I just returned from three weeks in Hawaii. - bags are still loaded
with dirty clothes, but I'll take time to add my 2 cents...
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Honolulu is not so bad if you know where to go on Oahu and how to get
there. We rented a car for a day and drove the Pali highway to Pali
lookout, up to Valley of the Temples, North Shore for some photos of
18 foot waves and great surfers, picnic lunch at Waimea Bay, a short
tour of Dole, some ice cream and back to Honolulu, and (the ladies)
shopped at Alo Moana Mall - A great Day!!
Many say you don't need a car on Oahu and that is true if you have a
lot of time. The busses are great - we took them to Hanauma Bay for a
day of sun and snorkeling with the fishes, and another day to climb
Diamond Head. If we had more time in Oahu I would get a bus pass and
take a lot of day trips. We had great inexpensive suppers at (fast
food) Wolfgang Puck's and sat there by the beach watching the Pacific
Rim people of all sorts many evenings. We did a beautiful dinner at
The Pacific Beach Hotel buffet in front of their two story aquarium.
Nice free shows - music - dancing -on Waikiki beach each evening at
6pm.
So, yes Honolulu is a big north american city but most big north
american cities don't have a tropical beach a few steps from your
door, rain forests, hiking trails, etc...
But we then also stayed 10 days on the Big Island and 7 days on Maui
each were spectacular.
You do need a car on each of these islands to enjoy the sites.
One of the best Big Island kept secrets is Makalawena Beach. No
facilities, really hard to get to, but what a place!!! If anyone has
been there you know what I mean.
I did not like the "public" beaches on the Big Island that have been
taken over by the corporate hotels. Sure, they are groomed and
convenient but, getting a "pass" and "permission" to enter then having
to walk a great deal to find some quiet spot... not our thing. Hapuna
Beach, once a great beach is getting very crowded and lacking in clean
facilities.
We drove the entire island, visiting the Botanical Gardens on the
short "scenic drive" on the way to Hilo - Magnificent (and I am not
into gardening) - it was a great Rain Forest Jungle experience. (Be
sure to use insect repellent). Short walk (hike?) to Akaka Falls;
vsited the Tsunami Museum in Hilo (very relevent today). Watched them
pick and pack the delicious Macadamia Nuts at tha Mauno Loa factory.
Drove to the top of Mauna Loa crater - with more time there are nice
hiling trails through the Park.
Snorkeled at Kealakekua(?) Beach south of Kona with a million others
but saw a lot of beatiful fish, and once you're under water it is just
you and the sea creatures. Another good place is Spencer beach near
Kawalhae
Visited Parker ranch in Kamuela (Waimea) - Walked up to the top of
Waipio Valley, ask a local where to turn for the trail.
And then after all those magnificent places there is ... Maui!
We stayed at a condo in Ma'alaea - nice a quiet with 4(?) miles of
open beach - access to the charters at Ma'alaea harbor if you wanted
to dive. With a car everything is close, it is a small island. Drove
the (narrow!!!) Hana Highway - lots of photo ops and hiking trails -
watched spectacular surfers at Hanomanu(?) Bay - just follow a map of
the road (lots a' free maps in the visitor's guides).
Snorkeled at Ahihi Beach (not really a beach) just a rocky entrance
beside a narrow public road - but worth it - there were scuba people
there too. Lots of beatiful sites, Iao needle (try to arrive before
the tourist busses), Whale watching from the scenic lookouts and from
our condo balcony. But when they say this kind of watching they mean
- you see evidence of whales; spouts, splashes, and maybe if you are
lucky a fin or tail for a second. But it was fun.
Hope that helps - and I am just coming down from a three week high.
Cheers
(Oh yeah, and there is two feet of snow in my driveway and it is -4F
tonight - Augh!)
So, I'm going to watch "LOST" and dream about the Pali Valley! :-)
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