3 GENERATIONS OFF TO HAWAII - NEED SUGGESTIONS!!
May 13th, 2001, 11:49 AM
#1
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3 GENERATIONS OFF TO HAWAII - NEED SUGGESTIONS!!
I am beginning to plan for a 2 week family vacation for february 2002. We will be flying from Atlanta (any airline help would be great). Would like to stay ocean front or some really neat (not necessarily expensive) place with 2 bedrooms and kitchenettes. We want to see Pearl Harbor, but otherwise just "experience" the Islands (maybe 2 or 3 islands, but which ones??) Ages of the travelers..one 3 year-old, two 31 year-olds & two 70 year-olds. ANY help or advice would be appreciated. THANKS!!
May 13th, 2001, 12:40 PM
#2
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I don't know if this is the sort of thing you're looking for - and it's not oceanfront, but it's about a 10-minute drive from a great beach. My daughter and son-in-law stayed there and I went with a friend and stayed there a couple of months later, and we all loved it - it's on the Big Island and it's a rental unit on a coffee/macadamia nut plantation. The place is also an animal refuge. The website is www.hawaiicountry.com - the people who own and run it are lovely. It's not luxurious, it's certainly nothing like a resort, but it's close to everything you might want to see on the Big Island and there was something wonderful about staying on a working farm. Hope this helps -and have a wonderful trip.
May 13th, 2001, 03:33 PM
#3
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1. It sounds like Condos. or private home rentals are the way to go for you and there are many available on all of the islands. The Hawaii Convention and Visitor's Bureau website lists many on their accomodations database: www.gohawaii.com . www.vrbo.com and www.vacationspot.com also have many listings.
2. I would suggest limiting yourself to 2 islands but whether or not you should do 3 depends on how active you want to be. Remember that you lose the better part of a day when island hopping when you add-up all the time getting to and from the airport, getting your rental car, packing and unpacking, checking-in and out, etc.
3. It sounds like you should probably spend around a week on Oahu (the island that Pearl Harbor is on). Some things I would suggest off-hand:
-hiking Diamond Head (although this may not be for the 70 yr. olds),
-going to the Pali Lookout,
- Hanauma Bay,
-Punchbowl Cemetary,
-Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown,
- Viewing sunset from Sheraton Waikiki's 'Hanohano Room'
- Senator Fong Plantation
- North Shore
- Sunset cruise
- Pineapple fields
The Waikiki Sunset and Waikiki Banyan condos both have 2 bedroom units and generally seem to get good reviews but neither one is right on the ocean, though they are not more than a few blocks away and do have ocean or mtn. views. Both are considered in the moderate price range for Waikiki. The only condos in Waikiki directly on the beach is the Waikiki Shore. The Aston Waikiki Beach Tower is directly across from the beach and is a AAA 3-diamond property. Both offer spectacular ocean views and both are quite expensive, although it pays to inquire whether they are available w/ the Entertainment rate.
There are quite a few private home and apartment rentals available in the Kailua, Lanikai and Kanehoe areas on the Windward side of Oahu. Many of these are excellent values compared to Waikiki and many have ocean views or are right across from the beach. Be aware, though, that the Windward side of the island is the rainiest and that the rainy season is from Nov. through April. Here are a few two-bedroom units you may want to take a look at:
-Beachside Bungalows- 1 block to Kailua Beach, full-kitchen
http://beachsidebungalows.com (also http://vrbo.com/vrbo/3899.htm)
-Kaneohe, 2/2, spectacular setting- b/w mtns. and ocean, full-kitchen
$125/night (5 night minimum).$800/week.$3000/month.
http://www.hawaiioceanfrontrental.com
-Bamboo Inn- ocnfrnt, mtn. views
http://www.bambooinnhawaii.com/index.html
2/2, full-kitchen, 100/650, 120/800
- Kailua & Lanikai Beach Vacation Rentals
http://kailuabeach.net
There are some condos. on the western side of the island but for some reason, they don't seem to be widely advertised or publicized. This website http://www.hawaiicondosbyowner.com/index.htm lists some 1 bedroom and studio units that look like excellent values. I don't know if there any 2-bedroom available.
There are also some condos on the grounds of the Hilton Turtle Bay Resort on the N. Shore, as well as some home rentals on the N. Shore that may be good for you. The N. Shore does not get as much rain as the windward side.
*- The Entertainment card, available for $30- at http://www.entertainment.com can get you 50% off the rack rate at many accomodations throughout Hawaii. See the website for details and keep in mind that people here have said that there are properties that participate that are not listed on the site or in the book, so it pays to call directly to ask if a specific property is participating.
(To be Continued...)
2. I would suggest limiting yourself to 2 islands but whether or not you should do 3 depends on how active you want to be. Remember that you lose the better part of a day when island hopping when you add-up all the time getting to and from the airport, getting your rental car, packing and unpacking, checking-in and out, etc.
3. It sounds like you should probably spend around a week on Oahu (the island that Pearl Harbor is on). Some things I would suggest off-hand:
-hiking Diamond Head (although this may not be for the 70 yr. olds),
-going to the Pali Lookout,
- Hanauma Bay,
-Punchbowl Cemetary,
-Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown,
- Viewing sunset from Sheraton Waikiki's 'Hanohano Room'
- Senator Fong Plantation
- North Shore
- Sunset cruise
- Pineapple fields
The Waikiki Sunset and Waikiki Banyan condos both have 2 bedroom units and generally seem to get good reviews but neither one is right on the ocean, though they are not more than a few blocks away and do have ocean or mtn. views. Both are considered in the moderate price range for Waikiki. The only condos in Waikiki directly on the beach is the Waikiki Shore. The Aston Waikiki Beach Tower is directly across from the beach and is a AAA 3-diamond property. Both offer spectacular ocean views and both are quite expensive, although it pays to inquire whether they are available w/ the Entertainment rate.
There are quite a few private home and apartment rentals available in the Kailua, Lanikai and Kanehoe areas on the Windward side of Oahu. Many of these are excellent values compared to Waikiki and many have ocean views or are right across from the beach. Be aware, though, that the Windward side of the island is the rainiest and that the rainy season is from Nov. through April. Here are a few two-bedroom units you may want to take a look at:
-Beachside Bungalows- 1 block to Kailua Beach, full-kitchen
http://beachsidebungalows.com (also http://vrbo.com/vrbo/3899.htm)
-Kaneohe, 2/2, spectacular setting- b/w mtns. and ocean, full-kitchen
$125/night (5 night minimum).$800/week.$3000/month.
http://www.hawaiioceanfrontrental.com
-Bamboo Inn- ocnfrnt, mtn. views
http://www.bambooinnhawaii.com/index.html
2/2, full-kitchen, 100/650, 120/800
- Kailua & Lanikai Beach Vacation Rentals
http://kailuabeach.net
There are some condos. on the western side of the island but for some reason, they don't seem to be widely advertised or publicized. This website http://www.hawaiicondosbyowner.com/index.htm lists some 1 bedroom and studio units that look like excellent values. I don't know if there any 2-bedroom available.
There are also some condos on the grounds of the Hilton Turtle Bay Resort on the N. Shore, as well as some home rentals on the N. Shore that may be good for you. The N. Shore does not get as much rain as the windward side.
*- The Entertainment card, available for $30- at http://www.entertainment.com can get you 50% off the rack rate at many accomodations throughout Hawaii. See the website for details and keep in mind that people here have said that there are properties that participate that are not listed on the site or in the book, so it pays to call directly to ask if a specific property is participating.
(To be Continued...)
May 13th, 2001, 04:07 PM
#4
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Posts: n/a
As to which other island(s) you should visit, I suggest doing some reading to get a basic overview of what each island has to offer and then weigh each one against your interests, tastes and priorities.
Get a hold of some guidebooks.
Start by ordering the free brochures from the Hawaii Convention and Visitor's
Bureau: 800-GO-HAWAII/ www.gohawaii.com and the Oahu Visitors Bureau:
http://www.visit-oahu.com/aloha.htm / 1-877-525-OAHU but realize that these are
promotional organizations and there publications and info. will not be
completely objective, so be sure to buy some good guide books as well.
Something to keep in mind is that there are r.t. air-inclusive day-tours from Oahu to several of the other islands that come out to be quite reasonable and this can be a good way to get a taste of another island without all the hassles of staying there. You can see the volcanoes on the 'Big Island' this way. There may be other operators but the one I know of is Robert's Hawaii http://www.robertshawaii.com/roberts...HH8XX0W9TG2D4D
I recommend familiarizing yourself with some of the basic ocean and beach safety info. found on this site:
http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/sitemap.html
Get a hold of some guidebooks.
Start by ordering the free brochures from the Hawaii Convention and Visitor's
Bureau: 800-GO-HAWAII/ www.gohawaii.com and the Oahu Visitors Bureau:
http://www.visit-oahu.com/aloha.htm / 1-877-525-OAHU but realize that these are
promotional organizations and there publications and info. will not be
completely objective, so be sure to buy some good guide books as well.
Something to keep in mind is that there are r.t. air-inclusive day-tours from Oahu to several of the other islands that come out to be quite reasonable and this can be a good way to get a taste of another island without all the hassles of staying there. You can see the volcanoes on the 'Big Island' this way. There may be other operators but the one I know of is Robert's Hawaii http://www.robertshawaii.com/roberts...HH8XX0W9TG2D4D
I recommend familiarizing yourself with some of the basic ocean and beach safety info. found on this site:
http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/sitemap.html
May 14th, 2001, 08:12 AM
#6
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Posts: n/a
Having lived in the islands for a total of 5 yrs l would highly reccomend both the Big Island and Kauai you can do the island of Oahua in a day or 2 then spend the rest of your time touring the Big Island and Kauai as there is just so many nice places to see and the beaches are beautiful. I am off back to the islands myself this Sept and can't wait. I think you will love any of the islands you go to as they all have so many different things to offer. Nothng however beats seeing the Volcano at night on the Big Island. Enjoy yourselves wherever you go.
