Hawaii

A bunch of ppl have been asking me about our trip to Hawaii - where did you stay? how many days? what to see? which island?etc etc. We visited Hawaii during the last week of may/ first week of June for a week.the best part of travelling to Hawaii is not just colorful flip flops but you can go there anytime of the year -beautiful weather!.

The state of Hawaii basically encompasses thousands of islands, an archipelago, but there are only six prominent islands that are the vacation spots. Kauai, Oahu,Molokai, Lanai, Maui and the big island. The big island is called Hawaii. I have hardly heard people say they went to Kauai or Molokai exclusively but of course if you happen to be in the real housewives of Beverly hills you may own a piece of land there. Oahu, Maui and Hawaii are the most popular destinations and I would say the safe options. If you live in LA or Florida, and you think going to Hawaii is not a good idea because beaches look the same everywhere, let me tell you will be awfully shocked. Being vegetarians (which means no sea food) and not a big fan of water sports either, i still managed to have a great time. The options are plenty.

Oahu - Oahu is the third largest island and is home to the popular Waikiki beach and Honolulu city. The south shore of Oahu is just like any other american city. Traffic, road signs, taco bell and the likes. You do not see the beach until you reach Waikiki and the drives are ordinary. Once you reach Waikiki, it becomes Florida. Hotel chains & a crowded beach. If you plan to go to Oahu and want a 'safe' option - stay here. You get plenty of good hotels and deals, you have ducky tours, numerous dining options and oh,you are sure to bump into someone you know. On the contrary, the north shore is just out of NatGeo. Once you hit the famous Kamehameha highway, it is one of the most scenic drives ever. Imagine a mountain to your right and an ocean to the left in every possible shade of blue,green and silver.

The good/bad? part is, there is just one resort in the entire North Shore - The turtle bay. No inns,lodges,motels. Just Turtle Bay. I think they own most part of the the North shore. The turtle bay resort is where we stayed and for once, it was worth the $$$. It IS on the higher side, BUT if you plan a few months earlier, you can get some kickass deals. ( flight + car rental + resort). This resort basically has everything from horse riding along the shore, kayaking, helicopter rides, snorkeling, gyms/hot tubs/ yada yada. It is so self sufficient that for the price you pay, you ought to spend at least 2 days just in the resort. They have a couple of expensive restaurants. We tried an elaborate breakfast and our anniversary dinner there..but for rest of the meals we were out sight seeing and managed to find something. Also, they rent scooters - so you can bike 20 mins and reach the closest pizza hut. We were there for a week so i pretty much stocked up bread,cereal ..the essentials from 7/11.

Things to see in Oahu: If you are a fan of LOST, turtle bay owns the shooting spot. You can have a picnic , kayak or wait on the sands to see if jack turns up.:).

Hanauma Bay- The best ocean view and the best place to snorkel. They sell snorkeling gears and take care of your belongings. It is a lovely experience. Seeing colourful reefs and fishes live under the ocean is not something you do often.So do not miss it. I don't know how to swim and i still managed to snorkel in 5-8ft of water just to see Nemo.

Diamond head crater - Hike, Bike & scenic views.

Dole Pineapple Plantation - Oahu is the place for pineapples!.

Polynesian Cultural center - Get those tickets from their website for good deals. You need a day here.

Waikiki beach - for the check mark.

Pearl Harbour - Same as above. Nothing spectacular.

Japanese temple - Brilliant, esp the scenery

There are numerous bus tours which covers the vista points, tourist attractions and drops you off at Waikiki. I would suggest taking this bus and finish them off on your last day.

If you plan to spend more than 4 days, do visit another island. You can buy tickets on the same day and they are inexpensive. The flight is probably not more than an hr. We went to the big island just to view the active volcanoes. We thought it would be great to see orange lava flowing into the ocean, the crater, fumes etc. Once reaching there, we were told that the lava flow changes everyday and was inaccessible because of extreme wind. However, you can pay $$$ for a helicopter ride in the night and you can see the florescent orange. We decided to skip it. The day in Hawaii was just about the volcanoes, the gases, crater ( a really massive one) and a couple of scenic points. We would have rather gone to Maui (they have the best snorkeling) but we have never seen craters..and black sand beaches & we didn't want to carry our bathing suits again!.

The local people are extremely friendly, ever smiling (because of the weather?) and their lifestyle is so different from mainland america that you might think you are in a different country all together. If you love sea food, this is the best place & yelp has some really good reviews on the best 'fish kadai'. If you have plenty of time, request the Hawaii brochure from gohawaii.com and you get a book that tells you everything about the islands.

I highly recommend turtle bay resort ( their panacotta as well) if you plan to go to Oahu. The fishing village that dot the north shores are home to wonderful shopping as well - trinkets, colorful summer dresses and cute souvenirs. Hawaii is the place for Macademia nuts ,coconuts & pineapples. If you are in the adventurous mood, don't hesitate to try the gazillion desserts that are made from these.

Questions are welcome :-)