We just returned from a 9 night stay in Hawaii: 5 nights on Oahu and 4 nights on Kaua'i: and I thought maybe some of you could benefit from our experiences.

I chose a flight that would have a short layover at LAX considering the fact that it is such a long flight from Atlanta (4 1/2 hours from ATL and another 5 1/2 to Oahu). With 2 kids, I thought this would be a good break from sitting so long. Turns out that there was nothing other than McDonalds that was close to our gate so I felt like we just wasted a hour and 1/2 waiting. We did get a quick meal at McDonalds and then were served dinner on the plane immediately after take-off. MORAL OF THE STORY: get a direct flight if possible from the east coast.

Arrival in Oahu: don't be surprised by the $40 cab fare from the airport. It seems to only be about 10 miles but it takes a while to get there. We stayed at the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower (not to be confused with the Waikiki Beach HOTEL). This was a condo and it was very nice, spacious, and clean. It is directly across from a "rock pool" at the ocean which was really great for the kids. Check-in was speedy - they met us at the cab and called us by name (still haven't figured out how they knew it was us because I never told them what time our flight was arriving). Twice daily maid service, candies on the pillow with turn down service, top notch service, great location.......BUT the concierge was absolutely NO HELP with anything we asked. The answer was always "They can help you across the street at the Pacific Hotel" or check at the "Pacific Hotel"- she was definitely not willing to help us at all and there was more than one- they all said the same thing. With resortquest, you get kids tags that supposedly get you all these free meals but there were no restaurants on the property and we had no idea where the other resortquest hotels were. Finally, the last day we were there, we discovered that the Waikiki Beach HOTEL (also ResortQuest)had a very good breakfast buffet outside on the veranda by the pool each morning with entertainment for your dining pleasure and it was absolutely free with your room key and room number. It would have been nice to have been told this little bit of information. We paid $565 per night for a condo with no ammenities other than the space of the room. I think we had a pool but it was very small and we never used it. MORAL OF THE STORY: don't stay at Waikiki Beach TOWER unless you plan on cooking your meals because there's nothing other than the size of the room and the location to offer.

You'll see Robert's Hawaii tour buses everywhere you look and we took the Grand Circle Island Tour which was GREAT. Cousin Ted is the best. Also, the Pearl Harbor tour is a very moving experience : makes you proud to be an American! Don't waste your money on the "GO Oahu Card" unless you plan on doing the tours. We didn't get our money's worth because most places we mentioned the card had never heard of it. Seems like everything it offered was in conjunction with a tour and wasn't really something you could do on your own. Also, Honolulu is a city and other than the island tour and Pearl Harbor, it wasn't what we expected Hawaii to be like. Everybody should see it and I'm glad we did, but it probably won't be an island that we'll revisit just because we don't really enjoy the "city" side of living. On to the next island......

Kaua'i was simply PARADISE and as soon as we recover from jetlag, we'd all go again. It is absolutely beautiful from one side of the island to the other. From the airport, you can chose to go north and see the princeville area with all the stops along the way OR go south and enjoy Poipu and then head to Waimea Canyon. I loved seeing the Grand Canyon a few months ago but it just can't compare to the lush beauty of the "grand canyon of the pacific". Both my kids, 12 and 9, said Waimea Canyon was one of their favorite parts of the trip. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu which was a tropical paradise within itself. Venture out from the resort and don't eat there: the breakfast buffet was $87 for 2 adults and 2 kids and you can find much better deals than that. If you're a first timer to Hawaii like we were, invest in Frommer's Hawaii guidebook - we used it constantly! The Hyatt is pricey but if you plan to spend any time at the hotel, it really is worth it. The pools and waterslide are amazing and the view of the ocean from every angle is just spectacular. I can't say enough good things about this island. Expect a much more laid back atmosphere than on Oahu. Don't expect to get in the ocean everywhere on Kaua'i, though. The water is really rough in most places and there were always red flags flying. We did find several nice beaches with a little calmer water so they're there if you look ( and use your book) Also, you have to have a rental car on Kaua'i and the speed limit rarely exceeds 45 mph (I think one time it gets to 50). MORAL OF THE STORY: You must make plans to visit Kaua'i!

I know this has been a long report and some of the things I have mentioned may seem ridiculous to the more experienced Hawaii travelers, but I tried to mention the things that I was concerned about from the beginning as a first-timer and the things that really stuck out to me during the trip.

Have a blessed day and enjoy your trip! Hope you get to go soon!

jcn, I'm so glad you had a good time. On our first trip to Hawaii, we went to Kauai and stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, and we agree with you -- it is one of our favorite hotels ever! The Waimea Canyon was also one of our favorite spots.

We also fly from Atlanta, and those direct flights are long, but I think they're worth it.

Thanks for your trip report!

I just got back from Kauai myself a few days ago--my first trip as well. I loved it! We stayed on the North Shore and there are lots of beaches there with calm waters. From my research, it appears that the North Shore is often calmer in the summer and the South Shore is calmer in the winter. That might be good to know if you go back in the future. We didn't have any problems with getting in the water at North Shore beaches.

We rented a car and I noticed, too, that you don't ever drive very fast--too many curves on those roads. Plus, we went slow at times just because there were so many gorgeous views as we drove. We tried not to slow down too much as we gawked!

Kauai is beautiful and so relaxing--I hope to go back one day! We would also love to see Pearl Harbor, so we hope to get a night in at Honolulu and see that before then moving on to Kauai. Thanks for sharing!

Yeah...Kauai's not bad.
:-"

170 mo' days.

shhhhhhhh!

jcn

don't look now, but

two multitimers enjoyed your trip report even if we werent' supposed to look!

Ahhhhh

Hanalei!!!!!!

Mahalo!

Hello from a fellow Atlantan! Thanks so much for your trip report. I'm in the process of trying to plan a trip to Hawaii for next summer (yes, really planning ahead, but I'm trying to use ff miles--and of course Delta isn't being cooperative with me!).

Thanks for some practical information.

Thanks for your trip report. I can never read or learn enough about Hawaii, no matter how many times I've been lucky enough to get there.
Especially interested to read your take on the Waikiki Beach Tower, as it usually gets good reviews, and I'd considered staying there wtih my family. Sorry to hear about their concierges. Hope you wrote to Resortquest also and described your experience. A bit more help and hospitality to a newcomer would've been nice!

Topping for Rosebud

Thanks for the trip report! We have been to both islands twice, and love them. The Grand Hyatt is one of our favorite hotels ever! And Oahu is very busy in Waikiki, but if you explore the North Shore and other areas, it's much more what you picture Hawaii to be.

like Poipu

love the Hyatt

LOVE Hanalei.

343 to go. gyppie? how about you?

jcn~ Nice report, thanks for taking the time to post your experiences.

$40 seems swful high for a taxi from the airport to Waikiki. We paid $28 last year.

You don't need to write off Oahu because you don't care for city life in Waikiki, there's an entire island out there beyond Honolulu waiting to be explored!

We thought $40 was high, too. I've been in Las Vegas when the taxi drivers think you don't know where you're going and drive you around just to run up the tab. I thought that's what had happened until the return trip to the airport was $38. It's still worth being in your own cab rather than being on a shuttle that makes lots of stops along the way and the shuttle was $8 a piece (there were 4 of us).

We did explore the rest of Oahu and didn't just stay in Honolulu. I'm not saying for a minute that we didn't enjoy it.......it was just a little too busy for us. If we had never gone to Kauai, we would have come home from Oahu saying "Hawaii is beautiful"! I took tons of pictures of beautiful beaches and views from the stops that our Island Tour made. We tried to get our own car for a day but, considering we were there during the week of July 4th and I had not reserved a car, we couldn't find an available car for rent anywhere near our hotel. If I had planned better for that, I'm sure we would have been able to take our time and enjoy the island a little more. Always book ahead because I didn't and it made us lose that day of sightseeing. We learned more Hawaiian history by taking the tour but I would have loved to returned and spent more time at a few places, including the Polynesian Cultural Center....we only got to have lunch there and didn't actually get to go inside with the tour. I know we could have taken a separate tour for that but chose not to.

I've heard that Maui ranks almost as high as Kauai in natural beauty so I can't wait to plan a trip there in a few years.

One more thing I'd like to share - we attended Germaine's luau (against the opinion of the fellow tour group people) because I had heard so much about it. I'll have to say that it was somewhat of a disappointment. The food was pretty good and it did give us an opportunity to try "poi". Now I can say with complete assurance that it's really yucky, even as a dipping sauce. But, the entertainment was not what it has been in previous years (from what we were told). There were 800 people there but fortunately, they let anyone with children under 10 be first in line so we were some of the first to be served. That was a nice touch! Again, I'm glad we experienced a true Hawaiian luau but it wasn't something I'd go to again, at least not Germaine's. The man with the twirling fire batons was really the only thing that kept our attention. You just felt herded in like cattle with so many people there. Plus, it rained almost the entire time. We were picked up at 4:30 pm and returned to our hotel around 10:30 pm. It just lasted too long and I feel sure that it was because of the amount of people that had to be served. Plus, 1 hour each way travel time. Next time, I'd like to find one that is a little smaller and a little more professional. I've heard that Paradise Cove is good but it was sold out.

In 2 or 3 years, I'll be back on this website getting your advice about Maui so be thinking up good things to tell me!

Mahalo!