Yeah, not going to be exploring too many dark alleys while I'm there.

I absolutely MUST have one of those gay-ass drinks with the fucking umbrella in it.

Ah…the Aloha Spirit!  It’s all over the islands.
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I have informed you thusly!

This.

Hawaii is a place to relax. Trying to cram a bunch of things into your trip will be as stressful as going to work.

If you have only 1 week, I'd consider Maui, it has a lot of great places to see and the best beaches. Haleakala at sunrise is a must see.

This. Big Island is #1. Was able to just swim out and snorkel from the beach. Our ray trip wasn't bad, but we also were there when school was in session.

Island hops were $45 on Southwest and if you sit on the correct side of the plane you get a nice view of the islands. No problem getting tickets to Pearl Harbor, so I don't know what that's about.

You need a car. Driving around the big island is nice.

Well, they are all volcanic islands.  I think Oahu is the only one that isn’t mostly two lane roads.  Because of the giant volcanic mountains/craters, the road system is all fucked up.  If I’m at Ke’e beach and want to go to Barking Sands beach, which is maybe 25 minutes west as the crow flies, I have to go east and drive around the whole island for 2 hours.  And that’s assuming ideal conditions.  No roads washed out by floods or cut off by lava flows.  

Now, even a small island like Kauai gets between 1,000-3,500 tourists PER DAY that are joining you on these two-lane roads.  Like I said, after 15 days there, I hate fucking tourists too.  Especially since they’re usually driving 20mph under the speed limit while they gasp at all the beautiful views around them.  And I’m behind them yelling “It’s bougainvillea and a fucking rooster, get your ass in gear!”

Manta ray dive was cool, but having done it once, I think I'd skip it again.  A little too much like disneyland, IMO.

Diving in HI was different, but not as much sea life as I would have expected.  Caribbean seems to have more dense sea life.

But, in Maui, Molokini was great - gin-clear water.  And Mala Wharf was cool.  You can hear whales in the distance.  Amazing.

Yeah, I was thinking more Big Island there; but that portion between Hanalei and Ke’e gets flooded a lot.  Heck, I think Hanalei was underwater entirely in 2015.  Barking Sands and Ke’e are both wonderful; but for entirely different reasons.

Cozumel has better snorkeling/diving than anywhere I’ve been in Hawaii.  More sea life, calmer and clearer waters.  Besides that Hawaii is nicer in everyway and can be competitive on snorkeling/diving at times.

Can you get a car from one island to another?  Is there a ferry service?  Would suck to go island hopping & have to rent a car on each one.

No.

At one point there was a lot of money spent for an inter-island "super ferry" but it was killed by the environmentalists and nativists.
Like they bought the boats and everything and it was cancelled at the last minute.

One trip we did a "vacation from our vacation", driving our rental car to the airport in Hilo, flying back to Honolulu, renting another car and booking a hotel room.
We were in HI with extended family and the wife and I bounced for a couple of days to see Pearl Harbor, stay in Waikiki and check out the island.

Hm.  Bummer.  Was going to do the package flight/hotel thing, but the more I read people's replies, looks like I'll just wing it, going from one island to the next, hotel room & car at each one.

Beach, Speedo, cocktails.....repeat.

I will spare the poor people of Hawaii the horrible sight of me in a speedo.  Trunks all the way.

Rest of it sounds good, tho.

Different strokes and all, but the max I can do on the islands is 6 days, did 2 weeks once and besides it being financially draining the feeling that you are on a little rock in the middle of a gigantic ocean really does a number in my head ... Don't know why, it's weird. My sister goes a lot more than I do, her max is 5 days and has nothing to do with money.

Pretty sure the only way to see lava flows is by helicopter, they don't let anybody within a mile of the volcano on the big island last time I was there.

My suggestion is to rent a condo and buy food to cook every once in a while.. There is a Costco right outside the Maui airport. Road to Hana would be fun on a motorcycle, I have driven it 3 times in a car and it fucking sucks. You get to the end and are like "WTF I have to go back? ".. I drove through it one time and you end up on volcanic cattle land, really f'n boring.. If there were any heavy rains the day prior, put off Hana a day or so, it really sucks.

I walked some on Oahu as my friends place was central.  Later he had a place further out and the walk was a bit longer. Going with the wife we always had a car….not sure if Uber or Lyft operate there.  Rentals will likely be expensive.  

Prolly wise.  Was not planning on fricassee of me while there.

Current Hawaii Travel Restrictions

Welp, gotta do what you gotta do, I guess.  Sounds like you need a car.

Thanks!

First time I went there i either wanted to walk up to a flow and see how close I can get, or be in a boat and watch it drop into the ocean

And like Dk says, be really sure you can get a car, and that's not even a guarantee... I knew someone that had a reservation and still had to wait 2 days to get a car.

Good point.  Maybe I'll have to decide to "OK, Tuesday thru Friday is Oahu, Saturday thru Wednesday is Hawaii" kind of thing, & book hotel rooms & cars in advance.

Anytime. Hawaii is my management territory so I deal with the islands, and my sales team on the islands, daily.

Biggest issue will be a rental car.

Congrats on you realizing your dream.. I have no idea why I basically get claustrophobic when I am there after a while. I really like it there so I don't get it.. Maybe if I was living there it might be different.

Honeymooned on Oahu and Kauai and then went to the Big Island this past July for 20th anniversary.  Only did beach stuff on Oahu so no real information. You’d want a vehicle for Kauai or the Big Island. You can drive Kauai pretty easily in a day. There are a lot of out of the way places to visit there that were kind of hidden or not well marked. It was before smartphone time so I had bough a book that helped a lot. Had a blast on that trip but I think I liked the Big Island better. We spent 8 days there and could have spent 8 more and not had enough time. Stayed in Kona which had good food, nice option of places to surf/snorkel. Couple hours south is Volcano National park but there is a black sand beach and a green sand beach on that drive to see as well. Kona side isn’t the post card Hawaii. Past volcano flows means there’s miles where you just see rock. Hilo side has waterfalls, rainforest and all that.  They also have a really good farmers market where you’ll be able to find white pineapples. We weren’t impressed, maybe it wasn’t ripe but it wasn’t very good. A lot of homeless hippies in that area.  The drive to Mauna Kea takes you through a whole different terrain. You’ll see sheep all over and think your in Scotland instead of Hawaii. The drive up to the summit needs a 4wd but being by yourself you might be able to hitch a ride.  As far as people having brag at I’ve experiences with locals that’s never happened to me. Closest would be on Kauai where some old Asian riding a bike in a thong with Japanese flag that looked like it was coming out of his butthole. He was yelling crazy stuff as he rode along but wasn’t yelling at anyone in particular. We were actually thanked over and over on this past trip for being there. COVID shutdowns have hurt their economy so a lot of people were finally able to get back to work and appreciated the business.

No foolin'.  Our resident Dane in Polynesia!  Weird damn world.  So you gonna retire there?

And Tacoma's are the islands official car, you will be amazed in the way they can fuck up a perfectly good truck

To get an idea of things to do on Oahu, check out the Go Oahu pass. You'll never be able to do all the things on it, but it still gives you some ideas.  We did the catamaran breakfast cruise, sunset cruise, luau, Pearl Harbor tour, and a few of the others.  It was actually a good deal for us, even though we only picked a few things.  You can always go back and spend more time at the venues if you like.  Was nice to schedule a few things and then spend time on the beach or sightseeing when we wanted.

ETA, you can find discounts for the pass online and at Costco.  We did it about 10 years ago so it may not be the same today.

Kona is my favorite, seems easier to get away from crowds. Lots of things to see and do and just feels less busy. Grab a 1942 Mai Tai at the Royal Kona’s bar which is open air and sits right on the edge of the bay.  

Maui is super nice also but more expensive and seems crowded. We enjoyed the Road to Kona, had some amazing banana bread on the way and the views are amazing. The volcano summit was also neat. Mai Tais at Monkeypod are the best I've had and they have a great happy hour.

Big Island > Maui > Kauai > Lanai > Oahu

Most first timers make the mistake of wasting all their time on Oahu. 2 days max and then GTFO and spend your time on the good islands.  

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If you're going to visit Hawaii...

GO SCUBA DIVING. You can find someone to instruct you and get certified in a few dives. I did that in 2004, but I waited until the second week (out of a two week trip) I was there. The guy who instructed me was willing to loan me gear and take me diving at different places FOR FREE... but I was leaving too soon after getting certified. I missed out.

The water is amazing... so clear, and there is so much life in the water there. During the certification dive, we had to go down to about 100'. You could still see clearly at that depth.

They have great food, too.  I probably ate there once a day when I was in Maui last.

Beware, Big Island beaches suck. Island is very young, so they’re rocky and small.

They told me the best beach on the island was at the Prince Hapuna, and compared to the east coast beaches I’m used to they sucked.

Agreed.  Hawaii isn't worth it if you just want to hang on the beach.  FL, CA, the Carribean is better for beach resorts.

100' for a certification dive?  That doesn't sound right.  I think it's two 60' dives.

Yeah I wouldn't take that line of thought too far.   i'm sure local ninnies have mistreaded tourists and other non-their-group-types before, but I've been there well over a dozen times and have never ran into this.

That said, most of those times have been Oahu or half Oahu/half Big Island.  Oahu's population IME is divided between .mil folks, rich recently arrived non-Hawaiians (who can afford 500+k houses), Japanese-Americans, Philippine Americans, other Asian-Americans, and natives, in rough order of size.   Most parts of Oahu, especially the places any visitor would go,  are perfectly safe for the off-islander.   The parts that might not be are pretty obvious in terms of the way people act, dress, and the like - Waimanalo being one easy example that you'd drive through.  Just don't stop there, they way you wouldn't stop at any ghetto area.  

(Also note that a few parts of Oahu, and the Pahoa section of the big-island, are infested with dirty ass drug-using hippies, most of which are either recent arrivals from the mainland or the first generation of such.   Do be careful in such areas, mostly from a petty theft perspective)

Even for the angry natives, I'm not sure their attitude is all that different from other folks who are upset about losing the civil war, or about people coming and buying up their home states and importing their politics.......oh did I just say they're like some folks on GD?  Further, I've known a number of grads of Kamehameha schools (elite school established by the former royal family for natives) - and have not detected any chips on those folks shoulders.  (though IIRC as I understand it many of those folks leave permanently for college education and careers on the mainland)

(granted that I'm half European and half Asian and if I dress the part I can pass off as a local for at least a bit in a big city like Oahu.  Dress the part = aloha shirt and slacks in formal settings, locally bought walmart stuff otherwise)

The beaches are completely different from the gulf area beaches. They aren’t miles long and can be rough on your feet. But if you’re willing to hike you can find beautiful beaches.  Makalawena Beach is one of the prettiest beaches I’ve ever seen. Because of the long walk on lava rock a lot of people don’t go there but the white sand lined by palm trees is worth it. Not as rocky as some of the other beaches either so not rough on feet. A great place to snorkel as well.

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Well, last time I was in your shoes I shipped my truck to Hawaii and drove around the big island. There are plenty of jiche beaches that you can only get to that way. Plus you can see an active volcano and scuba dive on that island. And you could also go see the sunset or sunrise on mauna kea. Pretty cool seeing the curvature of the earth above the clouds.

DK and I are both heading towards retirement on the islands, although different ones. We bought a condo in April and love it out there, plan is to spend half the year there and half somewhere else. Maui is by far and away our favorite but all the islands have their parts that are better then the others. But overall Maui has it all IMO, but it depends on what you want. If it helps your ability to rent (sarcasm) we'll be cancelling our rental car for December as we shipped one of ours over there in August! Wherever you go rent a car and do so early, like as soon as you've booked your tickets reserve a rental. Costco travel for rental cars is a really good option for price and as an aggregator for what's available. Love it out there!

I can't post pictures anymore but if someone PM's me that can post I'll add one to this from a drone shot I took on Maui!

Think I drove right by there.  Out near that little airport north of Waimea?

Maui by FredMan, on Flickr

"All fully vaccinated U.S. citizens must provide proof of vaccination AND a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of boarding a flight to Hawaii"

Thirty six year resident here with time living on both Oahu and now currently on the Big Island.  I've been to 7 of the 8 major Hawaiian islands (just need Niihau) so let throw a few things out there for your consideration...

- Re: locals "hating" haoles and other tourists is way overblown.  In my time here I can count the number of negative interactions with locals on one hand and have a couple of fingers and thumb left over.  I have also lost count of all the extremely good interactions that I have had.  

- Unless you come from an area that had no Covid restrictions requiring masks, you'll find it isn't that bad.  You have to wear one indoors or enclosed spaces in public but there is no requirement outside.  For restaurants, wear the mask until seated and then remove it to take a sip of water and leave it off until you stand up.  Currently only Oahu and Maui have Covid card checks for indoor dining, no restrictions on the Big Island or Kauai.  Check the State's Safe Travels website before coming to keep up with the latest changes.  Now that we are past the Delta wave the State is trying to loosen things up.

-  For Oahu, if you want the Waikiki nightlife go ahead and book a stay but if your main focus is USS Arizona and the Ford Island attractions then I recommend you fly into Honolulu airport, book 2 nights and a car, see the sites and then fly to another island.  If you want to save a little money, stay at the Ala Moana Hotel as you easily walk to Waikiki and it is adjacent to the largest shopping center on Oahu.

-  For the volcano you will have to go to the Big Island so I recommend you spend the rest of your trip there.  I know a lot of folks like Maui and that's ok but I think the Big Island has pretty much the same attractions only better.  Better diving/snorkeling, much better fishing, some unique beaches and even an alpaca farm .  There are better historic/cultural sites relating to Hawaiian history such as heiau (temples), trails and petroglyphs.  You'll get to see a variety of climates from the wet jungles on the Hilo side to the dry desolate somewhat recent (geologic time) flows on the Kona side.  I recommend staying at one of the hotels in the Waikoloa Beach resort area.  You will definitely need to rent a vehicle.  

- Kilauea volcano is currently erupting and red lava is visible in the crater but activity is confined to the crater with no current breakouts.  You can see it from the ground at Volcano National Park but expect crowds.  The best way, I think, is by helicopter.  Helicopter tours can be pricey but it is truly a once in a lifetime experience.  I recommend Paradise Helicopters and have flown with them for work monthly for the last couple of years.  I think DK-Prof can vouch for them as well.

- I think the rental car shortage situation is getting better but if you are having trouble getting a reservation, look into using Turo.  It's like AirBnB for vehicles.  I used it twice when on Kauai for work last year and it was a great experience.

- To take the interisland hop from Oahu to the Big Island I will echo the recommendation to take Mokulele Airlines.  Tickets are a value, only 9 people per flight and they generally fly well below the big jets so it is almost like a sightseeing tour.  From Honolulu you might stop on Molokai and Maui on the way to Kona.

Any questions, feel free to ask.