For the light. Unless it's changed recently, part of the hike involves climbing a spiral staircase inside and it's pitch dark. Not many people have flashlights, though. So make sure you bring one. The hike is well worth it too.
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Honeymoon in Hawaii!
- Thread starter rick snagwell
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For the light. Unless it's changed recently, part of the hike involves climbing a spiral staircase inside and it's pitch dark. Not many people have flashlights, though. So make sure you bring one. The hike is well worth it too.
don't forget the 'Live Aloha' bumper sticker to bring home.
second that. first trip for me, i lucked out and followed someone who had a flashlight, never made that mistake again.
so WHEN you do the road to Hana, you MUST stop and see the black sand beach. like no other i've ever run across. my whole thing with the road is when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. beautiful, amazing waterfalls (there used to be one that you could walk up the stream and stand under the fall about half way to Hana), and can be done round trip in a day. might be a long day depending on stops/traffic, but definitely do-able.
so nothing to do with recommendations, but ran across 22 Things you might not know about Hawaii. good to know what you're getting into, or at least whats going on around you when your there. best bit is;
you'll be humming "humuhumu nukunuku apu a'a" all afternoon...
second that. first trip for me, i lucked out and followed someone who had a flashlight, never made that mistake again.
so WHEN you do the road to Hana, you MUST stop and see the black sand beach. like no other i've ever run across. my whole thing with the road is when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. beautiful, amazing waterfalls (there used to be one that you could walk up the stream and stand under the fall about half way to Hana), and can be done round trip in a day. might be a long day depending on stops/traffic, but definitely do-able.
so nothing to do with recommendations, but ran across 22 Things you might not know about Hawaii. good to know what you're getting into, or at least whats going on around you when your there. best bit is;
you'll be humming "humuhumu nukunuku apu a'a" all afternoon...
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Congrats Rick! I didn't know you were getting married. Have a great trip. I've only been to Hawaii once and it was like 30 years ago when I was child. I do remember that Pearl Harbor is awesome. The water everywhere is beautiful and going to a traditional luau complete with fire dancers and everything is super fun despite likely being the "tourist" thing to do.
One suggestion I would make is to talk with each other clearly about expectations and schedule. Try to balance things out where you have busy time and down time. You want to enjoy the trip as opposed to running crazy wearing yourself out because you want to get everything done despite your limited time frame. Don't stress yourself out on your own honeymoon.
All the best sir!
One suggestion I would make is to talk with each other clearly about expectations and schedule. Try to balance things out where you have busy time and down time. You want to enjoy the trip as opposed to running crazy wearing yourself out because you want to get everything done despite your limited time frame. Don't stress yourself out on your own honeymoon.
All the best sir!
On the North Shore, they have shrimp and prawn farms. The owners have "food trucks" all along the road (there are about 6 or 7). They are worth the time to wait in line. The red one was my favorite.
In addition, there are some incredible restaurants in Chinatown (I'm not sure if that's what it is called, but there are Korean, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and others that are to die for.) They aren't too far from Waikiki (easily within cab distance). While there, be sure to check out the asian markets.
Speaking of markets, you probably should check out the International Marketplace.
In addition, there are some incredible restaurants in Chinatown (I'm not sure if that's what it is called, but there are Korean, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and others that are to die for.) They aren't too far from Waikiki (easily within cab distance). While there, be sure to check out the asian markets.
Speaking of markets, you probably should check out the International Marketplace.
Oh, yeah. I went back to Waikiki a couple of years ago, after not having been there since I was a little kid. I thought I'd hate it, but we had a good time. Going for a destination wedding at the Royal Hawaiian with 50-60 of our friends certainly didn't hurt!
If you like Japanese food, you'll eat pretty well in Honolulu. Marukame Udon for noodles (the long wait in line with all the Japanese tourists is worth it), Irifune Restaurant for reasonably priced Japanese/Hawaiian fare, Sushi Izakaya Kagu for higher-end sushi and izakaya. If you like donuts, you must go get malasadas at Leonard's. For local Hawaiian fare, it doesn't get better than Helena's. Eat lots of poké and other seafood it all tastes so much fresher and better than it does on the mainland.
I think it's worth it to rent a car if you're spending five days in Honolulu. So many beaches and other natural attractions outside of the city. The Byodo-in Temple is well worth the drive beautiful and serene.
Kauai is my favorite island, but the north shore of Oahu is well worth checking out. Should be pretty mellow in the late summer / early fall, winter is the high surfing season there.
For coffee, I've been pleased with Honolulu Coffee Company. Pure Kona oh, yeah!
If you like Japanese food, you'll eat pretty well in Honolulu. Marukame Udon for noodles (the long wait in line with all the Japanese tourists is worth it), Irifune Restaurant for reasonably priced Japanese/Hawaiian fare, Sushi Izakaya Kagu for higher-end sushi and izakaya. If you like donuts, you must go get malasadas at Leonard's. For local Hawaiian fare, it doesn't get better than Helena's. Eat lots of poké and other seafood it all tastes so much fresher and better than it does on the mainland.
I think it's worth it to rent a car if you're spending five days in Honolulu. So many beaches and other natural attractions outside of the city. The Byodo-in Temple is well worth the drive beautiful and serene.
Kauai is my favorite island, but the north shore of Oahu is well worth checking out. Should be pretty mellow in the late summer / early fall, winter is the high surfing season there.
For coffee, I've been pleased with Honolulu Coffee Company. Pure Kona oh, yeah!
On Maui:
In general:
- Sunrise at Haleakala, bike down if you want (the ride up is done EARLY in the morning, lots of twists and turns, I had some motion sickness)
- Go snorkeling at Molokini, we went with a company called Trilogy (they take less people per trip than some other companies, and it's a catamaran instead of some boring metal ferry)
- I cannot stress this enough... I don't know the names of them, but they are all over the place, in little strip malls, etc. Hole-in-the-wall korean barbecue takeout restaurants. You can get awesome lunches with kalbi (google it if you have no idea what this is), rice, and some side dishes... or you can order kalbi to go, in bulk, which you can cook yourself.
- Road to Hana, already mentioned (Seven Pools or whatever it's called, etc.).
In general:
- Buy your own snorkeling gear on the mainland and take it there if you can help it... it will probably fit better and you'll save some money if you do it enough.
- Splurge and get a convertible, why not? If you're going to do the Road to Hana and you choose to go all the way around the west side of the island, you might need 4WD... I remember it getting bumpy in a few places. When my wife and I went, we rented a Jeep Wrangler so had the best of both worlds.
- Try the poi. Yeah, it's yellow or purple and looks pasty... but I liked it a lot. Think of starchier, more liquidy mashed potatoes. We were warned off it by people before our trip, so it's totally different from person to person... but I really liked it.
- Eat fish. Don't eat steak. The fish is so fresh, and some varieties you will not find anywhere on the mainland... and if you do, it's frozen. I'm not a fish person, but I made it a point to eat as much fish as I could. I've never had better fish since.
- There's a place in Maalea called the Maalea Waterfront Restaurant, I think. Anyways, they have a preparation for fish called 'en Bastile'. Basically, they wrap the fish in shoestring cut potatoes, then deep fry it. Fish comes out really moist, and the potato crust is a really nice contrast. The restaurant itself is relatively expensive (think around $30 per entree), but we enjoyed it so much, we went back towards the end of our honeymoon.
we are packing our own snorkeling gear (we live in san diego). and good info on food, can't wait!
thanks for all the info everyone, i just printed the whole thread and will go over it while in the air!
fyi. its all lit up now, no need for a light of your own.
in maui now! thanks again for all the advice!
wish i was there, but not right there. like just around the corner.
congrats to you both. hope it was everything that you were hoping for and a life time of good memories.
that, and i hope you got a big ass salad from Hawaiian Moons.
congrats to you both. hope it was everything that you were hoping for and a life time of good memories.
that, and i hope you got a big ass salad from Hawaiian Moons.
hey guys, i took a time lapse of the sunset the other day, 169 photos. can anyone point me to a animated GIF maker for osx?
i googled a little bit, but found PC stuff, and linux based software.
thanks!
i googled a little bit, but found PC stuff, and linux based software.
thanks!