Hawaiian Islands 8 Hour Visit

If you only had 8 hours to visit each of the following Islands/Ports what attractions would you visit? Where would you eat? Where would you stop for a cocktail?

*Hilo
*Maui
*Kauai
*Honolulu

Karen I hope that is a hypothetical question. What type of cruel situation would put you in Hawaii for only 8 hours?!

In Maui I would snorkel for four hours at Black rock beach and then put on my favorite tiki attire and spend the rest of the time at "Mama's fish house in Paia. Lottsa tiki
on the grounds, pricy but with an "old Hawaii vibe. Or I might spend the entire time at remote Hana just soaking up the beauty of an uncrowded Hawaii.
On Kauai #1 for me is Tahiti Nui for drinks and the Blue Dolphin for dinner, both in Hanalei. Unfortunately, you're gonna lose 2-3 hours just getting there and back from the airport. En route the scenic road is awesome if you don't get bogged down in traffic.
Another 2 hours lost going back and forth to La Mariana Sailing Club outside of Honolulu but I would do it in a heartbeat.
I really like the excitement of Waikiki and maybe a short trip just outside of Waikiki to Leonards for a malasada or two.
Thanks for putting me in a daydreaming stupor Karen-the only antidote is rum so I'll see you and Chris on the "crawl"tomorrow

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2012-09-14 11:13 ]

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2012-09-14 11:14 ]

On 2012-09-14 10:24, MadDogMike wrote:
Karen I hope that is a hypothetical question. What type of cruel situation would put you in Hawaii for only 8 hours?!

Actually we will be visiting an Island a Day with a Rental Car. Each day we will be at a port for approx 9 hours :)

It's a "cruise ship" trip!
don't eat the shrimp.....

Whatever else you do, DON'T take the 3hr tour out of Honolulu...

Aloha! On Maui you'll most likely be coming in at the Kahalui Harbor Port which is central, If you head West, Lahaina is about 35-40 min drive and has lots of shopping, art galleries, restaurants, The Mai Tai Lounge on Front St. in Lahaina has one of the better Island style mai tai's too.. Ka'anapali just about 10 min down from Lahaina has more shopping and places to eat, this is where all the hotels are mainly on this side.. The Royal Lahaina Resort is here where Don The Beachcomber used to be.. The building and sign is still there and a few tiki's also, at least when I was there last awhile back..
If you head out North from the Port than that will take you out to the North Shore town of Paia about 30 min as well, Fun Town with more shopping, restaurants, farther down the road a few miles is where Mama's Fish House is, Xlnt food and drinks on the ocean, very busy place though so be sure to make reservations ahead of time and bring lotsa money!! :wink:Hana is the same direction but about 2.5 hr drive to get there... It's very beautiful but It will eat your whole day up, I'd save it for another time..
Going South from the Boat will bring to Kihei & Wailea area about a 30 min drive.. This is where you'll find the Da Best little Tiki Shop in Hawaii, Beach Bumz Shop.. :wink: j/k.. na na na but if do make it this way were located in da middle Kihei across from the ocean in the Kihei Kalama Village marketplace.. Lotsa shopping and a few different restaurants, also here in the Village is where the South Shore Tiki Lounge is... Not the best drinks but have a great pizza that wins awards every year.. Down the road from here is Wailea, more of a resort area, with a small mall to shop at, some big hotels with restaurants, etc... The beaches here are beautiful, at the end of the road about a 1/2 hr drive is La Perouse Bay where the lava flowed a couple hundred years ago, we call it the moon surface.. great snorkeling here too..

Check out http://www.mauitikitours.com that MauiTiki made..

On Oahu, My favorite is La Mariana Sailing club, Longboarding at Waikiki Beach and sipping on drinks at some of the old hotels there on the water.. Tiki's Bar and Grill was fun as well, Leonard's Bakery for da best malasadas, and Bailey's antiques and aloha shirts just down the road from Leonard's..

Sounds like a fun trip, if you make it out Kihei lmk, hopefully I can join ya for a round..:wink:

Aloha :drink:

[ Edited by: Beachbumz 2012-09-14 15:33 ]

Great thread Karen...Sandy & I are looking to do a Hawaii Cruise in 2014. This info will be helpful.

What an incredible trip! Truly the "Spirit of Aloha."
On the Big Island,
In my opinion, it is all about the two Tiki meccas, places of historical significance:
Pu'uhonau o Honaunau Place of Refuge National Park, Kona Hawaii Big Island.

Imagine you had just broken the sacred (and arbitrary, sexist and self-serving for the royalty) laws, the Kapu, and the only punishment was death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu'uhonua, a place of refuge. The Pu'uhonua protected the kapu breaker, civilians during the time of war and the defeated warriors. No harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the place of refuge.
Right in Kona is the Ahu’ena Heiau,

King Kamehameha rebuilt Ahu'ena Heiau, a temple dedicated to Lono who was the Hawaiian God of peace, agriculture and prosperity. Kamehameha the Great lived and conducted matters of government, until his passing on May 8, 1819.

To dine and drink, its all about the Royal Kona Resort:

On 2012-09-14 10:24, MadDogMike wrote:
Karen I hope that is a hypothetical question. What type of cruel situation would put you in Hawaii for only 8 hours?!

Oh, I get it now - it's a cruise and you get a day in each of those places. I thought you were only spending a total of 8 hours in Hawaii. I'm a dork! :lol:

On Kaua'i, visit the grounds of the Smith Family Luau, for the huge Moai:

While in the neighborhood, I recommend the Smith's cruise to the classic Fern Grotto, complete with a hula show on the boat:

Drink and dine at Duke's at the Kauai Marriott (formerly Kauai Sands) an ocean-front paradise, where Tiki abounds along the walkway:


Still more Tiki await along the pool and at the Tidepools restaurant at the breathtaking Grand Hyatt in Poipu:

[ Edited by: christiki295 2012-09-16 10:25 ]

We're crusing around the Hawaiian islands next August so I'm eager to hear everyone's advice also. We overnight in Maui and one other port and will have extra time in Honolulu since we're flying in a day or two early. Keep the advice coming! My main concern is getting all my Tiki swag home on the plane to NJ!

We've done the Hawaiian cruise thing as well as several "regular" visits. My 2-cents worth for your limited time:
Hilo - drive up to Hawaii Volcanoes Nat'l Park, and stop at Mana Loa macadamia nuts place on way back to port
Maui - work on your tan at Kaanapali beach
Kauai - we did helicopter tour of island, since we got to port after the Na Pali coast boat trips left
Honolulu - walk around Waikiki & snorkel at Hanauma Bay

Aloha,

On 2012-09-19 07:26, Rum Balls wrote:

Honolulu - walk around Waikiki & snorkel at Hanauma Bay

Well, if on Oahu, be sure to let me know... I do a Waikiki Tiki walk that runs about an hour when people ask me to show them stuff... (It will continue until the International Market Place gets re-developed) Showing plenty tiki, much good conversation and the walking tour is free of charge.

Upon certain circumstances, I will tell you the most dirty joke I know. It's a real humdinger and it gets a big laugh every time.

I WILL always play you the VOICE of Donn "The Beachcomber."

Mahalo! Mahalo Nui'umi'umi, Beachbumz, and Christiki-295 for all of your suggestions :)

What hours and days are you in each port? 8am-5pm? or differs. Very important as locations hours vary.

On 2012-12-09 15:58, mrsmiley wrote:
What hours and days are you in each port? 8am-5pm? or differs. Very important as locations hours vary.

Monday - Hilo 9am-6:00pm
Tues - Mauai 7:00am-6:00pm
Weds. - Kauai 8:00am-5:00pm
Thurs. - Honolulu 7:00am-8:00pm

We have a Rental Car on Each Island :)

Well, here's what I'd do, based on taking a Hawaiian cruise several years ago, plus several "regular" trips to the Islands:

Hilo - drive up to Volcano National Park. Kona side is great, but you may not have enought time to hit the volcano and Kona.

Maui - drive out to Lahaina/Kaanapali area and enjoy some great beaches

Kaui - last time we were there on a cruise, we got in too late to take one of the excursions up to the Na Pali coast, so we ended up taking a helicopter ride around the island to get a good look/feel for it.

Oahu - drive around the island, head east to snorkel in Hanauma Bay, then continue on up the North Side, and back to Waikiki. Since you have a car, you should be able to pop out to La Mariana for drinks

Stay Tuned!! Mele Kalikimaka & WooHoooooooo! :)

Hello all & Happy New Year!

Since my trip is now in the foreseeable future (8 months) I've started actively planning. My itinerary is a little bit different. I'll be flying into Oahu, spending 2+ days there before getting on the ship. We port at Maui (Kahlua) from Sunday 8am to Monday 6pm then Hilo on Tuesday from 8am to 6pm, Kona Wed. 7am - 5:30pm, and Kauai from 8am Thursday to 2pm Friday before sailing back to Oahu and flying home late Saturday. We'll be renting a car at most, if not all, ports depending on what we plan. We'll definitely have a car on Oahu.

I've written down all the comments so far and am compiling a giant list. Please keep the suggestions coming and Mahalo for all who have contributed thus far!

:)
Lori

Lori, by "8 months from now" do you mean September? My wife, adult daughters and I will be on Oahu the last 2 weeks of September. If you're there at the same time, maybe we can all meet for Mai Tais!

Hi Rum Balls!

No, my husband and I will be crusing around the islands from August 17 - 24 of this year. Too bad we won't be able to meet up for a Mai-Tai. Enjoy your trip.

:)
Lori