Hawaii here we come! Need advice

For Oahu

Walk up Diamond Head ! Stunning views !

Hanauma Bay has great novice snorkeling- go EARLY !!!!!

We liked the Polynesian Cultural Center - it’s very educational as well as just fun .

Stop at shrimp trucks on northern island !

Mauna Kea-- http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/visiting-mauna-kea/star-gazing-program.html

By October it may be operating again. We were there Dec 8th and published plan at that time was to re=open in 'the summer'. I do not see that posted now.

There are several companies that provide Sunset Tours to the summit on special 4 wheel drive vans/buses. Not sure I would spend the money for a tour to see sunset from the summit vs just driving to the visitor center at the 9200 ft elevation and seeing it there. From either place all you see is water.

Even if it is not, you can still go to the 9200 ft center ( rental cars prohibited on the gravel road to the top)

If you have a costco card look there. Not been able to find a rate better than costco offers on their site

On Oahu, you can rent a car in Honolulu for the day(s) you want to explore the far sides of the island. In town walk or use The Bus.
If you are staying in Waikiki parking is a problem. Hard to find and expensive.

If you have a condo, you can save by cooking at 'home'. Bring your favorite drink to the b-b-q area and enjoy.

Do go to Volcano National Park. Bring a picnic for lunch and treat yourself to a sunset dinner at the lodge restaurant.

DON'T forget to bring a sweater or jacket if you're visiting Volcanoes National Park -- we drove up in beachwear and were turning blue!
If you are staying at a condo, get some sweet Hawaiian bread, fresh papaya, passion fruit juice, strawberry-guava jelly.... YUM!

On the Big Island Hilo has the best farmers market. The National Park is good for hiking (wear stiff soled boots, lava tears up soft soles). The Place of Refuge is nice. The Kona side is dry, the rest of the island is green. Going up to the peak can get very cold.

On Oahu the Hilton shoots fireworks over the lagoon nightly. Ft Derussy is one of the parks everyone sees but nobody visits. The flea market at the stadium can be very good. The Dole Plantation is a tourist trap. It will rain, but it's usually warm. The waves are best on the west and north shores.

We drove all the up Mauna Kea in our rented car. Yes, it was not allowed, but you only live once. We had looked into taking a tour but were worried about what we could then do if one of us reacted badly to the altitude. Basically, we learned, too bad!

The most important thing is to be sure to stop halfway up for about an hour to get used to the altitude at least somewhat. You're going from sea level up to 13,000 feet or so, which is quite a leap.

Believe it or not, the moment we stepped out of our car at the summit, there was an earthquake. All the scientists came pouring out of the observatory to wait until the "all clear." We got to talk to some of them, which was interesting. One of them was from the South and said that the first time he'd ever seen snow was in Hawaii! It does snow up there a couple of times every decade...

Wanderlust,

Which part of Canada are you from? A few thoughts and questions.....

My suggestion would be to visit your nearest travel agent, as they can put a package together for you that includes flights, transfers, hotels and tours. That might save you some money. If I remember correctly from my visit, the agent arranged a presentation with tour companies the day after arrival, and I picked the tours I was interested in. You might get some good ideas on tours by having a look at this website - https://www.robertshawaii.com/ . I believe Roberts also provides an airport shuttle.

Are you interested in the Pearl Harbour history? If so, plan to spend the better part of a full day on that, as there are four main sites to visit (USS Bowfin & Submarine Museum, Arizona memorial, USS Missouri and the Pacific Aviation Museum).

After seeing the traffic in Oahu, there's no way I would recommend driving there. I let the tour company do the driving, as it provided a much more enjoyable visit. One of the tours I took was the Grand Circle Island tour and it was so much easier to have someone else driving so that I could enjoy the scenery and take pictures. Car rentals can be expensive in Hawaii, and of course fuel is not cheap (currently US$ 2.89 - 3.09 per gallon on Oahu or ~Cdn$4.10, according to Gas Buddy).

One additional point to mention is that many hotels in Hawaii (and elsewhere) charge "Resort Fees" (they use a variety of names to describe these). These are in the range of US$ 25 - 50 per day, are usually compulsory even if you don't use the services they cover, and these may not be shown in the hotel room rates. You may find this website helpful - https://www.tripsavvy.com/additional-taxes-fees-when-traveling-to-hawaii-1533988 (there's a link on that website under "Resort Fees" that explains some of the other charges you may get nicked with).

Good luck with your planning!

We would definitely recommend taking a helicopter tour of the active volcano. It was amazing. We also hiked through a lava tube, which was incredible. The tube was literally along the side of the highway. You will have an amazing trip. Hawaii is indeed a paradise!

I have to recommend you visit the travel forums on trip advisor - lots of good contributors there

I hope you are not on the Big Island during the Iron Man (which I believe is Oct 13th)

Please don't drive up Mauna Kea on your own but if you must there is one jeep rental company that allows you to take your jeep up the mountain. I think they charge $50 a day and you'd probably have it 2 days since you'll have to leave VERY early to get up and back before nightfall. We used Hawaii Forest and Trail for the tour and it was terrific - included breakfast and lunch AND parkas

Rent your car either through Discount Hawaii Cars or Costco

There are no "off the beaten path" things to do in Hawaii that are "legal" .....

If you are in Honolulu on a Saturday, go to the Kapiolani Community College (near Diamond Head) farmers market. For a gourmet meal at a fraction of the price go to the Kapiolani Community College culinary school. You'll need to make reservations in advance and bring your own wine. Save room for the dessert bar. Marukame Udon on Kuhio in Waikiki is excellent and amazingly inexpensive (especially for Waikiki). Lines can be long. Another cheap eat option in Waikiki is the food truck market on Beach Walk (off of Kalakaua). Try the malasadas at Leonards Bakery on Kapahulu. For an interesting take on ice cream go to Nana's Green Tea, lower level, Waikiki Shopping Center. It's part of a "Japanese Food Court" which is suppose to mimic a Japanese street market.

We would definitely recommend taking a helicopter tour of the active volcano

Be sure there is lava to be seen. When we were there in Dec., there was nothing to seen. At that time all the lava was moving underground. That could change in the next 10 minutes, but check before you buy a flying tour.

For me, the best 'bang for the buck' helicopter tour would be Kauai.

"I hope you are not on the Big Island during the Iron Man"

I was there during the Pro Bowl. That was bad enough!

hey canadian
when you say mauna kea are you thinking of the mountain or the hotel on the big island? how many days will you be there and how many people?
if it's the mountain, you can rent a car, if going to top you need a 4 wheel drive and be careful for breathing purposes, driving slow, not overheating, brakes, and steep terrain. it will be a long day and which side of the island (waikoloa or hilo side) please check weather and road conditions
if the hotel, do you want to walk around the gorgeous hotel grounds and go to the beach (kaunaoa bay) and enjoy the fabulous beach.
where are you flying to kona or hilo? rent a car from either airport. due your research, it is a "big island", if no stops about 8 to 9 hours to travel around.
check out hotels on banyan drive, wild ginger inn, shaka shak studios and other B&B's in the area.
hilo is a small old plantation town with home town values, i grew up there. farmers market is good wednesdays and fridays, coconut island on hilo bay - walk across the small bridge, liliuokalani park and gardens for a picnic, walk the town, stop and eat at many of the restaurants to choose from.
on the west side you have kona or waikoloa (lots of condo to pick from there). decide where you want to stay. you will need a car, book and reserve early,
any questions about other things to do on big island, just ask,
aloha

Consider renting an apartment rather than staying at a hotel...usually cheaper for Waikiki/Honolulu. Definitely visit the Arizona Memorial; excellent museum putting the attack in context. I took a morning boat cruise from one of the hotels along Waikiki beach, sorry cannot remember name of company or boat. Snorkelled from the catamaran alongside sea turtles, and then sailed around Diamond Head. Lots of paddle boarding, wind surfing and parasails around Waikiki.

Was last on the Big Island some years before current eruptions, Volcano National Park was interesting but we were there in vog so couldn’t see much.

Checkout the Oahu Revealed Guide book! I don’t go to any of the islands without it, so helpful for planning what to do and how to get there.