Looking more for the best scenery than anything, will be there in a week, would appreciate anyone's thoughts ! Leaning toward the BI but I can be swayed !

http://www.hawaiiwebdesign.com/oahu_...m#-Oahuhawaii1

I saw on another thread that you will be on O'ahu for 5 days, right? With that amount of time I personally would stay on O'ahu. It is pretty easy to rent a car for a day and drive around the island. There is gorgeous scenery right on O'ahu that you can see from the main roads.

If renting a car is not an option then I would look for a tour that does not include stops such as the pineapple plantation which will just take up time and not show you any scenery.

Yikes -- the "Oahu to BI" tour looks insanely rushed. It packs three days worth of sightseeing into 12 hours. I'm guessing you won't really "see" much of anything.

The "Oahu to Hilo" is a MAYBE. But I agree that there's really no need to leave Oahu at all.

In lieu of the $75 "Surf Bus Excursion," I'd just rent a car and explore the North Shore on your own. You can stop at any beach that looks uncrowded that day, eat at the shrimp trucks, get shave ice, etc all on your own schedule.

The prices on these tours seem steep, considering how easy Oahu is to navigate on your own.

If you're going to be in Hawaii for five days, I would do only Oahu, especially if you're coming from the East Coast of the U.S. I would rent a car to see the North Shore, unless you're not comfy driving in new places. If you feel you MUST see the Big Island, I would do only the tour to Hilo/Volcanoes Nat'l. Park. I wouldn't touch the first tour listed ... everything would be a blur out the bus window!

Thanks for your thoughts, I booked a car for a day for Oahu, any thoughts on a good place to drive to would also be appreciated !

You can pick up a drive guide magazine in Waikiki that includes decent maps.

Here is a website with pictures of things to see www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/default.htm

My sketchy description of a drive: From Waikiki, head toward Diamond Head. You will go through a residentail area and then join the freeway, which will go past Hanauma Bay. Then you will follow the cliffs and see spectacular views; there are several overlooks. Sandy Beach is a great place to watch body surfers (not safe for ordinary swimming). Makapu'u overlook gives another spectacular vista. You can stop at Byodo-In temple. The Pali overlook is a popular view, off of the highway that circles the island. continue on around to the northern tip of the island and you will come to the North Shore beaches like Sunset, and the town of Haleiwa. from there you can head back south to return to Waikiki. Or you can make a smaller circle by returning to Waikiki from the Pali.

I know there are threads on here that do a much better job of describing the drive. I'll try to get organized and add a better post!

glgray2, an excellent site for driving guides for Oahu:

http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/byotgdxo.htm

With only 5 days stick to Oahu.

Lots of info:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

glgray2, I thought I had something bookmarked for driving info, but i can't find it; I'm sorry. It is not hard to drive on O'ahu and scenery is great just about everywhere. I know you are just about to leave for your trip and I am sure you will have a great time!