planning a trip to hawaii need help

[MK-EK]

hey i am planning on going to hawaii for a vacation and i was wondering if i could get some input on where to go and what to do?

if anyone has been there please give me some advice on what i should do!

my current ideas revolve around swimming with sharks, dolphins, turtles ... surfing, visiting the volcano, reef scuba ...

thx ahead of time

[winson604]

I think there's a few questions you need to ask yourself before hand. I just came back from Maui in April with my gf and we debated long and hard which island to go to. There's quite a few websites out there that have questionaires you fill out in terms of what you want and will tell you which island is best for you. I didn't do it myself but the idea was good.

You going with guys or with gf? You want to party or have quiet time?

I can tell you that Honolulu for example is a busy busy place. Everyone I know that has gone says it feels really commercial and is super busy. Good if you want to party and shop. If that's what you want then Honolulu is probably a no brainer.

If you want quiet time then you got options. Maui and Big Island for example are quiet. Just figure out what you want first then go from there imo.

[J____]

there's been like 5 threads on hawaii in the past year with lots of info... do a search man.

[KuSouL]

ask the hotel concierge ~ all the hotels have lots of amazing trips planned for a good price too ... im actually born in hawaii but i just went 3 months ago

scuba diving ~ surfing IF YOU KNOW HOW otherwise better if you get an instructor (Honolulu probably better for that) ~ um this summer i also went to this Polynesian Cultural center spend a whole day in this village and eating local foods and stuff it was pretty amazing

also as for scuba diving (this also applies to honolulu only) go to the west end there's lots of private charted boats that are very professional and take you out to where dolphins and turtles and all these weird fish are ~ and you literally swim with them

anyways ... not to worry ~ as long as you are staying in a hotel they have all the information you need ... and sorry but i have only been / only familiar with honolulu

[MoBettah]

If this is your first time or you are travelling with kids. Honolulu is your only choice.

[racerman88]

please do a search, this has been covered before.
So much to do there.
Waikiki:
Have to try authentic restaurants:

Near Diamond Head:
Ono Hawiian Foods. For a lunch, we asked the waitress to put together some native specialties. We had a combination meal which had: (all with spelling errors): Lau Chicken (chicken in taro leaves), Kalua pork , lomi lomi salmon, poi, salted dried beef, and some various condiments I cannot remember, and a short rib soup with greens. dessert was a custardy dish.She reported all were traditional foods with the exception of the side of rice, as rice was introduced later in history to the islands-and of course is very common now. I highly recommend this place from a food anthropology standpoint. nothing was delicious, but nothing was bad (although did not care for this version of lomi salmon). I actually liked the poi. You dip food in it, rather than eating a bowl of it. I kind of understand why native Hawaiin food has not taken the world by storm...however am grateful for the experience of trying things.

Rainbow Drive In- was a plate lunch spot also on kapahulu (hope I have this st correct). Loved it. I had a lunch with grilled short ribs, fried chicken and fish (fried of course). It came with the traditional rice and macaroni salad scoops. While this is the complete opposite of how I may normally eat, I really enjoyed it. I never know macaroni salad could taste good. They appear to be open for breakfast and people were enjoying the loco moco (beef patty, rice, eggs and gravy).

other spots:
the food court in China town. It seemed every Asian country was represented, saw many things being made from scratch (ie dumplings) .

Be La- sandwiches. If you are a real Vietmanese sandwich fan, you won't be blown away. Still the sandwiches were ok.

I did not care for the many Poke varieties I tried from the food land at Ala Moana. And I like poke. If you go to food land go to customer service and get a free card that will let you get discounts on things.

Waimanalo:
Keneke. the best plate lunch I had on the islands. this town is around the east coast. A really nice drive (we rented scooters) past Sea Life park . Had the short ribs (Kilbi), Kalua pig and adobo pork. I think there was a Philipine influence here. That and a super religious thing going on. No matter, it was one of my favorite meals.http://www.kenekes.com/2003%20Menu.htm
If I remember more places that were worthwhile, I'll report back...

[racerman88]

Diamond head is a nice hike with nice view.
Hanauma Bay: http://www.hanauma-bay-hawaii.com/
Polynesian cultural centre
Rent car and go to beaches on North Shore
Dole pineapple factory
ZOO
For Quick eats L&L BBQ