Maui and oahu for the first time, what to do? how much does snorkeling, surf board rentals, etc. cost?
this is my first time going to hawaii. the trip is going to include me ( age 18), my brother(22), friend(18) and parents(mid 50's). we are not really on a tight budget, but it can not be really expensive if you know what i mean. we will be in oahu for 3 days, and maui for 4( we have a rental car in maui but not in oahu). i was just wondering if anyone could help me decide what to do. where the good places are to hang out and have fun? we kinda want to see the famous places on both islands, but also we are real nature junkies, so biking and hikes would be nice to do, long hikes would not really matter to us because we are all "so called" athletes( i mean we play sports/run almost every single day). i heard of a famous restaurant, i think it was called "Helena's", that i wanted to go to. also i heard that there are amazing beaches everywhere on the islands(being from LA, i don't see too many good looking beaches) so i would like to see some nice beaches. lol. any kind of tip would help.
my parents aren't real thrill seekers, they just want to relax, but they will join us for the easy activities. but me, my brother, and friend want to try a lot of new things (i.e. snorkel, kayak, surf, bike). also i was wondering how much does it cost to rent these things. also does anyone know of a place where i can rent them for cheap? like a jet skii and one of those things that you ride on thats attached to the back of a jetskii.
also i was wondering if we would be able to go out anywhere into the ocean and snorkel(like are their specific guidelines where we have to snorkel in specific areas), because one of my friends told me about a water inlet where there is coral beneath your feet. i want to go but i'm not sure if it is legal. also i wanted to know if you would need any type of training to snorkel. like is it hard to do, or can you pick it up(learn it) right away?
but the most important thing on this trip is to have fun( and not get bored) and relax and to get out of the everyday grind of school and work. i know i'm asking for a lot, so you don't have to answer every part of this post, but i really want this trip to be special.any kind of help would be appreciated. just trying to make it memorable for my family.
Answer
The main thing is just to not step on the coral, and try to avoid touching it at all.
The approach that works best for me is to go to Snorkel Bob's (Boss Frog is a competitor on both Oahu and Maui if you want to check out their rates, but I don't have personal experience with them) and get fitted for gear. Then, when the crowd clears out, I ask the guys that work there, "If you weren't working today, where would you go snorkeling?" When I followed their advice, I went to Old Airport Beach, north of Lahaina. On that particular day, Old Airport Beach was amazing. There was added excitement when some cops chased someone who had apparently, allegedly hot wired a car onto my part of the beach and threatened to taser their [beep]. But I did see a fabulous quantity and variety of colorful reef fish, including humuhumunukunukuapua'a and puff fish.
The first time I snorkeled--in Hanauma Bay-- I did get pretty annoyed with having to pay so much attention to how I breathed. The second and third time I went snorkeling, time passed very quickly! I was snorkeling on Molokai, and there was a member of our party from Michigan who said she'd tried snorkeling once and didn't like it. She was just treading water when I swam up, took my face out of the water, and said, "You're missing out!" I put my face back in the water, lifted my head up, and said, "There's a big turtle right under you." Next time I saw her, she was putting on a snorkel.
When I didn't follow the advice of the guys in the snorkel shop--when I consulted a guidebook instead--I snorkeled at a popular beach where the water was murky and the fish were not particularly interesting.
You should consider renting a car for at least one day on Oahu. I lived there for four years (and was there just last week on business--I live on Maui these days). When people came to visit me, I usually took them where they wanted to go: Bishop Museum, Pearl Harbor, Arizona Memorial, and so forth. In the end, they usually said their favorite part of the trip was the part where I drove them around Makapu'u, up to Kaneohe to visit Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples, up to Kualoa Park, up the Windward Side, and down the North Shore. "Just driving around the island."
On Maui, I highly recommend the show 'ulalena in Lahaina. If you go hiking in the erosion basin in Haleakala National Park, remember to turn around and try hiking uphill before you hike too far down. The thin air means you may be winded quickly, and people react differently to being above 10,000 feet. In my opinion, the four best restaurants on Maui are Cafe O'Lei in Kihei, Mama's Fish House just outside of Pa'ia, Hali'imaile General Store, and Casanova in Makawao. There is also a Cafe O'Lei at the Maui Lani golf course, which has spectacular scenery and good food.
The main thing is just to not step on the coral, and try to avoid touching it at all.
The approach that works best for me is to go to Snorkel Bob's (Boss Frog is a competitor on both Oahu and Maui if you want to check out their rates, but I don't have personal experience with them) and get fitted for gear. Then, when the crowd clears out, I ask the guys that work there, "If you weren't working today, where would you go snorkeling?" When I followed their advice, I went to Old Airport Beach, north of Lahaina. On that particular day, Old Airport Beach was amazing. There was added excitement when some cops chased someone who had apparently, allegedly hot wired a car onto my part of the beach and threatened to taser their [beep]. But I did see a fabulous quantity and variety of colorful reef fish, including humuhumunukunukuapua'a and puff fish.
The first time I snorkeled--in Hanauma Bay-- I did get pretty annoyed with having to pay so much attention to how I breathed. The second and third time I went snorkeling, time passed very quickly! I was snorkeling on Molokai, and there was a member of our party from Michigan who said she'd tried snorkeling once and didn't like it. She was just treading water when I swam up, took my face out of the water, and said, "You're missing out!" I put my face back in the water, lifted my head up, and said, "There's a big turtle right under you." Next time I saw her, she was putting on a snorkel.
When I didn't follow the advice of the guys in the snorkel shop--when I consulted a guidebook instead--I snorkeled at a popular beach where the water was murky and the fish were not particularly interesting.
You should consider renting a car for at least one day on Oahu. I lived there for four years (and was there just last week on business--I live on Maui these days). When people came to visit me, I usually took them where they wanted to go: Bishop Museum, Pearl Harbor, Arizona Memorial, and so forth. In the end, they usually said their favorite part of the trip was the part where I drove them around Makapu'u, up to Kaneohe to visit Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples, up to Kualoa Park, up the Windward Side, and down the North Shore. "Just driving around the island."
On Maui, I highly recommend the show 'ulalena in Lahaina. If you go hiking in the erosion basin in Haleakala National Park, remember to turn around and try hiking uphill before you hike too far down. The thin air means you may be winded quickly, and people react differently to being above 10,000 feet. In my opinion, the four best restaurants on Maui are Cafe O'Lei in Kihei, Mama's Fish House just outside of Pa'ia, Hali'imaile General Store, and Casanova in Makawao. There is also a Cafe O'Lei at the Maui Lani golf course, which has spectacular scenery and good food.
Could I get some pros and cons about Chicago!?
sharvani
I'd like to hear some pros and cons about chicago, as I've been thinkin of visiting sometime!
It could be pretty much anything! like : 'Great cheap places to get food. Its expensive to stay there as visitor', for example!
and offcourse, I'd want answers from ppl that have been there obviously!^^ thankx!
Answer
Pros:
Great public transportation
Great nightlife-bars/restaurants open late
Great live music venues-literally dozens every night
A lot of culture - great museums, art shows, opera stuff
Great food - all kinds of cuisine from cheap to expensive
Sports, sports, sports
Pretty safe after hours unless you are the South Side. Nothing worth seeing in the South Side past Comiskey/35th anyways
Taxis are EVERYWHERE and run all hours. Pretty reasonably priced too.
Shopping on Michigan is second only to New York City.
People are friendly if you have a laidback "mid-western" attitude. Don't like a New York or LA pompous attitude.
Cons:
Weather and tourists. Hot as hell in summer and lots of tourists. Cold as ice in winter but no tourists.
Notwithstanding the above, most people are not very friendly to tourists. Try to blend in.
Expensive - hotels are expensive and drinks are costly at the main hangouts ($4-5 pint), I went to cheap out of the way places.
TAXES- Everything is taxed up the wazoo - 15% hotel 20% rental car 10% city/county/state etc etc
Ghetto pockets - You can be walking in a nice area one block and then BAM you are in a ghetto zone. Learn the areas.
Chicago is great, but I didn't like living there because it is crowded and housing is jampacked together. However, I will always visit for a long weekend.
Pros:
Great public transportation
Great nightlife-bars/restaurants open late
Great live music venues-literally dozens every night
A lot of culture - great museums, art shows, opera stuff
Great food - all kinds of cuisine from cheap to expensive
Sports, sports, sports
Pretty safe after hours unless you are the South Side. Nothing worth seeing in the South Side past Comiskey/35th anyways
Taxis are EVERYWHERE and run all hours. Pretty reasonably priced too.
Shopping on Michigan is second only to New York City.
People are friendly if you have a laidback "mid-western" attitude. Don't like a New York or LA pompous attitude.
Cons:
Weather and tourists. Hot as hell in summer and lots of tourists. Cold as ice in winter but no tourists.
Notwithstanding the above, most people are not very friendly to tourists. Try to blend in.
Expensive - hotels are expensive and drinks are costly at the main hangouts ($4-5 pint), I went to cheap out of the way places.
TAXES- Everything is taxed up the wazoo - 15% hotel 20% rental car 10% city/county/state etc etc
Ghetto pockets - You can be walking in a nice area one block and then BAM you are in a ghetto zone. Learn the areas.
Chicago is great, but I didn't like living there because it is crowded and housing is jampacked together. However, I will always visit for a long weekend.
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