i went when i was in grade 10.. still dying to go back. there's a million things to do around honolulu/waikiki beach, my best times were there. in maui, there was this place called "the crystal pools" or something which is def worth checking out, basically a series of very deep rocky freshwater pools descending via waterfalls in the middle of the jungle... amazing

and if you want to be able to talk to half of the hot female tourists there... i suggest learning some basic japanese lol

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was there last summer but only went to the island of Hawaii (a.k.a. 'the Big Island') near the town? city? of Kona.
If you're on that island definitely check out the Black Sand Beach - it is absolutely amazing to see and actually quite a nice beach as well. There is also a white sand beach and a green sand beach I am told but I didn't see them and don't know if they were on the Big Island, don't think they are.
Also we were at a coffee plantation and it is really cool to see how it grows and you can buy some right there and the best part is they have all the free coffee you can drink!!!
If you want to go up to the observatory on the island I am told (by my friends who had been there before) make sure you bring some warm (late fall - winter) clothes as you have to go very high up and it is surprisingly cold up there - didn't make it to the volcano because it was erupting at the time and we would've had to hike for like 2 hours due to roads closing (from the lava flows)
Did the whole swimming with the dolphins thing at the hotel we were at - Hilton Waikoloa - which was pretty damn cool.
The golf there is AMAZING, the courses are absolutely beautiful (played Waikoloa Kings and Waikoloa Beaches)
Enjoy your trip

Which island(s) are you going to?

From the time I left, all I've been doing is plotting how to get back there.

Recommendations:

Oahu:
-North Shore (good call on already going there)
-Diamond Head crater tour (it's the volcano looming over Waikiki)
-Snuba (if they have it ... combines snorkling & scuba ...45'+ hose for reef diving .. means no clock watching on your dive)

Maui:
-Ka'anapli (if you golf)
-Helicopter tour of Haleakala crater & the rest of the island (make sure you sit up front ... the glass at your feet really makes it feel like you're floating through the air!!!)
-rent a shitbox & drive the road to Hanna (this really is the most important part, as this is the scariest road you'll ever drive. It's along the sides of the volcano & when you get there, you're on the leeward side of the island & free from the tourists in Lahaina)
-spend a couple of extra days in Hanna.... you'll never see life lived at this gloriously slow pace anywhere else on Earth)
-sail over to Molakai & around the bays of the windward islands that dot this coast of Maui.... you'll know why when you're there
-drive/scooter/motorcycle to the Southern & Northern tips of the island... isolation in paradise is a good thing


That's it. Those are my recommendations. I'm sure you'll have a ton more things to do once you're there.

Also, if you're hitting the main island Hilo, be sure to check out the lava flows from Kilauea. I wish I'd done this.

Oh, and if you get to Kauai, the garden island, well forget eveything above and enjoy your time there.

Cheers!

I have TONS of recommendations. Which islands are you going to? And have you booked anything yet?

I'll post tomorrow when I'm home and can go look at my old itineraries etc. (yep, I'm one of those nerds)

-Lisa Loo

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I'm flying in to honolulu.. I've got a hotel booked for a week there, but only because getting a package with the flight and hotel worked out to be cheaper than the flight alone.

all i know so far is to check out the north shore.. check out the big island and maui

Are you planning on surfing the north shore? Definitely some of the scariest moments of my life!! Waikiki has decent waves if you're a beginner and its a beach break so no reef ownage!

Be careful walking around honolulu at night. A buddy of mine got sucker punched walking on the street by one of the locals. Needless to say, it led to a decent scrap. Ohh and please rent a scooter, its a must when on the island!

quote:

Originally posted by activate I'm flying in to honolulu.. I've got a hotel booked for a week there, but only because getting a package with the flight and hotel worked out to be cheaper than the flight alone. all i know so far is to check out the north shore.. check out the big island and maui

Are you staying in Waikiki? That's just my guess, since i'm sure 99% of the people who go to the Oahu stay in Waikiki.

I love Hawaii. Such a fun place. I was there about a year ago and have been there several times.

Personally, I haven't had the chance to many tours there, but on one of my trips to Maui I did this snorkeling tour which takes you this island called Molokini. Now when I went to Molokini that was well over 10 years ago, so things might have changed.

Also, Hanauma Bay is one tourist area that people recommend to go for snorkeling, but that place has gone down hill. It use to be great, but they banned to feeding of fish to 'preserve' the reef, however the fish stopped coming because of that so its not really worth it anymore.

Definitely go to Diamond Head. You can climb up the crater (probably takes around 30-45 minutes depending on what kind of shape your in lol. Once you get to the top the view is great and its kinda fun climbing up there.

Other than that, can't recommend much other than eating (Best Japanese and Korean food that you can get outside of Japan and Korea) and shopping. The shopping is absolutely amazing there! Especially if you like designer clothes. They have a place called DFS (Duty Free Shopping) Galleria.
You can only enter if you're from outside the United States and you need to bring your passport and boarding pass to show that you are not a US citizen. But they have amazing deals on designer clothes/bags/watches/accessories...everything.

http://www.dfsgalleria.com

I want to marry Adam there.

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i recommend you take sunscreen

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oooooh you're so lucky! Go surfing for sure!!!!

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quote:

Originally posted by activate I'm flying in to honolulu.. I've got a hotel booked for a week there, but only because getting a package with the flight and hotel worked out to be cheaper than the flight alone. all i know so far is to check out the north shore.. check out the big island and maui

One week isn't much time to go to all three islands in my opinion b/c there's so much to do. I spent a week and a half on Oahu and Maui (each), and even with jam packed days, there were still things we missed. But you probably made a smart move with the hotel and package. A lot of the actual tourist things you pay for cost quite a bit of money.

The north shore is beautiful on Oahu...where most of the surfing competitions are. The Polynesian Cultural Center is there which is AMAZING...it really gives you a good hands on sense of the various Polynesian Cultures. Website They have a luau and a fabulous night show there. The Dole Plantation is there as well. It's nothing special, so I wouldn't call it a must see, but it's definitely interesting.

Oahu is more commercial, whereas Maui is more scenery. Personally I liked Maui more. If you can, I 150% recommend getting a car and doing the drive along the Hana Hwy to the 7 Sacred Pools. There's so many waterfalls etc. to see along the way too (i.e. Twin Falls), where you stop and go hiking into the wooded areas etc. The pools are beautiful too. A sunrise bike tour down the Hakeleka (sp?) crater is a must as well. Zip lines are fun, but you can do those lots other countries (so if you have to skip something, I would say this). Umm....hmm....I'm still not home so I can't look at my itinerary, but I will when I get home and post some pictures of the stuff I did. Snorkelling cruises are nice too (but again, something you can do a lot of places....) So it's up to you what you prefer. If you're only going for a week, personally I would first pick things that you can only do in Hawaii.

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