DEDPERATE HELP NEEDED FOR A BRIT TO PLAN A TRIP TO HAWAII!!!
 

Hello- am new to this forum and I hope you can help please !! Hubby and I are going to Hawaii for three weeks in MAY 2004.We are attending a friend's wedding on Maui and shall be there for a week -(the accom. on Maui has already been arranged so that is no problem.) However we then have a further 14 days to explore the rest of the islands and I am going CRAZY trying to sort out an itinerary!! Which island ?? which beach ?? which coast ??? Every time I think I have made a decision I read about somewhere else that sounds fantastic !! As this will probably be our one and only trip to Hawaii ever - I really want to make the right decisions and this is where I hope you people out there might be able to give me some sound advice. Bearing in mind how much it costs us to fly from the UK , and that we will be away for three weeks we are on a VERY strict budget.

We are in our late 40's, HATE large hotel complexes,and want to sight-see and then find some peace and quiet on a beach to relax for the last week. We are both Scuba Divers so want to stay on an island where we can dive .We also want to swim in the ocean ( don't like swimming pools).

So far I have thought about the following -
after our week on Maui fly from there to the BI, spend three days on the Kona coast and do the Manta Ray dive- (anyone got any reccomendations for which dive operator please?.) Then go to see the volcanoes and spend two/three days there - so I need a CHEAP hotel/condo/b n b somewhere along the Kona Coast and likewise near the volcanoes. I have been looking at the Kona Tiki Hotel or even the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook - any comments ??

Then it is either KAUIA or MOLOKAI for our third week of rest. I have been looking at the north coast of Kauia but just can't decide between there or Molokai - HELP!! We want somewhere right on the beach where we can swim in the ocean (or in a lagoon -) near a restaurant or two but far enough away from any high rise/large resorts and crowds.

We have , after much thought . decided not to go to OAHU - sounds far too busy!! Although I would quite like to visit Pearl Harbour it seems it will be quite expensive to fly in and out just for that one excursion.

Through surfing this site I have discovered VRBO which is brill and I am trawling through the hundreds of entries hoping to find the right place to stay for our last week - I thought if we stayed as cheaply as possible on the BI we will be able to afford to splash out a bit more for our final week.

Any ideas and reccomendations will be VERY greatfully recieved - Many thanks !! Chrissie xx

Which island will you be flying in/out of? I thought that all intercontinental flights went in and out of Honlulu, on Oahu.

HI anonymous - sorry I should have said - we are flying in and out of Maui ( transatlantic to LA then change at LA into Maui) so wherever we end up we will have to get back to Maui to get the 18 hour flight home !! xx

Condos are the way to go, you can save a bundle on food that way. One Maui trip I met a German couple at the happy hour, they go there every year for two or three weeks. I remarked about costs etc and he said once the plane tickets were bought, "the rest is cheap, America is very cheap" so maybe it won't be as $$ as you think.
I have used these people: http://www.hawaiianpurl.com and was pleased.
These folk are pleasant tho' I've never done more with them than make enquiries:
http://www.kauai-vacation-rentals.com/

Good luck, you'll have a wonderful time.

Don't discount Oahu as being too busy. The North Shore has fun diving and is not crowded. We spent a week on Oahu in June and had a great time. We dove with Deep Ecology.

Inter island flights are pretty cheap and the flights are very short between the islands. If you do want to go to Pearl Harbor, just fly in for the day or even stay a night. There are a ton of hotels in the Waikiki area that are very affordable. The Waikiki area is very busy and commercial, however the view of Diamond Head from the beach is wonderful. Also - pearl harbor and such makes it worth a trip - even if only for a day or two. As far as the rest of the accomodations, I do recommend a Condo. We rented a condo in Maui and it even had a washer and dryer. That might really help you out too since you will be there so long and having access to a kitchen and w/d would be an advantage. To save money, dine in the condo for breakfast. When you get there, by a cheap cooler and pack lunches for your day trips. Then you won't feel so bad spending money on dinner. Dining out can be expensive, however there are a lot of economical places to dine away from the major resorts. You will find a lot of good advice on this site! Good luck!

If you think this will be your only trip to Hawaii, please don't skip Oahu. It is such a beautiful island, much lovelier than the Big Island although with different interests. You could rent a car and drive around it in a few hours or get a local round-the-island bus tour if you don't want to stay over.

What a wonderful problem to have, huh? Stuck 3 weeks in Hawaii and having to figure out where to go..........

First -- what is "brill"? I am guessing it is short for brilliant, which is a word us Yanks never use to describe something but I know by spending alot of time in Ireland it is a commonly used adjective. Or was it a typo?

There are really only two general tips I want to provide -- search all the old postings for ideas, (which you are prob doing) and order some of the "Revealed" books. They will answer all your questions on ideas of where to stay and what to do and tons of inside tips. Probably the most common tip on this board is buy "BLANK Revealed" (insert name of Island for "blank").

You definately need Maui Revealed and Big Island Revealed and I would recommend Kauia for the finish to your trip.

Don't make yourself crazy -- its ALL great there! Enjoy!

I do know a good dive shop. I'll have to look up the name. It is in Kona in an industrial area right before the town and by the French Bakery. I think the new owners are from Canada. I saw the video of my parents dive and it was amazying. They have all new equipment too. (And cute help. ;) )

I would pick Kauai over Molokai. So Maui, BI and Kauai would be an excellent trip.

www.robertsovernighters.com will give you leads.

I would also pick Kauai over Molokai. There are many condo rentals and safe swimming in the Poipu Beach area.

You have the right idea...do your homework...Hawaii can be overwhelming...there are so many things to see and do...READ and SORT. The "REVEALED" books are very good.

Inter-island flights costs are $70-85, however many of the travel agents have "overnighter" fly/car/hotel specials...visit www.Travel-Hawaii.com

The condo idea is a good one...it can save some money as stated in other posts.

I have stayed at the Manago Hotel...It is a budget hotel, but very reasonable...I paid $43 for double (1999/USD)...I think it is $47USD for double now..The annex has three floors and a pretty good view down to the ocean....(Interesting history about the Manago Hotel)

Idea on Molikai....check on swimming conditions...some of the beaches can be quite difficult.....Just an observation on my part...but Kauai seems to more friendly to your description of activities.

You can't go wrong....Hawaii...it's all good!!!....It has taken most of us many return trips to do all the things we wanted to do....so have fun in your 14 days.

Another rental agent for North Shore Kaua'i is prosser-realty.com. I think for swimming you may want to concentrate on Hanalei or the Tunnels area.
Have a great trip!

Aloha from Surrey, fellow Brit. I'm just planning my 3rd trip out there in November (to Maui & BI, which I haven't visited, so can't add much about them). Regarding Molokai vs. Kauai, I would definitely pick Kauai. We VASTLY preferred the North to the South Shore - so much more peaceful and less full of tourists. However, please try to fit in a daytrip to the Kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai - I have waxed lyrical about it in previous posts. You can fly in certainly from Honolulu (which I did before) and from Maui (which I'm doing this time), and maybe from the BI too? Type 'Molokai mule ride' into Google and the website will come up. Although I do go to Oahu as I have friends there, for my money I would not linger but would get out and spend longer on the other islands. In general, given what you say about your preferences, I would steer well clear of the big tourist resort areas (eg. Waikiki, Poipu, West Coast of Maui). You will have much more of a 'unique' experience away from the hordes. Keep doing the research - you really have to with Hawaii - if you go to the wrong places you will probably be disappointed, and if you go to the right ones I promise that you will be stunned and hooked. And you will bore all your friends senseless going on about it....

Chrissie, since our trip to Hawaii last September I have been waiting for an opportunity to return. Looks like we will be back next August 2004. We also hate huge hotels and did rental houses on Maui and Kauai last time. We will be back to Kauai next year, renting a beach house on Anini Beach for a week and are currently looking for a rental on the Big Island. I have researched until my eyeballs are ready to fall out and this one looks like the best bet, for us anyway:
http://www.greatvacationhomes.com/rentals/5066.html
$700 a week, great oceanview and within driving distance of the volcano, Hilo and Kona coast.
Our rentals on Maui were:
http://www.hanaalii.com/HamoaBeach/ and
http://www.mywaii.com/
On Kauai:
http://www.kauaivilla.com/
Happy hunting. Keep looking until something feels "right" to you, you will have a wonderful time!

We spent two weeks on the BI two years ago and avoided the big hotel/resort-type places entirely. We stayed on a working coffee plantation that has a couple of nice rental units; one is a bit larger than the other and has a slightly nicer view. The website is www.hawaiicountry.com - it might suit your needs. It's in Kona, at about 1100' elevation (so no airconditioning is necessary). From there we were able to do day trips everywhere around the island. The Manago Hotel isn't far away from where we stayed; it's small and family-operated, quite basic but clean and pleasant, from what we were told. I'd agree with the advice about the "Revealed" books. My daughter and son-in-law live in Los Angeles and have gone to Hawaii a few times, and swear by those books.

I Think you should head out and glance through wizard publication guides by Andrew Doughty & Harriet Friedman at your book shop. Ulitmate Guide to Kauai, Big Island Revealed, Maui Revealed etc...My favorites are Kauai and the Big Island but I have a lot of outdoor interest. People that are attracted to city activity will enjoy Honolulu. Chinatown also would be so interesting to someone from England I would think. I do think if you are going to Oahu though that you should have some city interests. Plenty of cultural events on this island but if you are coming for isolation and prestine beaches your interests will be better served on the outer islands.

These guides I mention are brief, you can make your decision in a day or two by flipping through. I think renting a condo is a good idea and then exploring the island. You will have your pick if you book soon. Some adventure have a great time!

Hi Fiona.. also originally from Surrey (Epsom), now in Texas & putting together Maui trip for later this year.
Cheers, Paul
pspercy at yah..dot com