Hawaii?
 

Anybody here ever been to Hawaii on vacation? What did you think? Was it everything you dreamed of? Would you go back? Which islands would be the best? (Probably subjective) Is it really expensive?

My wife and I are working really hard on getting all of our debt (excluding house) paid off in the next couple of years, and as a reward, I want to be able to take my family on a nice Hawaiian vacation within the next few years. I'm going to start saving right away, because I want as little of this trip on credit as possible. At the same time, I want it to be a nice vacation and I want us to experience as much (good stuff) as possible on the trip!

So, any info would be nice! The Metalskins family hasn't been on a decent vacation since 2013.

Re: Hawaii?
 

Can give you a lot of info on it...

My wife's family is from there and I was lucky enough to visit a bunch of times.

#1: It is absolutely what you expect it to be. It is freaking gorgeous.

#2: You'll likely be flying into Honolulu. Basically all of Hawaii is amazing, but Oahu, specifically Honolulu is super touristy. Worth seeing, but don't spend too much time there. If you're going to stay on Oahu, definitely head over to Kailua. At one point it was named the best beach in the world:

[IMG]http://www.to-hawaii.com/oahu/beaches/images/kailuabeach/view_to_kailua_bay.jpg[/IMG]

#3: You can easily island hop for not much money. My wife and I fight over this, but she prefers Kauai for the authentic Hawaiian experience. It's small and really rural. Definitely gorgeous, but I like more to do, so I prefer Maui. I think Maui is a good combination of Oahu and Kauai.

#4: Get a Loko Moco. It's fatty, delicious and will add 2-3 pounds on you:

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5186/5696843433_bfe3fb9178_b.jpg[/IMG]

Out of all of my favorite Hawaiian dishes, I love that the most. Also, I'm guessing you're renting a car, so if you do, just drive around. You can basically drive the perimeter of all the islands (not sure about the Big Island) in a day. There's always some kind of awesome food truck or restaurant to stop at.

If you do Maui, this is a must-do: [url=http://www.bikemaui.com/]Maui Bike Tours | Downhill Bike & Rentals in Maui, Hawaii[/url]

They pick you up at like 4am and then you bike down the volcano. By bike, I really mean just roll since it's all downhill.

If you end up going during football season, it's so freaking awesome to watch a football game at like 7-8am. I remember the first time I got to watch a game (the Giants game where Cruz burned us on the last play) and I was like, "Hrmmm, is it OK to drink this early?" and I look around and everyone had pitchers on their tables with pancakes.

Feel free to PM me because I have a ton more if you're interested...

Re: Hawaii?
 

Now I totally want to go to Hawaii right this second.

Ive heard its a lil expensive, family went last year.

Re: Hawaii?
 

It's expensive and the flight is long as hell but just so amazing.

No lie, trying really hard to find a job and move out there. Everyone is super cool and everything just laid back. Problem is real estate is fucking bananas. My wife's grandma's house is 1200 sq ft., 1960s style... Worth $1.2 mil I believe because it's two blocks from the beach.

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;1165237]It's expensive and the flight is long as hell but just so amazing.

No lie, trying really hard to find a job and move out there. Everyone is super cool and everything just laid back. Problem is real estate is fucking bananas. My wife's grandma's house is 1200 sq ft., 1960s style... Worth $1.2 mil I believe because it's two blocks from the beach.[/quote]

This is too funny because my good friend who travels for work (Phillip Morris) use to go to Hawaii for work...seriously...and he fell in love with it. He and his wife planned for like 5 years...saving and looking to move there, actually putting off having children. They finally said eff it a couple years ago...to much bullshit. they have 2 kids now and settled.

Re: Hawaii?
 

I can TOTALLY see that happening...

It's a desirable place to live so I imagine the best-of-the-best don't mind taking huge pay cuts to go there and do their jobs.

Re: Hawaii?
 

Malcolm. I'm going to PM you some questions on it. This is one vacation that I have, personally, been wanting to take for a long time, but I know it's one that my wife would kill to go on. Well, it's between this and heading back to Italy, but I'm a beach guy and feel like Hawaii is a place I'd want to visit sooner as opposed to much later in life.

And that dish looks freakin' awesome!

I don't know if I would ever move out there. I do work in IT, but they'd have to pay me a lot more than I'm making now if I'm going to spend about a cool Mil on a house!

Re: Hawaii?
 

Well, if you move to the Big Island the real estate prices are actually really reasonable. You've probably picked up that I'm in IT too. Tons of jobs in the hospitality market, but it seems to be kind of shitty employers. I'm a higher ed guy, so unless something opens up at UH there, it probably isn't going to work out for me.

All this being said, if you're wanting a beach and Hawaii isn't a must-do, we went here in September:

[IMG]http://delsolphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Jeanne+Mike_W_SS_0003.jpg[/IMG]

Excellence Riviera Cancun. Was easily my favorite vacation of all time. Our goal was to stay at the resort and do absolutely nothing. Mission accomplished. There's tons of stuff to do if you insist on leaving, but our goal was to drink and eat our faces off.

They have a full open bar in your room restocked daily. 7 (?) sit-down gourmet restaurants with no reservations required. Sometimes we ate two dinners a night. This was $2600 for two people direct out of Richmond. You're mentioning family, so this might not be an option since it's adults-only.

If you knew me personally, you'd know I hate going to the same place twice, and I would go to Excellence every year if I could. It was that good.

Re: Hawaii?
 

Just was in Kauai, HI in October. We wanted to go to a bunch of different islands, but only really had 8-10 days and were told that would probably be too short to really enjoy more than one.

So we settled on Kauai, "The Garden Isle," and wow was it incredible. If you do end up going to Kauai, I can only really comment on what I ended up doing.

1) Do the ATV tour. I did Kipu ranch ATV tour and it was absolutely breathtaking. [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQd7TeHXaPU[/url]

2) Hike the Na Pali cost. I mean where else are you going to get this view?

[IMG]http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/sites/default/files/field/image/06072.jpg[/IMG]

3) Go to Hanalei Bay. Great waves and surfing if you are into it. You can rent a long board from one of the local towns and they are pretty easy to get up on. Be careful tho, I busted my nose up pretty bad- those waves are no joke.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdWxfnXLOA8[/url]


Finally, to answer your question; Yes I would absolutely go back. I got engaged while I was out there, and we plan on making it back in the next few years. If you need any ideas for good places in Kauai to see or restaurants to eat PM me and I'll send you over our itinerary.

Final note: This is the picture I took from where I watched the Redskins Ravens game this year (7am local time) Not a bad place to celebrate a win.
[url=http://imgur.com/a/59ti4]Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet[/url]

Re: Hawaii?
 

The wife and I haven't had a real vacation in about four years, and we won't be able to do this THIS year, but this trip is something we have been wanting to do for awhile. We always joke about wanting to move to Hawaii, but some people have told me that they generally pay a lot less for IT professionals than what the mainland would. I found that very interesting. I suppose what one would need to do is to land an IT job where it can be 100% remote so that you're getting paid top dollar, and then move to Hawaii.

I don't think my community college on the east coast would be willing to let me work THAT much remotely. They don't mind if I work from home, but seeing as how wild it is at my house when my son is home from wee school, I would rather be onsite, LOL! Although, we do/did have one guy who works remotely from Australia, but I have no idea what he does. I know he's not in IT.

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;1165248]Well, if you move to the Big Island the real estate prices are actually really reasonable. You've probably picked up that I'm in IT too. Tons of jobs in the hospitality market, but it seems to be kind of shitty employers. I'm a higher ed guy, so unless something opens up at UH there, it probably isn't going to work out for me.

All this being said, if you're wanting a beach and Hawaii isn't a must-do, we went here in September:

[IMG]http://delsolphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Jeanne+Mike_W_SS_0003.jpg[/IMG]

Excellence Riviera Cancun. Was easily my favorite vacation of all time. Our goal was to stay at the resort and do absolutely nothing. Mission accomplished. There's tons of stuff to do if you insist on leaving, but our goal was to drink and eat our faces off.

They have a full open bar in your room restocked daily. 7 (?) sit-down gourmet restaurants with no reservations required. Sometimes we ate two dinners a night. This was $2600 for two people direct out of Richmond. You're mentioning family, so this might not be an option since it's adults-only.

If you knew me personally, you'd know I hate going to the same place twice, and I would go to Excellence every year if I could. It was that good.[/quote]

That site looks breath-taking!!!

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=RobH4413;1165257]Just was in Kauai, HI in October. We wanted to go to a bunch of different islands, but only really had 8-10 days and were told that would probably be too short to really enjoy more than one.

So we settled on Kauai, "The Garden Isle," and wow was it incredible. If you do end up going to Kauai, I can only really comment on what I ended up doing.

1) Do the ATV tour. I did Kipu ranch ATV tour and it was absolutely breathtaking. [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQd7TeHXaPU[/url]

2) Hike the Na Pali cost. I mean where else are you going to get this view?

[IMG]http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/sites/default/files/field/image/06072.jpg[/IMG]

3) Go to Hanalei Bay. Great waves and surfing if you are into it. You can rent a long board from one of the local towns and they are pretty easy to get up on. Be careful tho, I busted my nose up pretty bad- those waves are no joke.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdWxfnXLOA8[/url]


Finally, to answer your question; Yes I would absolutely go back. I got engaged while I was out there, and we plan on making it back in the next few years. If you need any ideas for good places in Kauai to see or restaurants to eat PM me and I'll send you over our itinerary.

Final note: This is the picture I took from where I watched the Redskins Ravens game this year (7am local time) Not a bad place to celebrate a win.
[url=http://imgur.com/a/59ti4]Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet[/url][/quote]

If I moved to Hawaii, I would love to have a view where on one side of the house is ocean front, and then on the other side is the mountainous view! Hawaii seems to be the only place I know of where you can actually have this type of view. Best of both worlds! My wife is a huge snow lover. I know on the Big Island, you can go up the mountain where all the snow is, and then go back down the mountain and then sun-bath out next to the ocean. Best of both worlds!

Re: Hawaii?
 

Would love to know how the Big Island is. That's the only one we haven't been to, but people seem to love it.

Re: Hawaii?
 

I have some family on the big island, snokerling in a laguana was the coolest thing I did there. We would stay with my aunt and uncle who had a tiny house far from the beaches and cool things to do so I didnt really get to experience the big island as a teenager. When my aunt or uncle got off work, they would take us to waterfalls, etc. All the things you expect from Hawaii.

Kauai was awesome bc I got to do touristy stuff like picking fresh guave off the vine (amazing), horseback riding and lauas.

Snorkeling in a laguna, guave and lauas are a must imo.

Re: Hawaii?
 

It's funny though. As much of a beach person as I claim to be, I can't swim a lick, which tends to eat into the ability to do a lot of snorkeling lol!

Re: Hawaii?
 

Definitely want to go someday, that 12 hour flight though... think I'd break it up and stay in San Fran for a night or two

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=MTK;1165369]Definitely want to go someday, that 12 hour flight though... think I'd break it up and stay in San Fran for a night or two[/quote]

I live on the east coast as well (like a lot of 'skins fans here), so yeah, that long flight is not something I'd be looking forward to. I think you have the right idea MTK! Spend a little time in Cali and then head over to Hawaii.

Re: Hawaii?
 

We usually would connect in Denver. Makes it a LOT more tolerable. Have done a direct from BWI and it's just torture even knowing you're going somewhere awesome.

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;1165435]We usually would connect in Denver. Makes it a LOT more tolerable. Have done a direct from BWI and it's just torture even knowing you're going somewhere awesome.[/quote]

Which airline do you normally use for Hawaii trips?

Re: Hawaii?
 

The cheapest one. :D

But being real, if I had to go back again (her grandma has since moved to Las Vegas to be in assisted living near my sister-inlaw) I'd go first class. I could tolerate the long flight if I had some room to lay back and stretch out. Both my in-laws are pilots for Southwest based in Vegas and they obviously swear by them. If you want to get drunk on a plane, do Southwest. Personally, I like me some Delta.

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection;1165470]The cheapest one. :D

But being real, if I had to go back again (her grandma has since moved to Las Vegas to be in assisted living near my sister-inlaw) I'd go first class. I could tolerate the long flight if I had some room to lay back and stretch out. Both my in-laws are pilots for Southwest based in Vegas and they obviously swear by them. If you want to get drunk on a plane, do Southwest. Personally, I like me some Delta.[/quote]

I love Delta! I have always had great luck with them. Never had been charged for any of my checked bags. I've never flown first class though. I would LOVE to have that experience! Although, my wife seems to feel most comfortable riding in the middle of the airplane for some reason. Don't know why? If it crashes, you're probably going to die regardless, lol!

Re: Hawaii?
 

I flew United and it costed me just under $1000 round trip. Still hurts to even type that number.

TBH, the flight was not all that bad. I just binged watched shows. Got a little tipsy, and made sure not to have a long layover. We had 45 min layover going out, and 30 min layover coming back.

Re: Hawaii?
 

OK, so I did a quick search on tickets (just picked October because that's a special month for my family) and for three first class tickets, it came to $6,000+. Is that about right? That is round trip, btw. Economy was half the price, but I'm thinking that with a small child, flying economy for that long of a time would be a nightmare. Maybe I'm wrong, but chances are, my son will have never been on an airplane before that point. Of course, by the time we would actually have this trip planned, he would probably be about 4 or 5 years old. Even at that age, I'm not sure how he would be on such a long plane ride.

I'm thinking we would have to split the trip up. Like MTK said earlier, I'm thinking the best route would be to fly into California and hang there a day or so, and then go into Hawaii. That would probably be easier on the little folks. When it's all said and done with having to get a hotel room and so forth, I'm not sure it would be any cheaper to do it that way, but these are things you have to kind of account for when you have kids going with you.

Secondly, would it be cheaper to do one way flights instead of round trip? In my past experience, it doesn't seem any cheaper, but I have heard where sometimes you do come out better by doing it like that and then just purchasing a ticket back as opposed to round trip tickets.

I've never flown first class, so I have no idea how much better it would be as opposed to economy. Of course in my experience, my plane rides have been relatively short trips (nothing more than 2 hours), so short flights I wouldn't care as much, but long flights, comfort would definitely be worth the extra cost in my opinion. Thoughts?

Re: Hawaii?
 

Oahu - Honolulu is awesome. The shopping and zoo are fun. Exotic birds in the cages, and just flying around like normal, lol. Everywhere is expensive except the convenience stores. The Dole Plantation is worth checking out, as is the North side of the island for the surfing and shrimp trucks. I'm sure we missed a bunch, like the whale sightseeing (wrong time of year). Beach parks around the north side are ok in daylight.

Kona (the big island) - Because the mountains in the middle stop the rain, the west side is barren desert, and the east side is lush tropical. Weird. Great snorkeling on west side. Nice little beach towns in a few places. The historical parks are interesting. Coffee lovers should check one of the coffee farm tours. A helicopter ride around the north cliffs is fun. Volcano Park has a nice small visitor center by the entrance, sulfur grounds, steam vents, places to walk among volcanic rocks of different types, and a nicer vistor center up high worth going to at night so you can see the red glow from the active volcano (Mt. Doom in real life).

I got hooked on Guava juice and Macadamia nuts while there, Kalua pork and Mahi-mahi are good, and yeah try the Loco Moco if you don't have a cholesterol problem (yet). And luaus really are the best dinner theater ever. (The poi isn't that bad. :) )

As far as flying, going there was funny, only trip I've been on where the stewardesses did special stuff after takeoff: flowers in their hair, Hawaiian music on the loudspeakers, serving juice. It is a long boring flight, but if you can sleep in coach, no problem. Recommend sleep instead of watching movies because the time difference from the mainland is also a *****.

Re: Hawaii?
 

I agree with you. Oahu - Honolulu, everyone should go to there at least one time. You will get more fun and interesting time.

[quote=HailGreen28;1167760]Oahu - Honolulu is awesome. The shopping and zoo are fun. Exotic birds in the cages, and just flying around like normal, lol. Everywhere is expensive except the convenience stores. The Dole Plantation is worth checking out, as is the North side of the island for the surfing and shrimp trucks. I'm sure we missed a bunch, like the whale sightseeing (wrong time of year). Beach parks around the north side are ok in daylight.

Kona (the big island) - Because the mountains in the middle stop the rain, the west side is barren desert, and the east side is lush tropical. Weird. Great snorkeling on west side. Nice little beach towns in a few places. The historical parks are interesting. Coffee lovers should check one of the coffee farm tours. A helicopter ride around the north cliffs is fun. Volcano Park has a nice small visitor center by the entrance, sulfur grounds, steam vents, places to walk among volcanic rocks of different types, and a nicer vistor center up high worth going to at night so you can see the red glow from the active volcano (Mt. Doom in real life).

I got hooked on Guava juice and Macadamia nuts while there, Kalua pork and Mahi-mahi are good, and yeah try the Loco Moco if you don't have a cholesterol problem (yet). And luaus really are the best dinner theater ever. (The poi isn't that bad. :) )

As far as flying, going there was funny, only trip I've been on where the stewardesses did special stuff after takeoff: flowers in their hair, Hawaiian music on the loudspeakers, serving juice. It is a long boring flight, but if you can sleep in coach, no problem. Recommend sleep instead of watching movies because the time difference from the mainland is also a *****.[/quote]

Re: Hawaii?
 

I would love to see the Insurance policies from the Home owners who live by kilauea Hawaii. I feel bad but to me it's like buying OF property on the East Coast ,sooner or later you know you're going to get hit by something.

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=MTK;1165369]Definitely want to go someday, that 12 hour flight though... think I'd break it up and stay in San Fran for a night or two[/quote]

Flew to Germany once and it was about 13 hours, BRUTAL if you are one that needs to stretch out and walk like I am. It's basically 24 hours of flying to go to HI.. U better enjoy the F$$$ out of it

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=MTK;1165369]Definitely want to go someday, that 12 hour flight though... think I'd break it up and stay in San Fran for a night or two[/quote]

Man I hate flying,scares the piss out of me,mostly because almost every other flight I've gotten on has had turbulence.But to the point,I just flew to Italy out of Houston,12 hr flight,asked the Dr to give me something since I'm afraid of flying.He gave me some Xanax,I highly recommend it!! I didnt stress at all,was able to sleep,it was great,didnt seem like a 12 hr flight;):)

Re: Hawaii?
 

I used to hate flying too but I read a few books on how to deal with a fear of flying and it really helped

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=htownskinfan;1194643]Man I hate flying,scares the piss out of me,mostly because almost every other flight I've gotten on has had turbulence.But to the point,I just flew to Italy out of Houston,12 hr flight,asked the Dr to give me something since I'm afraid of flying.He gave me some Xanax,I highly recommend it!! I didnt stress at all,was able to sleep,it was great,didnt seem like a 12 hr flight;):)[/quote]

My mom uses it when she flies to Germany

Re: Hawaii?
 

Provided, I have never been on a long flight, but the flights I have been on (longest has been about 2 hours), I didn't mind it at all. To me, it's kind of like psyching yourself out before you get on a roller coaster. You know it could be scary, but you're going to pretend you're in control, which is what I think most people get their anxiety from, and that's the fact that they are not in control of the situation. I also think about the destination where I'm going. The thought of being in a car for 12 hours would be enough for me to stay home.

Re: Hawaii?
 

Really not a fan of flying. As really only planes I go on are that of long planes and not the small ones.

But in Hawaii with all of this going on. Is affecting the economy and way of life. Thoughts are with them.

Re: Hawaii?
 

[quote=MTK;1194659]I used to hate flying too but I read a few books on how to deal with a fear of flying and it really helped[/quote]

That's great that the book helped you out,but I'm just saying take some xanax and you wont care about the 12 hr flight:D