The Shrink goes to Hawaii

[The Shrink]

PFA has never led me astray for travel advice so I'd like to get tips on planning a trip to Hawaii. I recently won a trip valued at about $3500 in one of those charity lotteries. Biggest thing I've ever won in a draw. They had a default itinerary but we can change it to whatever we want and pay extra (which is what we'll do).

A few things about our trip:
-we're going in April or early May
-it's just me and Mrs. Shrink
-we'd like to venture outside a resort and explore a bit
-we plan to stay 10-12 days

A few questions:
-which islands are must-sees?
-in 10-12 days how many islands should we try to hit?
-is a car rental recommended?
-will I see Dog the Bounty Hunter?
-is Pearl Harbor worth checking out?
-should I eat poi?

Thank you, and mahalo.

[tigerpiper]

I've only been to the big island and it is stunning. I could spend two weeks there again, anytime. I'm sure the other islands have allure, too. I'm told inter-island flights are not much of a hassle security wise, if you choose to go to more than one island.

Snorkeling/diving is tops ever for me. Do it if you like these activities at all. No need to rent a boat on the big island- simply wade out into bath warm water to see turtles, huge fish, coral etc. Tour books will identify scores of spots to do this up an down the coast.

You need to rent a car.

Poi is like grits- no taste, meh. Taste it if you want, but its nothing more than liquid cardboard. Kava, on the other hand, is a local food item I kind of liked. Very mild druggy drink- like very mild weed, maybe. Relaxing. Great to drink a bowl before a massage.

Other food is spectacular- poke (this is basically sushi in salad form), coffee, fresh produce all top top. Sushi or anything from the sea awesome, too.

[Mintjewlips]

I hear the meth is pretty good over there.....if you're into that stuff....

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

hey shrink, enjoy the trip man...

been out there and went for a couple of weeks and went to Kauai (western most island) and maui…

here are my suggestions:
*if you are only going for 10-12 days, only go to 2 islands or you won't get to enjoy shit...
*if you want to explore, definitely get a car...I didn't at either spot when I was out there and didn't go out exploring, but you need a car if you want to do that...
*Kauai and maui are definitely two different spots...Kauai was much less commercial than maui...I enjoyed both because it's fucking Hawaii, but i'd suggest Kauai on your travels...
*if you are a fan of sushi, definitely get poke when you are out there...best ive ever had...

[gauchojake]

Pearl Harbor is definitely worth going to. Make a reservation for the monument.
Oahu is tourist-y but there are some great things about the island. Shark's cove on the North Shore is a cool place to snorkel.
I have found Maui to be the island where locals are least friendly. Actually it's usually white guys who moved there and act like dicks. Beautiful island but I don't go there very often for the reason stated earlier.
Kauai is a must. Amazing little island. Great people.
Big Island is one of my favorite places but there are people who just don't like it. There's a lot to do. Volcanoes national park is out I guess.

[Dan Druff]

You can hit 3 islands in that time. It's not hard to jump on planes between islands, as security lines aren't long and the flights are like 20 minutes.

You want a car at all places.

Best snorkeling I found in Hawaii was at the Hapuna Prince hotel on the big island. You even get to swim with giant sea turtles! From what I saw, they don't seem to notice or give a shit if you're actually staying there, and you can walk right through to use their beach. It's a nice hotel, though, and good value for the money, at least back a few years ago when I stayed there. Volcanoes National Park should be interesting to see since they had that recent eruption. Maybe try to go find the neighborhood which got destroyed by lava, if that's accessible. You can also drive to the top of Mauna Kea and see SNOW (well, maybe or maybe not in April), which is at 13,700 feet. The drive is easy.

On Maui, take the famous road to Hana for a scenic drive. Don't be scared by the descriptions of it being treacherous or dangerous. It's not. Just take it slowly. You can also drive up to a mountain there called Haleakala, which makes you feel like you're on another planet, since it's dry and rocky.

If you go to either Maui or the big island, you will want to bring a jacket, in case you choose to drive up to those mountains, where it gets windy and cold!

Kauai is beautiful but small. You can cover it pretty quickly. There's actually a canyon there which looks a lot like the Grand Canyon (obviously smaller), and is worth seeing. In Lihue, there's the dual waterfall which was featured in the opening credits of Fantasy Island:



Unless you want to just relax on the beach, though, I wouldn't book too many days in Kauai.

Oahu is the populous part of the island, and Honolulu will remind you of any American big city -- except it has a beach. It's also the most touristy of the islands. Haunama Bay has good snorkeling, but it can be crowded, and you want to go early in the morning or the fish tend to disappear. Hiking up to Diamondhead (not too hard for anyone in average shape or better) will reward you with a great view of the Honolulu area. If you take the Pali Highway out of Honolulu, you can stop at the Pali Lookout briefly, which is very scenic. For another great view of Honolulu and the coast, go up Tantalus Road. The North Shore has the famous huge waves. I wouldn't recommend swimming or surfing there, but it can be interesting to see, especially if the waves are giant and the surfers are out. That area of the island is also a lot more mellow (and cheaper). Pearl Harbor is interesting to see, though as someone else said, you need to make reservations far in advance. Oahu can have some brutal traffic congestion, so if that stresses you out, maybe you want to avoid it.

Regarding where to stay, you really need to shop around, check Tripadvisor reviews, and after you book, keep checking back on the prices. Do not book anything you can't cancel, as prices are known to fall sometimes as you get closer to the date you stay, and you want to be able to re-rate your reservation by calling in. In 2015, my last time there, the rates changed so drastically between booking time and the day of the trip that I was able to get a beautiful suite for about the same price I originally was going to pay for a regular room. Also beware of supposed "deals" and "packages" which seem like a good deal on the surface, but are often more expensive than buying each item individually! There is a wide variance in price and value in Hawaii, where you can end up staying in a mediocre place in a mediocre room and paying a fortune, or you can end up with a killer deal, or something in between. Some of this is luck, some of this comes from diligence, and some of this comes from shopping around. For example, in both Maui and the big lsland, I got a large, beautiful suite with a great view at a well-rated hotel for like $330 per night. However, if asked to duplicate this today, I probably couldn't.

Since you'll have a car, try venturing out and eating at the non-touristy places. However, the only place I'd caution against that is in some of the small towns on the big island (the ones not frequented by tourists), as they tend to dislike outsiders.

Have fun. I would like to go back there again in not too long. Hopefully I'll be able to get over my psychological issues and be able to fly again at some point.

[The Shrink]

Hopefully I'll be able to get over my psychological issues and be able to fly again at some point.

Great advice, thanks. We have to book through a specific travel agent because of the terms of the prize so I don't think we can book and monitor price changes in hotel rates.

I'm available for free therapy.

[abrown83]

PFA has never led me astray for travel advice so I'd like to get tips on planning a trip to Hawaii. I recently won a trip valued at about $3500 in one of those charity lotteries. Biggest thing I've ever won in a draw. They had a default itinerary but we can change it to whatever we want and pay extra (which is what we'll do).

A few things about our trip:
-we're going in April or early May
-it's just me and Mrs. Shrink
-we'd like to venture outside a resort and explore a bit
-we plan to stay 10-12 days

A few questions:
-which islands are must-sees?
-in 10-12 days how many islands should we try to hit?
-is a car rental recommended?
-will I see Dog the Bounty Hunter?
-is Pearl Harbor worth checking out?
-should I eat poi?

Thank you, and mahalo.

I would vote Oahu and Maui...

Absolute Requirements:

Pearl Harbor (you have to do some planning to deal with all the tour buses, I did Arizona and Missouri on different days)
North Shore
Road to Hana

Cool Stuff:

Polynesian Cultural Center
Dole Plantation
South Shore Drive on Oahu
Diamond Head Hike
Sea Turtle / Dolphin Swims in open water
Luau (would recommend doing one on Maui)


Things I would Skip:

Royal Palace


I would approach it by spending the first 5-6 days in Oahu doing all the tourist stuff.

Then spend the next 5-6 days in Lahaina, doing way less tourist stuff and spending some time relaxing.

It gives you a nice rush of tourist stuff and then at the end the ability to just enjoy the beach and Hawaii weather.