Hawaii HM review Oahu, Kauai, Maui (Long)

American Airlines- Big FAT F!
The flight there was fine. We had to connect to LAX and got there fine.

Going home was a mess! We left Fri at 10:26PM but before we left and we were about to take off they said the front door light was on and we had to go back to the hanger. Now we were delayed a 1/2 hour. Our connecting flight had a 45 min layover so i was thinking there was a possibility of missing it. So we get to LAX and they were like "Those going to NY you have 5 mins to get to your gate" So i was getting prepped to run but we sat on the runway for 1/2 hour!! SO we got off and they directed us to this glass room to reschedule our flight. We waited on line for an hour. We were finally second in line and the airline person was like ummm we have to go catch a flight. The people on line we like "Are you talking to us???" Well I followed an irrate texas guy in front of me to another counter. We were able to fly standby and were assured our luggage wuld be with us. As was anther couple. Well we get to JFK and NO LUGGAGE! We had a car service waiting for us so on top of our flight being late we were in JFK for 3 hours! They couldnt trace anyones luggage who was on that LAX flight that got messed up. FInally another LAX flight came in and we got our luggage. THe AA representatives were not helpful at all! THen on top of that we got charged by the limo company for the extra time. But it was understandable on their part. But AA was not good at all!

OK THAT WAS THE ONLY BAD THING...HERE IS THE REST OF THE REVIEW BY ISLAND

OAHU
Car Rental: ENTERPRISE A+++++
They were so sweet! They found out it was our honeymoon and they upgraded us to a big SUV for nothing! Def awesome ( I will use enterprise from now on!)

Hotel: Outrigger on Waikiki Beach A+++++++++++
Loved this place! We had an oceanview on the 12th floor. It had a small lanai (sp?) but you could sit out there comfortably


Restaurants

Cheeseburger in Paradise B+
Nothing great but it did the job the first night we landed. Lots of burger choices.

Cheesecake Factory A+
Same as home MMmmmm
But be careful there Mai Tai's were so strong I couldnt drink it. The waitress felt so bad she gave me a huge Pina COlanda on the house!

Dukes Canoe Club A++++
This was right in our hotel. We had voucher for breakfast buffet. IT WAS EXCELLENT. The omlette guy was awesome
We had lunch there too and it was good

The Shorebird -B
This is in the Outrigger Reef. Here is the catch they give you the food raw and you go to a grill and grill it yourself. I didnt like it much. I got a lobster tail and I was worried I didnt cook it right. There was a chef to ask but I didnt like it. It was a fun atmosphere though

Mexican place in Hale'iwa (North Shore) -A
The only Mexican place in town so not hard to miss I just cant remember the name but it was good. I had quesidillas. Pretty Good!

LuLu's Surf Club. -A
Good night life bar! Good food and drinks. They had a DJ so it was fun!

Shopping

ABC stores-A
Great prices and gifts
There is this store EVERYWHERE!!!!

International MarketPlace B
THis is like the same stuff everywhere but people will bargain with you. But really look around you can totally get ripped off. So scope it all out first!

Waikiki Beach A+
I loved this beach. The water was calm near the shore and the surfing waves are way out
I attempted surfing. I caught a wave but too scared to stand but i practiced standing in the water. We were def far out! My arms killed me from paddling. But i got to see the DH surf up close so that was cool!
Here are surfers from our hotel room. They were far out this is where the good waves were



Catamaran Sunset Sail. I dont know the name of this one but it is right in front of our hotel and it blue and white. Not hard to miss
A+
It was sooo much fun and gorgeous. Drinks were watered down but at 2 beans a pop you have to fig they are!



Atlantis Submarine Tour @ the Hilton Pier A+++
I really dont snorkel. SO this was the best thing for us. I saw all kinds of fish and sea turtle! We went down 120 feet!




Diamond Head A+
The walk up was Hot. DO it in the morning if you can. THere are soo many steps at the top. But it was an awesome view!


Pearl Harbor- A+ of course
This is a MUST DO. It is a somber trip but worth going. My grandfather was shipped here after the attack. It also makes you think of 9/11 with the sneak attack. Bring a flower if you can to the Arizona. We also saw the Might Moe Battleship where they signed the treaty with Japan. No joke get there early we got there at 10am and we didnt get to see the memorial until 230! So get there early!
Here is the Missouri battleship

here is USS Arizona







KAUAI

Gorgeous but there is no life on the island after 9pm! Very quiet and nice!

We had rain one day so it kinda shot that day. We had like 2 1/2 days there so we jammed alot in one day

Car rental: Hertz C
EH. Enterprise was more accomodating. I was like can we upgrade our vehicle it is our HM. They were like sure for x amount. We told them enterprise upgraded us for free. They could care less. They werent all too nice either. But hertz came with our HM package so we got a camry. It was ok nothing special.

Hotel: Sheraton at Poipu Beach A
we stayed in an oceanfront deluxe room. This was a new wing that was completely renovated. The garden part wing is still old. We had the awesomest VIEW! They mean oceanfront!!!!
Food and things to do at the Sheraton C
THe breakfast buffet that is
"complimentary" even though u pay a resort fee was horrible. We are comparing it to Dukes in Waikiki which was a good buffet. We didnt eat in any restaurants there but they didnt seem all too great. we ate at the pool side grill. Nachos were good but PRICEY!
THe pool was nice but ALOT of kids. I dont mind them that much but others might so be weary. THe hot tub was small. THe beach was ok but remember it rained when we were there so no beach for us



Restaurants
Beach House in Poipu Beach. A+++++
The food was AWESOME (a lil pricey but worth it) It is right on the water. Make reservations for sunset. Just Gorgeous!

Luau Surf to Sunset C
It rained so it was inside. But it def cheesy. It was more of a comedy we felt. Food was ok. I wouldnt recommend this one
but here are some pics

Sunset at Sheraton- BEAUTIFUL!


ATV- Kipu Ranch A+++++++++
This was awesome. We did a 2 seater quad. But it isnt like a dune buggy. I was behind DH and held on the whole time. It was a great tour. We saw where they filmed some of Jurassic Park and Indiana JOnes and the raiders of the lost ark
It was gorgeous. It was a 3 hour tour and I highly recommend it. But keep in mind you get mighty dusty!


We did a helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian! A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now I am totally afraid of flying in an airplane. I thought I was going to have a hard time with this but I wanted to do it. THe take off was awesome we just went straight up. I sat nest to the pilot and saw EVERYTHING! We saw Napali Coast, THe jurassic park opening scene, and the wettest spot in the world. I loved every minute of this ride. You can purchase a dvd of your flight that you took and you hear the pilot give you the tour on the DVD. It is soooo cool to be able to watch our flight. Here are some pics


Shopping! Island Candleworks and Soaps
AMAZING CANDLES! They have a location on Kauai and Maui. Pikake is the BEST smell. Reminds me of Hawaii!

here are some other pics



Maui last stop for us

Car rental: Hertz again B Much nicer in this place but we still paid for an upgrade. They had no Jeep Wranglers but we went with a 2006 Mustang convertible Black and Black Leather Seats(ouchy hot) It was a sweet ride!



Hotel: The Westin on Kaanapali Beach B+
It was ok for a 5 star hotel. The grounds were pretty. They had flamingos and parrots everywhere. Their pools were awesome but again TONS AND TONS of kids. Just keep that in mind when you book. I didnt care i love watching them run around. Our room was just ok. We had an ocean view on the 3rd floor but it was more like a parking lot and a partial oceanview. so it was EH. The beach was nice but I didnt really go in the water there I had more fun at the pool. I dont have any pics of the pool in my dig camera we used a water cam so when i get those pics i can post


Restaurants

Leilani's A+
We had lunch here. Nachos are great and Calamari strips are HUGE. Ribs are a great choice here and good Lava FLows

Rusty Harpoon A
Breakfast was here for us. THe hotel had no complimentary buffet and if we wanted a buff from there it was 25 pp. I was like no way. Rusty Harpoon was the right price and good food!

The Seahouse on Napili Bay A+
We made reservations for sunset time. Absolutely beautiful. THe MahiMahi is delish and we both hate fish! The prime rib was also excellent! THe view is soo nice


Kimos in Laihana A++++++++++++++
We made reservations again for sunset! OMG BREATHTAKING and it was our last night so it was perfect!!!
I had steak (love steak) DH had ribs. Both were excellent. We got Hual pie for dessert. Macadamien Nut Icecream with chocolate all over it wih and oreo crust MMMMMmmmmmm
here are pics from our seats!


Ok if you plan on going to Maui Book some Luaus My TA said not fill up my sched b4 i got there so I didnt book anything. Well when we got there EVERYTHING was booked!
We tried Parasailing, snorkeling, Luaus I wanted to do Feast at LeLe but booked and so was the ROyal Lahiana! I was pissed. The only one open was the Hyatt Drums of the Pacific so I was thinking great it will be like the sheraton on Kauai all hokey and corney. WELL

DRUMS OF THE PACIFIC LUAU AT THE HYATT A+
I absolutely loved it! We were outside near the ocean and they unearthed the pig which was cool and they had a stage so you could see all the action. Their dancers were great and the fire guy was awesome! The food was excellent for buffett. Suggestion it starts at 530 we were told to get there by 430. We could of went earlier. THere we soooooo many poeple on line but we still got a decent seat. it is 1st come 1st serve unless u have VIP seating for an extra 20 beans. Here are some pics. THere drinks were not watered down but the waiters made sure u always had a drink so it was good!


The Haleakala Crater Sunrise A+
Ok well DH wanted to kill me. I woke him up at 3am to catch the sunrise. It took 2 hours to get there from Kaanapali Beach. It is a dark windy road up the crater with no guard rails. lil scary. If you plan to do this dress warmly. I MEAN LIKE A WINTER JACKET! I layered tanks and sweatshirts and a windbreaker. DH didnt have much (he didnt listen to me when i said it was cold) he wore his rashguard. Bring blankets from hotel and have gloves. It was like 32 degrees! The sunrise was awesome!


One thing we wanted to do and ran out of time was the road to Hana. IT was def an all day ride and we didnt have the time but if you can do it def try it!

Hawaii was awesome! We loved it. If you have any questions feel free to FM me!

Message edited 8/7/2006 2:56:36 AM.

Re: Hawaii HM review Oahu, Kauai, Maui (Long)

your review is awesome- now i cant wait to go even though its in 2 years. When should we start to booking- a year ahead? Your pictures were amazing!!!

Re: Hawaii HM review Oahu, Kauai, Maui (Long)

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Posted by karen6474

your review is awesome- now i cant wait to go even though its in 2 years. When should we start to booking- a year ahead? Your pictures were amazing!!!

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Re: Hawaii HM review Oahu, Kauai, Maui (Long)

great review and beautiful pictures!!

Re: Hawaii HM review Oahu, Kauai, Maui (Long)

your review is awesome.. I can't wait to go 62 more days til HAWAII...

I will let you know about the road to hana...

When you did the Sunrise tour did oyu to the mountain bike down or bus??

Someone told me to bring gloves and ear muffs, what do you thinkk???

When I get home tonight I will have FH read it...

Very exciting...

We are doing everything you did except on Kauai we are doing a horse back riding/waterfall/picnic

http://www.princevilleranch.com/waterfall.html

check it out

Re: Hawaii HM review Oahu, Kauai, Maui (Long)

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Posted by nala3378

your review is awesome.. I can't wait to go 62 more days til HAWAII...

I will let you know about the road to hana...

When you did the Sunrise tour did oyu to the mountain bike down or bus??

Someone told me to bring gloves and ear muffs, what do you thinkk???

When I get home tonight I will have FH read it...

Very exciting...

We are doing everything you did except on Kauai we are doing a horse back riding/waterfall/picnic

http://www.princevilleranch.com/waterfall.html

check it out

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Re: Hawaii HM review Oahu, Kauai, Maui (Long)

that is what i heard... I will definitely make sure I pack that