Impromptu Hawaiin vacation- please advise!

[Kerileanne99]

We have planned an extended road trip this summer, renting an RV and traveling from Texas to the West Coast...whilst we are excited at the prospect of showing our dd4 all sorts of great things and experiences, I think this is going to be EXHAUSTING:)

 

So...last night hubby and I decided we would need a vacation to relax from our vacation! I know, rough problem to have, but I really need some help-last night looking at vacation info to Hawaii was extremely daunting.

 

Specifics: which island? We will have a week or so, and will have dd4 with us. Another major consideration is that I am in a wheelchair...very mobile, we rock climb and will want to explore. Both of us are SCUBA trained but dd is of course not.

Dd has requested to see Kiluaea, so we want to accomodate that.

 

Any ideas on which island we should choose, and which resort? We probably prefer outdoors, culture, that sort of thing over spas and nightlife. Food will also be a bit of an issue as kiddo is ridiculously picky and we are all vegetarian.

 

Any ideas or advice?

[Cera]

If you want to see Kilauea you need to be on the big island (Hawaii) for at least part of your trip.  

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I would go to Oahu (we used to live there) and stay at the Disney Aulani resort.

 

I don't normally list Oahu as a first choice for a Hawaii vacation- however- due to the issues you listed, I think it would be your best bet.

 

First, we used to live in Kapolei which is very near to where Aulani now is. The lagoons there are wonderful to swim in for young kids- no large waves, soft sandy bottom (no rocks) and nets to keep out big fish; less worrisome.

 

Second- a lot of resorts (most of them) in Hawaii are on the older side and not great for people in wheelchairs. Disney, otoh, is known for going above and beyond for those in wheelchairs and with other special needs.

 

Along those lines, Disney is also known for catering to picky eaters and other food choices, like being a vegetarian. If you have special diets, the chef will come out and talk to you, and can offer things not on the menu, etc.

 

They could even set up some scuba diving for you- and many other things.

 

There are lots of opportunities for hiking and stuff- plus Pearl Harbor and other historical places.

 

The other islands are only a short flight away, so you could always fly to the big island for a day or two to see Kilauea.

 

That's what I would do :)

[Kerileanne99]

Lifeoftheparty-

Thanks for the great suggestions...it hadn't really occurred to me that late resorts would have accessibility issues. We are the type of people who usually just accept it as part of a vacation, but it certainly would be nice if things were more a accessible!

It actually had not occurred to me to consider Disney at all. Dd4 loves all things 'princess-y' but she has only seen 1 Disney movie. She just has never had the desire to sit and watch them for some reason. But she does know who they all are I think, from a princess ballet camp she went to last summer.

So if she really isn't all that into it, I wonder if it would matter. Surely they would still offer everything else, so I will investigate.

 

As far as flying to other islands, say to see Kiluaea, how difficult is that? Has anyone made that part of their vacation?

What about staying on one island for 2-3 day, then moving to a different one? We could extend for extra time if necessary.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

Lifeoftheparty-

Thanks for the great suggestions...it hadn't really occurred to me that late resorts would have accessibility issues. We are the type of people who usually just accept it as part of a vacation, but it certainly would be nice if things were more a accessible!

It actually had not occurred to me to consider Disney at all. Dd4 loves all things 'princess-y' but she has only seen 1 Disney movie. She just has never had the desire to sit and watch them for some reason. But she does know who they all are I think, from a princess ballet camp she went to last summer.

So if she really isn't all that into it, I wonder if it would matter. Surely they would still offer everything else, so I will investigate.

 

As far as flying to other islands, say to see Kiluaea, how difficult is that? Has anyone made that part of their vacation?

What about staying on one island for 2-3 day, then moving to a different one? We could extend for extra time if necessary.

 

Island hopping isn't hard at all. We went from Oahu to Kauai and the flight was like, 30 minutes or something. Completely painless. I would spend at least 3 days on each island though.

 

A lot of the hotels/resorts on Oahu were built around the 70's- from what I remember, accessibility was more of an afterthought, and not greatly done.

 

You don't have to be into Disney to go to the resort ;) It still looks awesome :) If you really don't want to do Disney, the Resorts of Ko Olina are right there as well- the man made lagoons there are just really neat. It was always my favorite place to swim.

[Mrs Mungo]

As far as flying to other islands, say to see Kiluaea, how difficult is that? Has anyone made that part of their vacation?

What about staying on one island for 2-3 day, then moving to a different one? We could extend for extra time if necessary.

There is SO much to see/do on Oahu, that you won't touch everything in 3 days. If you want to do Pearl Harbor, then that will take nearly a full day on its own. There are amazing beaches, fabulous snorkeling/diving, historical sites, hikes, etc.

 

It partly depends on when you are coming, but assuming summertime (since you are looking now)? Here is a sample itinerary:

 

day one: Pearl Harbor/Arizona/Pacific Aviation Museum then beach in Waikiki

 

day two: snorkeling at Shark's Cove, beach at Waimea, tour of Waimea Valley to see the falls (the path is wide and paved), get pie at Ted's

 

day three: tour the temple in Kaneohe, visit Kailua Beach

 

day four: Polynesian Cultural Center? If you are into that sort of thing. ;) Visit the shrimp trucks at Kuhuku for lunch.

 

day five: snorkel at Hana'uma Bay (there is a tram down to the beach that can carry wheelchairs), do the Makapu'u lighthouse hike (depending on the wheelchair, some can do this hike), drive around the windward side for the views

 

If you want to go to the volcano, then you will need to visit the Big Island of Hawaii. The volcano area is a pretty far drive from the rest of the tourist areas. Because there is a literal volcano in the middle of the island, you have to drive around the edges of the island to get around. It is best to stay near there until you are finished at the volcano, then move to a different hotel for the remainder of your trip.

 

Personally, I don't think the beaches at Ko'Olina are that great, and I live near Kapolei. ;)

[KatieJ]

LifAs far as flying to other islands, say to see Kiluaea, how difficult is that? Has anyone made that part of their vacation?

What about staying on one island for 2-3 day, then moving to a different one? We could extend for extra time if necessary.

 

 

I am not nearly an expert on any of this, but DH and I have been to Hawaii 3 times in the past 15 years.  The first time we were there we spent 4 nights on the Big Island and 4 nights on Maui and then one night on Oahu.  It's not the travle time, as the flights are short, but it's the packing,  checking out,waiting around at the airport,  flying and then rechecking in and unpacking at a new place that eats up a whole day of travel each time.  We went to one Island and stayed the next two visits. 

 

The BIg Island is our favorite but I think there is plenty to do on Oahu that we just didn't have time to see. Mrs. Mungo;s list is awesome.

[ItoLina]

I live on the Big Island, so I am going to bias and say you should come to this Island. It is actually prey easy to find vegetarian food here, especially on the Hilo side of the island.

 

For things to do: you could easily spend a couple of days in the volcano park. There are lots of cool hikes. You should definitely hike through the Thurston Lava tube. The crater rim trail is a good hike if your little one is a descent hiker. The steam vents are also really cool to see. I would also make an effort to snorkel at some point. The Waiopae tide pools are great for kids to snorkel. They are these little pools that you can just set the kids down in. I put goggles on my 4 year old and give her a noodle to float on and she is happy to look at the fish there for hours. My favorite beach on the island is Hapuna Beach, which is on the other side of the Island. The resort there, Hapuna Prince Hotel is a great place to stay and has beach access, though it's not cheap. Richardson's beach in Hilo is a nice, easy to get to black sand beach. Be sure to stop at "4 mile" on the way there. There are ALWAYS turtles there, so it's a great photo op :-) there is also Green Sand Beach. It's a track to get there, but really cool too. For relaxing and seeing some sights, the Big Island is awesome.

 

If you can do 2 islands, Oahu is also great and there is more "stuff" to do, but it's also going to be WAY more crowded, especially the beaches. The Polynesean cultural center is awesome though. They also have the aquarium and zoo, though they are nothing special if you have been to good aquariums and zoos on the mainland. They have lots of shopping too, which is why most of us who live here go over there :-)

 

My favorite island for beaches is Kauai. One after another, beautiful white sand beaches.

 

 

I really recommend getting "Big Island Revealed" book. There are ones for each island...."Oahu Revealed", "Maui Revealed", "Kauai Revealed" .....they are the best Hawaii guide books I have found.

[Kerileanne99]

Wow! You guys are awesome.

I have so many ideas to research! And fast too, as we are going to try to book a trip for either the middle of May or the middle of June, whenever we can get reservations for. That works as the beginning of our vacation, or the end.

In talking it over with hubby, it seems like there is so much we want to do that we will extend to 10-14 days and spend the time:)

 

My dd has been reading volcano books all day, so I KNOW we can't let her down there. Although she did ask if she will need a special fire-retardant suit like she saw on YouTube:)

Also, she has been insistent that she is going to be a marine biologist and oceanographer now for almost 2 years, so I would imagine she will be ecstatic with just about anything we do.

 

Mrs.Mungo- what an awesome list. I passed it one word for word to hubby and he is busy tracking down everything. He particularly wants to visit Pearl Harbor.

 

So it sounds as though Big Island is a must for us as I don't think I would be readily forgiven if we didn't see an active volcano, lol.

Then we will see about Oahu, as I was quite excited at the sheer amount of things we want to do. So at least 4-5 days there.

If we have time we really want to visit Kauai, as just in my initial research it had more along the lines of what I think hubby and I would enjoy.

 

 

ItoLina- thanks for the book recommendations, they look great! I just added several to my Amazon cart, awaiting final travel plans:)

 

Oh! Anybody know anything about rock climbing on either Big Island or Oahu? I wouldn't be climbing with hubby as we do not do any shall we say, more difficult climbs at the same time anymore. Strange how becoming a parent changes the little things, right? Anyway, hubby would probably need to hire a guide or service to take him in an unfamiliar locale...

[elfgivas]

when we visit the big island, we rent a house on the hilo side, near Champagne pond.  (we find a house in the kapoho beach gated community, which is where champagne pond is.)  eg. http://www.vrbo.com/100492(we haven't stayed in this particular one, but its location is wonderful)

 

 i love to swim with the large turtles

 

enjoy!

ann

 

[*lifeoftheparty*]

 

Personally, I don't think the beaches at Ko'Olina are that great, and I live near Kapolei. ;)

You must be a beach person ;) I am not. So the beach that was most like a giant swimming pool was my favorite, lol!!!

 

I also liked Bellows- but when we were snorkeling at Hanuama Bay- an eel darted out from the coral and freaked. me. out.

 

And I hate the idea that there could be big fish and/or sharks swimming near me- and I also hate touching ocean plants, blech!

 

Lagoons for me! Hahahahaha!

[ItoLina]

when we visit the big island, we rent a house on the hilo side, near Champagne pond. (we find a house in the kapoho beach gated community, which is where champagne pond is.) eg. http://www.vrbo.com/100492(we haven't stayed in this particular one, but its location is wonderful)

 

i love to swim with the large turtles

 

 

enjoy!

ann

I agree Champagne pond is awesome!

[Ellie]

Lifeoftheparty-

Thanks for the great suggestions...it hadn't really occurred to me that late resorts would have accessibility issues. We are the type of people who usually just accept it as part of a vacation, but it certainly would be nice if things were more a accessible!

It actually had not occurred to me to consider Disney at all. Dd4 loves all things 'princess-y' but she has only seen 1 Disney movie. She just has never had the desire to sit and watch them for some reason. But she does know who they all are I think, from a princess ballet camp she went to last summer.

So if she really isn't all that into it, I wonder if it would matter. Surely they would still offer everything else, so I will investigate.

 

As far as flying to other islands, say to see Kiluaea, how difficult is that? Has anyone made that part of their vacation?

What about staying on one island for 2-3 day, then moving to a different one? We could extend for extra time if necessary.

 

I'm thinking that the fact that your dd is not familiar with Disney e would be irrelevant in this case. Disney does all things exceedingly,  wonderfully well. :-)

[gardenmom5]

if you go to Oahu - my absolute favorite spot was hanauma bay for snorkeling.  it's very shallow and they rent gear so your 4yo should be fine. 

[Kerileanne99]

I'm thinking that the fact that your dd is not familiar with Disney e would be irrelevant in this case. Disney does all things exceedingly, wonderfully well. :-)

Looking at the website I have to say I am impressed:)

 

AND as part of our month-long driving road trip we are going to be in Anaheim for a bit. I guess we could take the kid to Disney Land then and she would learn everything she ever wanted to know! She IS 'princess', fancy dresses/tiara/wand stuff crazy already, so I sure she would be in heaven!

[Ellie]

Looking at the website I have to say I am impressed:)

 

AND as part of our month-long driving road trip we are going to be in Anaheim for a bit. I guess we could take the kid to Disney Land then and she would learn everything she ever wanted to know! She IS 'princess', fancy dresses/tiara/wand stuff crazy already, so I sure she would be in heaven!

 

If you're going to be in Anaheim, it would be criminal not to go to Disneyland, regardless of where you plan to stay in Hawaii. :-) And there's a boatload of things to love about Disneyland whether there are princesses involved or not. I say this as someone who has been to Disneyland more than 30 times. :-)

[Kerileanne99]

If you're going to be in Anaheim, it would be criminal not to go to Disneyland, regardless of where you plan to stay in Hawaii. :-) And there's a boatload of things to love about Disneyland whether there are princesses involved or not. I say this as someone who has been to Disneyland more than 30 times. :-)

And to think I was more than a little irritated that hubby has to 'interrupt' our vacation for a Long weekend conference 20 minutes from Disneyland! I guess we won't be sitting in the hotel room waiting for him after all:)

[Mrs Mungo]

If your daughter is into marine biology, then I would highly recommend the dolphin catamaran ride that leaves from Ko'Olina. It is fabulous!!

 

I second the Oahu/Hawaii Revealed books. We keep the Oahu one in our car and refer to it as The Oracle.

[creekland]

If you want sheer beauty in an island, you can't Kauai.

 

If you want multitudes of "typical" vacation stuff to do (and Pearl Harbor which is a gem), Oahu is your best bet.  Be sure to visit the North Shore and Eastern beaches (they beat Waikiki for us).

 

If you want TV style Hawaii, Maui is usually the top pick. Diving can be good here too.

 

If you want the best diving and the volcano, The Big Island is tough to beat.  There are really nice hikes in Volcanoes NP.

 

Our preference in Islands are Kauai (for the beauty and hiking) and the Big Island (diving and volcano).

 

We've never done rock climbing, so can't help you there.  Snorkeling and diving are the worst on Oahu... too many crowds I think and tons of damage in many places off the coast.

 

We've never done resorts, so can't help you there either.  We rent condos.

 

All our opinions of course.  YMMV

 

We consider 5 days to be a minimum to spend on one island and longer is better.

 

The "Revealed" books are worth their weight in gold...

 

Enjoy your trip!  (You'll likely need more than one trip...)

[J-rap]

It's been years, but we split our time between Oahu (mostly Honolulu) and the island of Kauai.  It was a nice mix.  On Kauai we stayed in a little bungalow as part of a resort but had the beach practically to ourselves.  We loved it.