Hawaii

[lakemonster11]

My family may be going sometime in March, and only my brother has ever been. Any suggestions?

Info on us:

There are six of us. My brother and I are in our early twenties, our parents are in their mid-forties, and our grandparents are in their late sixties.

We like outdoor activities (hiking, swimming, etc.), but probably don't want to do anything overly strenuous on this trip.

I'm a pretty serious (though sadly amateur :)) photographer, so I'm interested in visiting visually-interesting places.

We like learning while we travel, so we'll probably want to seek out some culturally- and scientifically-interesting sites.

Obviously we don't want to spend a mint, but money isn't too big a concern---this is a gift for our grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary, so we're going to splurge a bit.


So...What are some of your favorite places to stay, activities, foods, etc?

[etherealtruth]

1. Maui

The Ritz Carlton, Kapalua

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/kapalua/

Everything you could imagine doing in Hawaii can be done from here.

This was the site of the best vacation of my life.

[lakemonster11]

3. Wow, that sounds pretty awesome.

[babylonsister]

2. There are lots of visually stunning places to see and shoot.

I hope you're renting cars as it's fun to drive around the entire island. (Are you staying in Oahu?)
I would definitely wend my way over the mountains to around Kaneohe; some really nices beaches over there. If it's raining on one side of the island, it usually isn't on the other.
The North shore is fun to visit, though the huge waves that are the stuff of legend usually materialize in November.
There are also pineapple plantations if you're into that. I never did get to see one.
And, of course, Pearl Harbor is a good tourist attraction; part of our history that you and your folks and grandparents will surely appreciate.
Have a great time, and please report back!

[lakemonster11]

4. We haven't decided where we're staying yet,

but we will probably rent a car.

Those all sound like good ideas. Thanks for the advice!

[Inland]

5. I just got back from a week on Kauai

and here's my report....it's quiet, largely unpopulated, some small towns, two deluxe resort type places but the island is big enough you wouldn't know they were there unless someone pointed them out. You can rent houses on deserted beaches. Where I stayed it was a quarter mile of perfect white sand that the three of us usually found empty or shared with, at most, two other people and two seals, and there was a quarter mile of empty beach next to that and another quarter mile of empty beach next to that. I said it was like Northern Michigan with heat, because it's pretty much hanging out or outdoor activities. There's hiking, surfing lessons, boat and helicopter turns. Forty minutes from Honolulu by plane.

[Midlodemocrat]

6. Maui also.

We stayed at the Grand Wailea. It was incredible. Definitely do the Hana Highway.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. For cultural and scientific interests:

The Bishop Museum in Honolulu--it concentrates on Hawaiian and general Pacific natural history, archaeology, and anthropology and has a planetarium.

[Lisa0825]

8. Do you know which island yet?

I lived on Oahu for a few years. Honolulu is a bustling city, but there is still a lot of "less traveled" space elsewhere on the island. My dad was in the USCG, and they had a beach called Bellows Beach. Really beautiful, with tall trees lining the white sand beach. Hanauma Bay (sp?) is a great snorkeling bay, though I hear it is "too popular" now, so they limit the number of visitors.

The Big Island is said to be the only place in the world with rain forest, snow capped mountain, beach, and desert all within a certain radius (I think it was 100 mi). Driving past the lava fields makes you feel like you're on another planet. Lots of beautiful little chapels along the backwoods roads in the hills. Beautiful tropiocal flowers growing wild. Cliffs overlooking bays with waterfalls in the backdrop.

Pretty much any island will give you the opportunity to shoot amazing landscapes. The contrast of city and tropics gives some interesting subject matter in Honolulu. Touristy things like the Polynesian Cultural Center's shows may be a bit Disney-ish, but still interesting. My little platinum blonde self was in a hula show there at age 8.

[lakemonster11]

9. We've narrowed it down to Maui, now.

I've been reading guide books for the last few days, trying to come up with a list of things to definitely do while we're there.

So far I have:

1. Go snorkeling.
2. Drive to Hana.
3. Do some hiking.
4. See the sunrise from the top of Haleakala.
5. Go to a luau (touristy, yes, but it should be fun)

Other than that, I plan to eat a lot of pineapple, take a lot of pictures, and spend as much time as possible in my swimsuit!

[Inland]

10. Here's one tip

from someone who flew to Hawaii from deep in the continental US:

you should look into connecting in LA and flying directly into Maui and avoid changing planes in Honolulu. That airport has disconnected all its terminals and baggage claims, maybe from bad design, maybe to enforce plant quarantines. It's a hard place to change planes or to lay over even for a couple of hours.

[lakemonster11]

11. Thanks.

That sounds like good advice.

[Midlodemocrat]

12. You can also fly direct from Houston. We did that when we went.

Since it was such a long flight, it allowed for sleep, plus the planes had individual tv and movie screens in the headrest of each seat. It was really nice with the kids.