pennypoopers

I have been to Hawaii many times but was decades ago and never with my family. We have 9 days altogether and plan to spend 2-3 on Oahu and the rest on the BI, the very end of Dec. I am the proverbial "deer in the headlights" and have so appreciated reading all the entries. On Oahu my husband & son really wants to see Pearl Harbor and I then want them to see the North Shore (maybe see some big surf) -- do we need 2 or 3 days there? Next, the BI is so big, it seems to make sense to divide up the trip, staying part of the time on the western side and the rest on the eastern side (or reverse the order). I'm stuck on how to divide up the days on the BI (4 west, 2 east or 3/3?) and what areas/places to stay at. We have three kids (15, 12 & 8). I was veering to VRBO but then saw a wonderful report on Kona Village and remember how fun it was to be a kid at a nice hotel in Hawaii. Any suggestions would be so wonderful. Thanks, Susan

mumpsimus

pennyP regulars will know that I'm partial to Kona Village, and if by "wonderful report" you mean the "fanzine" I did, thank you. If you didn't mean that, take a look at www.davidskvr.net and it will answer 99% of your questions. If I were planning, I'd do the sightseeing first, and save KVR for at least the last four days. Why four days? If you haven't been there, it takes a day or so to get over the feeling that you ought to be 'doing something,' and once you get in the rhythm of the village you never want to leave. There's a lot to do, it's just that you don't have to make any scheduled decisions except what time you'd like to have dinner. You can rent a Hertz at the village, and if you take a day for driving, they'll give you vouchers for some restaurants or pack box lunches to take along. If you want to see the volcano close up, a helicopter will pick you up at the village's helipad. In other words, there are lots of options to consider.
David

wbpiii

PennyP, I would do two on Oahu and six on the Big Island. Pearl Harbor is a must, but it must be done early and it could take as much as a .75 a day, depending on what you view, just the Memorial and the exhibits or go to the battleship and view the submarine. Also the drive to the North Shore is very pretty, maybe on the second day you should circumnavigate the island. Waimae is a beautiful beach. Waikiki is just an upscale shopping mall but maybe fun for a few hours.

On the Big Island, I would split the time two/four. If you can, fly into Hilo and out of Kailua Kona. I would do one day around Hilo and one day for the park.

Kona village is wonderful. I love the place, but once you go in, you may find nobody wants to go sightseeing. At your childrens' ages, they will have a ball, in fact, you may not see them until you are ready to leave. They will be swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and just exploring. Sadly, I am not sure there is any room and the resort at the end of December.

Don't miss: Honounou (Place of Refuge), snorkel two-step, snorkel kahalu'u (early in the morning), and hit the beach at Kua Bay about 15 mile north of Kailua Kona or two miles south of Kona Village. The national park by the small boat harbor, Kaloko-Honokohau, walk Kailua Kona and the little parks north of Mauna Lani.

If you have any questions, just ask.

Bill

pennypoopers

Wow! You guys are great. I am so appreciative of all the wonderful details and suggestions and so quickly. I already feel so much less anxious about how to plan this trip. I will try to jump on the Kona Village today -- I love my kids but I love the notion that I won't see them for a few days too! Time with my hubby would be lovely.

suze

I don't think '2 days' on Oahu is enough... First day you fly in assuming mid-day or late afternoon, get to a hotel in Waikiki, unpack, have dinner. Second day Pearl Harbor early morning. But wouldn't yhou need a third day to drive the North Shore loop? Back to the airport late that same night? Or the next morning, makes it more like 3-1/2 to 4 days. I'd definitely rent a car right from the airport on Oahu to accomplish this most smoothly.

wbpiii

Pennyp, regarding time on an island and which island, nine days is really a very short trip for island hopping (not a criticism just and observation). Two days to explore Oahu, maybe too short but to do more is rushing the big island. Two days will give you an idea of Oahu's nature and just plan to go back. Six or seven days on the Big Island will be enough to really get a sense of it's soul. Next time you can do Oahu and Kauai. Then Maui and whatever island you have now come to love. The islands are an intensely personal experiences. Everybody has there own favorite, but a journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step.

Bill

PS, my only "set" advice is, if you plan on going to Kona Village always do it at the end of your trip. It's a place of relaxation so you want to recover from your sightseeing there and recharge the batteries for your life back home. If you do book KVR and want my tips on how to appreciate the village, just ask.

mouseRD

I agree about the time on Oahu; depending on where you are flying from. We were there 3 nights & our first day was a wash; we checked into our hotel ~ 5 pm (5 hr time difference from East Coast)& my husband was too tired to even want to go down to one of the restaurants for dinner! On subsequent days we did: Day 2) a nice walk along Waikiki Beach, breakfast, a leisurely drive to the North Shore, watching surfers a bit, then continuing on to the other side of the Island to the Byodo Inn temple, headed back across to Waikiki via the Like Like; dinner at Alan Wong's (your kids might like something more casual, but it was great for an adults night out) Day 3) early morning hike of Diamond Head, then a leisurely b'fast & shower & headed up to Pearl Harbour. Battleship Missouri was closed at that time, so we toured the Bowfin Submarine while waiting to go out to the Arizona Memorial. Dinner at House Without a Key (outside beachfront restaurant with nightly music/dancing) & lovely watching the sunset & the entertainment. Next morning, it was packing up for our flight to Maui. Felt like we missed some things we would have enjoyed like visiting Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach, and we would have also enjoyed the Hole in the Wall Food Tour, but couldn't fit it into our schedule. A lot of others have said their children have enjoyed surfing lessons at Waikiki beach. We did our snorkeling that trip on Maui. Have a great time!

pennypoopers

Unfortunately, Kona Village is all booked up and for a family of five it is close to $1500 a night which is steep. I don't mind splurging a bit, but that is a lot. Any other suggestions? I do love the idea of a hotel for the last 4 nights on the BI.

mumpsimus

pennyP, that's too bad. KVR has some really enticing sales during the year, but not at peak times. Keep it on your "someday list."

pennypoopers

I so wish we had more time, as I've been to most of the islands, and want to share so much with my family. So, I think we will stay two days beyond when we arrive as the first day will be a wash. Now, it's just trying to figure out where to stay on Oahu and the BI. My feeling is that if we stay at a hotel on the BI (vs. renting a house), then I want it to be on the beach, so any suggestions would be great. I realize there is a risk with being there in the winer time -- big waves, but I'll take Hawaii however I can get it. Perhaps in the future we'll have more than 9 days. I didn't want to spend the entire time on Oahu -- my family would have missed some extraordinary things that the other islands have to offer. So, this trip will just be a teaser. Keep the suggestions coming. You people are wonderful. PennyP (BTW, my screen name is what I call my daughter's rabbit!)

LittleWing

I've only been to BI once, this past spring. Although we adored staying in Hawi, for your needs, I would look into Puako. We adored Pole 69 beach.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

We also loved staying in Volcano village as our second base. It was great for exploring that side of the island and great to visit the park before and after the day trippers.

LittleWing

ooooops

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...la-coast/puako

mumpsimus

Two things, pennyP: if you call Kona Village and set it up, they'll give you a tour of the village. Also, the lu'au show is open to the public (for a price, of course) and it's alleged to be the best on the island. (I haven't seen the others, but the KVR lu'au is outstanding.)
David

suze

On Oahu, in Waikiki there are ALL kinds of much more reasonable priced options for places to stay WAY less than that particular resort on BI.

sassy_cat

We've stayed at the Waikoloa Marriott twice and it's a lot less expensive than Kona Village. It's almost on the beach (walk through the gardens to reach it). Here's a link.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...esort-and-spa/

With your short stay (6nights BI?). I'd suggest 5 nights on west side and 1 on the east side. Or 4:1 if you only have 5 nights I've lost count!

wbpiii

Look at the condos at Hali'i Kai in Waikaloa. Very nice area. Also look at condos at the Mauna Lani resort. There are also some nice houses for rent at Kailua Kona. You can find something in your range. What ever you do, don't stress.

Bill

pennypoopers

We made a reservation at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort on the east side of the BI for the last part of our trip. It was reasonably priced, on the beach and seemed to have good reviews. Our current plan is to stay there the last four days of our trip, and spend the first 2 days in the Hilo area. My current "dilemma" is whether to split up the BI 2:4 (east:west) or 3:3. Of course, the woman I'm considering renting from would like us to stay three nights in Hakalau on the Hilo side, but the list of things she sent me to do is tremendous: Liliuokalani Park, Coconut Island, Kaumana Cave, Tsunami Museum, Kapoho Tide Pools, Ahalanui Beach Pk, Volcano NP, Punalu'u Beach Pk, South Pt. & Green Sand Peach-Ka'u, and Waipi'o Valley St. Pk. How would you all suggest we divide up being on the BI? Doing some good snorkeling is important and wonder if the ocean might be too rough that time of year and if the tidal pools are a good alternative for my kids (15, 12 & 8). Thanks for all your previous suggestions. PennyP

Placename

The Outrigger Keahou is most defintely not on the east coast of Hawaii. It is on the west, Kona coast, south of Kona airport (KOA),

pennypoopers

Yes, I knew that in my head, but I did write the wrong thing. I meant that we will stay there on the last part of the trip and am trying to figure out how long to stay on the east side. Thanks.

sassy_cat

Just in case you didn't realise the Outrigger Keauhou is NOT on the beach. It is oceanfront but you can't get to the beach easily. Read the reviews on Tripadvisor for more info.

I'd split the stay 2:4 (east:west) but do try to stay ON or near a beach for part of your stay.

For snorkeling I recommend Fairwind. Great experience both times we went and many people on the boat had been multiple times. Go in the morning and have lunch on board; your kids will love jumping off the boat or taking the slide.
http://www.fair-wind.com/fair-wind-i...rkel-am-cruise