Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hawaii

Help me move from Hawaii to Philadelphia.

rickim — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:07:19 -0800

I’m hoping the hive mind can help me come up with a good cost-effective plan, so I have good position to negotiate for money for moving. My company, who originally sent me to Hawaii 3 years ago, wants to relocate me back to Philadelphia. Although Hawaii is wonderful, my wife and I have decided that moving back would be the best thing to do. We’ve agreed on salary, but moving costs will need to be negotiated.

We currently have a 2-bedroom apartment, with beds, couches, desk, etc, nothing that we are emotionally attached to. We also have a 2000 Jetta that’s worth about $5k.

Also it would be fantastic if it were cost effective to drive it myself across the country, as I would love to take a cross-country road trip.

What I am thinking at this point is:
• Sell everything large (car, furniture) via Craigslist.
• Ship everything else via Cargo to west coast
• Buy a new or used car on the west coast
• Load up car and drive to Philly
Is that actually feasible or cost effective, has anyone done something similar?

Other ideas I’m open too, but would like advice/recommendations:
• Shipping everything else all the way to Philly
• Renting a truck and driving it myself

Only You Can Help Make Maui Awesome!

joelhunt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:35:29 -0800

Where should we stay in Maui? "We"are my wife and I (early 30s) and our son (will be 19 months).
We want to probably rent a condo somewhere on Maui in early February. We're looking for someplace clean and cheap (who isn't?), hopefully in a good location on the island. Looking for suggestions, ranging from the vague (general area in Maui) to the specific (name of a great condo complex).

We'd like to be close to a beach, ideally. We'll be renting a car. Also, any suggestions on must-do activities or things that are awesome for a small family with a toddler to do are appreciated.

Aloha? (Is that right?)

The Wedding of Princess Ka'iulani

LadyOscar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:11:35 -0800

Has anyone heard of a mural painting called "The Wedding of Princess Ka'iulani" commissioned on his return home by a Japanese businessman who visited Hawaii and was moved by her short life? While I was writing an essay for Japanese class about Princess Ka'iulani (the last crown princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii), my husband mentioned that he had read a magazine article a few years ago about this painting in a Tokyo(?) hotel(?) that was a fantasy version of the wedding she never lived to see.

I figured this would be easy to Google, but for once the all-knowing net has failed me. The only reference I could find was one line in this article:
http://www.urbanmozaik.com/member_fea_archives/arc_princess.html

I tried searching in Japanese, as well, but with no better luck. (Although I'm not fluent, so I could have missed something.)

Does anyone else out there remember reading about this, or know any more details?

Off Grid Internet

Jsn7821 — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:22:51 -0800

What is the best way to get internet when I am living off-grid? I will be moving north of Hilo (Big Island, Hawaii) in a few weeks, and I want to set something up so I can access internet while I am out there.

I know Verizon has a USB plug-in for $60 a month - which is pretty steep, and I just heard there is a (1GB?) monthly data transfer limit before they start charging extra. I will be doing a virtual-PC thing from my netbook (over the internet, I use GoToMyPC), which I imagine takes up quite a bit of bandwidth.

The guy down the road has cable internet. He has something set up like a sattelite dish aimed at someone down the hill, who agreed to share their connection with him. I wonder if I could then beam his connection over to me? He's about a half mile to a mile away from where I will be, and I don't think there is a straight visible path - nor how to set up something like that.

I'm just looking for ideas and options to look into.

Oh - also - multiple computer capability would be very ideal. I don't know if Verizon can do that.

West Maui December Surfing

GleepGlop — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:02:31 -0800

West Maui (Kaanapali beach) in late December. Is the surf going to be appropriate for a beginner? My family and I are going to be staying at the Hyatt in West Maui in late December and I hear that the waves can be epically huge in December on the North shores of Hawaii. What will the western shores of Maui be like? I couldn't get a straight answer out of the concierge.

Whats the best way to buy a flight for a vacation without getting screwed?

schindyguy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:33:42 -0800

Whats the best way to buy a flight for a vacation that you know you are going on (greater than 3 months in the future)? I am tired of getting screwed for being prepared. I know I need two tickets from Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui (OGG) departing December 12 and returning December 19.

So I thought I would give bing.com's future price utility a try with the flight. I just got a "Bing Travel Alert" that suggests its a good time to buy...http://www.bing.com/travel/flight/flightSearch?o=LAX&d1=12%2F12%2F2009&p=2&src=fct&r1=12%2F19%2F2009&cid=10713&viewMode=list&e=OGG

Since when has the market for tickets been dictated like this? I thought the earlier you book, the better rate you should get. I guess this isn't the case as I learned from my previous purchase of 2 round trip flights from cheaptickets.com. I booked the reservation to Los Cabos 4 months in advance and if I would have waited 1 week before the trip, I would have saved $125 per ticket. Is that insane? In what situation would preparedness not be beneficial? I guess with flights.

How can I guarantee I wont set myself up for another Los Cabos irritation? What can someone do to protect themselves from these market fluctuations?

flight/hotel package travel to Hawaii

waylaid — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:38:11 -0800

I'm living in San Francisco for a few months, and wanting to do a solo trip (via hotel/air package deal) to visit Hawaii while I'm out here. Because of the economy, both flights and hotels are really cheap. I've priced hotel/air packages in August for 3 nights+flight in Honolulu from SFO for $480 (at a two star hotel, which is fine for me). This includes all taxes and is for one person.

I've never done a package deal before (this is my first), and I wanted any suggestions on other places or sites I should check for package deals, as well as any caveats I need to be aware of. (Also, any suggestions for a first time visitor to Oahu who enjoys history, culture, nature (not big on nightlife or touristy crap, though)

Suggestions for Top Hawaii Activities

omarpeppy — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:35:14 -0800

Any suggestions for what the top Hawaii attractions are? Heading to Hawaii in a couple weeks with some friends. I wanted to get some feedback from people who actually have experienced some of the better attractions there. Aloha.

North Shore Kauai Condos -- Worth it?

Ham_On_Rye — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:11:31 -0800

We're heading to Kauai in late June/early July for our anniversary, and are leaning toward staying on the North Shore--I'd love to hear from folks out there about their experiences with condos. Worth it? A Hassle? If I can't sear a mahi mahi steak to save my life, and there aren't any restaurants nearby, will we starve? (tried combing the other Hawaii posts, but couldn't find anything that fit just right...please redirect me if I overlooked something!)

A few additional deets:
My husband and I have been to Maui, and stayed in Ka'anapali. Although it was probably a bit more touristy for some folks' taste, I enjoyed being able to pretty much walk wherever we needed to go--beach, ocean, pool, food, drinks, etc., were right nearby, without feeling too crowded.

Hotels that aren't going to break our bank (i.e. under $300/night) do not seem to exist on the North Shore of Kauai, so we've been reviewing condos (using the "ultimate kauai" Bible, of course). A lot of them seem to be larger than we need (it's just the 2 of us, typical condos we've looked at come with 2 bedrooms at a minimum), and it also appears to be luck of the draw when it comes to which rental agency you use--some good, some not.

For some strange reason, I have a weird impression that renting a condo is a much bigger deal/commitment than renting a hotel is [I shudder to think what I'll be like when/if I actually purchase a home], so am a bit more cautious than I would be normally. As such, my questions are thusly:
If you have stayed on the North Shore, did you condo-it or hotel-it?
If you were in a condo, how did you navigate the dizzying number of rental companies/agents to ensure you got the best price for the most well-kept place? Any rule of thumb we should follow?
Did you go local for your food, or stock up in Lihu'e at yonder WalMart?
Most people I know who have been to Kauai rave about the seclusion they feel--if you have been there, and still wanted to do "stuff" did you feel too secluded?

Thanks again for your help!

Hawaii Stand Up!

cashman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:23:29 -0800

Looking for the best of Hawaiian Reggae - songs like those that get played on Q103 Maui. I'm looking for excellent Hawaiian Reggae songs to jam to - the kind that would play on Q103 Maui. They can be decades old or new as the last few years. Tempo of any sort is fine, I just want great, great sound. Classics, hard-hitting new stuff, uniquely vibrant sounds and beloved artists - give me the best.

If I could name a single song to help, I would. I just heard Q103 for a few hours last year and I want some more of that great music. I do remember one song that had something about "this island life" (something like 'what is it about this island life that makes it so great' and it wasn't teoman) MeMail me if you need more info, email's in profile if you need that.

Where can we store our bagging in Honolulu for 12 hours before our flight home?

Nelsormensch — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:08:36 -0800

Returning from Hawaiian honeymoon on the Big Island. We're flying out of Honolulu, but we're on Oahu for about 12 hours before the flight back home. Airline only allows baggage check in 4 hours before departure. Is there anywhere we can safely store our baggage so we don't have to lug it around all day? Honeymoon in Hawaii in August. Spending most of the time on the Big Island, but we're flying back to Vancouver out of Honolulu.

Air Canada only has one flight back to Vancouver per day and it's at 11 PM at night. Their website says baggage check in can only be 4 hours before departure.

Our inter-island flight gets into Honolulu about noon. We'd like to go around Honolulu, but don't want to lug our bags around while doing so. Since we are not staying on Oahu, we don't have a hotel we can leave our bags with. Safety of our bags is pretty important.

Any ideas where we can safely leave our stuff? We travel relatively light, but it's still more than we'd like to carry around all day if we could.

Scooter-friendly Hawaiian vacation recommendations?

rabbitrabbit — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:53:32 -0800

Hawaiin Vacation advice. Where should we stay, Maui or Kauai? Needs to be cheap, and need to be able to get around by scooter. Mr. Rabbit and I are planning our 11th anniversary Hawaiian vacation. We've never been to Hawaii before. Mr. Rabbit wants to rent scooters (like, Vespas) rather than a car, so wherever we stay needs to be accessible by scooter, and there need to be scooter-friendly roads between wherever we stay and the places we go each day.

Things we're interested in: hikes, waterfalls, beaches, other natural beauty things, vegetarian and/or seafood restaurants.

We're hoping to go at the end of May.

Where should we stay? Maui or Kauai, and also specific hotel/B&B/cottage recommendations. Mr. Rabbit is very anti-touristy, so the less "commercial"-feeling the better. Ideal is some kind of cottage/cabin type accomodation.

Hang Ten, Dude!

cestmoi15 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:35:07 -0800

Hawaii (Waikiki/Honululu) redux: Some questions we haven't answered. So, I get to go to Hawaii for work in May. Yay! Mr. Cestmoi will be with me, for fun. Here are some questions that I haven't seen answered on MeFi before.

We'll be there mid-May. We're staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (Waikiki). We have two full days off together, then I'll be working about 9-4 for the next 5 days.

1. We want to take a surf lesson together, neither of us have ever surfed before. I think doing this on one of the two days we're both off is a good idea. Should I make life easy and go with the surf school at the hotel, or would this be a good time to go check out another beach? Any recs on surf schools?

2. The hotel room has a kitchen. Any grocery stores (other than ABC) near there? I've heard groceries are super expensive there and would like to minimize that... we won't have a car but are not afraid of taking the bus. Also, I assume groceries in Hawaii sell beer and wine... if not, a reasonably placed place to go?

3. Snorkeling schools/lessons you'd rec? I'm terrified, but think I should try, he'll go too, but loves it. So basically, should be ok with a scared newbie but not bore someone with someone with more experience. Preferably not deeper than 6ft of water.

4. Mr. Cestmoi is a scuba dude (has scuba'd in the past, is certified, but hasn't had a chance to go in a while. He's doing this on his own. Any recs I should pass to him? I assume he has to sign up with something, not just rent the gear he doesn't have?

5. TIKI BAR!!! As old school as possible. Love dives.

6. Sunset booze cruise: I get sea sick and can't/won't do a dinner cruise, but I think a shorter booze cruise would be ok (sounds like an awesome way to see a sunset), any good for those in their mid-30s? The interwebs tell me they get a bit fratty and I'd like to avoid that.

Also, I've traveled with him while he's been on work assignments before (and I've travelled by myself, he hasn't), and am quite apt at amusing myself, but he's never travelled with me when I'm unavailable to him for large chunks of the day. I'm sure he'll be fine and all, but any advice you have if you've ever been in that situation before would be great!

Trails near Kailua

Jsn7821 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:46:41 -0800

What are some good hikes or trails nearby Kailua Hawaii? I'm in Kailua staying with relatives until Sunday and (before I fly over to Hilo) and am looking for some short (2-3 mile) hikes or trails to jog. Open to any recommendations, and I have access to a car.

I will also be here again with my girlfriend when I fly back from Hilo for about 4 days.

Honolulu vacation rentals?

sanitycheck — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:25:06 -0800

My boyfriend and I just booked a flight to Honolulu for the first week of May and now we need to find accommodations. We're hoping to find a week-long rental somewhere within the city to use as a home base, spend most of our time at the beach and/or exploring nearby tourist-y sites via public transit, and maybe rent a car for just a couple days. I've had a look at the other ask.me questions about Honolulu but we have some pretty specific requirements that aren't really covered in those.

Our ideal place would be:
- around $100 US a night
- equipped with a kitchen
- walking distance to a beach that has decent waves for surfing
- a short walk or bus ride to a grocery store or farmer's market

We don't need anything super-fancy - a basic studio or one bedroom apartment would suit us just fine. We might be willing to pay more for somewhere *really* nice though.

I'm checking out the usual suspects (TripAdvisor, VRBO, craigslist) but would love to hear personal recommendations from anyone who has stayed in the area before.

Bali Ha'i on the Big Island?

genug — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:58:06 -0800

Hawaii-filter: I've been to Kauai twice and absolutely fell in love with Hanalei. My extended family is thinking of going to the west side of the Big Island this summer. Can you help point me to towns on the Big Island that are in some sense Hanalei-like? More info: meeting up with sun-starved family, so the east side of Hawaii is probably not an option. Family is thinking of South Kona but this is still up in the air (none of us have been there and guidebooks can be misleading), alternate suggestions are very much appreciated.

Things I enjoyed about Hanalei: general vibe, great snorkeling, the size of the town and proximity to beautiful beaches, the lack of resorts, nearby hiking along the Na Pali Coast, the great fish market, the overall feel of a nice community in a special place.

Things I'm anxious about on the Big Island: being surrounded entirely by tourists, being trapped in a resort with no local flavor, having to drive to get anywhere.

(Suggestions on particular towns, places, restaurants, etc. are also very welcome.)

Thanks!

Young driver car rental in Hawaii

Jsn7821 — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:35:25 -0800

Are there any car rental companies in Hilo, Hawaii that will rent to a 18-20 or 21-24 year old driver? I am 20, ideally I would rent the car to my name. I will be in Hilo with a friend who is 21, who could potentially also rent the car.

Is it worth trying to talk any car rental companies into it?

How do I plan a vacation so that I can write about it later on?

talkingmuffin — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:20:17 -0800

How do I plan (or not plan) a vacation so that I can write a travel article on my experiences afterwards? I'm going to be heading to Hawaii's Big Island for two weeks in March with my wife. For a while we've been talking about being a writer/photographer super team and would like to use this vacation as an opportunity to test the waters. We're definitely budget conscious travellers so we'd be gearing the resulting article towards more adventure style audiences.

Does any one have any advice on how best to structure the trip to maximize our potential for authentic spontaneous experiences? Do you have any tips on how to best record/organize the information we gather along the way?

Thanks!

Need inexpensive lodging in Kailua Hawaii

ecorrocio — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:44:14 -0800

My wife needs to stay in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii for a period while her mom is having surgery. Does anyone know of a reasonably priced (ie. non resort) place she can stay for a week or two? The tourist hotel rates are just too much for us. My wife needs to stay in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii for a period while her mom is having surgery. Does anyone know of a reasonably priced (ie. non resort) place she can stay for a week or two? The tourist hotel rates are just too much for us.

An extended stay type hotel, with kitchen etc, would be nice.

Thanks!

Carless on Kauai

sarahnade — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:04:54 -0800

Can I do touristy stuff on Kauai without a car? I am going to Hawaii (island of Kauai) at the end of this month for a conference. I will be stuck in lectures in the mornings, till about 1:30pm or so each day. I will have the afternoons/evenings (Wed/Thu/Fri) to do touristy stuff. But I am by myself and don't plan on renting a car. Is that dumb (not having a car I mean)? One friend suggested that I could maybe get around by renting a scooter or bike, is this reasonable?

I would love to see the Fern Grotto and hike some in Waimea Canyon. Are there tours (preferably not too expensive, although I realize it is a well-known tourist destination) I can take that would shuttle me around the island, maybe provide a guide to these places or something similar? Should I wait till I get there and book a tour with the hotel (Grand Hyatt Kauai), or book with a tour company ahead of time? If the latter, then which tour companies are good and will take a single traveler (I am of course willing to be added to a group)?

Or would it just be cheaper to rent a car, scooter, or bike for 3 days and shuttle myself around to these places, exploring on my own?

Thanks travelling MeFites!

What kind of spider is this?

Scientifik — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:36:57 -0800

What kind of spider is this? I live in hawaii and recently came across (and subsequently killed) this spider. Does anyone know what kind it is?

Sweet Hawaii, here is my money!

monocultured — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:47:39 -0800

What to buy while in Hawaii? (Maui & Oahu) My mom is spending Christmas & New years eve in Hawaii with her boyfriend (manfriend? They're over 50 after all) and she's asked me if there's anything I'd like bought and brought back.

Since the US is comparatively cheap on electronics, I figure that might be an option (I live in Sweden - land of expensive thingies) but can't for the life of me figure out what to get where.

I'm thinking maybe a Wacom tablet, e-ink reader or an extra SATA-drive or two. Suggestions? Addresses to cheapo stores? What should not be missed shopping-wise when on the islands? Good bookstore maybe? (heavy, but one or two pockets books might be nice) Is there a webpage that lists offers and such for the islands?

Basically, what would you get if you were going to Maui and Oahu, and is there anything worth to bring back to Europe/Sweden besides souvenirs and trinkets?

Sorry for being unspecific, but last time I went to the states I ended up getting a load of second hand clothes and mp3-player and half a library, and trying to come up with something specific beforehand is difficult.

Agencies that help with resolving a vacation booking fraud in U.S.?

olya — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:21:57 -0800

Looking for help in (a) identifying if this is a fraud (and if yes, by whom) and (b) who do we talk to help resolve it. Fraud deals with a vacation rental condo in Hawaii. My parents are going on a trip to Hawaii in 2 weeks. One of the reservations that my dad has made was a condo rental for 3 days. Communication with the "owner" has started to sound like a fraud; short history follows. Primary purpose of this question is to find who can we contact other than BBB that can help us resolve this?

Summary of why we think this is a fraud:
1) Dad finds apartment he likes here.

2) He contacts the agency; they exchange several e-mails and a rental agreement is sent. He signs the rental agreement and sends them a certified cheque. The communication is done with a woman named Beth. Beth says she will send check-in information 3 weeks prior to the check-in date.

3) Beth disappears. Dad does more research, finds another (fishy looking) website for seemingly the same company that has a strange comment about fraud investigation. However, further research doesn't show any other complaints or any other information (good or bad) on the company.

4) Last Thursday Beth reappears, apologizing for not responding as she was out of town, and promising check-in instructions. Nothing else is heard.

5) Dad calls the location of the condo and speaks to someone there; there's no owner named Beth there.

What we know:
-> The address of the condo is 76-6288 Ali'i Dr. KONA HI US 96740
-> Beth's e-mail is rdvacations@gmail.com, phone is 530-575-2213
-> Agreement was sent to
RDV Enterprise, LLC
P.O. Box 638
Colfax, CA 95713
-> Another location for RDV can be found here:
R D V Enterprise Llc
3321 Teal Sunset St, Las Vegas, NV 89129
Phone: (702) 892-8400
-> Someone named Angela Long could be related to this?
-> website shows 702-940-7795 as their phone number
-> whois information shows yet another person (Arthur, Roberta) and a different address. Same number, though.

I dialed all the numbers:
(702) 892-8400: not in service
(702) 940-7795: no one picks up
(530) 575-2213: voicemail (female recorded), not identifying who you'd be leaving a message for.

Mefis! Help! Is this a fraud? (probably - there are at least 3 different addresses for them, if you include the whois information). Who do we talk to? We are Canadian, but are there organizations other than BBB that we can talk to that will help? $400 check was cashed. Can anyone help find more information and get our money back?

Mefi-mail or e-mail me if you'd like to see the rental agreement, or any of the communication that has happened.

Camping in Hawaii

rocks009 — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:11:56 -0800

Camping recommendations for the Hawaii Big Island? My fiancee and I are looking for the best places to camp on the Big Island in November. We have found plenty of listings of campgrounds, but very few recommendations. We'll definitely camp at Volcanoes NP, and probably at Spencers Beach, but what else is really worth a visit? We're renting a 4WD, and we are keen for moderate hikes in to some more isolated camp sites. We're not fussed about facilities, but are looking for legal camping in stunning locations.

Oahu help!

gatorbiddy — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:23:48 -0800

Looking for Oahu travel advice.... We'll be travelling to Oahu for 7 nights in December, already bought the airfare into Honululu, but now we need to find place(s) to stay! We've decided to stay on Oahu rather than spend money to travel to any other islands, first time in Hawaii for both of us and the choices are a bit overwhelming.

We're looking for one or two different locations on the island in which to rent a condo/vrbo, hotel, b&b, or something similar. We're interested in fantastic beaches and swimming/snorkeling, as well as some sojourns for great hikes, greenery and jungle type atmosphere. Preferably with a less touristy vibe. Looking to spend less than 200 per night at the very most. If a place had a kitchen we'd probably cook a fair bit, so that's why a rental may be interesting, but not necessary.

Does anyone have town or island area recommendations that would help me narrow down the lodging search? Specific experience with any particularly lodging would also be great, as well as things not to miss. From what I've read so far, Waimanalo and Kailua look pretty great. Anyone have first hand experience with staying there?

Any Oahu advice would be so greatly appreciated. I feel like we just need to pick a great town or two and then the lodging will take care of itself from there. Any hidden gems out there for great beaches, atmosphere, and relaxation?

Thanks for the help!!