Trip to Hawaii

[Vince, Pt. II]

So I will be going to Hawaii in a few weeks with my girlfriend and am in the process of planning all of our excursions. Initial plans are to spend four days on Oahu and then four days on Maui. Things we plan on doing:

• Pearl Harbor - Do we need to book a tour for this? They are not only pricey, they seem to take up 5 and a half hours a pop. I am a huge history buff, but I cannot imagine more than 2 or 3 hours is necessary here.
• Zip Line - The zip line through Jurassic Park thing sounds awesome.
• Hike - we would like to check out Diamond Head and the Manoa Falls on Oahu, but aren't sure what to do on Maui.
• Snorkel / Swim with Sea Turtles - not really sure where yet, but we are actively looking.
• I want to golf, she wants to spa. Looking at Turtle Bay and/or Waialae for golf, she's pretty much on her own for the spa thing.

Anything huge we are missing? Anything to know about the activities we have planned? I have never been to Hawaii in any way, shape, or form, and I am super excited about the trip, but daunted by how much there is to possibly do there.

[CrescentMoonie]

Waialae keeps you closer to most of the other activities you want to do while you golf. Not sure on the spa things. If you're a Costco member, book your hotel on Oahu through them. On Oahu, think about Hanauma Bay for snorkeling/sea turtles. Do the Pearl Harbor movie and USS Arizona, it's well worth it. The tours can be a bit much. Also, pay close attention to what is and isn't allowed inside, they just take things from you and you don't get them back.

The zip line is pretty great. If you're that big of a history buff you might want to carve out some time on Oahu for Bishop Museum or the Polynesian Cultural Center. Diamond Head can get pretty crowded, the view atop Koko Head is better and less busy. If you're there long enough, and really like hiking, hit the Pillbox hike. You could also take a few minutes to go out on the Pali Highway and take in the view at the Pali Lookout.

No idea on Maui.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Thanks for the tips!

[digamma]

In Maui, if you want to do the drive to Hana, plan for a full day.

Snorkeling: These guys were great: https://bluewaterrafting.com/bwr/

People rave about eating at Mama's Fish House, or whatever it is called. I thought it was fine. The mai tais are live and gasoline filled though, so be careful.

Feast at Lele Luau is kind of expensive, but the food is worth it. It is a plated luau rather than a run to the buffet table and scrape some pig. Really enjoyed it.

Grab a drink at the Ritz. There are also some nice hidden hikes up beyond the Ritz.

The Maui Revealed book is fairly solid for recommendations (though their Kauai book is better).

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by digamma

In Maui, if you want to do the drive to Hana, plan for a full day.

Forgot about this on Maui. Take Dramamine if you get car sick. Hit the red sand beach. I've heard about the 7 sacred pools on Maui but never been there.

[Peregrine]

I'm heading to Hawaii in a few weeks too - exciting!

[BYU 14]

I second the Polynesian Cultural Center and as far as Pearl Harbor goes, it doesn't really seem like 5 hours so I would still book that as is. There is some slow time when you get there, but I really enjoyed soaking everything in and will do it again next time we go back.

[Umbrella]

In Maui, you can rent a bike and ride down Haleakala, the volcano. It's pretty fun, and by biking, I mean there is about a stretch of 100 yards where you are actually pedaling. It's mostly coasting and enjoying the views.

The Hana highway is great, as suggested. It's almost a full day, but the views are spectacular. I agree with the Dramamine if there is motion sickness tendencies. The trip can involve a lot of stops, so some very minor hiking to see some of the waterfalls.

Also, my favorite luau on the islands is the Old Lahaina Luau. It is kinda expensive, and you need to make reservations really early, but IMO, totally worth it. You may be too late to get into this one.

It sounds like you will be there in the end of January/beginning of February. That is prime humpback whale migration season in Maui. You can probably find a tour that goes out with the whales. Many times they will be within yards of the boats. It's pretty amazing to see these creatures in the wild up that close. Even if you don't do a tour, if you stay on the western coast of Maui, a lot of times you can see them from your hotel room, as long as you have an ocean view. We would sit on the balcony and watch the whales while we drank our coffee in the mornings.

For future reference, try to get a trip to Kauai. I much prefer it over Oahu. It's got a completely different vibe from the other islands, and once again, spectacular scenery. Also, they have a lot of great hiking there, since you are interested in that.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Pearl Harbor is a must, but skip the formal tours. You'll get plenty out of it by just seeing the movie, checking the visitor's center, and taking the boat over to the memorial. Won't take more than 2 hours. The tour is WAY too much.

Diamond Head hike is a must. My favorite part are the machine gun nests that you have to climb through to get to the top.

I'm not sure if they have sea turtles, but Hanauma Bay on Oahu is a fantastic public beach inside a volcanic crater. Tons of sea life and snorkeling available and it doesn't cost anything other than the snorkel gear rental.

The golf courses you mention are nice. I've also played a little gem called Pearl City CC which is right on Pearl Harbor. Great views of the harbor and the ocean from the various holes.

Pearl City Country Club | One of the finest Golf Courses on Oahu, Pearl Country Club since 1967. This beautiful Hawaii golf course challenges all golfers with its varied terrain.

Edit: Second the motion sickness on the road at Maui. We had three of our four riders in the car end up puking halfway through and we had to head back, which was just as miserable. If anyone has any motion sickness issues, skip it totally. A fantastic drive on Maui that's not nearly as puke-inducing is the NW route. You head out of the central part of the island going NW and hit Hwy 340, which eventually changes to Hwy 30. This takes you around the NW corner of the island in a very remote area where the road hangs on the side of cliffs with beautiful views. You'll also likely see whales from the road given the time of year you'll be there. The road snakes all the way around the coast and ends up in Lahaina, which is a great place to spend an afternoon.

[evil homer]

on maui, take the trip to see the sunrise on the volcano (Mount Haleakala). one of the most amazing things i have ever seen. tour bus picked us up at the hotel at 3 am, but worth every minute.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, great to hear different perspectives on things.

Umbrella, what sets the Old Lahaina Luau apart? It looks like I can still reserve two spots for our dates there.

[dawgfan]

Been a loooooooong time since I've been on O'ahu, but I greatly enjoyed driving around the windward side, and the Waimea Valley park/preserves is a really scenic destination worth checking out.

If you get a chance to do another trip to the islands, I highly recommend visiting Kaua'i - it is unbelievably lush and scenic and the Waimea Canyon is spectacular.

Also, I'm really pissed at your Purdue team for stealing away the #1 prospect from Michigan State! #NCAA53

[Glengoyne]

Mrs. G posting for the ever-working Mr G.

We did Maui last year(This very week in fact). We stayed in Ka'anapali, at a Westin time share. We snorkeled almost every morning. Rented gear from I believe The Snorkel Store. Great people, had you try stuff on in the store and make sure everything fit correctly.

Took the drive up to Haleakala during the day, and since we drove it, were glad we did it during sunlight... Kinda concerning if you don't know where you are going, a lot of switchbacks and such.

We did whale watching, and highly recommend it. The main pod should be there. If I remember correctly they were saying that the bulk of the whales were a week or so out. If you get the slightest bit sea sick, take your dramamine or whatever works for you. They are searching for whales and not necessarily a smooth boating excursion.

The Old Lahaina Luau is touted as the most authentic luau on the island. There are no flame jugglers, but the dancing is a quality show and I think the dancers often win the Polynesian international something or other competition held around New Zealand. The admission is pricey, but its all you can eat and drink, Alcohol included.

Mr. G loved Maui so much, we are heading back in August. I will miss the whales, but will be one last fling before the kids head back to school.

There were lots of places to eat in and around Lahaina that we can recommend if you are staying there!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Just a sidenote. If you're bored really early in the morning before sunrise on Maui, it's fun to find a place to sit back and watch the row of headlights switching back and forth up the volcano. As some mentioned, there's tours that go up the volcano before sunrise and it's a pretty fun effect to watch from down below.

[Umbrella]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Thanks for all the advice everyone, great to hear different perspectives on things.

Umbrella, what sets the Old Lahaina Luau apart? It looks like I can still reserve two spots for our dates there.

The food is outstanding. Open bar, open buffet. Terrific show as well, and the service has always been top notch. It is right on the ocean, so you can enjoy the sunset before the meal. Get there early, as there are all kinds of things going on on the grounds. Plus, you probably want to be there for the unearthing of the pig.

[HerRealName]

My wife and I were in Oahu and Maui just a couple of months ago. We did a ton of hiking while we were there so I can fill in some of those gaps from the excellent info already provided.

Diamond Head – This is pretty easy since it is almost all paved but it does have a good amount of stairs. It was cool but almost a mandatory visit for tourists so it was really crowded.

Koko Head – This is more of a climb than a hike but had great views at the top. It is located close to Hanauma Bay (which is awesome as someone already mentioned) so you can take the bus or park there and walk over. Once you get to the Koko Head trailhead, you get to the top by climbing old railroad ties pretty much straight up to the top. This is more of a workout than a hike but it was really fun.

Kuliouou Ridge Trail – This was a great hike. You start in a residential neighborhood and then climb up to an awesome view where you can see half of the island. This is considered Medium in difficulty but the toughest section was towards the top where it was really muddy and slick.

Manoa Falls – This is an easy trail but it was muddy and crowded. It was a good trip but probably my least favorite hike of the trip. I’m not a big waterfall guy so YMMV there.

In Maui we rented at an airbnb cottage near Paia Town. We loved Paia, it’s a laid back surf town but has plenty of places to eat and drink. I’m so glad we stayed there after spending 6 days at a big resort in Oahu.

Road to Hana - We only made a few stops of the Road to Hana before my wife ordered the car to be turned around. There were some cool sites along the Road to Hana, we got very lucky and had Twin Falls almost to ourselves somehow.

Haleaka – We didn’t go up for sunset or sunrise but we made the trip up and the views were still awesome. From the first parking lot near the top, we took a trail down into the crater for a couple miles. This was really cool but backwards. All the other hikes start out with a climb and you get to walk downhill on the way back. On this trail, you start at the top of the crater and walk uphill on the way back. There were some other hikers out there that were really struggling with that climb back. It was like walking around on Mars though and I loved it. I wanted to hike through and hitchhike back up to the car but that idea was vetoed.

Lahaina Ridge Trail – This is a little SE of Lahaina. It follows along this old path that was originally the route between the West side of Maui and the rest of the island back. It winds along and up to some windmills at the top of the ridge. The terrain was pretty rocky and it was really hot but the views were incredible. We cooled off at a beach near Lahaina following the hike.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! Unfortunately my girlfriend is having some health issues so our trip is on hold. When we finalize our new plans, I will report out on what we did and how we liked it.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Thanks for all the advice everyone! Unfortunately my girlfriend is having some health issues so our trip is on hold. When we finalize our new plans, I will report out on what we did and how we liked it.

Hope she's ok.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Thanks. Chronic migraines; it's been a huge up-and-down battle since September. The added wrinkle is that she was recently diagnosed with PTSD from a car accident (back in October) to throw in the mix, and is suffering horrible nightmares. So she is now terrified to go to sleep because the nightmares are awful. It's brutal to watch, especially knowing there is so little I can do except continue to be there for her.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Thanks. Chronic migraines; it's been a huge up-and-down battle since September. The added wrinkle is that she was recently diagnosed with PTSD from a car accident (back in October) to throw in the mix, and is suffering horrible nightmares. So she is now terrified to go to sleep because the nightmares are awful. It's brutal to watch, especially knowing there is so little I can do except continue to be there for her.

Jesus. Prayers with you.

I'm sure her doc has gone over the various causes. FWIW, my mom suffered from migraines for years. Turned out it was a hormonal thing. They were able to control it some with hormones, and she hasn't had any attacks at all since menopause.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Thanks. She had brain surgery in March of 2016 to treat what is called a Chiari Malformation, essentially her cerebellum was sliding down toward her brain stem because of the shape of her skull. She had lived her entire life up to early 2016 not realizing that it wasn't supposed to hurt when you laugh really hard or sneeze. For about six months after the surgery, her quality of life was amazing - very few (and comparitively minor) headaches, no neuropathy, no vertigo or nausea. Back in September, for reasons unknown, things went downhill in a hurry. We have gotten it under control for brief periods of time in between, but only for a few weeks at a time. The Christmas holiday was our biggest and most successful "under control" times yet, hence the planning of this trip. Unfortunately the nightmares started just after Christmas, and things have slid downhill from there.

The big end-game was getting to Botox as a treatment option; we started in mid-December and have not seen any results yet.We have been told that it is not at all uncommon for Botox to take a little while to show results, so we aren't worried about that...But it doesn't help the meantime. In my completely unprofessional opinion, everything that is bad right now is tied completely to the lack of sleep and nourishment. Unfortunately, those are not simple fixes with her situation; we are looking into psychiatric help for the PTSD, but again, that is not an overnight fix.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Vince, we had a similar situation with my wife's breast cancer. We had to put trips on hold for 18 months while we took care of her. We now have a trip to Hawaii planned for March and it's well worth the wait. I'm hopeful for you that you can take care of your wife and have a similar reward at the end of that journey.

Just as a sidenote for those that may be headed to Hawaii, we have 14 people going this time and picked out a huge house on the coast. While the price is nearly $2,000/night, we are splitting the cost seven ways, so it's only around $300/night, which isn't much more than a hotel room on Oahu with a MUCH better view of the ocean.

7 bedroom/9 bath Sleeps 21 - HomeAway Haleiwa