Hawaii beat our expectations
Oct 9th, 2016, 03:20 AM
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Hawaii beat our expectations
Thanks to Fodor’s Forums we were able to plan and achieve an incredible holiday in Hawaii and got most of what we can do with limited time in Hawaii. That said we made mistakes and these are presented in the report.
Oahu (4 days) We organised various trips including Pearl Harbour which we did with atour company: E Noa – guide was fantastic a real character. It was a small bus, so much better than the later trip with Roberts Hawaii. I know you can do it by self, but the insights we got en route were priceless. I highly recommend it. He took us through Downtown Honolulu and pointed out places of interest and a brief history.
We chose Roberts Hawaii for the round the Island Trip, it was a good price and worth every dollar. Again, the guide was superb and even more comical than the first guide. The east coast is amazing.
The mistake we made in Oahu was basing ourselves in Waikiki, which we loathed with a passion – reminded us of Vegas without the sea (or gambling for that matter). A soulless place full of fancy hotels and designer shops and not much sign of local culture. So we won’t be going back. The rest of the island is sublime.
Maui (two days): Trip to Haleakala at sunset. This was incredible. As we ascended the volcano it became cloudier and cloudier and I was thinking that it was a waste of time. Then all of a sudden, you are above the clouds, and watching an amazing almost choreographed, dance of clouds. The setting sun pierces the clouds and paints them with a variety of colours – super.
The second day, we chickened out of travelling the Road to Hana. We rented a car and drove up to the most beautiful beach we have set eyes upon: Napili Beach. We got slightly lost trying to find a way to the beach and a lovely American Couple insisted on escorting us. Before we hit the beach they warned us “Are you ready for this?” They were right – it is breathtaking.
Big Island (Hilo – 1 day) Chain of Craters Road. This is a fantastic excursion. You can get to an advantage point where you can see the active volcano and its bubbling lava. There are walks to be taken around here which are very atmospheric. I wish we had explored the town of Hilo more – it looked the sort of place where we could have easily spent a full day rambling around different parts.
Big Island (Kona – 1 day) We made a mistake and hired a car to do the North beaches. They were very good and some would say beautiful but there are much more interesting places to visit. I think we were a little worn out by this stage… beach fatigued. We could have chilled out on a beach much more closer to Kona and without the need to hire a car.
Kaui (two days) Kaui is a breathtaking island. We did the Movie Tour as a way of seeing some fantastic sights around Kaui. The Tour was a mistake – the itinerary was far too full (we visited places at brakeneck speed), the guide was a bore but in the hands of someone else would have been a joy. That said, we saw some awesome places featured in many of the movies including my favourite “South Pacific”. We visited places featured in “Blue Hawaii”, “The Descendents”, “From here to Eternity” including the beach where the famous kiss and embrace took place.
The second day we went on the helicopter tour of the North of the Island with doors off. Had we not been so nervous we would have enjoyed it and may be better second time round. The scenery is stunning and you see places that you can’t get to normally. Be warned if you are not keen on heights the trip hurts your hands (through hanging on so tight). Mrs Lyon, who always seems less nervous than me, was equally tense. The ride does get easier towards the end but it’s not a comfortable experience. That said, I can turn round and say, despite my anxiety, I have done it.
We visited the islands via a cruise ship which, although it had many faults, I would recommend by way of introduction. I will write a trip report on the Cruise Forum about the cruise but can summarise this here, if people are interested.
Oahu (4 days) We organised various trips including Pearl Harbour which we did with atour company: E Noa – guide was fantastic a real character. It was a small bus, so much better than the later trip with Roberts Hawaii. I know you can do it by self, but the insights we got en route were priceless. I highly recommend it. He took us through Downtown Honolulu and pointed out places of interest and a brief history.
We chose Roberts Hawaii for the round the Island Trip, it was a good price and worth every dollar. Again, the guide was superb and even more comical than the first guide. The east coast is amazing.
The mistake we made in Oahu was basing ourselves in Waikiki, which we loathed with a passion – reminded us of Vegas without the sea (or gambling for that matter). A soulless place full of fancy hotels and designer shops and not much sign of local culture. So we won’t be going back. The rest of the island is sublime.
Maui (two days): Trip to Haleakala at sunset. This was incredible. As we ascended the volcano it became cloudier and cloudier and I was thinking that it was a waste of time. Then all of a sudden, you are above the clouds, and watching an amazing almost choreographed, dance of clouds. The setting sun pierces the clouds and paints them with a variety of colours – super.
The second day, we chickened out of travelling the Road to Hana. We rented a car and drove up to the most beautiful beach we have set eyes upon: Napili Beach. We got slightly lost trying to find a way to the beach and a lovely American Couple insisted on escorting us. Before we hit the beach they warned us “Are you ready for this?” They were right – it is breathtaking.
Big Island (Hilo – 1 day) Chain of Craters Road. This is a fantastic excursion. You can get to an advantage point where you can see the active volcano and its bubbling lava. There are walks to be taken around here which are very atmospheric. I wish we had explored the town of Hilo more – it looked the sort of place where we could have easily spent a full day rambling around different parts.
Big Island (Kona – 1 day) We made a mistake and hired a car to do the North beaches. They were very good and some would say beautiful but there are much more interesting places to visit. I think we were a little worn out by this stage… beach fatigued. We could have chilled out on a beach much more closer to Kona and without the need to hire a car.
Kaui (two days) Kaui is a breathtaking island. We did the Movie Tour as a way of seeing some fantastic sights around Kaui. The Tour was a mistake – the itinerary was far too full (we visited places at brakeneck speed), the guide was a bore but in the hands of someone else would have been a joy. That said, we saw some awesome places featured in many of the movies including my favourite “South Pacific”. We visited places featured in “Blue Hawaii”, “The Descendents”, “From here to Eternity” including the beach where the famous kiss and embrace took place.
The second day we went on the helicopter tour of the North of the Island with doors off. Had we not been so nervous we would have enjoyed it and may be better second time round. The scenery is stunning and you see places that you can’t get to normally. Be warned if you are not keen on heights the trip hurts your hands (through hanging on so tight). Mrs Lyon, who always seems less nervous than me, was equally tense. The ride does get easier towards the end but it’s not a comfortable experience. That said, I can turn round and say, despite my anxiety, I have done it.
We visited the islands via a cruise ship which, although it had many faults, I would recommend by way of introduction. I will write a trip report on the Cruise Forum about the cruise but can summarise this here, if people are interested.
Oct 9th, 2016, 07:50 AM
#3
Thanks for posting your trip report. It gives a GREAT quick overview of the islands. And thanks for including the good and the not so great, that's most helpful.
I completely disagree with you about Waikiki myself, but that's OK ;-)
aloha, suze
I completely disagree with you about Waikiki myself, but that's OK ;-)
aloha, suze
Oct 9th, 2016, 08:33 AM
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I'm glad you enjoyed your introduction to Hawaii. And your comments on the tours will be helpful to many others, I'm sure. It's very hard to get any s sense of Hawaii from an cruise, IMO, but you got what you wanted from the trip. I expect you will return.
Oct 9th, 2016, 11:15 AM
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Thanks for the feedback and good questions. Every island was fantastic and not sure that we got the most accurate introduction. I suspect we didn't get the best insight into Maui. If I was sure to go back on another two occasions, I would have a week on each island. Big Island might probably be the most appealing to us but that's based on a very fleeting visit.
Oct 9th, 2016, 08:52 PM
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What a grand adventure you had. Mahalo for your report!
Guilty admission: After about 18 journeys from Boston, we still haven't stayed on Oahu, although I have studied the history and would like to some day. I find it interesting that many say it is the gateway to exploring Hawaii and mandatory. Some day
I hope you are fortunate to return to your island of choice. We have been blessed for so many diverse trips in the main 6 islands.
Guilty admission: After about 18 journeys from Boston, we still haven't stayed on Oahu, although I have studied the history and would like to some day. I find it interesting that many say it is the gateway to exploring Hawaii and mandatory. Some day
I hope you are fortunate to return to your island of choice. We have been blessed for so many diverse trips in the main 6 islands.
Oct 9th, 2016, 10:31 PM
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It is highly unlikely that we will return to the islands - its very far for us but it is a remote possibility. There are so many other places to visit, Where we will return in a flash is New York which was a mere distraction on the way to Hawaii, and turned out a major highlight. I will report on this separately.
Apologies to emalloy - forgot to answer your question: we stayed on the ship but had lodgings in Waikiki.
Apologies to emalloy - forgot to answer your question: we stayed on the ship but had lodgings in Waikiki.
Oct 11th, 2016, 07:50 PM
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Thanks for the compact but insightful trip report. I always enjoy hearing of other's first impressions, which also brings back memories of so many of my own.
We have enjoyed all the islands, and I found your description of Waikiki to be interesting. Not being a 'city person', I could relate. I guess that's why we usually end up on the North Shore.....?
On my first trip to Hawaii, staying in Waikiki, I took an E Noa tour on my first full day there, and really enjoyed it. Good to hear that they are still doing the job.... 36 years later!
We have enjoyed all the islands, and I found your description of Waikiki to be interesting. Not being a 'city person', I could relate. I guess that's why we usually end up on the North Shore.....?
On my first trip to Hawaii, staying in Waikiki, I took an E Noa tour on my first full day there, and really enjoyed it. Good to hear that they are still doing the job.... 36 years later!
Nov 14th, 2016, 07:34 AM
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This was a very helpful post for our upcoming trip on the POA. It made me realize taking a bus tour to Pearl Harbor made absolute sense for us rather than a local bus. Thanks for taking the time to write your trip report. Deborah
