Help with planning 2 week trip to Hawaii PLEASE!!!
 

Hi myself and 5 friends (mostly girls) (all early 20's) are traveling to Hawaii for 2 weeks on August 7th 09'. We are planning on going to 3 islands. We want to do a few activites like jetskiing, hopefully swim with sharks and some other exciting stuff. But we are mostly looking to be in an area with nice beaches, and has a young and lively nightlife., and is affordable!
We were thinking of staying in hostels, if anyone knows any good ones? And also if you know if they have luggage storage facilities??
Also we heard that in hawaii hotels are pay per room, not pay per person. So if you could let me know if you would be able to put 3 people in a double room without paying extra??
If you could tell me if we should go to 2 or 3 islands. We are flying into honolulu so how long should we stay there and what would be the island hopping route we should take???

Any replies would be greatly appreciated!!!! Thanks a million!!!
Ash

Why don't you tell us what your budget is for accomodations, etc so we can be more helpful.

How are you going to handle transportation in Maui and Hawaii?

You can google for hostels. Hostels will probably charge per person. Hotels or condos per room.

The general rule is one island per week. Your only option for island hopping is flying. Fares are about $98 RT advance purchase.

Here's a few ideas.... We have traveled 5 times to the islands with my family...three kids...now 20,19 and 17. Oahu and Maui still win the votes. Kauai is beautiful...but there really isn't a night life. We are staying at a beautiful resort as we speak and there isn't anything happening! A wonderful place to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Oahu...Waikiki is a happening place. I'd suggest staying a block or two off the beach. Prices are good and you have the action a short distance. The North Shore is our favorite. Beautiful beaches and snorkeling to die for. It's a short drive (no long in good traffic) Pearl Harbor is a must see and will take up the entire day...but you can't miss it.

Maui has the best of everything. A nightlife and beautiful beaches. Tied with Oahu for our top pick. Big Island is HUGE.....so much to see in terms of beautiful country....beaches were different...black sand and rocky areas...fewer sandy beaches fromn what we experienced.

Have you thought about a condo? There are some amazing condos with 2-3 bedrooms and 2 bath on every island. If you like the comforts of home, we have found this to be the way to go. We got sick of eating out plus you'll be lucky to have a small meal for under $15. We usually buy coffee, muffins, cereal, and lunch stuff like meats, bread, chips, etc. and packed a cooler for the beach. IT WORKED GREAT!

I could go on forever. I wish were 20 again! :-)

If you're under 25 you probably won't be able to easily rent a car or a condo. I recommend you limit yourselves to Oahu and Maui. For 6 friends in their early 20's:, you will find more activities, better beaches, cheaper rates, and pretty good public transportation on Oahu and Maui. You'll save money by sticking to 2 islands instead of 3, and can use that money for food and fun. Go to the Big Island and Kauai for when you are a bit older and would enjoy a quieter island. You really need a car for both anyway.
I have some specific lodging ideas, which I'll post in your other thread.

If you go to Maui, I would suggest the Kaanapali resort area. It is very lively with lots of people your age.

You can rent a condo or hotel room easily at the age of 21.

However, you will pay a substantial additional daily insurance fee for a car rental( usually about $20/day) if the renter is under 25. Anyone who drives that car must be authorized by the rental car agency, and there is often an additional daily charge per driver, with the same issues for under -25 insurance.

Your most economical would be to stick to 2 islands- Oahu, where you don't need a car, and Maui- where you can find places to stay where there is some limited public transport. If you stick to Oahu, and the Lahaina or Kaanapali areas of Maui, you can avoid renting a car. However, for cheapest accomodations, you are looking at camping/hostels, or some cheaper condos, as mentioned. Look at the above sites. Look at expedia.com, look at www.vrbo.com

They are the only islands where someone could actually say there was a nightlife- and Maui is just barely.

I agree with Marginal that Maui's Kaanapali night life is "just barely". But inspite of that, it is a fun and beautiful island to visit.

Even though Kaanapali's night life is "just barely" (very true), bob was also right that it's "very lively" -- just that the liveliness is people hanging around/walking around Kaanapali and Lahaina, not club-hopping!

If you can swing two islands, I too would vote for Oahu (Waikiki area) and Maui (Kaanapali/Lahaina area).

Shame on me but I'm going to suggest that if you are going only to "Party," you & your friends should consider picking a party town on the Mainland or think Hawaiian Island Cruise, instead of wasting your money on Islands. They are VERY, VERY, expensive. We have been going to Hawaii, since 1970 & have owned condos on Maui. The basic reson to spend the money to go there is the beauty of the islands. I suggest that you & your friends wait a few more years, when you can enjoy all that beauty, to spent that big stack of money.

I would go to 2 islands only. Oahu, and stay in Waikiki and Maui, and stay in Lahaina. These are places that have the most options for fun nightlife for single people.

No you can't sneak 3 people in to a room that is specifically called a "double". But if you tell us your budget, we might be able to make suggestions.

In Waikiki, I highly recommend The Royal Grove hotel for a budget place, plus the rooms have kitchens so you can save more money that way. They fit 3 people. www.royalgrovehotel.com. It's very popular so make you reservation asap.

Sorry but I disagree that you need a "big stack of money" to enjoy Hawaii. I have gone budget style to Waikiki three trips (two of them solo) and had a great time without breaking the bank.

That said... things like swimming with sharks, helicopter rides, jetskiing, island hopping, are the places you CAN spend a lot of $$$.

I agree with you suze.

All these "activities" are one of my pet peeves. I've gone to Hawaii yearly, for many years and only twice been out on boats to snorkel. I just don't get the need to jet ski, parasail, zipline, ATV, swim with sharks, etc, etc when you have incredible weather, water to swim in, legs to hike with, books to read. It's just paradise quietly on it's own.

It is certainly possible to have a wonderful time on a tight budget.

Well of course you don't HAVE to do those things Marginal, but I have had damn good fun and grand memories doing a lot of them. My trike/powered hanglide and ATV trips were priceless. Memories of jetsking in the Caribbean fantastic, horseback riding and mule trips inspiring. When I was 20 I would skimp as much on lodging to do other activities. Now a simple hike or offshore snorkle are all I need until I get the next itch for Big game fishing.

Aisling ward, do look into condos and vrbo.com I'd consider Oahu for nightlife and Kaanapali/Lahaina or even Kihei or Paia on Maui. I think there are some local rental companies that will rent to under 25 that would be more affordable then the chains.

I'm not *against* expensive activities per se (although I don't care to do them myself). It's a budgetary thing. These kids obviously don't have much money, are considering staying in a hostel, or sneaking extra people into a hotel room.

Instead, I'd suggest it would be a much more pleasant trip to find an inexpensive but nice hotel (like the Royal Grove) and spend time at the beach, watching sunsets, doing all the free and cheap things that are available. With an occasional splurge on 1 or 2 things that are really top of their list.

I almost booked at the following a couple years ago (I think Suze is familiar with this one too):
http://www.winstonswaikikicondos.com/
A condo on either Waikiki or Lahaina would be the way to go, In Lahaina, my mid 20's daughter booked a stay at this complex: http://www.ainanaluresort.com/

Yes I stayed in one of Pat's 2-bedroom units my last trip. They are located at the Hawaiian King hotel.

If would avoid Turtle Bay Resort. Especially if you are women. We have stayed there, we were burglarized and a woman was attacked and violated the same night. There is no security for women since hotel management told us that "...Turtle Bay Resort Cannot and Will Not guarantee security to its guests..." Please, do not put yourself in harms way. Select a place where your security is guaranteed.

I adore Turtle Bay Resort.

gyppielou: I am sorry to say, but you and about six others on this web site post super nice travel experiences all over - that are most likely not true. Based on this fact, I would not take your travel "advice" in consideration.

Our experiences with Turtle Bay Resort are also negative. Yes, hotel is located in excellent area. But it is quite a dangerous place to stay. Yes, crime happens at Turtle Bay Resort quite often and not too much is being done about it. Tourists will not get the justice they deserve and will be shipped back to mainland violated - as many have already been.
As far as I go - I will not stay at Turtle Bay Resort again.

We should share the negatives so we can make an educated decision about our travels. Our safety should be priority.

Is he baaaaaaack?