Opinions and Advice Needed

[Soccer Canada]

Taking our 2nd trip to the great land of Oahu in May 2013.. We are going to have 2 extra days on our itinerary before we can check into the Timeshare in Waikiki (Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk).. I thought maybe of doing something a little different.. We get to HNL on Thursday at Noon, and we cant check into the Timeshare until 4pm on Saturday, was thinking of maybe getting an IntraIsland Flight to one of the other Islands to Spend a couple of days.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be done for say 48 hours on one of the Other Islands? Not wanting to maybe do a whole bunch of things, but maybe be able to see something "Special".. One thought that came to mind was the Volcanoes, but not sure what that is all about either..

Any helpful advise towards the right direction would be Fantastic!

Robb

[BevL]

My choice would be the Big Island and focus on the Hilo side, volcanos. Fly into Hilo unless it's prohibitively expensive. And you won't have much time to see much of the west side of the island, which is beautiful in its own way.

IF you decided Kauai, stay in the Lihue area, you can do one day north and one day south. It's a little more lush on the north side than even the BI's east side, if flowers and stuff are your thing. And Waimea Valley is beautiful.

I personally wouldn't go to Maui but I've not really explored Maui other than the Lahaina side.

[klpca]

It is certainly doable, but not necessarily recommended. Only you can make the final choice.

I'd recommend Maui because you could go to the top of Haleakala pretty easily, it's a relatively small island, and there are a ton of flights between Honolulu and Kahului.

Your biggest issues will be logistical: dealing with time changes, getting your luggage from your mainland flight and then allowing enough time to get back through security for your inter island flight (although your air carrier may be able to facilitate that), and then doing it all in reverse two days later. Everything else will be easy, just extra work - checking in and out of your hotel, picking up and dropping off the rental car etc. you could take a light flight back to Honolulu and maximize that second day on Maui.

I'd do it but we're crazy like that. We once booked a long layover in Honolulu to be able to run out and do a quick hike up Diamondhead. It kind of felt like the amazing race, but it would have been a big hassle if anything went wrong. Your plan doesn't have much risk, just extra work. It will not be relaxing. But it could be fun.

Btw, normally I wouldn't recommend the Big Island/Volcanoes National Park because of the size of the island and the driving times involved, but I suppose you could fly into Hilo and stay on that side of the island. So that may work too. (Bev and I were posting at the same time! Great minds think alike!)

[Soccer Canada]

I kind of liked the idea of going to the Big Island personally, just as I say don't know much about it other then the Volcanoes are there. We went to Oahu in May last year for the first time and I focused on learning everything I could to be prepared for that trip..
I am assuming a car rental is definitely a need? We are flying Alaska Air out of Spokane, any idea if they will accommodate baggage with Hawaiian? Any suggestions for hotel that would be located properly in order to maximize the time?

Thanks again!
Robb

[klpca]

I've never stayed on the Hilo side so I'm not much help. I'd suggest doing a search on the tripadvisor boards for Hilo specific information.

[stoler527]

I recommend Kauai. The Waimea Canyon is spectacular and well worth a visit. Also, a boat ride on the NaPali coast is an unforgettable experience. We have gone on a catamaran from Capt Andy and had a great time both times. Both these things are south of Lihue.

[Michigan Czar]

I would do the volcano on the Big Island. Walk out in the early evening 5pm or so and see the lava flow, stay there until it gets dark and the lava will glow, it's something you will never forget.

[muranojo]

Sounds too rushed & a hassle to me to move to another island for just two days. (And keep in mind the time to and fro will eat up a lot of those two days.) But that's just me--after years of traveling for work, my preference is to take it easy when on vacation.

How about staying & exploring on the other side of Oahu for a few days?

[Stressy]

Originally Posted by muranojo

Sounds too rushed & a hassle to me to move to another island for just two days. (And keep in mind the time to and fro will eat up a lot of those two days.) But that's just me--after years of traveling for work, my preference is to take it easy when on vacation.

How about staying & exploring on the other side of Oahu for a few days?

I think this is a good recommendation....you could stay on the North shore. Turtle Bay maybe? You would be really close to the Polynesian Cultural Center if you are so inclined. Would be a totally different experience than Waikiki.

[tompalm]

Go for the big island. It is just different. Fly into Hilo and spend two nights in a Bed and Breakfast up in the Volcano area. On Saturday morning get up early and drive to Kona. Catch a late afternoon flight back to Oahu

[zcrider]

Unless you think you will never be back to Hawaii, then don't rush your trip to another island. Just stay in a different area of Oahu and enjoy that. You need at least a whole week for each island, so just plan a different trip for Maui, Kauai, and the big island. :-).
We are going to Oahu in a few months and have one extra day, so I got a room at the new Disney Alani (sp?) resort. Now we will be able to say we tried it! super excited!!

[daventrina]

High energy option - Volcano on Big island (Hilo staying in Volcano area or Hilo). Keep in mind that there may be a large drop fee for picking up in Hilo and dropping in Kona.

Mid energy option - spend some time on Maui, Lanai or Kauai.

Low energy option - Spend the two nights at Turtle Bay on the North Shore.

[Soccer Canada]

The more and more I look at the Volcanoes option, the more and more I'm excited to go see that. I think this is what we will do. We will have 7 days in Waikiki to relax, so a couple of high pace days will be good (we go to Orlando for 2 weeks and spend 8-10 days in the parks so we are sort of high pace people anyways). Questions I have:
Would you fly into Kona or Hilo? (is it a distance issue or a flight price issue, we are people that can get up and drive a distance to get somewhere in the AM)
Im assuming a car rental is needed for sure?
And where to stay for a reasonable amount of money for a couple days, any suggestions on area or specifc hotel?

Thanks!
Robb

[Bunk]

We did a helicopter ride over the Volcano on the Big Island a few years ago, which we found to be really worth doing (By way of reference, we found the helicopter ride on Kauai to be more spectacular).

Are you going with any young children? I don't know what it is like at the Volcano now, but when we went a few years ago, we were able to walk very close to the lava flow and see it enter the ocean. We noticed that a lot of people were complaining about the acrid sulphur smell. May not be something you'd want young children to be exposed to for a long time.

[Soccer Canada]

No Children, just the 2 of us.

[fillde]

Originally Posted by Soccer Canada

The more and more I look at the Volcanoes option, the more and more I'm excited to go see that. I think this is what we will do. We will have 7 days in Waikiki to relax, so a couple of high pace days will be good (we go to Orlando for 2 weeks and spend 8-10 days in the parks so we are sort of high pace people anyways). Questions I have:
Would you fly into Kona or Hilo? (is it a distance issue or a flight price issue, we are people that can get up and drive a distance to get somewhere in the AM)
Im assuming a car rental is needed for sure?
And where to stay for a reasonable amount of money for a couple days, any suggestions on area or specifc hotel?

Thanks!
Robb

I think you have made a wise decision to see Volcano National Park. There is much to see. But seeing lava flow is not guaranteed.

I would look for a Bed N Breakfast in the town of Volcano. Tripadvisor has many listed. We stayed in one which was near the post office but forget it's name.

As far as arriving and departure airports I think it depends on flight times. Hilo is the closest to the Park. Car rental is an absolute.

[MOXJO7282]

Personally I always recommend Maui and the Road to Hana when someone asks for advice like this.

No volcanos but an experience like none other in my book.

[Bunk]

This link might have helpful information for viewing the lava flow:

http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm

We spent the week in Kona, but drove to the Volcano and spent one night at a B and B near the volcano.

According to the National Park Service, here is the driving time to the Volcano:
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is located on the island of Hawai`i. From Hilo: 30 miles southwest on Highway 11 (a 45 minute drive); from Kailua-Kona: 96 miles southeast on Highway 11 (2 to 2 1/2 hour drive), or 125 miles through Waimea and Hilo via highways 19 and 11 (2 1/2 to 3 hours).




If I'm not mistaken, on the southern end of the Island we stopped off to a green sand beach. I seem to remember there were a lot of big turtles on that beach.

[tompalm]

Originally Posted by tompalm

Go for the big island. It is just different. Fly into Hilo and spend two nights in a Bed and Breakfast up in the Volcano area. On Saturday morning get up early and drive to Kona. Catch a late afternoon flight back to Oahu

Fly into Hilo and fly out of Kona, or the other way around. The airlines and most of the car rentals don't charge extra for this. There are more flights out of Kona than Hilo because it is more popular with the tourist. Take a few hours to see Kona town. So, if you fly there first, you probably need to spend the night. That is why I suggested flying to Hilo, staying two night in Hilo and back from Kona. Lodging is cheaper in Hilo than Kona. Staying in a Bed and Breakfast should be a change of pace and nice way to relax.

[Soccer Canada]

Awesome advice. I will go and check that option out for sure!
Im probably going to book everything towards the end of the month here once the Christmas bills get paid.

[LisaRex]

If you haven't booked your airfare yet, consider flying directly to Big Island from the mainland. Many airlines allow you to fly in to one island (Big Island) and home from another (Oahu) on the same RT itinerary. Then you'll only need to book one intraisland flight from Big Island to Oahu. I didn't know this the first time I traveled to Hawaii.

Personally, with only 48 hours, I'd stick to Volcanoes National Park. 48 hours is just enough time to do it justice. If you're coming from Oahu, I'd fly into Hilo. If you're coming from the mainland, your only choice may be Kona. Depending on your arrival time, you can either spend the night on the Kona side or drive to VNP, which is 3-4 hours, IIRC.

[Soccer Canada]

We actually already booked our airfare, it was less then $400pp from Spokane to Oahu on Alaska, which I felt was very reasonable in this day and age.

[LisaRex]

Originally Posted by Soccer Canada

We actually already booked our airfare, it was less then $400pp from Spokane to Oahu on Alaska, which I felt was very reasonable in this day and age.

Nice rate! In that case, you'll be booking two intraisland flights. As I said before, I'd personally fly in and out of Hilo as 2 days isn't long enough to do Kona properly. However, if you do the Kona/Hilo thing, be sure to book your rental car with different pick-up and return locations. I know that National allows you to do this on BI with no additional charge.

When you book your intraisland flights, keep in mind that check-out times are generally ~11am and check-in times are ~3pm. When island hopping, I try to book an afternoon flight so that there's no wait to get our room once we get to our ultimate destination.

[oldseed]

We spent a week on the big island in march -- one of my fav vacations ever. The drive from kona to volcanoes is worth it. If going along the north road check out the waipio valley and then the waterfalls near hilo. A 4x4 jeep wrangler is also worth it to go on paths harder to tread. Along the south road ddo check out the green beach wth the turtles. I would HIGHLY recommnd snorkelling at "two steps" south of kona. We saw much sea life, corals, and swam w wildspinner dolphins at two steps.

Either way, save a night to see the glowing volcano and lava, and the next day to hike the volcano.
Enjoy. Big island rocks.