Hawaii (Oahu and Kauai)

6,297 Views | 46 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by Garrelli 5000
TitanAGGIE09
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AG
Several old threads and suggestions but looking for anything newer or recent travel. We'll be there next month for 8 days. Spending 3 days on Oahu and 5 days on Kauai. We want to see the tourist stuff on Oahu and what not and plan to go up to north shore at least a day. Debating on renting a car there or not. Definitely plan to rent a car on Kauai and maybe Oahu. Suggestions on helicopter tour? Anything else? Debating on taking my golf clubs as well
dsvogel05
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AG
Following as my wife and I will be on Kauai in July for a week.
Hincemm
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AG
get the kauai revealed book
thisguy05
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Snorkel Hanauma Bay in Oahu. Eat malasadas at Leonard's. Definitely rent a car.
Raptor
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AG
Kauai + rental car equals so much fun.

My wife and I spent a week there and we drove every major road you can drive. Check out the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, there's a trail on the northwest side that is breathtakingly gorgeous and also a little terrifying. Lots of fun little places to stop and shop or eat. Small island, but driving around is the best way to go anywhere and everywhere....except the Pacific Military missile site. Don't try and drive into that place.
cmray
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Absolutely beautiful place. I think everyone should do a helicopter tour of Hawaii once and recommend Blue Hawaii. Pictures just don't do the views justice. One of my favorite restaurants in the world is The Beach House on Kauai. Enjoy!
TXTransplant
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We are also going to Oahu and Kauai (and Maui) next month (four nights on each island). I booked a beach raft tour around the NaPali Coast. It's supposed to take us through some sea caves and then stop for a picnic at a "hidden" beach that is a state park. The company is called Kauai Sea Tours. My son chose zip-lining as our second activity. My plan for the rest of our time was to just enjoy the resort (we are staying at the Grand Hyatt). He's interested in taking a golf lesson. If anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
HECUBUS
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AG
We did one week on the South side and one week on the North side of Kauai. The botanical gardens haven't been mentioned and the river kayaking to a fern grotto (really not that great, but a river on an island is amazing). We also did the helicopter tour and the hike to hidden beach. The last week was in a house on Anini beach. We had a big yard, a grill and a fish market down the street. We hit a different beach every day. We were there in September. There was always the smell of burning sugar cane and breakfast prime time college football on Saturday. On the South side, our condo didn't have AC. That's only a problem when the roosters sound off on your first morning.
Garrelli 5000
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AG
We're going to Kauaii and Oahu in October. 3 days St. Regis Princeville on north Kauai, 3 days Koa Kea on south end, then 3 days in a beach front cottage at Turtle Bay on the North Shore of Oahu.

I definitely recommend getting out of Honolulu as quickly as possible. Hike Diamond Head, go to the USS Arizona memorial, then drive to the North Shore.

If you are an adrenaline junky, take an aerobatics tour at Honolulu Soaring. I did a combo scenic/aerobatic flight. It was orders of magnitude crazier than any rollercoaster you'll ever ride. If you are on BP meds, I suggest taking an extra dose an hour or 2 before you hop in. Hanging upside down, 5000 feet up, feeling your body weight against the harness looking over the ocean while stalled....incredible.
Smokedraw01
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Kauai is fantastic. Hike the Na Pali coast if possible but make sure you bring plenty of water. South side has a great hike from the Sheraton. Enjoy.
aggiedata
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AG


I would probably die on a loop stall over the pacific.

But the scenic one looks pretty cool.

Blue Hawaiian for helicopter tours is a solid outfit.
Lily09
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AG
My husband did I just got back from Kauai. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn located in Kapaa. It was the perfect spot to allow us to do one day North, one day SW and then one day east by our hotel. We only had 3.5 days to plan things out but it worked. We also were barely at our hotel. I'm glad we didn't go too expensive there.

North- we did Napali hike. The whole trail is 11 miles one way but we only had the morning to hike. We did 2 miles out to the secluded beach then back. Took us about 3ish hours. Make sure you get there early. Parking is limited. Drove through Princeville. Stopped at some shops and beaches in that area. Saw the StbRegis. Played putt putt on our drive back.

East- Kapaa has some shops and good public beaches to stop at. We saw some people kayaking in that area but didn't have time to look into it more. There are some good Shave Ice places. Great breakfast places. Saw a Hula show.

South/SW- Poipu beach was a nice stop. Waimea was incredible. Waimea Canyon is a must. Drive all the way up. We did part of the hiking trail. We ate lunch at Porky's which is a food truck right off the main road.

We did a boat tour through Holo Holo Charter. There are a bunch of different ones that basically do the same thing. Take a catamaran out on the water and we went from the southern part to the l west and north to see Napali from the water. Stunning. We snorkeled and saw whales and dolphins. They provided breakfast and lunch. Overall, it was a 6 hour trip and worth every penny.

Rental car is a must. The speed limit changes constantly and the top speed was 50mph. So it took longer to get places even though the island isn't that big.

There are plenty of golf courses and clubs to rent. My husband wanted to play but time didn't allow. We at least got to play putt putt at the Botanical Gardens. The St Regis/Princeville course looked crazy nice and expensive. Haha.

I can add more details if needed.
StillNotAnAggie
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In Oahu go to the Spitting Cave, it is a local place without many tourists. We saw about 30 whales when we were out there. We also went to Papaoneone Beach on the West side of the island. It is kind of sketchy looking, but is was us and 3 other people out there. My wife walked around and collected sea glass all day.

I will also suggest Local Catch freshcatch808.com. The poke there is awesome, they have like 20 kinds. We loved it and ate it every day.

I travel there for work every once in a while, so if you have an idea of where you are staying I can give more suggestions.

Also, renting a car is your best bet, you can drive the entire circumference of the island in less than 2 hours. It is smaller than Beltway 8 in Houston.
coolerguy12
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AG
Just got back from Oahu yesterday. We stayed 7 days on the north shore and loved it but we're not crazy about the touristy stuff. If you're in good shape I would highly recommend the Haiku Stairs. There is a guard there but he just tells people it's closed and then let's you go anyway. It was the best part of the trip for me.
metrag06
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Wife and I did the Zodiac tour on one of our trips to Kauai. It's a lot of fun - but if you want to try sitting way up front do it early and then switch with someone. I ended up there on the longer leg (about 45 min - 1 hr) and it was awful bumpy. As in "bleeding in places I'd rather not..." bumpy.

Going into the caves is pretty neat. Lunch/beach wasn't the greatest but the scenery there and back is beautiful.

OP - helicopter tour of Kauai is definitely worth the money - we went with Sunshine Helicopters. Paying to sit up front was well worth the extra cost.
TXTransplant
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metrag06 said:

Wife and I did the Zodiac tour on one of our trips to Kauai. It's a lot of fun - but if you want to try sitting way up front do it early and then switch with someone. I ended up there on the longer leg (about 45 min - 1 hr) and it was awful bumpy. As in "bleeding in places I'd rather not..." bumpy.

Going into the caves is pretty neat. Lunch/beach wasn't the greatest but the scenery there and back is beautiful.

OP - helicopter tour of Kauai is definitely worth the money - we went with Sunshine Helicopters. Paying to sit up front was well worth the extra cost.


Thanks for the tips! I've done a rafting tour before, but it was on the Colorado River in Page, AZ. The water was smooth as glass. I didn't even give a thought to the ocean being much rougher than that (and I've been on a boat enough times that I should have known better!).
TXTransplant
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Random question...is Uber available at the Kauai and Maui airports? I'm not having any trouble pricing Uber rides to/from from other locations on the islands, but the quote to/from the Maui airport is crazy high, and the app is telling me transport to/from the Kauai airport is not available.
TitanAGGIE09
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AG
On Oahu we're at the Trump Hotel for 4 days then we go to Kaua'i Marriott Resort for 5 days. I still haven't booked the transfer flights but I am thinking of doing it early on the 4th day so we can spend most of that day on Kaua'i
Garrelli 5000
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I've stayed at the Trump in Waikiki. It is nice.

I strongly urge you to book most of your nights at the North Shore or in Ko'Olina. Waikiki is nothing but a bunch of fancy stores you can visit at the Galleria (Tiffany, Vera Wang, etc), a beach, and foreign tourists shopping at the stores.
Counterpoint
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AG
If you like hiking and waterfalls, you have to see the Hanakapi'ai Falls. It's a long hike, but the ending makes it all worth it, trust me. More details if you want them!

(On Kauai)

Fat Tony
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Oahu:

1) Marukame Udon - Long line, but it moves fast. I think it's worth the wait.

2) Musubi Cafe Iyasume

2) Kono's (North Shore)

3) Shrimp trucks (North Shore)

4) Lanikai Beach - Beautiful, of course. Hike to the pillbox.

5) ATV tour at Kualoa Ranch - The ATV tour is overrated. A slow paced drive with a guide through parts of the ranch. The ranch is incredible, but I wish I would have done the zipline tour.
Aggie87
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TXTransplant said:

metrag06 said:

Wife and I did the Zodiac tour on one of our trips to Kauai. It's a lot of fun - but if you want to try sitting way up front do it early and then switch with someone. I ended up there on the longer leg (about 45 min - 1 hr) and it was awful bumpy. As in "bleeding in places I'd rather not..." bumpy.

Going into the caves is pretty neat. Lunch/beach wasn't the greatest but the scenery there and back is beautiful.

OP - helicopter tour of Kauai is definitely worth the money - we went with Sunshine Helicopters. Paying to sit up front was well worth the extra cost.


Thanks for the tips! I've done a rafting tour before, but it was on the Colorado River in Page, AZ. The water was smooth as glass. I didn't even give a thought to the ocean being much rougher than that (and I've been on a boat enough times that I should have known better!).

Just got back from 6 days in Kauai and 3 on the Big Island.

The ocean raft trip isn't like a river raft trip, it's a motorized raft that seats 14 people (at least the one through Capt Andy's). Stunning up close views of the Napali Coast, and into a few caves, and snorkeling. Very worthwhile. You definitely have to hold on very tightly though.

Driving up through Waimea Canyon is also a must, all the way to Kalalau Lookout. Every view is better than the last.

Pretty beaches north near/past Hanalei, and south around Poipu.

Second the recommendation for the Beach House restaurant - the sunsets there are fantastic. We also enjoyed Tidepools (at the Grand Hyatt), and Brennecke's is a decent casual place. Didn't make it to Duke's this time.

Be forewarned about one thing - there are wild chickens literally all over the island. So you will hear roosters very early in the morning. Every morning.
BackwardsInBoots
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AG
Oahu:

Eat some coco puffs from liliha bakery, a hula dog in waikiki, dinner at kalapawai cafe, and maybe some malasadas from leonards.

You can usually see sea turtles up on the north shore. For hiking, diamond head or koko head are good. If you like adrenaline, I did skydiving on the north shore and the view was amazing. Taking a boat out to the sandbar at k-bay is pretty nice, too.
TXTransplant
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Aggie87 said:

TXTransplant said:

metrag06 said:

Wife and I did the Zodiac tour on one of our trips to Kauai. It's a lot of fun - but if you want to try sitting way up front do it early and then switch with someone. I ended up there on the longer leg (about 45 min - 1 hr) and it was awful bumpy. As in "bleeding in places I'd rather not..." bumpy.

Going into the caves is pretty neat. Lunch/beach wasn't the greatest but the scenery there and back is beautiful.

OP - helicopter tour of Kauai is definitely worth the money - we went with Sunshine Helicopters. Paying to sit up front was well worth the extra cost.


Thanks for the tips! I've done a rafting tour before, but it was on the Colorado River in Page, AZ. The water was smooth as glass. I didn't even give a thought to the ocean being much rougher than that (and I've been on a boat enough times that I should have known better!).

Just got back from 6 days in Kauai and 3 on the Big Island.

The ocean raft trip isn't like a river raft trip, it's a motorized raft that seats 14 people (at least the one through Capt Andy's). Stunning up close views of the Napali Coast, and into a few caves, and snorkeling. Very worthwhile. You definitely have to hold on very tightly though.

Driving up through Waimea Canyon is also a must, all the way to Kalalau Lookout. Every view is better than the last.

Pretty beaches north near/past Hanalei, and south around Poipu.

Second the recommendation for the Beach House restaurant - the sunsets there are fantastic. We also enjoyed Tidepools (at the Grand Hyatt), and Brennecke's is a decent casual place. Didn't make it to Duke's this time.

Be forewarned about one thing - there are wild chickens literally all over the island. So you will hear roosters very early in the morning. Every morning.


The raft used for the Colorado River trip was very similar to what I booked in Kauai (that's why I chose it). I just didn't think about the water being rougher. Sounds like it will be a good time, though!

Glad to hear the restaurant at the Grand Hyatt is good, since that's where we are staying.

How does Waimea Canyon compare to Haleakala? I'm tempted to take a drive through Waimea Canyon since we will have a rental car. No rental in Maui, though (our hotel is valet parking only, at a cost of $30/day). I've booked a private Road to Hana tour in Maui, but that's it. I've thought about a Haleakala bike ride, but we are not getting up at 2 am for sunrise, and I'm on the fence about doing one later in the day because it just takes up so much time.
Aggie87
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AG
I haven't been to Maui so I can't really compare. Waimea Canyon is beautiful though, and well worth the drive. The combination of the red dirt and green vegetation makes for some dramatic landscapes.

I took this picture there:

Aggie87
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One other quick comment about driving on Kauai. Drive the speed limit. I don't think it goes above 50 mph anywhere. But there also aren't highways, mostly small two lane roads. You won't see alot of police cars, either, but that's because most police there use their own personal vehicles while working. So you never really know where they are.
Buck O Five
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Another vote for Waimea Canyon, unreal that you can get those kinds of views from such a short ride.

Hiking the Kalaulau Trail along the napali cost is strenuous, but as others have said very worth it. Best memories from our honeymoon were the secluded beach at the end and the views. Just bring a water filter and refill at all the little waterfalls.
Ag_N_Houston
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AG
Thinking about going for Christmas/New Years. Any opinions about going in the winter? Other thought was going for our anniversary next July.

Is there much difference in the experience?
Counterpoint
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AG
Ag_N_Houston said:

Thinking about going for Christmas/New Years. Any opinions about going in the winter? Other thought was going for our anniversary next July.

Is there much difference in the experience?
Whale watching and surfing are much better in the winter.
TitanAGGIE09
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StillNotAnAggie said:

In Oahu go to the Spitting Cave, it is a local place without many tourists. We saw about 30 whales when we were out there. We also went to Papaoneone Beach on the West side of the island. It is kind of sketchy looking, but is was us and 3 other people out there. My wife walked around and collected sea glass all day.

I will also suggest Local Catch freshcatch808.com. The poke there is awesome, they have like 20 kinds. We loved it and ate it every day.

I travel there for work every once in a while, so if you have an idea of where you are staying I can give more suggestions.

Also, renting a car is your best bet, you can drive the entire circumference of the island in less than 2 hours. It is smaller than Beltway 8 in Houston.


Just ate at Fresh Catch. Absolutely awesome. We will have to venture back before leaving for Kauai on Thursday
StillNotAnAggie
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Love that place. First time I went I got to go containers from their food truck, a thermos, and iced them down to bring home to my wife.
Astroag
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Haiku stairs is not for the faint of heart...Its super serious. Another one that is short but physically challenging is kokohead stairs...
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TXTransplant
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My ass is sore and my knuckles are raw, but I can't recommend the raft tour around the Na Pali Coast highly enough. It was amazing!
Buck O Five
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AG
How far away from shore do you go? Stop in at the secluded beach? Curious about the details on this trip.
TXTransplant
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Buck O Five said:

How far away from shore do you go? Stop in at the secluded beach? Curious about the details on this trip.


We were pretty far off shore for most of the trip. We stopped at the Nualolo Kai area for the beach landing, which is an active archaeological site. We spent some time snorkeling just off shore of this beach, but other than a short tour of the area where we landed, there wasn't any real beach time on this trip (even though we saw quite a few other beaches where you could land). We also went into several sea caves, which was really cool.

In total, the trip was just over 5 hours. We departed around 7 and returned around 12 or 1230. We did see dolphins and sea turtles and snorkeled for about 40 min. Lunch was included (we ate sandwiches and chips on the boat).

We also stopped several times to get some gorgeous panoramic pictures of the coast (that's why you have to stay a little further from shore).

I really can't adequately describe just how beautiful the Na Pali Coast really is. It reminded me a little of the Amalfi Coast (with the sea caves and shear cliffs), but the colors are totally different. Also knowing that you are looking at something that is totally uninhabited/unspoiled is pretty amazing.

After the tour ended, we drove up to Waimea Canyon and then stopped by Spouting Horn before returning to our hotel.

If you happen to use Instagram, I've posted pics there. Feel free to follow me if you want to see them - msuche2000
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