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Hawaii recommendations for 2 week stay? Maui and [??]



 
 
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  #11  
Old January 14th, 2005, 04:28 AM
Dillon Pyron
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Thus spake (Todd H.) :


Greetings,

I'm looking for some recommendations to narrow down plans on a 2-stop
itinerary, 2 hotels, and dive operators for a trip we're pondering
Hawaii in March for a 2 week stay. At this point, I'm not even sure
the best place to fly into! From what I've read and investigated,
about all I have it narrowed down to is "you'll really like Maui"
"skip Honoloulou-you've got enough of that big city crap in Chicago,"
and I think we'd enjoy staying week 1 and week 2 in different places,
and above all else this trip should be relaxing.

We're both early 30-somethings, and pretty active. We've been to the
Carribbean and Thailand in the past. Having the beach or water close
at hand for snorkeling is a priority, and we will be looking to dive
oh... say, 4 or 5 days over the course of our 2 weeks. I've got about
25 dives under my belt over the past 7 years and my SO was certified
last year, so we won't be looking for adrenaline filled diving or
anything. :-)


When we do two weeks, it's usually a week on Maui, a week on The Big
Island, in Kona.


Our last vacation was way overpacked on a go go go itinerary, so the
m.o. for this trip is "relaxing." For me that involves planting my
hiney near a large body of water in the sun, snorkeling, and some
diving. If there's beach volleyball to be had that's a pleasant
bonus. I wanna see the volcanoes, maybe some kayaking, maybe rent a
car and drive around the island. And I think I'd like to pick up camp
and move only once during the stay (so, I guess i'm looking for 2
hotels, one in Maui somewhere, and one on another island..unless
inter-island transport is too much of a pain).


Both Aloha and Hawaiian run pretty regular schedules. It's just a
matter of lining up for the best seats.


We don't have money to burn by any stretch, but I'm also willing to
pay to be in a place that's clean and not run down. I've got a mental
idea of wanting to stay under $225 a night but I've also not looked
enough to whether that's terribly realistic.


You can find a condo for around $175. I really recommend trying that
route.


I'd welcome any recommendations to narrow it down some! Thanks for
any experiences you can share!

Best Regards,


--
dillon

"When the French are against it, you know we can't
be far wrong." - Adm. Bobbie Ray Inman
  #12  
Old January 14th, 2005, 05:02 AM
Caveat
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(Todd H.) wrote:

[...]
We're both early 30-somethings, and pretty active. We've been to the
Carribbean and Thailand in the past. Having the beach or water close
at hand for snorkeling is a priority...


Snorkeling isn't as great in Hawaii as it is elsewhere in the world,
and I also include our experiences in the Caribbean (the best, IMO)
and Thailand in that comparison. We lived in Hawaii for a year, and
spent about half that time exploring all the islands. Frankly, here
are just more interesting things to see and do there than spending too
much time looking for good snorkeling. There is much to see.

Having said that, diving along the Kona Coast on the big Island offers
some submerged lava cave exploration possibilities. On Oahu, there is
so-so snorkeling at Haunauma Bay. Much of the Hawaii shores are open
ocean, though, and too rough and disturbed for good snorkeling. Coral
reefs that protect inland bays are the best, but Hawaii's just not the
place for that configuration. (But the surfing is great!)

Our last vacation was way overpacked on a go go go itinerary, so the
m.o. for this trip is "relaxing." For me that involves planting my
hiney near a large body of water in the sun, snorkeling, and some
diving. If there's beach volleyball to be had that's a pleasant
bonus. I wanna see the volcanoes, maybe some kayaking, maybe rent a
car and drive around the island. And I think I'd like to pick up camp
and move only once during the stay (so, I guess i'm looking for 2
hotels, one in Maui somewhere, and one on another island..unless
inter-island transport is too much of a pain).


I'd welcome any recommendations to narrow it down some! Thanks for
any experiences you can share!


Oahu is where you change planes. Maui is interesting but limited,
considering the alternatives, unless you are into hiking the trails at
Haleakala National Park. The Big Island offers the Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park -- a worthy destination. Molokai is very laid back, but
also limited other than the interesting Kaulapapa Leper Colony trip.

But considering your above comments, I'd give serious consideration to
Kauai. You could stay in the Poipu area (good weather, good services,
great restaurants, good beach) and tour the island at your leisure.

If you need further info on any of these places, just ask.


Caveat
  #13  
Old January 14th, 2005, 02:12 PM
Joe English
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Caveat wrote:

Never been to hawaii - is all travel between the islands by air?
  #14  
Old January 14th, 2005, 02:12 PM
Joe English
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Caveat wrote:

Never been to hawaii - is all travel between the islands by air?
  #15  
Old January 14th, 2005, 04:22 PM
Caveat
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Joe English wrote:

Never been to hawaii - is all travel between the islands by air?


If you are referring to public transportation between Hawaii's
islands, almost all of it is by either Aloha or Hawaiian Airlines. The
reason is that most people who visit the islands are on vacation and
have limited time. There are probably some limited cruise packages
available to certain islands, but I would guess that most of those are
stops on a longer cruise -- but I don't know much about those.

There is, of course, a huge private boat fleet on the islands. If you
visit Ala Moana Yacht Harbor on Oahu, and Lahaina on Maui, you'll see
hundreds of fancy sailboats and ocean-going cruisers. In fact some
people hitch-hike around the world by crewing on private yachts. But
for most of us, it's the joys of dealing with airport security and a
bankrupt airline that we have to deal with.

Oahu is the air hub, and most flights are into and out of Honolulu
Airport. There are direct flights from the mainland to Hilo on the Big
Island, as well as Maui, however. Savvy travelers will try to arrange
a trip from the mainland into Hilo, but out of Honolulu. With a
stopover on Maui, they get a nice 3-island circuit tour. Unfortunately
flights to Kauai are usually separate out-and-back trips from
Honolulu. But most of would say that it's worth it :-).


Caveat



  #16  
Old January 14th, 2005, 04:22 PM
Caveat
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Joe English wrote:

Never been to hawaii - is all travel between the islands by air?


If you are referring to public transportation between Hawaii's
islands, almost all of it is by either Aloha or Hawaiian Airlines. The
reason is that most people who visit the islands are on vacation and
have limited time. There are probably some limited cruise packages
available to certain islands, but I would guess that most of those are
stops on a longer cruise -- but I don't know much about those.

There is, of course, a huge private boat fleet on the islands. If you
visit Ala Moana Yacht Harbor on Oahu, and Lahaina on Maui, you'll see
hundreds of fancy sailboats and ocean-going cruisers. In fact some
people hitch-hike around the world by crewing on private yachts. But
for most of us, it's the joys of dealing with airport security and a
bankrupt airline that we have to deal with.

Oahu is the air hub, and most flights are into and out of Honolulu
Airport. There are direct flights from the mainland to Hilo on the Big
Island, as well as Maui, however. Savvy travelers will try to arrange
a trip from the mainland into Hilo, but out of Honolulu. With a
stopover on Maui, they get a nice 3-island circuit tour. Unfortunately
flights to Kauai are usually separate out-and-back trips from
Honolulu. But most of would say that it's worth it :-).


Caveat



  #17  
Old January 14th, 2005, 04:47 PM
Caveat
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Caveat wrote:

If you visit Ala Moana Yacht Harbor on Oahu...


Actually the name of the Yacht Harbor is Ala Wai. It's at the
entrance to the Ala Wai Canal, near the Ala Moana Shopping Center, and
boats exit to sea past Ala Moana Beach Park.

  #18  
Old January 14th, 2005, 04:47 PM
Caveat
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Caveat wrote:

If you visit Ala Moana Yacht Harbor on Oahu...


Actually the name of the Yacht Harbor is Ala Wai. It's at the
entrance to the Ala Wai Canal, near the Ala Moana Shopping Center, and
boats exit to sea past Ala Moana Beach Park.

  #19  
Old January 14th, 2005, 06:03 PM
Greg Mossman
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"Caveat" wrote in message
...

Oahu is the air hub, and most flights are into and out of Honolulu
Airport. There are direct flights from the mainland to Hilo on the Big
Island, as well as Maui, however. Savvy travelers will try to arrange
a trip from the mainland into Hilo, but out of Honolulu. With a
stopover on Maui, they get a nice 3-island circuit tour. Unfortunately
flights to Kauai are usually separate out-and-back trips from
Honolulu. But most of would say that it's worth it :-).


Hilo? Divers would do much better flying direct to Kona. American, United,
and Aloha all have nonstops from the mainland direct to Kona.

And you're wrong about Kauai too, of course. United flies there nonstop
from LAX and Oakland.


  #20  
Old January 14th, 2005, 09:18 PM
eeo
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"Todd H." wrote in message
...

Greetings,

I'm looking for some recommendations to narrow down plans on a 2-stop
itinerary, 2 hotels, and dive operators for a trip we're pondering
Hawaii in March for a 2 week stay. At this point, I'm not even sure
the best place to fly into! From what I've read and investigated,
about all I have it narrowed down to is "you'll really like Maui"
"skip Honoloulou-you've got enough of that big city crap in Chicago,"
and I think we'd enjoy staying week 1 and week 2 in different places,
and above all else this trip should be relaxing.

We're both early 30-somethings, and pretty active. We've been to the
Carribbean and Thailand in the past. Having the beach or water close
at hand for snorkeling is a priority, and we will be looking to dive
oh... say, 4 or 5 days over the course of our 2 weeks. I've got about
25 dives under my belt over the past 7 years and my SO was certified
last year, so we won't be looking for adrenaline filled diving or
anything. :-)

Our last vacation was way overpacked on a go go go itinerary, so the
m.o. for this trip is "relaxing." For me that involves planting my
hiney near a large body of water in the sun, snorkeling, and some
diving. If there's beach volleyball to be had that's a pleasant
bonus. I wanna see the volcanoes, maybe some kayaking, maybe rent a
car and drive around the island. And I think I'd like to pick up camp
and move only once during the stay (so, I guess i'm looking for 2
hotels, one in Maui somewhere, and one on another island..unless
inter-island transport is too much of a pain).

We don't have money to burn by any stretch, but I'm also willing to
pay to be in a place that's clean and not run down. I've got a mental
idea of wanting to stay under $225 a night but I've also not looked
enough to whether that's terribly realistic.

I'd welcome any recommendations to narrow it down some! Thanks for
any experiences you can share!

Best Regards,




Hi,

I feel I should weigh in on this one since I live on Oahu, am a diver, and
have been to, and dove off all the major islands in Hawaii.

Maui is nice. Go there and have a good time. Get a condo. There are lots of
them to be had at very reasonable prices. Make sure you get one with a
kitchen and washer/dryer. You'll save some bucks by not eating out at every
meal, and have to pack a whole heck of a lot less clothes. Go to the
aquarium. http://www.mauioceancenter.com/ Go there before you go diving.
It's one thing to listen to the divemaster talk about the fish you might see
but quite another to stand in front of them and read about them. It will
make your dives much more interesting.

Who to dive with? Lahina Divers is a good, respectable, cattle boat.
http://www.lahainadivers.com/ If you are more advanced and want a less
crowded boat, then go with Ed Robinson. http://www.mauiscuba.com/erd1.htm
But, be warned, they are selective in who they will accept so you should
call ahead. Also, notice that Ed Robinson is out of Kihei, on the South
Shore, and that can be a long drive if you are staying on the West Side.

What to dive? Molokini Crater is definitely worth it. So is the back side of
Molokini but that is an advanced dive. You'll have to prove you're
qualified. Five graves is also a nice dive if the swells aren't too bad.
http://shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/...aves/index.htm This is
mistakenly called "Five Caves" (there are only three lava tubes/caves) but
if you do it as a shore dive, you will understand the real name (you enter
the site through an old grave yard.) There are some other dives but most can
be done as shore dives if you want to save the money and are willing to
schlep the gear. http://shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/Maui/index.htm
Otherwise, do a three tanker over to the Island of Lahina. There is some
good diving there, if you can stomach the crossing. The channels between
these Islands are notoriously rough water. If you have any training in
physics, and spent some time playing in a wave tank, you can figure out why.
That should also answer your question about inter-island travel.

One last bit of advice about Maui, do the "Haleakala Sunrise Bike Tour."
There is talk of shutting it down so do it now. It will be a highlight of
you trip. However, plan ahead. Remember the rules of ascending to altitude.
Also, consider a kayak tour. We own kayaks and go out all the time. When
we have guests, we take them out kayaking. They always enjoy it. Something
about getting out on the water, seeing the Islands from offshore, being one
with the ocean... It's fun.

As for what other Island to do? No choice: the Big Island. Right now the
Volcano isn't just erupting but it's flowing into the sea. This is very
worth seeing, especially at night. Just one bit of advice, wear good hiking
shoes (lava is tough stuff to walk over,) bring a flashlight, and wear a hat
with a very large bill. The one thing they don't warn you about is what
happens when lava flows into the sea. It creates a mist that contains
sulfuric acid. It stings the eyes and is uncomfortable but the experience is
worth a little discomfort.

As for diving on the Big Island, the only must do is the Manta Ray Night
Dive. And it's a must do! We always use Jack's when we're there but there
are plenty of other excellent operators.
http://www.jacksdivinglocker.com/welcome.htm Jack's is kind of pricy and
when you see their new shop, you'll understand why. Maybe you'd rather not
pay for all that shine-ola.

What else to do on the Big Island? Horse back riding. It's a Big Island and
you can go horse back riding in the interior and think you were in Wyoming.
Also, consider an air tour. They are costly, but they really give you some
perspective about these Islands. Each of these Islands are small but
complete ecosystems. Within just miles of each other you can have parched
deserts and tropical rainforests. Seeing it from the air really brings it
all together. It's a good brain stimulator for thinking about our planet as
a whole. And along that vein, if you happen to find yourself in Hilo, there
is a museum of the Hawaiian Islands run by NOAA
http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/center/welcome.html and it's worth a look.
It's not worth going all the way to Hilo just for that museum but if you
find yourself there...

Anyway, hope all that helps. Enjoy your stay.

eeo


--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/
To reply by email replace _invalid_ with tdh



 




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