Hi all,
I am planning for a Hawaii trip end of this year with wife and family - all adults.
Oh dude, happy to help. Hawaii is MY JAM.
I'm guessing the Honolulu Marathon dates are kind of locked in, so let's work around that.
I'll be honest: I'm not a huge fan of Oahu! The North Shore is kinda nice; hiking Diamond Head is pretty (though if you're talking about hiking Sliding Sands, Diamond Head won't be challenging at all); and the Polynesian Cultural Center is cool, but... it's crowded, it's tough to get around, and Waikiki isn't really that great a beach!
So I'm going to recommend going straight to the Big Island, and giving yourself an extra day there and on Maui, because there's plenty to do on each side of the Big Island (I notice you're not explicitly visiting Hilo, which, trust me, would be a big loss).
How about this:
1) Day 1: arrive in Honolulu; fly straight to Hilo (ITO). Check in to your hotel and chill out. Maybe head to the farmers' market downtown for some amazing fresh fruit and veggies. Spend a few days in Hilo; spend a day up at the volcano; relax and decompress. If you're really feeling ambitious, you can head up to the observatories on top of Mauna Kea and see some stars (pack warm, though: it can snow up there!).
2) Day 3 or 4: Do a leisurely drive over to Kailua-Kona. You can go one of three ways, but I really, really love the south road through Na'alehu, for a few reasons:
- You can stop at the Punalu'u Bake Shop and pick up some amazing Hawaiian sweet bread;
- Stop by the Ka'u Coffee Mill; go for a tour and pick up some coffee, grown and roasted right there on the farm;
- If you've got time for a side trip, there are the gorgeous green and black sand beaches not far south of Na'alehu, right near the southernmost point in all of the USA. Totally worth a side trip.
Leave a full day for this drive, I promise you won't regret it. It's just
so chill... you can sit in the lil' bake shop in Na'alehu, look out over the greenery, and fantasise about packing it all in, buying a little apartment down here where it's always quiet and relaxed and warm and just going surfing every day and maybe catching up on all those books you've been meaning to read... no? Just me? Anyway.
3) Spend a couple of days in Kailua-Kona. I'm not as much a fan of this side of the island, but it has its moments; the drive all the way up to Hawi is nice if you're looking for a day trip; you can snorkel with manta rays off the Sheraton Keauhou; and there are some decent beaches as well. But really, what you're looking forward to is...
4) Fly from Kona airport (KOA) to Maui-Kahului (OGG). Maui is absolutely the best island. I usually recommend staying over on the west side around Ka'anapali, because the snorkeling's amazing (if you stay at the Westin Maui you can literally walk in right off the beach and start snorkeling. There are turtles everywhere!) and it's close to Lahaina.
You can:
* Drive the Road to Hana. It's an all-day thing, but it's so worth it.
* Visit some farms in the upcountry. There are some farms that'll even cook you lunch on-site using ingredients freshly plucked from the ground.
* Visit Lahaina, which is a very cool little town;
* Do a luau; they're better here than in Oahu, is my personal take.
5) Fly from Kahului to Honolulu. Give yourself a day of prep; run the race; recover. Have fun!
- Ala Moana Center (Hawaii's biggest mall)
It's a mall. There's really nothing special there. The shopping's better in Lahaina anyway. (see below re: outlets of Maui).
- Tropical Farms (Macadamia nuts)
The farms are better in Maui, trust me on this.
Sights/Activities shortlisted for Hawai'i
1) Haiwai'I Volcanoes National Park
I'm going to say don't do the sunrise lava tour. Unless you get lucky and the flow changes, there's not a lot of flow in the park at the moment, and what flow there is is a hell of a long hike to get to.
2) Mauna Kea - Highest Peak, Hike Up (Jeep option available), Stargazing (potential altitude sickness)
Jesus, hiking up Mauna Kea? I didn't even know you could do that! But if you're in the sort of shape that can run marathons, you won't have trouble with altitude sickness.
3) Waipi'o Valley - Not sure if it is that scenic
4) Night Diving and Snorkeling with Mantas (we can only snorkel though, not sure if still can see the Mantas)
You absolutely can, I've done this before. The mantas come to you.
1) Haleakala National Park
- Keonehe'ehe'e aka Sliding Sands Trail
- Summit for sunrise
- Stargazing
Sunrise at Haleakala is overrated. You'll be up at two in the morning or thereabouts, and then when it's done you'll have to get back down and figure out the rest of your day.
A better bet for Haleakala is the bike ride downhill! I've used
Bike Maui before, and they were perfectly good; they drive you up to the summit, let you wander around and explore, then drop you off just outside the national park entrance and let you ride back down. The self-guided tour is a good bet, because there's plenty of amazing places to stop for lunch on the way back down. Also, the tour starts at 8am, so you don't have to get up at like two in the morning and mess with your sleep schedule.
3) Boat tours to Lana'i island
5) Submarine tours (Atlantis Submarines Maui)
Can I recommend squishing these two together? Trilogy Tours (which leaves out of Lahaina, so it's convenient if you're staying in Kaanapali) will, I think, let you do both. They offer snorkeling tours to Lanai, with an island bus tour as well.
Oh yeah, definitely. Stop over in Pa'ia on the way out to pick up some snacks, and on the way back for some pizza at Flatbread Pizza Co.
It's worth going beyond Hana to the back side of Haleakala National Park, because there's an amazing hike up into the hills (the Pipiwai Trail) out there.
And keep an eye out on the road for
Coconut Glen's for some superb coconut ice-cream not far from Hana itself.