Hawaii for 25th Anniv - Confused!
 

I'm planning 25th Wedding Anniv. for Feb 05. I've read postings and feeling confused w/all the info! Here's what I need:
1) advice on best priced flights from Tampa to Hawaii.
2) see Pearl Harbor, lay on quiet beach, scuba dive reefs (we're certified)
3) advice on hotel - found pkg on hawaii.com - $4,000 for R/T flights on Am West, plus Northwest from Hnl to Maui plus hotel -- can't tell if hotel locations are good for beach and diving.
4) will stay on Oahu for 2 nights and Maui 6 nights. I think the pkg was at Marriott in Maui - upgraded to nicer rooms.
5) the vrbo scares me -- but would do on recommendation.
Any help / advice is appreciated. Do you think pkg deals are the way to go?

As to the diving on Oahu, I can help you there.

Most dive operators will offer shuttle service from Waikiki, so if you don't have a car, transportation won't be a problem.

Most dive operators will do a wreck (deep) first, then a shallow reef. There are a couple of wrecks close to Waikiki that are popular - the YO-257/San Pedro and Sea Tiger. Going east is the Corsair and a couple of barges and the LST. I just dove the LST the other day and saw a couple of white tip reef sharks (awesome!). Going west is the Mahi. All are good dives.

For more detailed information on all the various operators and sites on Maui, go to http://www.scubaboard.com and look at the Hawaii section.

Congrats on the upcoming anniversary.
Try ATA.com We've flown them several times to Maui and have had no problems. Although we stay in our timehare, they offer a range of vacations from St. Pete/Tampa to Honolulu and Kahalui.
The trip back is a killer, but that would be the same with any air carrier.
We spent our 25th in Maui last February with the couple that stood up with us at our wedding (they were from the Tampa area). They were also celebrating their 25th anniversary.

I have flown from the East Coast to Hawaii many times - and lived on Oahu for three years - and my most recent round trip fare from Orlando to Tampa was $535. I research for several months before buying, and I always travel on Delta because their internet fares are usually excellent. I can't comment on a package deal because I've never done one.

Our last trip out, we rented a condo on Maui through vrbo.com (which I've never had a problem with) for $1500 for the week, so the plane fare and lodging was $1070 for Orlando to Honolulu, $100 per night (3 nights)for a hotel on Oahu (military), $300 for two round trip tickets from Honolulu to Maui, and the $1500 for the condo. All together, $3170 for three nights on Oahu and seven on Maui.

I was certified as a scuba diver on Oahu many years ago, and I can tell you that you'll be a little disappointed with Hawaii diving if you're used to the Florida Keys as you don't have reefs like Pennekamp or Looe Key.

I also recommend a car rental on both islands. You can take the bus to Pearl Harbor from Waikiki (assuming that's where you're staying on Oahu), but everything is much easier with a car.

Thank you all for your suggestions. It really does help answer specific questions.

Postal ... my husband is a Navy Veteran -- can we stay at the Navy Hotel on Oahu? If yes - do we need dd214 and what's the name of it (I've heard of this hotel, but cannot find the name)? He is not retired from Navy - spent 10 years in. Also - any suggestions on diving Maui? We do dive Pennekamp and Looe often - and it would be hard to find anything better ... but we'll enjoy looking. Would you mind sharing the name/info of the vrbo condo you stayed in?

The military hotel (all branches) is the Hale Koa...great location and nice rooms and dining. Price varies depending on rank and whether active or retired, on leave or on official duty, etc.

Don't think you would qualify unless he is 100% disabiled vet, but you can check the web site for details.

Happy 25th anniversary. We're celebrating our 23rd anniversary in Maui in January.

I have found it very helpful to supplement the internet with books. I have Fodors Hawaii, and I also have a book from a series that I like very much...Maui Revealed. there's a book for each island. Maui Revealed is written by 2 locals who live on Maui and it has good information about where to snorkel and dive, and it compares different beaches with the knowledge of a local. Also it is very frank about hotels.

Fodors Hawaii is good too. It's nice to have books and a highlighter pen handy, even when you're on the internet.

If you plan your own trip, and research your choices, you get maximum free choice. I did that for our family trip to Italy and it was fabulous, exactly what I had planned only better! I also planned our family trip to Kaui on my own and it was wonderful as well. We were exactly where we needed to be to see the things that were most important to us.

But I'm doing Maui using my AAA travel agent who's booking a Pleasant package for us. Having used both packages and done it on my own, I can tell you that the major advantage of a package is you can do less research...although sometimes I think this is actually a DISADVANTAGE, because i have met a lot of people on vacation who are disappointed because they got a package deal and didn't do any research, and so were uninformed and unprepared.

Have a great trip!

Unfortunately your husband can not stay in or shop at the Hale Koa Hotel, which is run by the Army. Only active duty, reservists, or retired military are qualified. You should definitely wander onto the grounds, though, and the beach is wonderful.

I honestly cannot remember the name of the condo we stayed in but it was a couple of doors down from the Embassy Suites Kaanapali. The condo was very nice and our apt. had a wonderful view of the water, but I didn't like the small stretch of beach as it was full of seaweed and rocky. The actual Kaanapali Beach a couple of miles south is extremely nice and my first choice for a condo would be right there in the Whaler or Kaanapali Alii.

There are also wonderful condos in the Wailea area at the other (south) side of Maui, and more inexpensive ones in Kihei.

I've also rented condos off vrbo.com all over Florida, and again, I never had a bad experience. I think you'll be okay no matter which one you pick. The photos you see are of the actual unit you'd be renting, unlike rental companies that can show you great pictures and put you somewhere entirely different.

I doubt you'll have time to scuba dive when you're on Oahu - there's so much to see and do and you only have two days - so concentrate on Maui. The cathedrals off Lanai are a very good dive, as spectacular as purple fan coral waving on a Florida Keys reef!