Help with Hawaii itinerary.
 

We are going to Hawaii for 2 weeks and we are spending 3 nights on the Big Island ,6 nights in Maui at the Hyatt and 5 nights on Oahu at the Moana Surfrider.I would love to get restaurant suggestions and places to see and visit having never been to Hawaii before.

Where are you staying on the Big Island--Hilo side or Kona/Kohala side?

tobyl, I am linking my Hawaii report from September (didn't get a single response ... you may be the first to read it ... it's probably my last! :p) We stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki, right next door to the Surfrider, for eight nights.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...emoo&fid=1

Sorry ... disregard the first link ... let's try again:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35160850

Lots of info:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34812564

For your time in Waikiki...

Pearl Harbor, Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, ShangriLa Estate, Chinatown are all places to visit of cultural interest.

Hiking DiamondHead, snorkeling at Hanuama Bay, and body surfing or paddleboats at Waikiki beach for outdoor activities.

Ocean House at Outrigger Reef hotel is a very nice classic restaurant with an outstanding view.

On the Big Island, with only 3 days you may just want to enjoy the resort amenities (beach) and take a day trip to the volcano, assuming you will be staying at a Kona/Kohala hotel.

Whale watching season (late Dec to early April) is coming up, and that's one of my favorite Big Island activities.

I enjoy exploring the petroglyphs fields at various locations, and seeing the historic national and state parks at Place of Refuge http://www.nps.gov/puho/, Pu'ukohola,
http://www.nps.gov/puhe/
and Lapakahi. http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html...ical_park.html

I'd recommend buying the "Revealed" books for each island. We bought Big Island Revealed and Oahu Revealed and found the restaurant reviews to be spot-on. Also gave a great rundown of beaches -- which ones were good for swimming, which for snorkeling, etc. They would really help you narrow your selection. The Revealed series (or "blue books") do tend to get mixed reactions, partly because they recommend some potentially dangerous sites like Queen's Bath. Use your judgment and a heaping dose of caution :)

A couple of dining locations on Oahu are Hy's steakhouse on Kuhio & Uluniu and the Top of Waikiki.

We visited the Place of Refuge last week be sure to allow yourself plenty of time.

I just moved from Hawaii! I'm so excited for you...it's an amazing place. I recommend you rent a car, so you can explore the islands. Please please do NOT get caught up in all the tourism in Waikiki alone while you're on Oahu. Take a drive up to the North Shore, drive down the east side of the island, along this ridge right along the ocean...gorgeous. On the way up, you can stop by the Dole Plantation, but it's not all that exciting, except that it does have this huge maze. Anyway, watch some surfers as the north shore breaks pick up in the winter...usually a lot of surf contests up there at Sunset Beach. Go snorkeling at Haunama Bay or Electric Beach (it's usually calm on the south shores in the winter). Climb Diamond Head for a great little hike and view of the cities. If you're more adventurous, I highly recommend sky-diving on the North Shore! The "Revealed" series are really great tour books, as was already recommended. There are also several hikes, if you're interested, and they are outlined in several hiking books for all islands in Hawaii.

As for Big Island, I visited the Volcano Park, which was really amazing. Take a walk through the lava tubes, and if pressed for time, ask for suggested hikes at the visitors center to get the best overall view for your time. I also enjoyed a detour to the Black Sand beaches. What I most highly recommend for Big Island is driving up to Mauna Kea (hiking, if you're adventurous and have the time), watch the sunset, then drive down to the visitor's center, which is still above the cloud-line, and go to the stargazer presentation. They have telescopes set up to view planets and constellations, and discuss what stars you can see at the specific time of year you're visiting. Sunset at the very very top of the mountain is breathtaking - you will never forget it! If you scuba dive, do a night dive with the Manta Rays! Or if you prefer snorkeling, you can do that, as well.

Maui is WONDERFUL for scuba diving...or snorkeling. I think the coral reefs are amazing there, and since you'll be there during whale mating season, there's a good chance you'll see some excited whales showing off. When you scuba dive, you can even hear them underwater! Maui has some great hikes up Haleakala, a little wine vineyard (not so much a vineyard, since most of their wines are actually pineapple!), and Lanai is a nice little town to visit.

Wow, I babbled quite a bit, but I loved living there so much. There is always something to explore, so please take the time to do so.

One more thing in Oahu, that I forgot to mention...Pearl Harbor. Maybe it's a given, but please take some time to visit it. There is also an Admiral's Barge Tour of the harbor that leaves from the same spot where you get your tickets for the Arizona. You need to know someone in the military to go with you, if you'd like this option. If you do the tour of the USS Missouri, spend the extra money for the Chief's Tour. You get to see more of the ship that way, and usually you get someone giving the tour who is retired military and loves his job! I'm in the Navy, so I just had to promote this one a bit...a lot of history to explore, and a very moving and humbling experience.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions.Sounds like we'll be busy. I'm so excited to go.I'd better not forget my hiking shoes . Should I take my own snorkelling mask or is it easy to rent when we are there?

If you have your own mask and snorkel I'd bring them. The "ick" factor of using a snorkel that has been used by someone else is too high.

While on Maui, take a drive upcountry for some exploring. If you go to Haleakala, on your way down there are many places to stop. The town of Makawao is a favorite place of mine to browse and eat.

Hali'imaile General Store is my favorite restaurant on Maui. The sashimi napleon and the pineapple upside down cake are onolicious.

Another thing that's really nice about bringing your own mask and snorkel is that you KNOW it will fit, and won't waste time in the water trying to get your mask to stop leaking! I always have this problem if I don't use my own...the "ick" factor definitely applies, as well! Mask and snorkel don't take up that much room, so bring your own and rent fins if you're looking to save room in packing.

At the Surfrider - you get a great food discount in you are a Starwood member - I think it is 30%. And you get the discount at all the Starwood hotels. If you want chairs by the pool or private beach area you should reserve them the day before starting at 9 am. If you don't reserve, seating around the pool is tight. Plenty of places on the beach to sit and you are right on the beach so don't make it too big of a deal. We stayed for several days and did one days of pool chairs. It is fun to hang out there and eat from the snack bar. You can leave the chairs for an hour or so no problem and come back.

You must have drinks at the bar under the Banyan Tree! We thought the new restaurant at the hotel was great too. It is fancy but they have a great 3 course kid's menu that my 4 year old loved (don't know if you have kids).

It was our second time at the Surfrider. We absolutely love that hotel and Waikiki. Enjoy!

We go to Kona every year, and our favorite restaurant in Kona is Huggo's. The servers are very friendly, and the food is great. We especially like it for lunch. Try to sit next to the railing so you can see down into the water. If you look carefully, you will see small yellow fish swimming around.

For a divine dining experience which also costs many $$$$$ try Alan Wong's Hualalai Grill, which is up the coast about 20 minutes from Kona. They have the best Mai Tais we have ever had. We would go there many times each trip except for the cost.

If you have time to drive up to the north end of the big Island, stop for lunch at Bamboo in Hawi (pronounced ha-vee'). It's a fun place to eat and the waiters are really friendly there, too. The views driving north from Kona are amazing, and sometimes you will see whales off the coast in the winter.