BTW - the last page of the Go Hawaii site has a list of other movies filmed on Kauai:

http://gohawaii.about.com/od/kauaiac...n-kauai_12.htm

I believe there are no hotels on the north shore of Oahu other than Turtle Bay.

It may only be a 20 minute flight, but it's a 4 hour expedition by the time you check out, drive, return the rental car, check bags, and get through security.

Thanks for the well thoughtout posts.

Just checked Turtle resort prices, that's out of my range.

If I book all the nights (6 nights) in the Waikiki area and use that as a home base for exploring Oahu, would that be a good idea? Weighing this in as an alternative to getting an apartment rental/VRBO somewhere in the North Shore for half the time and spending the other half in the Waikiki area.

Personally, I'd stay in Waikiki and rent a car. It's about 1/2 hour from Waikiki to Kailua (east coast), less than an hour to Haleiwa (north shore), a 1/2 hour west to Pearl Harbor. We once drove to Kailua in the morning, spent 4 hours kayaking, drove up to Haleiwa and the north shore for a late lunch, and were back in Waikiki by early evening.

Get your rental car lined up NOW, reading a thread on Trip Advisor about a person who was not able to find a car to rent.

I'd stay on Waikiki too. You can even tour the entire circumference of the island by local bus. Two of my trips I didn't bother w/ a rental car (but other times I have - works fine either way)

I'm doing the same/similar vacation. I am going to Oahu March 1 and staying in Waikiki at a condo rental for 6 nights and then 3 nights on another part of the island. Right now I've a room reserved at the Marriott Beach club in Ko Olina but I am thinking of switching to a room at Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay's rates are cheaper and it includes parking, but the Marriott has condo facilities like a kitchenette and laundry which I like. Right now I'm leaning towards booking at Turtle Bay using a deal I saw on Travelzoo.com where you can get a early check-in, late check-out, free upgrade and a 50 dollar credit. Not too shabby especially since their prices are almost equivalent to booking directly with Turtle Bay (but without extras). If Turtle Bay is not affordable then I would definitely rent through VRBO, a nice cottage or condo on the North Shore. They are probably more of them on that side than Ko Olina and the vibe is completely different than Waikiki, almost like going to a different "island". For such a short stay, I think it's best to stay on one island and really experience it. If you definitely want to switch, I would suggest Kauai. Hope you and your parents have a great trip!

PS, even I am having trouble booking car rental for my dates March 1-10 2013. All the prices are ridiculously high, e.g. an economy car is 40 bucks a day! =O I will most likely have to bite the bullet at some point or I am also looking to book using some credit card points - I am just shy of a few points so thinking that x-mas shopping will make up for that. :)

tifa, try discounthawaiicarrental.com, got a great car from Avis with them my last trip to Kauai.

Thanks for all the help and great advice on here. Ok, so in the last couple of days, I finally got the air tickets, car rental reservations, hotel reservations.

We are going Dec12th-Dec19th. I got into "panic mode" after reading jamie99's post About "get your car NOW", and got into a booking frenzy. Am going through the typical buyer's remorse now, but that's ok :-) I booked a hotel in Waikiki for all 7 nights.

Tifa2276, regarding car rentals, I got a 7 day rental for a compact from Thrifty for $175 including taxes. Maybe check with them for your travel dates? I booked with them directly on the 27th.

Now that the reservations are done, still need to plan out the days. This is what I'd like to have some help with, from you experts. So far, I have:

Polynesian culture center
Explore North Shore
Diamond head
Pearl harbor
Waikiki area
Attend a Luau (PCC or Paradise Luau?)

What more could I add to this list, that's not too strenuous? I'm afraid that with 6 full days and two half days, and the restrictions we have on things we can do, We might end up with an empty schedule.

The plan is still somewhat flexible - can even add another island for 3 days, as long as I get back by 8PM on the 19th to HNL. Was thinking of maybe adding Maui, and doing:

Road to Hana
Haleakala crater (excuse the spellings)

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the helpful input. We decided to just stick with Oahu for this trip.

What would be a good Luau to go to in Oahu? Any recommendations will be helpful. And would also like some feedback about the hike to Diamond Head - is it moderate-average in the level of difficulty? Thanks.

The hike to Diamond Head is really a walk, not a hike. It takes about 45 minutes. The only part that's strenuous is the 99 steps at the very end.

I think your plan of staying in Waikiki for all 7 days is excellent. You have plenty to do on your list (too much imo). It's OK to plan some 'down town' for easy things around Waikiki like the Zoo, going to the beach, seeing some free music or dance in the evenings, etc.

Here are some suggestions for things to do:

http://www.valley-of-the-temples.com/

http://www.iolanipalace.org/

pearl harbor http://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm

haleiwa a cute town on the way to the north shore
http://haleiwatown.com/

http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/

If you are at all interested in Hawaiian crafts, go to the "swap meet" at the Stadium north of Honolulu. It's really a row of booths selling stuff that reaches all the way around outside the stadium!! I have never made it all the way around, though. Too much!! Good prices for stuff, less than you pay around Waikiki.

Be aware, though, that it's hot and there is no shade except what is provided by the booths, so you may need an umbrella.