The Royal Hawaiian shopping center has different events during the week like ukulele and hula classes and live entertainment as well.