Seeking Hawaii advice

Zak

Zak

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Hi Friends,

My wife and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary on September 23. We are not wealthy and we haven't done much traveling for pleasure. Neither of us has ever been to Hawaii.

I'm thinking 5 days in Hawaii in September would be fun and make for a happy wife, happy life!

I know some of you (@Brute and others) know Hawaii well. I don't know much of anything about it. I could use some advice!

We'd be looking for a relaxing vacation, because of aging hips and knees, no strenuous hikes or coming up and down hundreds of stairs. But we'd like to immerse ourselves in natural beauty and spend time in the water. Some fly fishing would be a bonus for me but I'll not go too far out of my way for it, hire a guide, or rent a boat.

So far it seems like an all-inclusive deal from a hotel might be our best bet. But like I said, we haven't traveled much and I'd welcome any advice, in this thread or via PM.

Thank you!

Zak
 
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We spent a week on the Big Island of Hawaii — Kona Coast — in a B&B several years back. Having been to Oahu many times we found the Big Island to be a much better choice for an authentic Hawaii trip. The weather on the Kona coast is fantastic and you have a much bigger place to explore from beaches, volcanos (Kilawea), mountains (Mauna Kea) and tropics (Hilo). As for fly fishing, anywhere you can access the beaches, there are fish to be caught.
 
I second the Big Island…stay near Kona. You can drive to Volcano and visit the Hawaii Volcano National Park. Hilo has a big Farmers Market for fresh fruit and produce; then drive up the Hamakua coast on the windward side and head to the cattle town of Waimea (this is a long drive) and eat at the Fish and the Hog for bbq…finish circumventing the island along the leeward coast along Hawi to Kawaihai, which brings you back to the Kona side…along this coast there are many hotels that have nice restaurants…
 
Brute said:
I second the Big Island…stay near Kona. You can drive to Volcano and visit the Hawaii Volcano National Park. Hilo has a big Farmers Market for fresh fruit and produce; then drive up the Hamakua coast on the windward side and head to the cattle town of Waimea (this is a long drive) and eat at the Fish and the Hog for bbq…finish circumventing the island along the leeward coast along Hawi to Kawaihai, which brings you back to the Kona side…along this coast there are many hotels that have nice restaurants…
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Really really long drive, especially if you want to get out and actually do things. Also, there is traffic. Not saying it isn’t worth doing, just that it takes quite a while, longer than one might expect.
The Big Island and Kona are great, but Kauai being smaller is kinda nice if you only have 5 or 6 days like you’re saying, and you’d like to see and do a variety of things. Touristy day trips from wet to dry sides and vice versa are a bit more feasible on the smaller islands. So I second the Princeville/Hanalei reco, along with just say no to any timeshare tours. It ain’t worth it.
 
Each island has its own personality. I have enjoyed stays on the big island Kona side (resort) and various locations on Maui (Lahaina side). Far and away though “home” for me is Kauai Island, Waimea Plantation Cottages, on the South side. You’ll never find a more serene place to spend time. It is a resort of sorts, but you’ll find no one tripping over you to park your car or carry your bags for a tip.
 
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Kauai is the only island I've been to over there, but really enjoyed the jungle nature of parts of it.
Bonefish from the shore didn't hurt.
Laid back and rural north shore vibe fit us well.
Would go again...
 
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If I were just doing one island, I'd do Kauai. It's the oldest island and with that comes gentler beaches and more developed forests. They filmed Jurassic park there and for good reason. It's also less cramped than Maui or Oahu, and has a fish bearing river running through it, which is believe is unique to the islands.
 
Pink Nighty said:
If I were just doing one island, I'd do Kauai. It's the oldest island and with that comes gentler beaches and more developed forests. They filmed Jurassic park there and for good reason. It's also less cramped than Maui or Oahu, and has a fish bearing river running through it, which is believe is unique to the islands.
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It looked like it would be fun to rent a canoe or kayak and paddle up there and fish for tilapia or whatever will bite. Alas, a week in Hawaii is never enough.
 
All of Hawaii is expensive, especially the resturants. I think there is a Costco and the local grocery stores have interesting stuff. Plan on stocking up and cooking for yourselves. Plenty of spots to fish off the rocks (like Mingo does).
 
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Matt B said:
It looked like it would be fun to rent a canoe or kayak and paddle up there and fish for tilapia or whatever will bite. Alas, a week in Hawaii is never enough.
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Did that on Moloka'i. They rent canoes at the hotel right by the ferry dock. There's a really nice flat to fish right there - ton of fun.
 
FishyJere said:
All of Hawaii is expensive, especially the resturants. I think there is a Costco and the local grocery stores have interesting stuff. Plan on stocking up and cooking for yourselves. Plenty of spots to fish off the rocks (like Mingo does).
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There was a Costco on Kauai, good idea to stock up on stuff there, as things are expensive. Get your booze there, and food basics, then splurge earing out.
:)
 
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Matt B said:
Really really long drive, especially if you want to get out and actually do things. Also, there is traffic. Not saying it isn’t worth doing, just that it takes quite a while, longer than one might expect.
The Big Island and Kona are great, but Kauai being smaller is kinda nice if you only have 5 or 6 days like you’re saying, and you’d like to see and do a variety of things. Touristy day trips from wet to dry sides and vice versa are a bit more feasible on the smaller islands. So I second the Princeville/Hanalei reco, along with just say no to any timeshare tours. It ain’t worth it.
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True, it is a long drive...and you can break up the drive into sections and not do it all in one day.

Kilauea has paused erupting a couple weeks ago, so this may be a great time to view the crater...very few places on earth to view an active volcano...

The Big Island has the most diverse climate and geography of any of the islands, including lush tropical rain forests and waterfalls to arid deserts and red cinder cones making you think you're on Mars...

Having lived in the islands for over forty years, including 2 years on Molokai (which is my favorite island for fishing, but not a great destination for a vacation), my choice would still be the Big Island...pm Mingo for fishing spot recommendations, since he is FBI (From Big Island)...

If you really want to get away from it all, go to Lanai...rent a jeep and fish Shipwreck Beach...visit Keahiakawelo (Garden of the Gods)...but the hotels are pricey (I was married on Lanai at the Lodge at Koele, which is now a Four Seasons)
 
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If you do go big island, see if you can get ahold of @mems, who doesn't appear to be a member anymore. Fishy dude, I probably have his number if you to that route
 
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all the islands are great and each one offers different things. personally, I enjoy Maui the best.
two suggestions:
add 2 more days to your trip as the first and last day are not full days due to traveling.
look into condo's so you have the option to cook.

enjoy!
 
Zak - Here's one more vote for the Big Island, specifically the Kona coast. I've been there three times, and while I can't say I've figured out how to consistently catch fish there, there is a lot of opportunities to explore beaches with a fly rod. While there are bones in A-Bay (like @mems used to report on catching), I always just chased the Omilu and Papio (juvenile Trevally) by fast stripping a flashy minnow imitation. Even the small trevally will put a good bend in an 8 weight rod.

It's still tough fishing, especially as you are trying to find good spots to fish. You can spend a lot of time on Google Maps satellite view doing reconnaissance before your trip and drop pins on your phone as places to check out. The first time I was there @Mingo told me to try to find water where you can't see the bottom and cast to it. Which can be tough because it seemed everywhere I went the lava fingers extended so far out that it was tough to get to deep water. But it can be done.

Good luck and have fun!
 
Pink Nighty said:
If I were just doing one island, I'd do Kauai. It's the oldest island and with that comes gentler beaches and more developed forests. They filmed Jurassic park there and for good reason. It's also less cramped than Maui or Oahu, and has a fish bearing river running through it, which is believe is unique to the islands.
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Ditto though Kona is great too. Kauai has my favorite beach at Hanalei...Puff the Magic Dragon is there! And (IMHO) the best easy snorkel spot at Poipu.

About 2 months ago I was on Maui in Kehei. Lotsa turtles to swim with. Can't help with the fishing. My results have been meager.
 
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I’d also suggest the Big Island or Kauai as well. My wife and I have gone annually to Hawaii since 2008 for a week or two. It can be done reasonably cheap if you stay in condos and do some cooking yourself which is what we do most trips. We’ve stayed at resorts but found it’s a waste of $$ for us since we don’t use any of the amenities or eat at the hotel restaurants. We end up just using the room to sleep and are out and about all day. Also forces us to eat out pretty much every meal. In condos, we usually make all our breakfasts ourselves (something simple like a bagel or scrambled eggs), and either eat a cliff bar or find something reasonable for lunch. Then we do takeout for most dinners. We prefer to eat at home anyway, and if you plan on having a mai tai or two with dinner, you’ll save a lot on alcohol.

I’ve stayed all over the Big Island but have found the nicest condos in the Waikoloa Beach area. Can be a bit more expensive than other areas but we’ve had good luck finding clean, well provisioned condos in that area for a reasonable price (you can find some really great condos to rent there too but it’ll cost you). It’s a touristy area for sure but that’s why there are so many options. The other thing I like about it is it’s really walkable. To A-Bay beaches, restaurants, shops etc. It gets dark at 6 or so every day so one of our favorite activities when we stay in that area is to eat dinner then go for a walk to the beach trail to catch the sunset or the shops to get an ice cream or stock up on water and snacks for the next days adventure. A-Bay is also a well known fishing spot. You’ll see others including other fly fishers more than likely. I’ve seen folks besides myself fly fishing there my last 4 trips.

In Kauai we tend to stay north near Princeville, again for the quality of the condo/rental options. That said, this year we are renting a condo in Poipu for part of our trip, so we’ll see how that goes. We’re renting a house up near Princeville for the rest of it.

You’ll have a great time wherever you end up. When you decide where you’re going, let the board know. I’m sure the we’ll have some beach, hike, food suggestions for you. Maybe even a fishing spot or two as well ;).

Also…as others have mentioned, some decent Big Island fishing info from members that live there (mentioned above) on this board and that other board not to be spoken of….
 
for a laid back hang, the east side of Kailua on Oahu is hard to beat. Super bike friendly, good beachs (Lanakai da kine) , markets, pretty much the opposite of Waikiki, which is easy to get to. Taking the coast road north passes by many small coves and points that look fishy.
 
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