Oahu & Maui Trip Report & the BIG Chicken goes Snorkeling
 

Hi everyone!

First of all, thanks to all of you for your wonderful advice - I love to plan vacations (overplan some may say) and this site has been so helpful.

If I can give one piece of advice: I will never, ever leave the house without calling (or checking the website) to see if the flight is on time. We did not- and when we checked in we found that our flight was delayed one hour due to weather conditions in Atlanta which mean't that we would miss our connecting flight to Oahu. So instead of catching our 10:30 AM flight from Atlanta to Oahu, we were now going to catch the 4:30 PM flight to Oahu. Not a great way to start our vacation but we made the best of it. It could have been worse.

We used air miles so we flew first class on Delta - definitely not as nice as when we flew to Hawaii 10 years ago but believe me I'm not complaining!! - but the difference is very apparent.

Sometimes I think (especially overnight flights) having three coach seats to yourself is better than one first class ticket. Unless of course you have one of those seats that turn into beds in first class. I wonder if I could have gotten three seats for the price of one first class?

Anyway...we had a nice flight
and we arrived in Oahu at about 8PM.

more to come

We rented a crossfire convertible. Cute car but no trunk space. We travel lite so we were able to fit our luggage - but only with the top up. Not a problem since we weren't going to be exploring with our luggage! However, we did buy 2 small beach chairs and we had trouble fitting them in !!! Very funny in front of the hotel with the valet guys trying to fit in the chairs!! After about 20 minutes we got them in and also got a big round of applause from some hotel guests. next time we would rent the PT cruiser - nice and big!


WESTIN SURFRIDER HOTEL - rm 3208

Stayed in the older section of the hotel - dated rooms but very comfortable, a small, I believe what they call, French terrace and clean bathroom. We had a beautiful view of the ocean and a view of the many wedding ceremonies during our stay. Most were very small, quiet affairs, the one on Saturday night had a DJ and was very loud. So, if you are early to bed, be aware!! The hotel itself is beautiful, great pool area, service, ok beach. We sat at the beach the first day, but we didn't like the fact that it is roped off. I can understand why they do this, but it's not you expect when you are in Hawaii. So we did what another poster said he did - buy beach chairs and go beach hopping!! That was, the highlight of our trip.

We drove to the northshore and stopped at any beach that caught our fancy... so many to choose from and each one different from the next. Relaxing and watching the surfers made for a great day! My husband went in the water at one particular beach (La'ia beach park, I believe) and the lifeguard (with bullhorn) told him to get out. It seems you can't go swimming without your fins.

We also had a plate lunch - wow - was that good! We did not stop at the ones that are mentioned alot - Remy's and giovanni's - but this place - was delicious.

What a perfect day - beach hopping and garlic and coconut shrimp. Doesn't get better than that.

great report. hana hou on the chairs!!!

we spent the morning at Pearl Harbor arriving at 8AM to avoid the crowds. But what we found at 8AM was crowds... no one on line at 11 AM when we left. But the line moved fast and we still would rather go earlier than later.

Afterwards, we decided to go to the western side of the island and try beach hopping there. We never did get out of the car - most of the beaches were filled with tents - and not regular tents either - tents that have been expanded with plastic bags, cardboard boxes and anything else they can find. Some of them were quite big and we noticed toilets/showers nearby. It surprised us - although it shouldn't - there are homeless people everywhere. Some tents looked better than others... maybe some are weekenders? does anyone know?

Loved Diamond head - best part was looking at people's footwear!! I was in full hiking gear - sneakers, shorts, water bottle - I saw elderly people wearing regular street shoes carrying their grandchild, teens with flip flops, young adults in low heeled- sandals!! And they were at the top!!


On our last day we decided to beach hop on the southeast side via route 72- a nice scenic ride. We stopped at Hanauma Bay (not sure about the spelling) but it's an ocean wildlife preserve and it's known for its snorkeling. Now, I'm not a confident swimmer so I never thought I would go in, but EVERYONE went in, and everyone went in because the water is very shallow and you can actually see beautiful, huge fish just 10 feet from shore in three feet of water. So for those of you who would never try snorkeling, this is the place for you. What a gorgeous beach! And have lunch there too. You never expect good food but the fish sandwich and pulled pork sandwich were excellent! We both said, next time we will spend the day there.

One of the best parts about staying in Waikiki is you are walking distance to everything. We liked the fact that we can drive to great, quiet beaches during the day and then come back to the hotel and walk to restaurants.

Our favorite by far is the Sushi restaurant in the Marriott hotel. We sat at the sushi bar and had deep fried whole snapper with two side sauces and yellow tail collar. We also order some sashimi - so fresh, so delicious. For sushi lovers, this is the place (you would think I would remember the name of the place - sorry!)

Also ate at Keo's -Thai food.
Funky atmosphere - loved it as soon as we walked in - but can't say the same for the food. Read good reviews about this place so we were really disappointed.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel was $60 - good but pricey. We stumbled upon an outdoor place on the beach (order at window and eat at one of the picnic tables)I think it's part of the hyatt or hilton hotel. I think it was called hyatt on the beach (my husband thinks hilton). Anyway, the breakfast was huge and delicious - eggs with portoguese (sp?)sausage - yum yum - and cheap.

Most, if not all of those tents you saw on the west side beaches were homeless people.

The homeless population on the west side has grown quite a bit over the last several years. I used to drive over to the west side of the island quite a bit a few years ago, but now much less so. Every time I pass the beaches I'm shocked at how much the camps have grown.

MAUI

Upcountry - 3 nights - Kuaihelani Cottages - Kula
MauiVacationCottage.com

We love staying upcountry and find it convenient when visiting Haleakala and Hana road. The drive to Haleakala from our cottage was 45 minutes. A much easier trip.

We rented a one bedroom cottage on the 1st floor of the owners home. Please don't let this deter you... the owner respects your privacy (except when her friend found out my husband and I started a small non-commercial winery on Long Island - he wanted to tell us tales of his former commercial winery in Australia!!!) The place is very, very comfortable with a huge terrace and incredible views. $95 a night!! By staying here three nights I was able to spend more on the hotel in Waikiki and our next hotel in Maui.

We ate in two nights and loved it primarily due to the interesting food you can pick up at the supermarket! My husband was in heaven with the variety of prepared seafood. Nice selection of wine too.

We visited Haleakala for the sunset - less crowded, still incredibly beauiful and surreal. Dinner at Kula lodge - good food and nice atmosphere - reminds me of a ski lodge - and then an easy ride back home.

We also did Hana road, our favorite part being the towns after Hana. As many posters have said before me Hana Road and Haleakala are two definite "to dos" in Maui.

Our favorite by far is the Sushi restaurant in the Marriott hotel.

Maybe?

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Dusty - THAT'S IT!!!

more to come

POLO BEACH CLUB - Wailea Room 303

After reading many positive reviews about this place, I definitely wanted to stay here. And we are glad we did - this place was incredible - nicely decorated, clean, spacious, ocean view, underground parking, even an area where you can pick up a book (large selection) by the elevator in the parking gargage level. The beach was quiet - beach chairs and towels provided by the owners in the unit. Very comfortable. $430/night for two bedrooms (I don't think they have one bedrooms) and a rental car was included. We upgraded to convertible and this time got the Sebring. Bigger car but still a very small trunk (husband called it a slow pig). Nice pool area.

If you like a condo vacation this is for you...Like Waikiki we could walk to restaurants and walk to other large resorts.

Since we(actually the husband)did a lot of driving, this part of the vacation was going to be relaxing on the beach with a good book. Unfortunately there was some rain (TIP: save shopping for rainy days).

HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA'A RESTAURANT
in the Grand Wailea resort - good food - different and beautifully prepared. It's a great setting. Service was slow but who's in a rush? Just keep the wine coming.

Sunday night we ate at a hamburger place in the Wailea shopping center. Our security system in our home was going off and the police were called (twice) so we didn't have restaurants in our thoughts. Especially after having to call my brother-in-law at midnight to drive 45 minutes to turn off the system. Yes, we owe him.

We ate twice in the condo - when you have a beautiful view with gorgeous sunsets, staying in is fine. And again, the supermarket had interesting stuff including fresh and prepared seafood (sushi grade tuna prepared with a mustard soy sauce) - sooooo good. I wish we could buy wine in our supermarket. What a timesaver.

Took one drive to IAO Valley state Park - home of the IAO needle - spire that rises 2000 feet from the valley floor. Besides the spire there are nature walks, hikes, - pretty gardens and very brave (remember I am a chicken) guys jumping in the water from the bridge. We weren't even planning to go here - a last minute plan when the day turned out gray with drizzle. Glad we did - another special place - but Hawaii is full of special places and surprises around the corner.

Stopping by some of the hotels is fun also. The Grand Wailea is something else! Almost like being in Las Vegas maybe with a touch of Disneyland thrown in. Not somewhere you want to go for a romantic getaway. So many kids!! What, schools are closed!!?? So if you have kids, it's fun - although you may have a 20 minute walk to the pool/beach area from your room.

If you owned it:

Sashie's Sansei Seafood Sushi

Try saying that 5 times.

And now, a few words from the husband.

Great Beaches-Oahu

Sunset Beach
Waiale Beach (lots of shady areas)
Laie Beach (Huge Waves)

Looked for turtle beach but saw no sign!!

Maui

waianapapa Beach - black sand, great swimming (mile 32, road to Hana)
Red Sand Beach
Hamoa Beach

Lahana in Maui. Great for a rainy day, great galleries. Eat lunch on the water. We ate at forest Gump - what a view and good food.

TIPS

If you are interested in hiking, get a good map. We never found Manoa Falls - we assumed it was off route 61 but saw no sign. We never did get a good map of Maui. On Oahu we did stumble upon Judd Trail which was a nice hike with a water pool at the very end. We planned on doing a lot of hiking, but we were not prepared.

Snorkle/fins: rough surf requires fins (lifeguard insists). Rent snorkle gear for the week (snorkle bob's) or buy cheaper gear (ABC store).

Me again:
What I did not expect was how much I love Oahu!! It's so diversified - big city Waikiki and Honolulu and then the quiet, lovely beaches of the north shore. (I won't go into the traffic around Honolulu- that was a hassle and I thought the husband was going to scream). Having said that - I still can't say enough good things about Oahu...the perfect place to beach hop. I (we) just loved it.

We had a great two weeks (our longest vacation ever!) and owe a lot to this webside and to the many wonderful Fodorite posters!

thanks again.

SashieZo, thanks for a great report ... a little bit like being there. (Very little but ... :p) Oahu is terrific, and I hate to see people bash it after zipping through Waikiki/airport for one night. I'll bet you're planning your return trip already! :)