Hawaii Suggestions

[Groundhog]

We're heading over to the US to see my wife's family in late May, and we want to break the flight up with a 6 night stay in Hawaii. It's the first time we've ever been to Hawaii, and I'm a bit clueless as to what to do or where to spend most of our time.

With an 18 month old we're not looking to do anything too adventurous, but I'd like to at least see some of the more picturesque parts of the islands and also relax. Not so interested in shopping etc. as we'll be doing a lot of that when we arrive in the US.

Not Hawaii related and probably deserves another thread, but we've got 10 nights in Tampa as well, and probably 5 of those nights I'd like to spend doing something else - maybe a few nights in Miami, a cruise, etc. Any toddler-friendly suggestions around that way? Is it worth flying out to the Bahamas for a few nights?

Thanks in advance.

[cartman]

I spend about a week each month in Tampa. Too bad your daughter isn't a bit older, because Disney is just right down the road from Tampa in Orlando. Miami is about a 4 hour drive from Tampa. so easily to drive in one day and still be able to do stuff once you get there. If you wanted to spend some more time in the car, a drive further south to the Keys is always a cool thing to do.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

but we've got 10 nights in Tampa as well

Should be plenty of good seats available at Tropicana Field

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by cartman

I spend about a week each month in Tampa. Too bad your daughter isn't a bit older, because Disney is just right down the road from Tampa in Orlando. Miami is about a 4 hour drive from Tampa. so easily to drive in one day and still be able to do stuff once you get there. If you wanted to spend some more time in the car, a drive further south to the Keys is always a cool thing to do.

Yeah I thought about Disney but I think it would be wasted on her at the moment. Odds are pretty good that we'll be back over in the next 5 years so we'll probably spend a few days there!

Good to get an idea of how far the drive is to Miami - not sure how I feel about driving on the other side of the road though, I have to say.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Should be plenty of good seats available at Tropicana Field

That's one thing I would like to do actually - catch a baseball game. Although I know next to nothing about MLB, but I'm assuming the Tampa Bay Rays are not very good.

[NobodyHere]

My suggestion for Hawaii? Spam is not a real food item.

[BYU 14]

What Island are you going to? If you are just interested in relaxing and seeing some beautiful nature Kauai is a great place. (It is far and away our favorite of all the islands)

A sail up the Na Pali coast, Waimea Canyon State Park, Horseback riding at Silver Falls ranch and a visit to the Koloa rum company are all simple, relaxing excursions/activities and the Island itself is just gorgeous!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

That's one thing I would like to do actually - catch a baseball game. Although I know next to nothing about MLB, but I'm assuming the Tampa Bay Rays are not very good.

They actually weren't bad last year (90 win team in fact) but have finished either last or next to last in the American League in attendance for 8 straight seasons.

[QuikSand]

"Hawaii suggestions please" says the guy heading to Oahu for the first time this fall...

[digamma]

Hawaii is pretty island dependent.

Oahu has some must tourist sees, but the best beaches there are away from Honolulu.

Maui is kind of classic Hawaii, with lots of beauty and big time resorts.

Kauai is my favorite island as well. Fantastic mix of nature and nurture. Though much of the nature can be fairly advanced, and not that kid friendly.

And it took ten posts for an Ybor City joke?

[dawgfan]

I've been to O'ahu multiple times (I have family over in Kailua), Maui briefly and most recently to Kaua'i. I would echo others in this thread in saying Kaua'i is my favorite - it's the most picturesque and also seemed to have the most laid-back vibe.

That's not to say there aren't many cool things to see on O'ahu, but if I had to pick among the three I've been to it would be Kaua'i, hands-down.

[AnalBumCover]

+1 to Kauai

[Kodos]

Our honeymoon was in Maui. We absolutely loved it there.

[sooner333]

Kauai is my favorite as well, as there was a ton to do that wasn’t on the beach. It was the island that made me think “maybe I could live here.”

I’ve also been to the Big Island, but other than a day at the Volcanoes National Park (which was pretty cool, but from the west side of the island was an all day excursion) we stayed at the resort.

Oahu is definitely the most urban if you stay in Honolulu. There are more restaurants, but the beach areas are obviously touristy and have expensive shops to cater to the wealthier visitors. As a kid, we stayed on the North Shore which is much more removed from the city.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by sooner333

Oahu is definitely the most urban if you stay in Honolulu. There are more restaurants, but the beach areas are obviously touristy and have expensive shops to cater to the wealthier visitors. As a kid, we stayed on the North Shore which is much more removed from the city.

Yup. Lots of stuff to check out as you head counter-clockwise around the island out of Honolulu. There's the common touristy stuff like Hanama Bay and the blowhole, but also some less-beaten path stuff like driving over the Pali to Kailua and driving up the windward side. I always liked checking out Waimea Bay/Waimea Valley, and you go past some famous surf beaches along the way. I don't know how much something like Pearl Harbor would interest him, but there's that too.

I prefer Kaua'i for the nature sights, but there's certainly stuff to do on O'ahu that isn't focused solely on Honolulu/Waikiki.

[Chief Rum]

I only went to Hawaii as a kid in the mid-80s... and even then and to a stupid teenager it occurred to me that Kaua'i is frickin' awesome. Sounds like it still is.

O'ahu was nice too but as mentioned a lot more touristy. I do recommend doing a luau just to get that experience. Even if it's an overhyped and probably overpriced experience, you're not going to get that anywhere else.

I have heard enough good things about Maui from others to say that's a spot to consider, but can't make specific contrivutions there.

[Groundhog]

Thanks all, Kaua'i sounds like a winner! I'm thinking 2 nights in Honolulu, 4 in Kaua'i. Now to look at Airbnbs... my credit card is already aching...

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

My suggestion for Hawaii? Spam is not a real food item.

Spam is great! Fry it till its crispy on the outside, eat it with rice, egg and soy sauce. Yum.

[digamma]

If you're looking at Kauai, one of main strips on the south side of the island is Poipu, known as the sunny spot. Generally better weather and cool beaches. The south side is closer to the Waimea Canyon hikes.

North side is Hanalei Bay and Princeville, with a lot of hidden beaches (Anini is one). It's not as commercial (yet), but has some great food in spots. Closer to the Napali Coast.

I like the feel of the north side better. Hanalei Bay is kind of my happy spot.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by Cecil

do not judge strictly.

Originally Posted by Cecil

I have nothing to eat.

Originally Posted by Cecil

I have two children.

I mean I think it's illegal but if we're not judging too strictly there's a rimworld solution there.

[QuikSand]

Heading to Maui (big ugly resort it appears) for an event in October, taking a few extra days on my own. I expect to have little trouble finding outdoorsy/water/nature things to do on that island. I am not a sit-on-the-beach type of guy, but I own sensible footwear and have been known to have a cocktail here or there.

Looking for general advice of course, but my biggest debate is whether it is worth the time/trouble/cost to get to another island. Any thoughts very welcome.

[bhlloy]

I'm in Maui in a couple of weeks, so I'll second your ask for recommendations, if people have them. Already rented a Jeep for the Road to Hana drive as everyone I talk to suggests that is a must do, but definitely got a few more open days for activities.

I also took the plunge on heading to Pearl Harbor for a day trip, basically got the earliest Hawaiian Airlines flight out in the morning for an 11am reservation at the memorial and the latest flight back in the evening. I'll let you know how that goes.

[QuikSand]

bump?

[Sun Tzu]

I've spent a few months on Maui, accumulatively, including getting married there. I used to live on O'ahu, as well. I have a few questions before making recommendations.

How are you with snorkeling/water activities?
Are you reasonably fit/interested in hikes in the jungle?
Do you prefer having an aloha lifestyle experience, or the white person vacation experience?

[Edward64]

Planning on doing a family trip to Oahu end of year. Hotels are way overpriced.

[bhlloy]

Don't do the island hopping thing unless you are staying overnight. We did get caught in a tropical storm at Pearl Harbor which didn't help, but when you are only staying for 5 days and one of them involves you leaving your beautiful resort to get on a flight at the crack of dawn, and then having to get another flight back late in the evening, it makes for very grumpy travelers. I wasn't very popular for putting that together, even if it was a bucket list item personally.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Don't do the island hopping thing unless you are staying overnight. We did get caught in a tropical storm at Pearl Harbor which didn't help, but when you are only staying for 5 days and one of them involves you leaving your beautiful resort to get on a flight at the crack of dawn, and then having to get another flight back late in the evening, it makes for very grumpy travelers. I wasn't very popular for putting that together, even if it was a bucket list item personally.

We'll be there for 7 days and was thinking about maybe doing a trip to Kauai (because of the recommendations in this thread) but thought it might be too rushed.

(I did want to check out Magnum PI's Robin's Nest but apparently its been torn down).

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Edward64

We'll be there for 7 days and was thinking about maybe doing a trip to Kauai (because of the recommendations in this thread) but thought it might be too rushed.

If you think there's next to no chance you'll get back to the islands then consider hopping over to Kaua'i, but you should really give it a week by itself. Part of the fun of those trips is getting to explore all the cool stuff there, and if you only have a day or two then you're really too rushed to see all the stuff worth seeing. Also, part of what makes Hawai'i such a great trip is that it should feel relaxed and relaxing.

[Edward64]

Went to Oahu over the holidays. Here's a quick summary

1) Pearl Harbor & Museums - it was cool and sombering being in such a historic place. Spent the day. Can't imagine being a WWII submariner
2) Dole Plantation - fun place, way too many pineapple stuff everywhere
3) Diamond Head crater - hiked it, great views
4) Botanical garden - enjoyed the walk around and worth it if you are even slightly inclined IMO. Didn't know there was such a thing as a sausage tree!
5) Zoo - not fantastic and seem over weight with birds but still nice
6) Aquarium - a let down
7) Waikiki beach - walked around it, too many people
8) Northshore - drove through it but could see the waves. If you are a surfer, this is the place to stay
9) Polynesian Cultural Center - enjoyed it and can see kids < 12 really liking it
10) Bishop museum - learn more about Hawaiian history. The royal lineage apparently ends with last surviving female

[Edward64]

Food in Oahu

TBH, it was disappointing. I can go to a Asian restaurant and get a cheap but good meal for $9-$12. Lots of Asian restaurants there but they are more like an additional 25-30% and the presentation was crap, kinda like just pile it on and pretty generic (I am sure if we went to high end restaurants it would be better), not a lot of pride in serving/presenting the food.

The exception was Japanese restaurants. Sushi and Ramen were pretty good albeit with a 25-30% premium.

I tried local (I think) Hawaiian food at L&L Hawaiian BBQ and Rainbow Drive-In. Edible but not great. Also ate at a couple food trucks (one in Northshore that was in one of the Dive Restaurant series) and they were pretty sad too. Get use to 2 scoops of rice and some macaroni & cheese with everything.

Did try the Spam Musubi at a restaurant and bought one from a grocery store. Glad I tried it but I do spam better at home IMO. Also went through a Burger King to eat in the car on the way to the Cultural Center. A Whopper Meal was about $9-$10.

In summary, food ain't that great in Oahu and not worth the 25-30% premium vs mainland.

[sterlingice]

Not certain we're doing it, but we're kicking around the idea of Hawaii in June. I've got some Marriott certs expiring and United flights there aren't awful right now from Houston ($600pp). The Marriott certs are good for cat 5 hotels, of which there are 2: one in Honolulu and one on the big island. There's a bit of appeal that all travelers either have to be vaccinated or negative test within 24 hours.

Also, bringing our 6yo. However, much like when we took him to Toronto/Niagara in 2019- we're taking the trip for us and he's pretty patient and willing to do most stuff as long as dad and mom are there. For example, we drove to New Mexico and had a 2 week vacation last year and he enjoyed Carlsbad, White Sands (especially the sledding), Roswell, bike ride in Albuquerque, Bandolier, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, and Capulin. He was chill for the 13 hour driving day from Houston to Carlsbad (with some stops). He also is good for about 6 miles walking (though less at elevation). So he's a pretty patient kid and pretty flexible kid, as long as we give him something to do and some attention. The whole point of this paragraph is just because I swear if you tell someone you have a kid, they suggest all the kiddie stuff and so you miss a lot of the better things.

Was brainstorming ideas with a friend of mine who was at U of H for 3 years. I don't know if we're going to be able to make it back for many years so I want to try and hit the "must sees". We're not just going to sit on a beach for 5 days so "what is the best beach" is fine, but we're probably only going to do the beach a couple of days and it looks like there are a lot of good beaches. Things like snorkeling or swimming with the rays or turtles - that's be pretty cool. Oahu seems like there are a number of things that are unique and worth going to (Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation, Iolani Palace, etc), even if it's not "classic Hawaii" like some of the other islands are. We're big on outdoors stuff, especially as we're still talking COVID, but we're not the camping sorts. If you give us a 3 hour hike to and from some cool waterfall or to see some cool animals/plants, that's in our wheelhouse - you notice the giant list of National Parks from the New Mexico list. Or some experience we can't see elsewhere - like I bet I'd enjoy one of the beach days, chilling and watching folks surf for an hour.

We're looking at about 10~12 days. I think that means we're looking at 2 islands in that time - 3 would be pushing it. The Courtyard on Kona looks quite good and a leading candidate for where I could use those Marriott certs. In that case, we'd be doing Oahu and the Big Island. In a weird way, it seems like Maui and the Big Island have similar things. Kauai is the only thing that really gives me pause there as there sound like there are a number of cool, unique things. But, I don't really see a way to really squeeze 3 islands into our timeframe. Thoughts? Advice? Not even sure we're doing this, but my wife is pushing pretty hard for this and it kindof fits what we're looking for.

SI

[Ksyrup]

You and I are apparently on the same vacation wavelength or something!

We're going to Kauai at the end of June into early July for 12 days. Celebrating my mom's birthday, both girls' graduations, and our 25th anniversary. My parents have a timeshare with Marriott. Michelle and I went back in 2005 but that's the last time we've been.

Assuming they still require a negative Covid test within 72 hours of arriving, I'm curious how that works. Any kind of test? The last test I took a few weeks back took 5 days to get a result. If that is still in place in June, I'm going to be nervous as hell one of us is going to test positive or not get a result quickly enough.

[Butter]

We went to Hawaii in December 2020. At the time, they required a negative PCR test within 2 days of departure, which we were able to find a rapid test near our house at that time. Right now, forget it.

HOWEVER, you're in luck because they also allow rapid antigen tests. And CVS has dozens of locations near me that would do that, so they should be near you. And those are supposed to take just hours. And I believe the requirement is "within one day", which means any time on the day before you leave on your first flight, not "24 hours", which is way better. They do have an app you have to upload your test results to, and then you have to present that you have a negative result through the app upon arrival. And a vaccination card. Not bad.


As far as things to do, my wife and I spent 2 weeks on Oahu. We did all the standard tourist-y stuff, a couple of luaus, Dole Plantation, etc.

Here are a couple of my favorites from Oahu:

Ko Olina lagoons: a gentle place to swim where you don't feel like you're going to get murdered by the waves. Although if I remember right, you need to check which lagoons are swimmable, as at least 1 of them had health/safety issues in the news semi-recently.

Plantation Village: Learn about what life was like for early Asian immigrants to Hawaii who worked on sugar plantations. Definitely kid friendly, but not overly so. When we went, we basically had a private tour guide as tourism was still low at the time and they were just reopening.

Iolani Palace: Final Royal Palace before US annexation. Kinda boring for kids, but really interesting.

Bishop Museum: Outstanding for both kids and adults. We spent hours here.

KoHana rum distillery: They had some chocolate rum that tastes like liquid chocolate. They also sell honey.

Byodo-In Temple: A Buddhist temple that is just a place of quiet and rest, and has a bunch of cats that is fun to visit.

Kualoa Ranch: We did the ATV movie sites tour, and you get to drive your own ATV around with a guide and a small group to many Hollywood movie sites. Just driving the ATV around this beautiful park would've been enough.

21 Degrees Estate Cacao Farm: Tour and discussion about how they make chocolate bars. It's the northernmost place that grows cacao, apparently. The couple that runs this place was really great, and the chocolate for purchase was terrific, lots of varieties.

If you do a luau, I highly recommend EXPERIENCE NUTRIDGE. It is basically run by this really nice guy, and he has a small group of people that present it with him. That dude WILL try to sell you on a case of pineapples to take home, but it is all in fun... unless you want to buy some pineapples. Seriously though, it is an intimate experience, unlike the first luau we did on our 2 week trip (which was at Sea Life Park, I don't remember the name of the luau). Really well done, very authentic and tasty food. You get to watch the sunset from hills overlooking Waikiki. It was the last thing we did in Hawaii and one of the most memorable.

We did also take a sunset catamaran tour, and I got seasick as fuck. That was also a lot of fun, but I was too busy sweating bullets to notice.

[Butter]

Also while in Hawaii, you have to try Malasadas. Portuguese donuts. God damn it, those were delicious, I still think about them.

Also, Loco Moco. It is weird, but a staple. Must try, worth doing once.

[AnalBumCover]

We just came back from a 5-night trip to Oahu, staying at Aulani with my wife and 10yo daughter.

If you're fully vaccinated, upload your vaccine card to Hawaii's Safe Travels website. They will send you a QR code which you will scan at the departing airport (the final leg, if you're doing one or more stops) who will give you a wristband which allows to you entry to the islands and whisk you through the arriving airport. If you do not get the wristband at the departing airport, you'll need to scan your QR at the arriving airport.

A separate profile/login will be needed for each adult traveler. Any minors will be included to an adult profile as a "companion traveler". You would also upload their Vaccine cards to your profile. 12 and under are exempt from the required upload.

In Oahu, we did standard tourist-y stuff: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa (north side), Dole Plantation and Polynesian Cultural Center. Pearl Harbor and Swap Meet at the Stadium. Luau at Aulani.

The highlights for our kid were the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Luau.

Though we didn't do any hiking on this trip, I hear Waimea Falls up north and Diamond Head are must-do hikes.

Originally Posted by Butter

Also while in Hawaii, you have to try Malasadas. Portuguese donuts. God damn it, those were delicious, I still think about them.

Also, Loco Moco. It is weird, but a staple. Must try, worth doing once.

Malasadas were really good. As for the Loco Moco, I had from three different places. The best one in my opinion came from the Island Country Market (an ABC Store) across the street from Aulani.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

You and I are apparently on the same vacation wavelength or something!

We're going to Kauai at the end of June into early July for 12 days. Celebrating my mom's birthday, both girls' graduations, and our 25th anniversary. My parents have a timeshare with Marriott. Michelle and I went back in 2005 but that's the last time we've been.

Assuming they still require a negative Covid test within 72 hours of arriving, I'm curious how that works. Any kind of test? The last test I took a few weeks back took 5 days to get a result. If that is still in place in June, I'm going to be nervous as hell one of us is going to test positive or not get a result quickly enough.

My wife is getting really quarantine stir crazy and I've been much more reluctant to do stuff, even though I'm usually the one with wanderlust. We're getting to the point where the isolation is getting to be a mental health issue with her. Meanwhile, I like that it's half like another country in that they're like "yeah, we want you vaxxed before coming over". Can you fake that, yeah. Can that Karens and Kens that would say "I want to go to Hawaii" as their first choice be the same people who definitely would fake a vax card or test? Hell yes. But at least there are some barricades in place. So that was the balance I was trying to strike.

Yes, we had a bunch of free nights that cheap me wants to maximize value on - but anyone who plans travel knows everything has to line up there: doesn't do any good to have cheap hotels if flights are astronomical, etc. But relative to what it costs and what other vacations are costing right now, it's actually a relative bargain to what it usually is. Luxury goods and vacations are way up across the board (just like a lot of things). Meanwhile, Hawaii seems to be the same expensive trip it always is, but it hasn't jumped /as much/ in price. Looking at opportunity cost, if before, it cost about the same as a week long Disney trip plus a week long trip to Seattle, now it only costs about 70% of that.

Right now, what ABC said is what it appears to be for COVID - just upload your vaccine card into their app and you should be good. Doesn't mean it will be the same this summer but that's all it is now.

New Mexico for us was really obvious last year just because it's the "closest" interesting thing to us that we felt was mostly pandemic-safe. We've been wanting to go to New Orleans for a while now but that's a lot of indoor stuff. Similarly, there's just not a ton of outdoors stuff if you head east out of Houston unless you're a big fan of Civil War battlefields. Really not much if you go north and South to Mexico with international travel during a pandemic - no thanks. So west made a lot of sense.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

We just came back from a 5-night trip to Oahu, staying at Aulani with my wife and 10yo daughter.

If you're fully vaccinated, upload your vaccine card to Hawaii's Safe Travels website. They will send you a QR code which you will scan at the departing airport (the final leg, if you're doing one or more stops) who will give you a wristband which allows to you entry to the islands and whisk you through the arriving airport. If you do not get the wristband at the departing airport, you'll need to scan your QR at the arriving airport.

A separate profile/login will be needed for each adult traveler. Any minors will be included to an adult profile as a "companion traveler". You would also upload their Vaccine cards to your profile. 12 and under are exempt from the required upload.

In Oahu, we did standard tourist-y stuff: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa (north side), Dole Plantation and Polynesian Cultural Center. Pearl Harbor and Swap Meet at the Stadium. Luau at Aulani.

The highlights for our kid were the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Luau.

Though we didn't do any hiking on this trip, I hear Waimea Falls up north and Diamond Head are must-do hikes.



Malasadas were really good. As for the Loco Moco, I had from three different places. The best one in my opinion came from the Island Country Market (an ABC Store) across the street from Aulani.

The eats are helpful! You can kindof read Yelp reviews and whatnot but it's not the same. I'm pretty sure I've had masaladas here in Houston around like Mardi Gras time. It sounds really familiar.

ABC, the vaccine information jives with what I was seeing online. Just need to upload our vaccine card. Wife and I are both boosted, son is vaccinated - so we're all good there.

The Polynesian cultural center looks like a good stop on a lot of lists. Dole Plantation seems like a good item on the list. The friend I talked to said Diamond Head for sure. I'll look up the falls but that name is familiar.

I'm not sure how I'm feeling about doing a lot of indoor stuff but I think we're more willing to do that now than before since our son is now in school (we had been doing homeschool until he went back in January after getting his shot in December). We'll see.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Butter

We went to Hawaii in December 2020. At the time, they required a negative PCR test within 2 days of departure, which we were able to find a rapid test near our house at that time. Right now, forget it.

HOWEVER, you're in luck because they also allow rapid antigen tests. And CVS has dozens of locations near me that would do that, so they should be near you. And those are supposed to take just hours. And I believe the requirement is "within one day", which means any time on the day before you leave on your first flight, not "24 hours", which is way better. They do have an app you have to upload your test results to, and then you have to present that you have a negative result through the app upon arrival. And a vaccination card. Not bad.


As far as things to do, my wife and I spent 2 weeks on Oahu. We did all the standard tourist-y stuff, a couple of luaus, Dole Plantation, etc.

Here are a couple of my favorites from Oahu:

Ko Olina lagoons: a gentle place to swim where you don't feel like you're going to get murdered by the waves. Although if I remember right, you need to check which lagoons are swimmable, as at least 1 of them had health/safety issues in the news semi-recently.

Plantation Village: Learn about what life was like for early Asian immigrants to Hawaii who worked on sugar plantations. Definitely kid friendly, but not overly so. When we went, we basically had a private tour guide as tourism was still low at the time and they were just reopening.

Iolani Palace: Final Royal Palace before US annexation. Kinda boring for kids, but really interesting.

Bishop Museum: Outstanding for both kids and adults. We spent hours here.

KoHana rum distillery: They had some chocolate rum that tastes like liquid chocolate. They also sell honey.

Byodo-In Temple: A Buddhist temple that is just a place of quiet and rest, and has a bunch of cats that is fun to visit.

Kualoa Ranch: We did the ATV movie sites tour, and you get to drive your own ATV around with a guide and a small group to many Hollywood movie sites. Just driving the ATV around this beautiful park would've been enough.

21 Degrees Estate Cacao Farm: Tour and discussion about how they make chocolate bars. It's the northernmost place that grows cacao, apparently. The couple that runs this place was really great, and the chocolate for purchase was terrific, lots of varieties.

If you do a luau, I highly recommend EXPERIENCE NUTRIDGE. It is basically run by this really nice guy, and he has a small group of people that present it with him. That dude WILL try to sell you on a case of pineapples to take home, but it is all in fun... unless you want to buy some pineapples. Seriously though, it is an intimate experience, unlike the first luau we did on our 2 week trip (which was at Sea Life Park, I don't remember the name of the luau). Really well done, very authentic and tasty food. You get to watch the sunset from hills overlooking Waikiki. It was the last thing we did in Hawaii and one of the most memorable.

We did also take a sunset catamaran tour, and I got seasick as fuck. That was also a lot of fun, but I was too busy sweating bullets to notice.

This is all really helpful. I had seen Bishop Museum on a number of lists, the rum distillery and cacao farm sound fun, and the Buddhist temple a nice change of pace. Secretly, I've been wanting to go see where some movies were shot - hell, if there's like a tour of Lost locations, I'd love that. Again, haven't looked much into details - this was literally something I had on my bucket list for the foggy future until two days ago - so I've just started with the top level details right now. So this stuff is all really, really helpful.

I know I don't have as much to respond right now as I'm just not as much into the weeds yet. But I've been kicking around how many days on Oahu and it sounds like I could easily fill up 4 or 5 vs the 3ish I was kicking around. As with any vacation, I need to get the big building blocks in place - flight, hotels, cars. Then I can start digging in. It's backwards of how I usually do it, but I don't have the time to build the trip from the ground up this time, unfortunately.

SI

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Secretly, I've been wanting to go see where some movies were shot - hell, if there's like a tour of Lost locations, I'd love that.

Kualoa Ranch has various tours that cover Jurassic Park Locations, 50 First Dates, King Kong, etc.

[bhlloy]

Get the Maui Gold pineapples. That’s the only thing I have to contribute to this thread.

[Ksyrup]

Good news - starting March 26, you no longer need a negative Covid test to fly domestically into Hawaii or proof of vaccination.

We're going at the end of June and were stressing a bit about what happens if someone tests positive.

[Lathum]

We are going to England over Easter break and am experiencing the same stress but I think they may have just lifted the restriction for vaccinated individuals.

[RainMaker]

I thought Pearl Harbor was fascinating. You might need to be a little bit of a history nerd to appreciate it, but if you are, it's worth the day trip.

[GrantDawg]

My only Hawaii suggestion is "take me! I will be quiet and not eat much."

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I thought Pearl Harbor was fascinating. You might need to be a little bit of a history nerd to appreciate it, but if you are, it's worth the day trip.

Seconded. It is amazing. They also have a great Zoo in Honolulu.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Good news - starting March 26, you no longer need a negative Covid test to fly domestically into Hawaii or proof of vaccination.

We're going at the end of June and were stressing a bit about what happens if someone tests positive.

That's a little bit of a bummer to me. I was fine with a vaccine requirement to fly there. It was an either/or not both last I saw: either get your vaccine /or/ have a negative test. If you were vaccinated - test didn't matter.

SI

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

That's a little bit of a bummer to me. I was fine with a vaccine requirement to fly there. It was an either/or not both last I saw: either get your vaccine /or/ have a negative test. If you were vaccinated - test didn't matter.

SI

No, both were required.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

No, both were required.

(Not that it really matters at this point so we can probably just toss this aside) I'm pretty sure was true for a while but I thought when I looked in the last month, it was an either/or:

Travel - Hawai‘i DOH: Info & Resources for Managing COVID-19

Hawaii’s five-day mandatory self-quarantine remains in place for only domestic travel from the U.S. and its Territories. Travelers entering the state who are up to date on their vaccination may bypass quarantine without a pre-travel test. The vaccination record document must be uploaded to Safe Travels and printed out prior to departure and the traveler must have a hard copy in hand when arriving in Hawaiʻi. The State of Hawai‘i will also accept vaccine records that are digitally validated by Digital Health Pass Partners (AZOVA, CLEAR and CommonPass). Travelers who use one of the State’s partners to link their digitally validated vaccine records with Safe Travels may enjoy expedited processing at the airport (no secondary visual inspection of paper vaccine records).

SI

[sterlingice]

Also, rental car prices right now suck. But, from what I understand, they've always kindof sucked. But now it's matched up with all of the rental car companies selling 25%+ of their fleet during 2020 "due to COVID" (and /definitely/ not to shrink supply in the increasingly consolidated industry run by only a couple of companies).

SI

[Ksyrup]

The rental car thing has been an issue for awhile. There were reports of people renting Uhauls last year because there were no cars available on the island.

We've known we were going for a year so I got my reservation last July. 12 days for a premium SUV for $1300. They took the reservation - I hope they know how to hold the reservation!