let's do a new Hawaii countdown
 

It was a year ago that I started the last Hawaii countdown. So what do you say, let's have a new one for this holiday and winter season.

So all you Fodorite Hawaii travelers--Shout out your Hawaii plans and how far away your travel is.

I'll start--8 days til touchdown in Kona-on Thanksgiving day--for a 10 day vacation overlooking Kealakekua Bay. (Safeway and Walmart will be open so I should be able to get something for our Thanksgiving dinner--I'm thinking shrimp scampi and maitais.)

Can't wait to be sitting on the lanai sipping Kona coffee as the sun crests Mauna Loa and illuminates the south Kona coast!

28 days today
Fly into Honolulu and spend 1 day in Waikiki - need a Honolulu Cookie fix and a Leonards's Malasada fix.
Then it's off to beautiful Kauai for 2 weeks.
I am listening to Makana Sons of Ni'ihau as I write this.

42 days.....a few days on Oahu <b>(YOU ARE WARNED)</b> then off to the #ellhole of an island, Kauai, for continued research into why people would <i>ever</i> want to go there.
~:>;)~:>;)~:>;)

Love Izzy and his bros. Saw them in '77 or so - at the Waimanalo bowl - and I my wife and I seemed to be the only haoles in the place - but I had a good tan and was buffed then. :) Between songs - they were talking pidgeon to the crowd and during one haole joke - as I was walking up to the bathroom - I just laughed along - not sure if they were making fun of me. :)

We also buy fresh fish - many times Mahi Mahi - and make fish burgers for lunch/dinner.

On Maui right now! Just had my breakfast on the lanai, looking out across the water to Molokai? Why have we stayed away so long? Loving it.

Tale of Two Siblings in Kauai: Part II

DH & I are going back to Kauai w/ my brother & K. We went this past May for DH & K's bday. This next trip will be for my brother's big 3-0 bday. We are going July 26-August 2.

247 days until I'm back on that red dirt!!!!!!
It's going to be a long winter/spring...:`(!

Four months to O'ahu and Maui.

Lee Ann

In the process right now of booking a 28 day cruise that starts from LA (San Pedro) and will go to all islands in Hawaii to French Polynesia Tahiti, Bora Bora, Morea) to both Samoas and back home to LA (NO FLYING, YAY!) :-) Hawaii is about 338 days away as of today

hpeabody, that sounds wonderful. I hope you will do a trip report; I would love to go to French Polynesia.

Oh lord. They let him out.

Maui Wowee in 85 days

MichelleY...NO FAIRRRRRRRRR. ;)

hpeabody....on our bucket list.

wekewoody.... :)) Friends don't let friends go to Maui!

tomsd....1877 or 1977? :-?

1777 :)

Almost the Spirit! **==

Have air fares booked to arrive at Honolulu airport on May 9th @014, leave again May 23rd 2014. What I am doing in between I have no idea. I have been reading a lot of old Fodors trip reports, Trip Advisor reports and all manner of other information. I am just confused now!!!

Whatever you decide to do with your 2 weeks in paradise, it will be wonderful. The islands are a magical place!

Nelsonian, your problem is a good one to have. Aloha.

Never thought our time would come but I can finally say 7 days and counting! 30 days of bliss, adventure and discovery on Oahu, Maui, Big Island and Kauai. Thank you to so many of you for your wonderful tips and reports....who needs a travel agent when we have Fodors!

29 days to liftoff for Kauai! So excited--DH and I have both been to Oahu, and he's been to Maui and the Big Island (both over 20 years ago, LOL!), but neither of us have been to Kauai. Would love tips and suggestions from seasoned Hawaii travel veterans! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

"Would love tips and suggestions from seasoned Hawaii travel veterans!"

Here's a tip: Check your rental car for cockroaches.

Here's another: If you're there over the winter holiday, beware of a very large man with a gray goatee, wearing a Pittsburg Steelers baseball cap, carrying a bottle of Malbec, riding a yellow cruiser bicycle on the bike path in Kapa'a. He might even have an orange Fodor's bag slung over his shoulder. :-D

Hey wekewoody!!! I <i><b>resemble</i></b> that remark!

AND...it's PITTSBURG<b><u>H</b></u>. Harrrrumph! [(

marysmommy, where are you staying and what do you like doing?

Burg/Burgh...who cares? It's still a Pitt. :)

83 days now.

Hi, Kal, we're staying at the Sheraton and we like good food (everything from local dives to fine dining), history, exploring beautiful places, we're pretty easy going. Just booked a paddle-surfing tour. DH is more adventurous and likes zip-lining. I'll be happy shopping or on the beach/by the pool with my book. Thanks for any recommendations!

It's our next to last morning in south Kona-boohoo-before our return to freezing!!! weather in Denver. But our return to Hawaii island is only 10 weeks away. Aloha to you all!

Have booked our internal flights, 4 days on Oahu, five days Big Island, five days Maui. 153 days to go!!!

marty, you got to Hawaii WAY to often! :-d

69 big ones!

I was in Hawaii when this was posted!!!

Sigh...I am not booked for any trips yet, but am looking to return to Kauai in the fall of 2014. Silly little things, like "buying a house" and "saving for furniture" have impeded the travel budget for a little while, so I am living vicariously through all the forums.

Wekewoody - I know about the cockroaches in the car because in Kona we encountered them and I have a fear of bugs so every time we would get in the car, I would stomp my feet in the passenger seat hoping to scare them away from my side of the car. LOL.

Five more weeks until I escape freezing, gray, dreary Nashville. I thought I was the only one with CARkroaches in the glove box! I'll take carkroaches any day over black ice.

12 days! First time to Hawaii for me and DH. 9 nights in Oahu. DH didn't want to island hop. We're used to going all over Europe in a 2 week time period, so this will be a nice pace with only one thing planned for each day. Unfortunately, neither of us are beach people (we run from the sun b/c of health reasons) but we do like to look at the water.

No place better for looking at the water! Oahu is my favorite.

Don't know how many days, but we'll be on the Big Island end of May 2014. Thinking of doing Hilo side of the island for part of the trip. Any comments?

We did the Kona side and the volcanoes a couple of years ago, so thought we'd do the "other" side this time.

Headed to Hawaii next fall. We booked a frequent flyer trip to South America for the spring and were able to tack on a one-way from NYC to Hawaii for no extra charge or additional miles. Now I need to book a one-way flight home from Hawaii and get to work on maximizing our hotel points for free nights. We've been to Honolulu, the Big Island and Maui, so I also have to decide where to go this trip and how long to stay...

Just 31 days & can't tell you how happy it makes me to escape -8 degrees we had today. I'm really an island girl at heart. We'll be spending first week at Kona, next week Maui & winging the third week so far but most likely Kuaui. I need to thaw out.

Twenty twoooooooooooooo.....

<i> tick tick tick</i> ....and I just scored a Ford Fusion/Chry Sebring size rental car from Alamo via Hotwire for $16/day. ((Y))

Kal, so is booking a rental car via Hotwire the same as a hotel room, ie you don't know the company until you have booked it?

Yes. You do know the size/type car but not the actual Co.
But on Kauai it's always the biggies like Hertz, Alamo, Enterprise et al .

Most are right on the airport grounds and a short walk or shuttle but Enterprise and the Co E'prise bought a few years ago, are a very short shuttle ride away off a'port grounds.

Still close enuff to do the "Lihue Shuffle" where the Lovely Mrs Kal picks up the luggage while I jump on the shuttle, pick up the car and be at the curb ready to drive over Screaming Bridge to the "Fortress of Solitude".

In fact back when I was in Law School...oh wait...that wasn't me. :O)

Hotwire is on fire! I just scored a Camaro (or comparable) drop top for our week on the dreaded Californicated Maui for a little over $200! Beats rent-a-wreck!

Maui? Where's that?
Good score on the rental.