[canuckinhk]

My husband and I are going to Hawaii for the first time in Feb We'll be spending about a week in Honolulu and then are planning to go to Maui for a couple of days. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions on where to stay there and what to do? We have the hotel in Honolulu booked, but would love any suggestions for sightseeing there too.
Thanks!

[tvrlover]

Honolulu: go to Hanauma Bay, go to NORTH SHORE, now write the latter down. Honolulu will be very commercial around waikiki, so after a day you'll be bored. So pack your stuff and drive to north shore, there you'll be amazed at the true beauty of hawaii. When you're there (NS) visit Wiamea falls, they have some hawaii dancing, music, divers and you can swim in the waterfall - although not the cleanest looking water, it's actually very fresh.

Maui: slow, not many people, just being there you'll get all the sight-seeing you need. 85% of the HI population lives on Oahu, so you know that's where the commercialization is at it's maximum, Maui is much slower and nicer.

[fly]

I enjoyed Hawaii and would definitely go back, although its quite pricey (American dollars, obviously) and very honeymoon-oriented. Restaurants, bar scene were quite nice, in that respect Honolulu is very much like any large US metropolitan city. You can do the traditional things like luauu (sp?), climb the top of the (dormant) volcano, go snorkeling/scuba diving, try to find a private spot on Waikiki beach, visit the pineapple farms, take a helicopter ride, etc.

I preferred Maui as it was less cosmopolitan (but still very touristy), and you can also take a trip to the big island and visit the volcano.

Enjoy your vacation!

[larac]

Just got back from Maui - one of my favourite places in the world. One side is beautiful long white sand beaches and big expensive hotels. The other side is where I go and much prefer. Its very local and a bit hippy(some amazing organic food places), not as good for swimming but beautiful nevertheless and if you are into windsurfing or surfing its the place to be. No hotels at all so I just stayed at Paani Point and Aleiki Cottage and loved them both. http://www.mauisports.com/

Let me know if you want to know more. Highly recommend you get a car as there is no public transport on Maui and things are quite spread out. A trip up haleakala mountain is well worth it.

[canuckinhk]

Wow, thanks for the tips! I figured Honolulu would be very touristy. My husband has to go there for business, so I'll be on my own for quite a bit. I'll probably pack some good books and spend a lot of time reading on the beach *bliss*. I'll definately find a way up to the North Shore as you suggested tvrlover. I'd also love the volcano trek. Wow, a helicopter ride... that would be amazing! Did you do that Fly?
Thanks for the Maui site Larac. I'm really looking forward to going there. I'm hoping that it will be quiet since its not peak tourist season.
We just looking into the flight. Its weird that the flight from HI to Tokyo is 2.5 to 3 hours longer on the return than it is going. Are the headwinds that strong??
Again, thanks all for your input.

[tvrlover]

just to add, anyone really looking for sandy beaches, real remote, try St. Kitts or Nevis.

[fly]

Wow, business trip to Hawaii, I miss those....Yes, the helicopter ride was great and I'd recommend it. I forgot to mention the visit to Pearl Harbour, and windsurfing. There is a tip we picked up very quickly when we were there last, I'm not sure it may still work but you can try: there are/were quite a few "tourist information" booths along the streets, but not all of them are official government run, some are operated by companies operating property shares, and they're paid commission for the number of folks they can attract to view their sales properties, etc. If you have time (~30min/1hr) to spare, can say no to a potentially hard-sell salesman, they attract you with free tickets to just about anything, including off-island snorkeling, windsurfing, and yes, the helicopter as well!

[canuckinhk]

oooh nice tip! I'll have lots of free time so I could sit through an hour presentation. And I'll have no problem saying no (no problem and NO CHOICE!) I'd definately like the helicopter thing, that's a great suggestion. What time of year were you there?

[larac]

I went on Korean air and was very pleasantly surprised - not sure what I expected but they were great. Anyway I did notice that the headwinds on the screen they show were really high and I though it was a mistake but thinking about what you said about the journey time it must be true.

If your husband (or you) are keen on visiting the USS Missouri (active battleship) or the Arizona make sure you go early and adhere to all the rules - the security is really over the top and only a certain number of people can go each day.

[sylvesterjay]

Maui: Haleakala, the extinct volcano is a cool trip. the landscape is surreal. Also, 7 pools is gorgeous. if you scuba dive, a day trip out to Molokini is the best viz I have ever seen.