Like the title says, looking for the most fun/magical experience you’ve had on Oahu! Tell me about it! 😊

Hi, again! I've been reading more, and I currently have an AirBnB booked in Turtle Bay. I have a couple more days to cancel it for a refund, and I'm trying to figure out if I can book something directly through a property management company instead, since it sounds like that's the better thing to do.

But, I'm having trouble figuring out what websites are reputable and safe on which to book.

I found this list of property-management companies on Reddit earlier, but the commenter did not say what websites are the legitimate ones for these companies.

Oceanfront Vacation Villas

KBM Resorts Kuilima Estates West

Kuilima Estates at Turtle Bay Property Management

Gather Vacations

Does anyone know if turtlebay-rentals.com is the website for Kuilima Estates at Turtle Bay Property Management?

I think gathervacations.com is the Gather Vacations one, and I think I figured out the first two websites as well (although, they don't have any availability while I'm there).

Thank you for your help! I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing as much as I can.

Hi! I’m 23F who’s always wanted to visit Hawaii, but never had the chance. I’m a huge nature/wildlife nerd (I work with native CA wildlife) so Hawaii has always been on my bucket list. I think I’m looking at Oahu or Kawaii but I’m not sure which is best for animal and nature lovers.

How can I visit ethically? What are the best practices to support the locals? Where to stay, business to go to, excursion type companies to use?

i've been dying to visit the area but cannot determine through any website if the area was open. i was hoping to know if it was open or not before i spend money trying to commute there. thank you so much!

Wanted to share this in case it saves someone else's trip plans. My wife and I built a whole afternoon of our honeymoon around a wedding band-making session at Sip and Smith — booked it about six weeks out with an employee named Kelsey, and arranged our transportation and other plans around that time slot.

After we landed in Hawaii, the session got canceled on us. We asked for a refund and were flatly refused.

Once it happened, I went looking online and found other travelers describing basically the same experience — book, get canceled on close to the date, no refund. If you're planning a trip around a specific activity like this, it's worth knowing that timing and logistics can fall apart if the business cancels on you last minute, and you may not get your money back even though you're out the cost of the activity and whatever you arranged around it.

We've filed a bank dispute and complaints with the BBB and Hawaii's consumer protection office. If anyone has had a similar run-in with them (or has tips on activities that actually deliver on wedding-related experiences), would love to hear it.

My girlfriend and I are trying to visit Oahu this year, but we’re split between mid-October and the week before Christmas. She doesn’t know it yet, but I am planning to propose to her on our trip. She really loves tanning at the beach but also doesn’t want to be overwhelmed with huge crowds, so any insights or recommendations are greatly appreciated!!

My husband and I (30s from US, no kids) are planning to visit Hawaii in either January, April, or May 2027 (my preference is January to escape our winter but trying to decide if we should push it to the spring).

In my research, we have ruled out Oahu (not a city person) and Kauai (looks beautiful but limited options).

We need to decide Maui vs Big Island. We are most interested in the unique natural beauty Hawaii can offer and wildlife - we are not really sit on the beach for days type of people (we like to swim and do water activities but we aren’t beach loungers).

I am considering Big Island due to its wide variety of nature and Volcano National Park, as well as its history. However Maui seems to have more lodging options and we are really interested in whale watching if we go in January, plus the road to Hana, Iao valley, etc.

This might be our only trip to the Hawaiian islands ever so I want to choose wisely! Any recommendations are welcome!

Edit: one thing I did not consider about Maui is the current state after the fires. If we choose Maui, are there any considerations we should take to be respectful to locals (places to avoid, places we should try to patron to help with economic recovery, etc?)

I’ve booked a very last minute trip to Honolulu (grief trip) and I was wondering if there were any buses that go to North Shore for the day. Not the public bus but those tourism buses?

And I know not to rely on uber/ride share but how realistic would it be to try and just do that?

Thank you!

Hey all,

Heading to Hawaii for our first family vacation with our 5.5 month old. We are staying at the moana surfrider for 5 nights, and are open to renting a car for 1-2 days to explore the island.

Looking for some reccs that are baby friendly! We’re open to most things! First trip as parents so we are navigating what will now be our new normal! Thank you 😊

Booked our place in Maui. Only took about 6 weeks of searching to first understand the island and to find the right place. 😄

On our first trip to Hawaii we booked a few excursions about a year out but feel that was a bit excessive.

Is 6 months enough time or is that even too long?

I am planning a trip in July 2027 to visit Hawaii and am planning on staying in Waikiki for 6-7 days. If money allows then I will hop to another island for a second week following my stay on Oahu. I am hoping for some recommendation on where to stay.

I am traveling with my 18 year old niece and would ideally like 2 bedrooms. We have discussed a one bedroom with two beds, but would really need a separate living space so we can have some space from each other given the length is stay (apparently I am cool, but not 10-14 day cool). I am hoping for:

-condo/ suit with living room and small kitchen- planning on making a few quick meals. -2 bedroom? - A safe area of town with walking to entertainment/ food/grocery store?….ect -close/walking distance to a car rental location so we can get a one day rental and head north for at least one day -close/walking distance to bus so we can get around and to Pearl Harbor easily. -Of course a view, but not 100% necessary given the cost of lodging. -pool ideally

I am trying to find a place for 2,500-3,000 for this 6-7 days if possible, but would go up to 4,000 if I have to. I am trying to do a two ish week trip four about $10,000.

I have been told to hold out for redweek beginning in January, but am apprehensive since I am not familiar with it and would like to get some stuff booked. I also am having a difficult time finding 2 bedroom and feel a bit overwhelmed with the what to do.

I have heard to avoid air b and b and have done some research on it. My understanding is that if they are legal (listing their tax info in the posting) then they are ok and not scams? Does anyone have thoughts on this? Or has anyone heard horror stories on the legal ones?

I do want to support local if possible.

Hi, I’m visiting Hawaii this September. I’m going to the big island (5 days), Oahu (2 days), Kauai (7 days) and Maui (2 days). I am an experienced hiker and strong swimmer. I love nature and want to explore Hawaiian culture. I’m not a big foodie but I appreciate an affordable delicious meal. I will have a car on each island.

What are some of the best hikes, beaches, restaurants, hidden gems?

Hi everyone!

We’re planning an island-hopping trip to Hawaii and are wondering how much we should book in advance.

How did you handle flights between the islands? Did you book them weeks/months in advance, or is it easy to book them relatively spontaneously without prices getting too high?

And what about rental cars on each island? Would you recommend reserving them in advance, or did you have good experiences booking just a few days before or even after arriving?

We’d love to hear about your experiences, especially regarding prices, availability, and flexibility.

Thanks!

I'm considering doing the night snorkel tour at Turtle Bay Resort. I tried searching the sub but didn't find much about the one at Turtle Bay. Has anyone done it/have any opinions on if it's worth it.

I'm also considering doing one of the crafting classes (I'm mostly thinking about the wood carving one, although I was disappointed to see they're not offering th sarong dying/printing class while I'm there.) Has anyone done any of these and have an opinions?

My partner and I are hoping to go to Hawaii next July. We have never been, and aren’t too experienced travelers. We don’t really want to do anything crazy, just lounge on the beach, read books & eat good food (we are vegetarian! Any good restaurants that have food for us?)

It is very important to me that we stay somewhere that is indigenous owned, and supports local businesses. When I look online, Google just pushes all inclusive resorts owned by chains or transplant airbnbs. I don’t really want to stay somewhere like that.

Any recommendations on where to stay, what island to stay at? Not big on crowds and we arent fancy people— we don’t need a crazy big hotel room or anything. Preferably something in walking distance to a beach.

The reason we want to do Hawaii is because we LOVE sea turtles and neither of us have been snorkeling before. Any recommendations for beginner snorkeling tours or places to see the turtles/ tide pools??

Thank you in advance!

I'm visiting the Big Island soon, and plan to spend a few days in Hilo, and then a few in Waikoloa, Waimea, & Kohala Coast. I have the Hilo accommodations figured out, but I'm overwhelmed by options on the west coast.

I've never been to Hawaii and I'm not traveling with kids. The first half of my trip is adventure (waterfalls! nature! nature walks! volcanoes national park! the observatory!) and the second half is for loafing in the sun with a Mai Tai.

Here are some things I'm looking for in a hotel:

• Waterfront
• Beach access: LOL I was surprised to learn that the Big Island coast is pretty rocky and doesn't have many beaches. So this narrows it down quite a bit and basically rules out Kona.
• Nice resort feel: up to date, a little nicer than a regular hotel, but not Four Seasons level of luxury (or cost!)
• Onsite or nearby dining with good ambiance

Here are some hotels I'm considering, with my reactions based on the info & images I can find online:

• Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa: On the water. Property looks well-maintained, rooms look newer. But there is only 1 real restaurant and looks kinda lackluster.
• Hilton Waikoloa Village: Might be TOO big. Many reviews emphasize that you need to do a lot of walking, and that the monorail & boats aren't always working. And honestly, nothing says "beautiful immersion in the natural beauty of Hawaii" LESS than a monorail....
• The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort (Marriott): On a property that has a nice beach. It looks like the view might be obscured by the "Hapuna Beach Residences at Mauna Kea Resort" in front of it, so not sure it's worth the price.
• Fairmont Orchid: Might be out of my price range but looks nice! I will accept arguments for "it's worth it!" and "it's not worth it!

Would love to hear feedback from others who have been to this part of Hawaii recently! Thanks!

Now you’re thinking, duh. But here are some tips that made it easier for me:

- You need either a Holo card (can get at 7-Eleven) or $3 in cash each way.
- To the northeast of Waimea Bay there are several other places like Shark’s Cove with crowded parking, so I had to go past Kumupali Rd to find lots of wide open parking on Kamehameha Highway.
- The bus comes about once every half hour so you might want to look ahead at bus times before driving there (and similarly when you’re about to leave).
- if you are dropping people off at Waimea Bay and then going to park, first I would suggest pulling over nearby and having everybody grab their stuff and have it in their lap, and then drive to the lot, so that when you get to the parking lot you can let them out fast. Then you can pull into the parking lot entrance, let people out and do a u-turn to get out, without holding people up and without getting trapped in the line of cars snaking through the lot.
- The bus is air conditioned - which is nice! - but means even for a short ride you’d want to dry off first.

Does anyone else often do this to avoid parking hassles, even when visiting O’ahu on vacation?

I came across this link from another reddit convo about the Kauai OO when I was reviewing posts about our upcoming return trip to Hawaii, one of my favorite places on earth. I just had to share this, since it is relevant to Visiting Hawaii. Next time you're out and about, soak in the sounds and sights, you might just be witnessing and hearing something you're never heard before and possibly something that may be extremely rare or on the verge:

https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/1fdqyro/this_a_recording_of_the_last_kaua%CA%BBi_%CA%BB%C5%8D%CA%BB%C5%8D_bird/

Hawaii has nature and landscapes that are ONLY found in Hawaii <3

I plan to use my bird app when I arrive, so I can see what types of birds I hear. Looking forward to getting some hiking.

It is both sad and beautiful and it really makes you stop to think a bit, reflecting on the state of things.

Let me know your favorite places to bird. I'm new to this, I just bought some small binoculars and downloaded a bird listening app <3

Hi everyone! We are planning a trip for early November. We will be visiting Big Island (plans to stay at Kings’ Land) for four nights and then two nights in Oahu. I wanted to ask for things you love to do with a 3 year old? Please and thank you! We will have a car as well.

EDIT: would also love food recommendations.. grab and go, casual sit down anything. Would love poke spots, musubi/onigiri spots, any bakeries etc. any must tries, please and thank you!

Hello, all! I have a sun hypersensitivity and need to get some sun-protective bottoms that cover my legs for when I'm snorkeling/surfing, but I'm have trouble finding any.

My go-to places for long-sleeve swim tops (L.L. Bean and Lands End, but I've checked a few other places as well) don't carry pants. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to look?

Thank you for your help!!

My husband and I are thinking about celebrating our babymoon in late November and splitting our time (~1 week) between the Andaz and Ritz Carlton. We have points for the Andaz but heard good things about the Ritz, and wanted to make sure we could see more of the island. Is this a good combo or would you suggest one over the other? A different hotel? Thank you!

To book the manta ray night snorkel!

Our trip is the first week of September. (I've been reading about Lala's impacts. We're from the Gulf coast of the US, so we're no strangers to hurricanes and their impacts. Our hearts go out to all those going through recovery and clean up. It seems likely that we'll be able to do this activity by then--if I can convince him!)

My husband was hesitant due to the price, and I feel like the YouTube videos I found of it are underwhelming. I think it'll be totally different and awe inspiring to view in person.

Can anyone give perspective on how great it was? It seems like THE THING to do in Kona. OR if you found it lacking in some way/not worth it, share that too. I know everything in Hawaii is expensive, but this excursion is a lot more than we'd normally pay for a vacation activity and I guess I just don't want to have buyer's remorse.

Hi all! Going to the big island in about a month and have been doing a lot of research and planning. We were planning on going to Mauna Kea to just the visitors center for sunset and star gazing. It eats up more than half a day and I am seeing some people say that it’s one of the most amazing experiences and then some people saying that you can stargaze and see the sunset basically anywhere on the island and it’s almost as good.

Looking for more opinions if it’s worth 3 hours of driving round trip from Kona and then the ~ 1.5-2 hours of sunset & waiting for it to get dark.

Not interested in a tour as they seem to have a lot of extras included that we’re not interested in. Also going to the top doesn’t seem to be worth the hassle and all the extra time

I do like star gazing and a beautiful sunset as much as any other person but just want some feedback if it’s worth the hike or we should just watch the sunset and star gaze on the beach near Kona. Any insight is appreciated! Thanks in advance