One of the important factors on visiting Hawaii. Hawaii consists of several islands each of which are diverse with a variety of activities. Based on our criteria we decided we will be going to Oahu and Big Island
→ Maui - scenic drives, Hana, beaches
→ Oahu - Beaches, Hawaii city life, Museums, International airport
→ Big Island - Active volcano(will get to see the lava flow).
Planning and budgeting: We started browsing various sites for deals ex: Expedia, Priceline, Costco travels(we have Costco membership) etc. Please make sure to check multiple sites as they run promotions.
Flight & Accomodation: We got a really good package in Costco travels for flight, hotel and shuttle. There are packages including car as well but we did not take it initially thinking we will not be needing one. Our package was RT to HNL and accommodation.
Travel: On the day of travel wear a light jacket and be prepared for a long flight. Food is provided as it will be a long flight. Upon arrival every passenger is requested to fill an agriculture form(kind of declaration on what was brought onto the islands).
Transit and parking on the island: Parking is a big pain on the islands. Hotels charge around $35-$40/ day and every place we visit has parking fees. Looking at this we initially did not rent a car assuming we would be fine with shuttles and ground transportation, but eventually rented a car for convenience.
Island hopping: We booked local flights from Oahu to big island. The flights are pretty reasonable and they take about 45min of travel time. On Big Island we mainly wanted to see the active volcano, it was just a day tour so we did not stay there that night. We flew early morning and came back in the last flight for the day
Day-by-day activities
Day 1: We landed around 1pm super excited. We were greeted at the gate with fresh lei(flower) garland. Took shuttle and reached our hotel, our shuttle driver was very friendly he suggested several local eats and some fancy restaurants to try. We took hotel near Waikiki beach, this is the most popular area to live if you are visiting Oahu(walkable to beach, restaurants, activities, mall..very happening). By the time we reached Hawaii after a long flight we wanted to spend the rest of the day relaxing. So we checked hotel if there are any events going on in the hotel(hotels host live musical evenings or hula shows so make sure to check with them). Our hotel had a hula show and wine tasting evening so we got freshened up and went there. Spent some time there and went out for dinner. We wanted to go for fine dining, after doing some research around we finalized hula grill Waikiki. Very fancy place with amazing views. This place is always crowded, reserving a table will be helpful. If you are in Hawaii and you drink, I totally recommend having Mai-Tai's or Pinacolada. We had them in every restaurant we went.
Day 2: I called it Beach day, got our beach towels, beach chairs, umbrella and lots of sunscreen and we headed towards the BEACH. Hawaiian beaches are the best, if you visit during peak season beaches might be crowded. We went during thanksgiving which are kinds off season in Hawaii. We were able to find a good spot so started set up our chairs and umbrella. It was such a relaxing day watching the waters(shades of blue, as the sun shines on it. Amazing!!!). It was a bit sunny(higher 70's to lower 80's), we spent around half a day on the beach and grabbed a quick bite. I was looking for some local eat's near the beach and found this amazing place Mami's empanadas, a small truck with few seats. We had empanadas and corn arepas, very authentic flavors. This is right on the beach walkable totally helpful for a quick bite after spending time at the beach.
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| Mami's Empanadas |
We walked around the Waikiki beach area in the evening(weather was just perfect, sunny but not hot, cloudy but not raining). We stopped at Rumfire for some drinks before heading back to our hotel. Very nice views of the beach and a cool place to hangout. My husband had local beer and I had pinacolada in a coconut, oh yeah thats actually fun
Day 3: This was the day we travelled to big island. We had a really early flight from HNL to Hilo. We rented a car coz the travel from airport to volcano national park is about 1 1/2 hr. We booked the Lava hike - half day extreme hiking tour which involves hike on the black mountain(hardened volcano). This is by far the most difficult hike I have done but at the same time it was amazing. Very unique experience, we actually got to see the hot lava flow. Make sure to wear a good hiking shoes, carry plenty of water, snacks, energy bars, hat, sunscreen and a good camera :) The tour guide will walk us through which path to take and where to walk as we are pretty much walking on a active volcano dried up few years back. The tour name is lavatours.net and Cheryl the owner of the company and tour guide is amazing. By the time we were done we were super tired. We spent the rest of the day on the island exploring waterfalls, hilo farmers market(drinking fresh coconut water). Had dinner and reached airport.
Day 4: We were a little tired because of the hectic hike in big island the previous day but the fact that we have submarine scooters scheduled was exciting. We got ready and rushed to the Aloha water sports(about 20min drive from Waikiki). If you are planning to do underwater activities make sure to eat a proper meal before diving in. People assume that eating and diving doesn't go well. But no, you need to have energy to do your activity. We had a heavy breakfast and went to the boat. Typically small boats takes us to a point where we can see some fish and underwater life. We rode for about 10min to reach the spot and the guide explained safety measures and instructions to follow. We were given life jackets and signed all the paper work. So the trip takes 4 people at once so me and my husband were teamed along with another couple. We were all set and when our time came we were asked to step down the boat(a ladder was attached to the boat) into the ocean. Our tour guide was waiting with the scooter. I was asked to hold the scooter, take a deep breath and dive into the oceans and reach for the helmet and get into the helmet. Ok so I had trouble as the helmet was about 20inches deep and I took like 2-3 turns to successfully get into it. Once I got all settled in I was asked if I was doing okay(when the guide gave instructions they will show by the moment of hands okay, not okay, get me out of here signs). I waived saying I am doing great. They took few snaps of me and the merged the scooter a little deep where I can see more fish and sea-life. It was amazing, while I was roaming around in my scooter I saw my husband just getting onto his scooter. Once he came along we took some pictures with our GoPro roamed around the fishes. Amazing time. Underwater stay was for about 15minutes before they pulled our scooters out of water. We came back up, had some snacks and relaxed. At this point we were extremely tired with back to back activities so we reached our hotel and look a long power nap. We went for dinner and drinks at Rumfire. It was nice place very lively with good views of the beach.
Day 5: We were pretty tired with the previous two days activities, started the day relaxing. We had reservations for Hilton Waikiki Hula at 5pm, they did the hula indoor due to some weather conditions which was fine. It would have been nice if we had it outdoors but this was fine too. Hula is a traditional Polynesian dance, very unique performances. I would totally recommend going to at-least one of the hula performances. Make sure to go on time as there will be line. We were welcomed with the LEI fresh flower garland and escorted to our seats. The program began with some introductions, fun activities(ex: tattoo paintings) and live music performances followed by dinner buffet. Loved every bit of the performances never felt bored, the fire show was awesomeeeeeee.... I don't think I can express this more with words so I will post few pictures(they speak for themselves).
Day 6: This was the last day of our trip. We packed our stuff and checked out of our hotel. So there was this guy from Mami's Empanada(we ate on Day 2) who suggested us to drive to north shore. Its a scenic drive that covers Oahu island roundtrip would take about half day with halts. It was a scenic drive indeed, beaches, view points, scenic drive, local halts etc. We drove for about half a day took tons and tons of pictures. I would recommend spending at-least couple of hours driving to north shores. We get to see the country side of Oahu lot different than the busy Waikiki lifestyle.
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