What to do on Big Island?
 

I'm planning on going to Hawaii after New Year's.

I need experiences of you guys who have already been there. What to do, which are the best places to go out, what's worth the visit? Also, is January good time of year to be there. Is the Ocean hot and good for swimming and surfing?

I'm planning on being in Honolulu on Waikiki beach.

So, spam away ;)

turtle bay resort

where is it?

North Shore beaches are the best. Plenty of wildlife...

http://www.petergirls.com/images/Day...etergirls2.jpg

awesome. I was having them on mind... i guess it's not that far from Honolulu. I mean, is camping allowed there??

I was over there in April, the inlaws from japan also met up with us out there. We went to diamond head (nice views), north shore (bonzai pipeline), a bunch of malls, went to several beaches, a bunch of restaurants, the yard house (had a monday night football atmosphere), looked at homes, hiking tour in the mountains to see a nice waterfall, passed by Obama's childhood home. Rainbows everyday....oh and did I mention the hottest Hawaiian local girls and a lot of Japanese girls. :thumbsup

The only thing I did not like was the ocean water is not as warm as Mexico or Peurto Rico, it was kind of cold.

nice ;) I heard the crime rate is high in Honolulu and there are a lot of drug addicts and other bastards. Anyone has more information about that?

When you watch the local news at night, you will see some gang/drug violence...but nothing like some poor areas in the states. I would just be careful if you leave a club/bar very late. Also most of the violence was in chinatown...it is away from the tourist areas.

What about the beaches at night?

Not too sure, but the area your going is very crowded so as long as your alert you should be okay. I usually ended up getting up early and going to bed early...since the wifes parents were there. Some of the hotels are right on the beach....so I am sure they have something fun going on.

Hawaii is high end, not many poor people visit.

http://www.waikikibeachwalk.com/

Yeah. What about the wilderness. Have you explored the center of the island?

No my 1st time there, my wife has been there like 10 times...but goes more to shop.

Post some pics of your trip....

Will definitely take some amazing pics! I yet wanna hear about some nice places to go out at night and more about the safety at dead hours....

Big Island is quiet and slow. Not a lot of action there, good place to relax though. The action is on Oahu. Flights from Kona to Honolulu are cheap.

Well, honestly I thought Oahu is considered as Big Island :) SO, yes I'll be in Honolulu which is in Oahu.

bump it UP!

Come on people! I need some Hawaii advices, tips and tricks :)

Use priceline, should be able to bid and get a room at a resort on Waikiki for under $120/nt. Use www.biddingfortravel.com as a barometer to not bid too high. Jan is an ok month to stay in Waikiki, temperature should be fine, but it might rain some.

I was looking at some pretty cool deals, hotel+flight for around 700 bucks, which is totally ok for 7 days stay. The hotels are mainly located on Waikiki area.

I'd like to visit the north of the island, as well as the other islands. So, what do you recommend? Are there any ferries to the closest islands from Oahu?

I would stay in Waikiki and rent a car to check out other areas. In fact, as soon as you walk out of the airport just get on the car rental shuttle bus...that will bring you to the car rental place.

I stayed here, http://www.ohanahotels.com/hotels-re...a-waikiki-east

Also not sure if your going single or with your wife or family. But Hawaii did not seem much of a pick up place if your single. It is a great place to spend with your wife though.

If all the girls are like this, I know beta-taster has lots to entertain him :winkwink:

Yeah, I was planning renting a car right away I get off the airport :) I am going with two friends, one male, one female :) So, basically we're looking for fun and relaxation. I'd like to explore the wilderness of the island(s) and enjoy the perfect Hawaiian beaches :)

North of Oahu shouldn't be that far from Waikiki, right? Again, are there any boats going to surrounding islands?

I really started considering Kona and the Big Island now :) Tell me in your experiences what's better... I know Big Island has much wildfire and all those volcanoes and what not. I heard it's really beautiful.

What do you think, should I instead put two hundreds more and hit Big Island?

It's decided... I am going to Kona :) So, what do you recommend me to visit there?

The Big Island is personally my favorite.

Go on a coffee plantation tour
Take a helicopter ride over the volcano
Go to the volcano park
Visit a cattle ranch
Snorkeling (we did a thing where you get on a dingy and go to a cove but there are dozens of places you can go right off the beach)
Take waterfall tours
Mauna Kea Observatory (this was my favorite, followed by the volcano)
Take a boat tour to visit all the caves the ocean has carved
See the "coral" graffiti on the black lava
Go to black sand beaches

We stayed at Waikoloa Beach Resort - my parents go every year and are there right now to come back next Friday. We went in August but I think now is when you can see the whales.

I haven't been to the Big Island in years but I doubt this has changed - there are no private beaches. That means you can sit on the beach in front of the chairman of Toyota's house and Bill Gate's house :winkwink:

Been to Oahu (Waikiki and North Shore) and Maui and The Big Island is still my fav.

We flew into Oahu one trip, stayed a night, went to Hawaii for a week then stayed a night in Oahu again on the way back. Try and do that so at the minimum you can see Pearl Harbor.

My brother and SIL also liked Kauai - they went hiking a lot. It's really easy and relatively cheap to fly from island to island. The only time I've taken a boat from one to another was Maui to Lanai.

insightful info! Thanks a lot man... I am really looking forward to having a great time there. It is a bit more expensive than Honolulu and Oahu island, but everyone tells me that it's definitely better!

I am so thrilled I will be there in three weeks. Can't wait :)