Thinking about Hawaii for next year

[Lunchlady]

I know out there somewhere there is someone that can give us advice on a possible trip to Honolulu. We are very interested in visiting Pearl Harbor and plan to rent through VRBO. I would like to hear everything from great experiences to the worst. Especially plane fares and airlines. Thanks!

 

[AquaDame]

We have gone several times and have always had a blast. We're going to Maui later this month even (staying in an Airbnb). Airfare is often on sale here but we generally pay about $400pp round trip from the west coast. Hawaiian Airlines tends to be a little higher so we generally fly on Alaska Air which is always fantastic. Where are you coming from? When are you planning to go?

 

[DisneyMandC]

DH and I went to Oahu 4 years ago. Wonderful trip! Lots to offer on the island, and it doesn't all have to be exorbitantly priced. We spent at least half a day touring Pearl Harbor including taking the boat tour out to the memorial over the Arizona. We rented a car and drove around the island as well, avoiding the western portion as that is sometimes considered less than friendly to tourists. If you drove straight through without stopping, it's probably only two hours to go around the island. We went to Dole Plantation (free to get in, additional pricing for tours and train rides) and shopped there and checked out pineapple fields. We also went to North Shore. Probably the most we spent on the trip was doing an ATV tour at Kualoa Ranch, but it was well worth the money! A lot of major shoes and movies are filmed at Kualoa Ranch, including Lost, Pearl Harbor, Jurassic Park, etc. The history of the ranch itself is very neat as well, so we definitely felt that was money well spent. There are also two VERY high-end fashion malls that were fun to just walk around and see all the crazy designer stores and watch people actually shopping in them.

We also went to a Luau at Paradise Cove, but I didn't really think it was worth the money we paid. Honestly, the luau at the Polynesian at WDW was better in my opinion. We did not check out Aulani as that had just opened or was just about to open when we went.

Can't say anything on accommodations, DH was there for work so we stayed in an apartment provided by his company. It was a great trip though! Lots of fun. We flew Delta and flights were pricey, I think close to $1000 for me from Virginia.

 

[Lunchlady]

Forgot to mention we are on the east coast and thinking about October 2017.

 

[MomToOne]

When we go to Oahu, we actually stay in a condo on the North Shore instead of in Honolulu. I don't like the crowds in Honolulu, plus the driving and parking situation drives me bonkers. While you are on the opposite end of the island, the drive into sites such as Pearl Harbor isn't bad from the North Shore - you just need to avoid driving it in rush hour. I know you'll hear folks kick and scream about how bad it is, but I've honestly never hit traffic that was even as bad as I hit on my normal daily commute in California. The worst situations I've hit were around road construction and that's just a fact of life wherever you drive. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I think the less built up atmosphere of the North Shore is worth the chance. If you'd like to know more about where we stay, PM me and I'll send you a link to the condos at the small complex we rent in (through VRBO). They are very nice but only 1 bedroom with a sofa bed or futon in the living room, so they max out at 4 people, if that is a consideration for you.

We usually fly Alaska. If you sign up for their credit card, you can get a companion pass that lets you get a second ticket for only $99+taxes when you buy one ticket. But check all airlines to see if anyone has something even cheaper than that. We got lucky and are going next June/July on FF tickets.

There are lots of activities to do all over the island, many are inexpensive. We spend lots of our time hiking - hikes can vary in intensity from not much more than a leisurely walk to some serious business. I personally like Manoa Falls - an easy walk, with a gorgeous waterfall when you get there! DD16 is fascinated by Pearl Harbor - we met a survivor last time we were there and his stories made things much more real for her. Book your tickets ahead of time for that - it relieves the stress of not knowing if tickets will be gone or not for the day when you show up. (I also suggest going as early in the day as you can muster - there isn't much shade, and I just feel like its a more meaningful experience before the crowds hit.) We also really like the Bishop Museum and Iolani Palace - the Bishop Museum gives you a less "cleansed" version of Hawaiian history than places like the Polynesian Cultural Center (which is ridiculously overpriced). We also enjoy going to the various farmer's markets, and even the flea market at the stadium. We've gone to Hawaii enough that we don't do things like luaus - if you've never been, they can be interesting but are expensive. If you are going to spend that kind of cash, just be sure to check out the reviews for the different ones ahead of time so you get the best one.

If you are planning to get a car (I recommend it - sights are scattered all over the island), the cheapest place for rental cars is usually discounthawaiicarrental.com. Keep checking them regularly before your trip - last time there was a BIG dip in prices 6-8 weeks out, then they went up again after a few days - checking regularly definitely paid off for me! It's easy to cancel an existing reservation through them online, and rebook when the prices drop.

 

[AquaDame]

Check out what flights are going for this year for October to get a sense of what is "normal" from your airport to HNL. Then choose a site that does fare alerts (airfare watchdog, hipmunk, or even google flights but that requires you to choose specific flights rather than just anything that day) and put in what you reasonably think will come up between now and next year. Waves will pick up on the north shore throughout October and late in the month there MAY even be the first humpback sightings off the islands - they may be more towards Maui though. We stayed at the Hyatt Place in downtown Waikiki for two nights for just a tiny bit more than we had been paying on vrbo but parking was a pain - the lot was TIGHT. Then we moved out of the city for the rest of our touring.

 

[Patience]

We spent a week and a half on Oahu in June and LOVED our vacation! We rented a condo in Waikiki at the Ilikai and it was freshly renovated, very nice, and convenient. We ate breakfast in the condo (I recommend grocery shopping at Walmart) and found some reasonable places to eat in Waikiki most evenings. We enjoyed eating at a coffee shop that was within easy walking distance of our hotel. We also ate at the snack bar at the Hale Koa twice (very reasonable prices) and at a couple of different restaurants at the Ala Moana mall which was very close to our hotel. Everyone talks about how expensive the food is in Hawaii but honestly, we didn't find it any worse than most resort destinations, including WDW.

We used the car rental place recommended in another post here (discounthawaiicarrental) and we paid less than $400 for a 7 passenger vehicle (Hyundai Santa Fe) and had the car during our entire trip. The traffic was not light but, as someone else said, I didn't find it any worse, and sometimes better, than what I experience every single day here at home.

We purchased the GoOahu cards in advance and felt they were a good value for us but I did do a lot of planning in order to maximize the value of them for us. I bought the cards from Costco and received 4 days for the price of what the GoOahu website charges for just 3 days. We used the cards to take a 2 hour Catamaran sail, for admission to the Polynesian Cultural Center including the luau and the Breath of Ha show (this was a full day of activities), for the jungle tours at Kualoa ranch for 4 of us (highly recommend) and for discounted horseback riding for 2 of us (also highly recommended), for admission to Waimea Falls (we loved swimming in the waterfall), for admission to the Pearl Harbor museums and audio tour headsets, for snorkeling at Hanuama Bay (loved this- highly recommend) and for the train ride and maze at the Dole Pineapple Plantation (this is the only activity I would not do again). We also hiked Diamond Head (amazing views) and Makapu'u Lighthouse, hit Turtle Beach and saw two sea turtles sunning on the beach (a highlight for my girls), ate at Giovanni's shrimp truck in Haleiwa and hit Morimoto's for the best shave ice I've ever had, spent some time lounging at the beach at Waikiki, ate fresh malsadas from Leonard's bakery, and hit the swap meet at the Aloha bowl for cheap souvenirs. Did I mention we had a fabulous time?

I hope this helps. Have fun planning!

 

[DisneyMandC]

We spent a week and a half on Oahu in June and LOVED our vacation! We rented a condo in Waikiki at the Ilikai and it was freshly renovated, very nice, and convenient. We ate breakfast in the condo (I recommend grocery shopping at Walmart) and found some reasonable places to eat in Waikiki most evenings. We enjoyed eating at a coffee shop that was within easy walking distance of our hotel. We also ate at the snack bar at the Hale Koa twice (very reasonable prices) and at a couple of different restaurants at the Ala Moana mall which was very close to our hotel. Everyone talks about how expensive the food is in Hawaii but honestly, we didn't find it any worse than most resort destinations, including WDW. We used the car rental place recommended in another post here (discounthawaiicarrental) and we paid less than $400 for a 7 passenger vehicle (Hyundai Santa Fe) and had the car during our entire trip. We purchased the GoOahu cards in advance and felt they were a good value for us but I did do a lot of planning in order to maximize the value of them for us. I bought the cards from Costco and received 4 days for the price of what the GoOahu website charges for just 3 days. We used the cards to take a 2 hour Catamaran sail, for admission to the Polynesian Cultural Center including the luau and the Breath of Ha show, for the jungle tours at Kualoa ranch for 4 of us (highly recommend) and for discounted horseback riding for 2 of us (also highly recommended), for admission to Waimea Falls (we loved swimming in the waterfall), for admission to the Pearl Harbor museums and audio tour headsets, for snorkeling at Hanuama Bay (loved this- highly recommend) and for the train ride and maze at the Dole Pineapple Plantation (this is the only activity I would not do again). We also hiked Diamond Head (amazing views) and Makapu'u Lighthouse, hit Turtle Beach and saw two sea turtles sunning on the beach (a highlight for my girls), ate at Giovanni's shrimp truck in Haleiwa and hit Morimoto's for the best shave ice I've ever had, spent some time lounging at the beach at Waikiki, ate fresh malsadas from Leonard's bakery, and hit the swap meet at the Aloha bowl for cheap souvenirs. Did I mention we had a fabulous time?

I hope this helps. Have fun planning!

This reminded me of several things I forgot from our trip! Definitely recommend eating at Giovanni's shrimp truck! We also ate at Morimotos for lunch one day. Pricey, but delicious if you're a "foodie" type person. Our favorite restaurant while we were was Nico's Pier 38. It's been featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on Food Network. AMAZING! I think we ate there two or three times, it was so good.

Hanauma Bay is a must do as well!

 

[Patience]

This reminded me of several things I forgot from our trip! Definitely recommend eating at Giovanni's shrimp truck! We also ate at Morimotos for lunch one day. Pricey, but delicious if you're a "foodie" type person. Our favorite restaurant while we were was Nico's Pier 38. It's been featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on Food Network. AMAZING! I think we ate there two or three times, it was so good.

Hanauma Bay is a must do as well!

Oops, I meant we had shave ice at Matsumoto's in Haleiwa, not Morimoto's. I heard that Morimoto's is very good but we didn't get to try it.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Been to Honolulu twice. Both times during the month of February, Presidents week, and the weather was perfect! We're DVC members so both times stayed @ Aulani. As far as airfare, we lived on West Coast at the time and flew out of SFO. The first time we traveled, we really scored on tickets, $371. The last time I'm not certain of cost but no where near that, guessing....probably high $600's. That was on United. We always rent a car, husband insists on it. He likes to go where he wants to when he wants to. We did Pearl Harbor once, not thru a tour, on our own, including the Arizona Memorial which is a must. My advice if you're driving, get there very early and preferably before the buses arrive. Parking is extremely limited and traffic (at least heading from Oahu to HNL) in the morning is a commuters nightmare. We leave Aulani before 6 a.m. We drove to the North Shore. Visited the Dole Plantation. We didn't buy any pineapples, I remember them being very expensive. You can go to any local supermarket or even pass a stand on the road and get one much cheaper. Went to Matsumoto's. You know you're getting close when you hit all the traffic and see cars parking a far way out. I recommend Leonard's Bakery in downtown HNL. Long lines and again, very limited parking. My husband hiked Diamond's Head, my daughter didn't want to go so we stayed at the hotel. When my husband returned to hotel, he had stopped at Leonard's Bakery AGAIN! Every hotel staff commented when they see us walking around with that pink box. I know plane hopping to other islands, especially Maui, is a popular thing to do. We didn't do it, priced it out, I think it was around $400 per person and this is going back about 4 years. We did a luau once, it was nice/beautiful setting, but didn't care for the food. Don't remember which one we went to. I think Germaine's is popular. There's an Aulani thread here on the disboards, you can get a lot of information there. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Patience]

Looking back over this thread, I see you were asking about airfare. We live on the east coast and we paid $850 per person for round trip air on United. I hate United airlines but with 6 people traveling, I needed low cost airfare. I think anything under $1000 per person for round trip from the east coast is pretty good. I checked the websites often and ended up finding our airfare at 3:00 am one night when I couldn't sleep.

 

[badiggio]

We've been to Oahu 3 times in the last 3years{jan sept and feb ,January being the best time,feb the worst for rain} and everytime we've stayed at Ko OLINA beach villas.It's right next to aulani.We've always rented{vrbo} a 2 bedroom condo and split with another couple .Big beautiful,new high tech appliances,1200-1500 sq ft,security.Can't wait to go back again.we've also always used United and travelled from Ottawa,canada for about 700 Canadian.From here it was the fastest and cheapest,with a connection in Washington or ohare{better}.

 

[scrappydew]

We were lucky enough to get tickets for $650 a person. Feel free to check out my trip report for our experiences! I'd love to go back.

 

[bearzabout]

A good price is $650 out of Chicago. A typical fair price is $850 out of the midwest. We spend a week on a few different islands so we fly in and out of different islands which saves money on interisland flights.

We always rent a car. We like to find a condo that is close to the action (Waikiki) that includes free parking. Parking can be expensive. We like Maui the best, then the Big island then Oahu. Oahu is great but crowded with traffic issues. If you want a more relaxing trip, choose a different island.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm actually headed to Oahu in a few weeks flying Delta. It was a bit over $900RT from KCI though it was as low as just over $800 RT we just weren't ready to book the tickets yet and missed out . Our flights are 1 stop there, 2 stops on the way back flying out on a Monday and leaving the next Tuesday though originally we were planning on leaving on Tuesday still coming back the next Tuesday. We're using pts for one of the tickets so it complicated things a bit.

We're staying at Makaha Beach Condos rented through Trip Advisor FlipKey for a week but the first night we're staying at a hotel for just over $100 taxes/fees incl right by the airport (which was over a 50% savings) since we won't be getting in til nearly 10pm which is too late to arrange to pick up the keys from the owner of the condo.

We'll be getting a rental car too and do plan on going to Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation and a day visit to Aulani though our main reason is for relaxation thus why we rented in a residental gated neighborhood with the condo being directly on a low-key beach away from Waikiki.

I would suggest looking up busy times for traffic if staying on Oahu. The owner of our condo mentioned this to a previous renter who complained about the traffic: "My advice regarding the traffic: do not drive during "rush hour" (from 3:30 to 6:30 pm). Traffic can be a nightmare, especially in Honolulu/Waikiki areas (which is one of the worst traffic congestions in the nation, next to LA)."

The owner also said this: "The huge waves start the month of November through January, as everyone knows, this is when the surfing competitions start in the North Shore and at Makaha Beach. Surfers from all over the world visit Oahu during the winter season, to ride and admire the huge waves." So depending on when you are going and which part of Oahu you are staying at you would want to be aware of the ocean conditions.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We flew from San Fran to Honolulu had 2 nights there did pearl harbour which was fantastic. Then we boarded the NCL Pride of America for a weeks cruise of the Hawaain Islands. Omg it was fantastic! We saw several islands, did the tours. The movie tour was great. Saw the place where they filmed Blue Hawaii , Jurassic park etc. We loved that cruise! I would do it again the Islands are breathtaking. I think it's the only US registered ship that can do this cruise. Can't recommend it enough. One of the highlights of my life.