Hi
Thinking of going to Hawaii this October for a week. Appreciate advice on flights, accommodation and land tours. Thanks in advance!
Oh heck yeah. Hawaii is amazing. If you can stretch it to a little more than a week, you won’t regret it.
You’ll probably want to spend a few days on Oahu, and then a few days on one other island. (If you’re fancy, do Maui; if you want a more laid-back experience, or you wanna see volcanoes, do the Big Island.)
Flights
It’s always baffled me that SQ doesn’t fly nonstop to Honolulu, it seems like a really sensible route for them to offer. Anyway - Korean is fine, the Japanese airlines are fine, Philippine Airlines might even have a good low-cost option.
Your only option for getting there is to fly into Honolulu. Once you’re on the airlines, Hawaiian has a zillion inter-island flights every day - they fly Honolulu to Kahului (on Maui) as frequently as every 45 minutes.
Hawaiian airports are oddly slow, though. Get there
really early - I’ve had to wait as long as two-and-a-half hours in the security lines at Kahului.
Oahu / Honolulu
Don’t think too hard about this: stay in Waikiki, shop Ala Moana, hike Diamond Head. I’m personally a massive fan of the Westin Moana Surfrider.
Some people like seeing the other parts of Oahu (like the North Shore); I think it’s more fun to do those big adventures on the other islands.
Your other island
If you pick
Maui: stay in the hotels on Ka’anapali Beach on the west side. Eat at Star Noodle in Lahaina (they do takeout!); if you’re there in winter, do a snorkeling or whale-watching tour to Molokini; and in the other seasons, do a day trip to Lanai. (I‘ve been on tours with Trilogy multiple times, they’re great.)
Also: drive along the north shore to Paia town; watch the bodyboarders on the gorgeous beaches, get pizza and a drink at Flatbread Pizza Company, and if you’re feeling enthusiastic, do a bike tour down Haleakala. (Don’t do sunrise on Haleakala - it’s pretty, but it’s
really not worth waking up at 3am and freezing your nuts off for.)
If you’re a drinker, go to the Ocean Vodka distillery and enjoy the views over the island while you sample some of their spirits.
Do the Road to Hana, then keep going past Hana until you get to the back side of Haleakala national park. It’s a long day’s drive, but the views are phenomenal.
If you pick
the Big Island: stay a couple of nights in Hilo on the east side, and a couple of nights in Kona on the west side. To get between the two, I personally love driving the (long, slow) south road, and stopping in Na’alehu for some freshly baked bread from the town’s bakery.
When you’re in Hilo - hit the farmers’ market if it’s open, and get a helicopter tour over the volcano if you can. You can also drive up and around into Volcano National Park, which is a
fantastic day trip. (Don’t bother hiking to see fresh lava - if there even is any, it’s usually a long, excruciating hike.)
When you’re in Kona, do a night snorkeling trip with the manta rays, it’s so much fun (and completely safe, too).
anyone can give a guide for coastal drive itinerary from San Fran to Vegas. Going in End Nov/ early Dec
intending to do Grand Canyon, does it make sense to drive to Vegas first, then make the trip to Grand Canyon or go Grand Canyon straight then go Vegas
I’m your guy.
OK, so you’re doing highway 1 through San Francisco down to Monterey and Big Sur. Monterey is lovely to spend a night in (and the aquarium’s amazing), but you might also want to stop in Big Sur for a night (hit the Glen Oaks Motor Lodge, which, despite the name, is rustic and luxurious).
Keep driving south along Highway 1 until you reach Cambria (don’t miss Hearst Castle on the way), then cut across to Paso Robles, which is another great place to spend a night.
At this point, you can detour down to Los Angeles if you want to do a couple days there, or head straight across to Las Vegas via Bakersfield. One thing to keep in mind is that in November/December, there’s a slight risk that the road east from Bakersfield might be cut off by snow; if it is, you’ll have to head south to Los Angeles whether you like it or not.
I personally like detouring through Los Angeles, because it gives you a chance to stop in Palm Springs, which is a gorgeous little town; and hit up Joshua Tree National Park on your way to Vegas. Then, once you’re in Vegas, stay somewhere nice - the Mandalay Bay is great if you‘re on a budget, the Aria is great if you’re not - and go see a bunch of shows and eat at a bunch of buffets. Vegas is a town where you go to indulge, so don’t hold back.
