Oahu, Maui & Kauai Help!
 

Which helicopter outfit gives the best tour for the price and what is the best time of day to take the ride?<BR><BR>I'm really confused on the Polynesian Cultural Center -- good or bad??? I gather the food is bad and some think it is all tourist junk -- Can you see the evening show without the luau?<BR><BR>Advice on the Hana Highway -- Are you better going all the way to Ohe 'o Gulch first and work your way back against traffic? Is it really so wonderful to go to the Halekala Crater at sunrise or is afternoon just as good when you can see the scenery on the way up.

Barbara,<BR><BR>The road to Hana is slow and twisty - you'll have traffic no matter which route you take (the back route, to Ohe'o Gultch, then to Hana and home) or the 'front' route first to Hana. If you go to Hana and turn back there (or at Ohe'o Gultch) you'll still have traffic. It is a full day trip, and the best bet is generally to get started as early in the morning as you can, pack a lunch, and plan for a fairly long day. Some people also recommend spending the night in Hana if the trip seems too much for one day.<BR><BR>I haven't been to the Polynesian Cultural Center. I live on Oahu and have heard mixed reviews -my in-laws loved it. Others have said it is so-so. What my in-laws liked about it were the presentations during the day, rather than the luau or the evening show. They actually went back a second day to see more of the day time presentations as they couldn't fit them all in during one visit. <BR><BR>If you are looking for a luau I'd recommend Old Lahiana Luau on Maui as being the best that I've encountered so far. The show was very well done, with an effort to present different styles of hula. The food was also pretty good.<BR><BR>Kauai Revealed is a good book for information on tours, etc. I haven't done the helicopter tour - but the book was pretty detailed in their reviews and recommendations. The same authors also have a book for Maui.

Blue Hawaiian on Maui.

I've taken Blue Hawaii on Maui, and Safari on Kaui. Safari on Kaui is awesome! Those knife-edged cliffs, etc. truly wonderful experience--made the trip in Maui seem really tame.<BR><BR>Trip to Hana is an all day experience--enjoyable for all but the driver, probably.--We went on up to the 7 pools which my husband &amp; son loved.<BR><BR>Haleakala is a beautiful drive. I'm not a morning person so the Sunrise is not interesting to me. I'd rather do a run on the beach early in the AM.<BR><BR>Polynesian Cultural Center was interesting. I concur with a previous poster that thought the day part of it was the best. The night time show is pretty much the same ole thing you see in every country (I'm thinking of Barbados).<BR><BR>You will enjoy-not to worry. Sunshine, yes!

Barbara Mary,<BR><BR>The trip to Hana is incredible....<BR><BR>Don't rush it like most people do!<BR><BR>We booked a cottage for 1 night on Hana Bay (3 years ago it was $100 a night for a 2 bedroom) and it was perfect.<BR><BR>Doing this gives you the extra time to seek out &amp; explore the out of the way beaches and other spots that you'd never have time for if you did the drive there in just a day.<BR><BR>We took the Hana highway there stopping frequently for waterfalls &amp; photo ops...<BR>just pull over &amp; let the people who are in a hurry pass you.<BR><BR>After settling in our cottage, my husband went out to fish and I went back up the road about 2 miles to a wonderful local florist who had a beautiful greenhouse filled with every type of orchid you could imagine!<BR><BR>He had bunches of ginger, protea &amp; other flowers for $2.00. It was a highlight for me.<BR><BR>The next morning, we set off at a leisurely pace &amp; made our way around to Ohe'o Gulch and followed the road all the way around through the high country.<BR>Although the rental companies warned against it, it was a thrilling gorgeous ride... take your time.<BR><BR>Watch for roadside stands selling leis for $2.00... and also Sharon, who loves Elvis, who custom makes the most beautiful seed leis you'll ever lay your eyes on. She was making them at Wailua Falls. Ask her to tell you the story behind the lei you choose.<BR><BR>That was one of the prettiest drives of my life! I'll never forget it.<BR><BR>ENJOY!<BR><BR>We went<BR>

i agree with lisa. if you have the time, do an overnight stop on the way to hana. there's a great ymca in keanae (halfway to hana) that has AMAZING overlooks and scenery and is relatively cheap, if you're not looking for a luxury place to stay. i've been to the polynesian cultural center once. it was okay. we didn't stay for the luau. yeah, if you're visiting as a tourist for the first time, do a luau, but probably not this one. i have heard good things about the old lahaina one too. we went to germaine's on oahu and that was fun. the rest of the polynesian cultural center is kind of educational, but then again so is the bishop museum. but i would say if there are other things you KNOW you want to do, you won't die if you pass the center by. about haleakala, we went at sunset. it gets FREEZING cold. it was nice, but again, i wouldn't have died if i passed on it. just being up there at ALL is amazing. of course, i haven't done sunrise either, so maybe there's something incredible that i'm missing. but i'm not the type to love getting up at 3am to freeze my buns off for a sunrise over a volcano crater...it's a little too hard core for me. i'm more of a slug on vacations. but if you are a nature freak, then this is probably your kinda thing. hope that helps.

It's like the Silver Dollar City of the Pacific. I have a pass and never go.