Has any one been to Hawaii ? Whats the best island to stay on? Can you spend two weeks there ?

Question

are is it better to have a week in Lasvegas

Answer 1

2 weeks? To someone who love the ocean, sun, and nature, 2 weeks isn't enough. But to someone who dislike outdoor, 2 weeks is more than enough... per my family experiences.

There are very reasonable packages to Las Vegas, sold by local travel agents. In fact, this is one of the most popular spot for locals to go for "vacation". If financial permit, you can do both places.

Anyway, here is an iternary that i share with friends & Yahoo users for Oahu.

Day 1 - Mon ~ Waikiki
Arrive this day, check into hotel and check out Waikiki beaches or areas (like the zoo, aquarimum, Kapiolani park) in the morning.
Then, go to Ala Moana Shopping Center (just outskirt of Waikiki) for lunch.
Opposite of Ala Moana Shopping Center is Ala Moana Beach Park.
Magic Island, part of Ala Moana Beach Park, is an enclosed area, great & safer for younger kids.
Be sure to take a great picture of Diamond Head view from the park.

Keep the first day around your hotel as you might be tired to go farther.

Check out Todai resturants for dinner. They have great seafood (mostly Japanese style) buffet.

Day 2 - Tue
Drive around the island. Visit North Shore, Dole Plantation (see the world largest maze), more beaches at Sunset Beach, Sandy beach, Bellow Beach, Ko O lina. Make this a drive day and visit as many places as you can.

Find a beach you like and come back another day.

Day 3 - Wed ~ Aloha Stadium/Pearl Harbor/Might Mo Battleship/Pearlridge Shopping Center
Go to Aloha Stadium Swap Meat/Flea market in the morning (like 7a.m is the best time). This Swap Meat is only available on Wed, Sat & Sun morning. Large selections of Hawaii gifts to take home for family & friends. Be sure to negiotiate when buying large quality.

A small fee required to enter the stadium (50 cent per head currently).

Spent about 1-2 hours in this place.

Then, process to Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial, which locate across from Aloha Stadium.

Free admission to watch the World War II documentary (about 20 min) on Pearl Harbor attack and a free boat ride to the Memorial after documentary., a donation will be helpful to the center. Surroundings are plates of history.

The documentary & boat ride is about 1 hours. However, on Wed/Sat/Sun, it is very crowded. You might have to wait a few hours before you can into the movie.

If you have a ticket for a late show, go & visit Might Mo Battleship (next door to Arizona Memorial) or do it after Pearl Harbor.

Fee required. A trolley will take you to the battle ship. Please join the guide tour as it is very informative. Went with a few friends and the history the guide told was very helpful.

Spent about 3-4 hours on the ship.

In the evening, proceed to Pearlridge Shopping Center. It is about 5 min drive from Pearl Harbor. Turn left at the traffic light at Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial exit. Right turn at Pali Momi road and into the Shopping Center. You can do great shopping there or just have dinner there before going back to hotels.


Day 4 - Thu
Take a hike to Diamond Head. Great city view. But fee required to go in. At the end of the paved path, there are a lots of stairs to climb.

Spent about 1-2 hours.

[If you want free hike and great view, proceed to the East for Makapuu. Also paved hike path, but mostly ocean view, not city view. Another free city view will be at Punchbowl National Cemetery (see Friday).]

For lunch, stop at Koko Marina. There is a Zippy Resturant which is a local delight.

After Diamond Head, go to Hamauma Bay. Closed on Tuesday. Great safe snorkeling place.
Fee required.

Spent whole afternoon.

Head back to Waikiki for dinner. There is a place called Palama Market, outskirt of Waikiki, is famous for great Korean food. Prices are very reasonable.


Day 5 - Fri
Visit Punchbowl National Cemetery in the morning. Varies wars history can be read on the wall displays. Also, take a short walk to open area. Great city view.

Free entrance. Please be respectful to the dead bury there.

Spent less than 1 hours.

Drive about 10 min down to Iolani Palace. This is the only Hawaiian Palace here. Take pictures outside the palace only. Join the Grand Tour for interesting Hawaiian history. You can watch a film too.

Fee required for touring inside the palace.

Spent about 1 - 1 ½ hour if joining tour.

Across from the palace is the famous King Kamehameha Status.

Next to the left of the palace is the Downtown Business District. Walk down Hotel Street (this street only allow Bus to drive thru, no cars allow) towards Chinatown.

Chinatown only 2-3 blocks away. Visit Little Village resturant for delicious Chinese food. Or go to Chinese Culture Plaza for good dim sum.

If you like art, visit Honolulu Art Museum which is outskirt of Downtown, towards Waikiki. Fee required.

Head down to Kakaoko Park for a great sun set view. This was once a dump site. But now a nice park area.

Find a L&L Plate Lunch for dinner. Local favorite eat out. There is one in Wal-Mart (near Ala Moana Shopping Center).
Then, head to Tantatus Mountain for a great city night view. Driving required to get up there. Free.


Day 6 - Sat
If you find a beach worth second visit (from Day 2), spend another day at this beach. If not, visit Waikele Shopping Outlet for some last minutes gifts. There are also places like Pali Lookout (great view also has hiking trail), Bishop muesum, Hawaiian Water Park (theme park for family), Kualoa Ranch Horseback riding, etc. Just a note, some locals do visit these places, so it might get crowded during weekends.

Note, Swap Meat at Aloha Stadium available in the morning.

Day 7 - Sun
Fly home.

If you have a longer stay at Hawaii, I would suggest that you visit other islands.

My favorite recommendation is Big Island (also known as Volcano Island or the island of Hawaii).

Big Island is worth at least one day trip to the Volcano. You can do a early morning flight & jump on the latest flight back to Oahu. Fly to Hilo if you want to visit Volcano Park.

Otherwise, spend another 3 day there is great.

Answer 2

If everything was equal and I had a chance to go to Hawaii or Las Vegas, I would choose Hawaii everytime. My family and I went to Hawaii once, we flew over and took a 7 day cruise around all of the islands and it was absolute paradise.

If you want to be busy and go clubbing, shopping, etc. I would choose Honolulu on the island of Oahu. This is also home to famous Waikki Beach and Pearl Harbor. Maui is also a good island to go to if you like to party and like nightlife. It also has some of the best surfing in the world at the north end of the island.

If you want to see lots of beautiful sights, including the always active volcano, I would choose the Big Island of Hawaii.

If you are looking for quiet, choose the island of Kauai.

Hawaii has something for everyone and we stayed for 2 weeks and could have stayed 2 weeks longer.

Answer 3

I've lived in Hawaii for 20 years now, moved from Oregon. I live on Oahu now, north shore for 15 years and on Maui for 4 years. I live in Honolulu now.

I had the pleasure of my job sending me to all the Islands for work. So I have been to all the major islands, there are a couple that aren't available to visit.

Each Island has its own "flavor" and each offer differences from the rest.

It depends on what you are wanting when your here? Quiet beach time... Party time.. lots of people or no people? Surfing, sailing, whale watching?

2 weeks... I'd probably spend one on the Big Island.. the volcano is awesome.. then pick another.. maybe Oahu for the tourist stuff. Want remote and secluded.. Molokai does not even have a stop signal on the entire island!

Then again.. there are alot of people that live here that go to Vegas for vacation! LOL

Answer 4

I lived in Hawaii for 4 plus years and the Island of Oahu is the best Hawaii has to offer. Whenever I go back to Hawaii I use the vacation packages that include Flight+Hotel+Rental that's the cheapest way to vacation. The public transportation system on the Islands are terrible. So be prepared to get a rental unless you want to stay in the Waikiki area of the island of Oahu. And have fun on your vacation.

I use www.ytbtravel.com/gordonsa for my cheap vacation packages to the Island.

Answer 5

I have been there four times. I haven't been to all the islands, but they all have special things to offer. There is a lot of US history and it is busier on Oahu. Hawaii has Volcano National Park and is one of the few places to see a live Volcano. Kauai is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but don't expect to go clubbing I could spend two weeks there every year.

Answer 6

i have been to the large Island, Maui, Kauai and Oahu. each island has that is personal personality. i love Maui, it really is so non violent and pleasing. i might want to spend the week in Hawaii as oppose to Vegas. there is not a lot to do in Vegas except gamble.

Answer 7

Each island is different and has its own personality. If you have two weeks, I would recommend spending each week on a different island.

Answer 8

youmay want to fly in and out of the big island and take side trips for a few days out of time.

been to Maui twice....lots to do if you are active but if your going to make the trip, best to take in abit of everything.

besides the best flights are in and out of honolulu

Answer 9

not been to hawaii
best island - Ireland