My husband and I (almost 30) will be heading to Hawaii in August. We will be visiting Maui (staying at the Wailea Beach Marriott) for 5 nights, Kauai (staying at the Kauai Marriott) for 4 nights and Oahu (staying at the JW Marriott). We will have a car on each island.


1) We booked the luau at the Marriott on Maui. Is it important to get the premium seats (they cost about $30 more)?

2) What is the best zip line tour? Is the zip line really worth it?

3) We are active, like nature and enjoy seeing "off the beaten path" places. We are intersted in hiking and seeing beautiful scenery. Does anybody have any suggestions for what to do on each island?

4) What are the best places to snorkel? We probably want to do it from the beach- we don't want to pay for a tour.

5) Where should we eat? We like very simple, non-spicy foods- Italian, Chinese, Japanese, steaks and burgers... We are not real big into seafood- shrimp and flounder are about the extent of our tastes. Nothing too fancy! We are interested in plate lunches...

6) I am intereted in the culture/history of Hawaii. ANy suggestions? We plan to visit Pearl Harbor and possibly the USS Missouri.

ANY and ALL suggestions would be appreciated! THank you in advance...

When you are in Maui you will have good snorkelling from Ulua beach which is adjacent to the Marriott hotel.
Staying in Wailea a nice trip to 'off the beaten path' is to take the drive south past Makena to La Perouse bay. There is an amazing landscape of lave from the most recent eruption on Maui.

If you like hiking, I suggest you contact the Sierra Club:
http://www.hi.sierraclub.org/oahu/oahu-hikes.html

Maybe you'll be here when they have one of their hikes! It's always better to go in a group, than on your own. Hawaii is paradise, but "off the beaten path" may get you lost.

Have you done a search on this board yet?

For snorkeling I'd recommend going to the local dive shop, renting gear there (no reason to haul your own) and ask them the local hotspots for snorkeling. We had excellent luck w/that and enjoyed ourselves tremendously - from shore, no fees!

I would strongly suggest doing a tour of the USS Missouri. Pay the little bit extra for a guided tour.

6) On Maui go to Lahaina and do the self-guided historic walking tour. You get a pamphlet to follow from a tourist office there. It gives you a good sense of back in the day of the monarchy and whaling trade. In Honolulu visit Iolani Palace and the Bishop Museum.

I forgot, you can make a day of historic downtown Honolulu. If you would like a free tour of the Aloha Tower area, email me at info at alohatower.com. (i spelled it out to escape the internet spiders.)

Also check out Bishop Museum.

I'd suggest watching the sunrise from the top of Haleakala on Maui--it's beautiful! You could even bike ride down from the top (but I'm not sure on the price of that).

As for snorkeling off the beach--try Hanauma Bay on Oahu.

Have fun!

Thanks for all of the advice so far! I am excited to hear that we can do some good snorkelling off the beach. The Lahaina and Oahu tours sound great! I think my husband will like the USS Missouri tour. Plus, we have coupon in our Entertainment book for it- an added incentive!

Does anybody have any info on the zip line?