Check out the real Hawaii
As many of you know my love for the Polynesian started with a love for Hawaii. Going since I was a teen I always get drawn back to the feel that the islands bring. Sort of like always going back to the Polynesian for the way it makes me feel.
The tropical warm breeze and smell of flowers everywhere is what I remember when I step off the plane and after a while I need to get back. Well this year we are going back and while I am researching our trip I thought I would share some info with my readers.
I realize that most of my readers are east coast since that is where Disney World is and I am sure one of the things that might have kept you from going to Hawaii is the cost and time to fly there. Also many tell me “we have islands in the Atlantic.” Well the islands on that side of the world are beautiful but very different. The culture and scenery are much different. Also an international travel site rated every island destination in the world for everything from lodging to value to experience with the locals and 3 of the Hawaiian islands were in the top 10 with no Caribbean or Bahama islands on the list. That does not say that they are not great places to visit but it shows that something the Pacific islands have something more to offer.
When is the best time to go? NOW!!! Well if you question is directed at what time of the year then the summer, fall and winter are great times to be in the islands. Not that the spring is bad but typically it can be a time that the trade winds kick it up a notch. When I say this I mean you can be spending some of your beach days somewhere else unless you want to sandblast your skin off. It is not really cold….ever… but the wind can be a problem. If you want to know what year to go I would repeat what I read in a travel article recently. HAWAII IS ON SALE!!! With gas prices making flights to the islands expensive back a few years ago tourism dropped off and that 
ran into the bad economy so for the last few years tourism has hit a bottom they have never seen. With 2007 being a great year for Hawaii they were building and adding and refurbishing like crazy and now they are at something like 65% occupancy. Since last year the resorts are offering huge discounts on rooms and activities. Rooms that go for the $600 plus in a beachfront 4 star resort are going for closer to $200 a night with some places having free nights with a minimum stay. The plan for them now is to not make much on the rooms and hopefully get you there to spend on shopping and eating. There are some unheard of deals now. Airfare is still an issue for many but it will always be so this is the best it is going to get. If you ever wanted to go to Hawaii this maybe the cheapest it will get.
Now if you are going to the islands you can check out the package deals on sites like Expedia and Travelocity but they are not always the best deal. I think if you are doing a quick Oahu trip than the best way might be a package with airfare (I did that once on Valentine’s Day weekend and it was very inexpensive). If you want to say on one of the other islands or at a nice resort then I have found that calling the resort was the best way to get the best price. Sometimes the lowest price does not show up on Expedia. A search on Expedia showed a room at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui for $195 a night and on the resorts own website it had a room for $169. We have called the Sheraton Maui and gotten not only a better price then the site but a free upgraded view.
Now Hawaii does not have transportation like Disney World so plan on renting a car unless you stay at a resort that has plenty just on property (some do). My best price and experience has been from Dollar but I have tried Hertz also. If you travel to Maui let me know, I have a trick that will save you a lot of stress. Make sure to call way ahead to reserve a car. With the drop in tourism the rental car places reduced their fleets and people are finding no cars available months out.
Now the biggest question I get is what island to visit. To answer that as thorough as I would like would take pages and pages and also much of the answer is based on my own opinion. Now I talked to some locals before about how I liked the islands and in what order and they usually agree with me but that does not mean you will. Here is just a quick breakdown of the choices.
Oahu
This is a great island for a short trip with a lot crammed into it. It will have the best value for rooms and there is much to see in a short distance. They call this the “One stop Hawaii” because it will offer a little of everything.
You have everything from History at Pearl Harbor to culture at the Polynesian Cultural center. Now the drawback is that it is a little more hectic and touristy but it makes a good break in island for your first visit. I took Tara here just before I was going to take her to Maui so she could get an idea of what to expect or see if she liked the “feel”. Many times your flights from the mainland are going to go here first so maybe spend 2 days here and then hop to your next island.
This will be the island that Disney opens its first resort on. Aulani will be open in 2011. We will be having a Tikifest gathering at the resort July 2012. For more information on the resort check out my page Aulani page
Kauai
This is the other extreme from Oahu. This is the laid back, slow down, take an hour to drink your Mai Tai (which by the way was invented at Trader Vic’s in Oakland California). This is the Lilo and Stitch island. They were in Hanapepe. Also known as the garden isle, Kauai is as relaxed and lush as it gets in Hawaii. The drawback is that it lacks in much excitement, entertainment and activities.
Hawaii
The big island is just that…big! It can take hours out of your day to get to your destination (Oahu you can drive and make multiple stops around the island in an afternoon). There is much to see and do here and it offers things that no other island can like flowing lava and snow. I find things from rental cars to hotels are more expensive but this is a great island to visit. I would not suggest short stays on this island (no less than 10 days).
Maui
Maui is the second largest Hawaiian island out of the 8 (actually there are over 1500 islands in the chain but we only count the 8). The locals say “Maui No Ka ‘oi” or Maui is the best. This island is referred to as the island the locals go to on vacation. Maui has every climate found in the world except 2. You can find everything from rain forest to desert to cold at the crater rim. Also just about every activity can be found on Maui but it is not so grown up that you get that city feel like Honolulu. One of my favorite things about Maui is it is one of the few islands that you can clearly see other islands from. You can take a morning walk along the beach and watch the sun come up over the mountains and light up Lanai and Molokai that are very close to Maui. So far this is my favorite destination in the world but Disney World is a close second.
Lanai and Molokai
The last two islands out of the 8 well known islands are very slow paced and do not have many resorts. Lanai actually only has 2. They are worth a visit but unless you really want to get away from it all and do nothing but watch the waves, they are not your best choice of destination. There are no inter island boats except for a ferry out of Lahaina Maui to Lanai so all other travel from island to island is going to be by plane and it is not always inexpensive.
Kaho’olawe and Niihau
These islands are off limits to visitors. Kaho’olawe was a bombing range for the United States military but was given back to the State of Hawaii in 1994.
Ni’ihau is the smallest of the 8 islands and is known as the “Forbidden Isle”. This island is owned decendants of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Visitors are not allowed without an invitation.
Well I hope this helps and gets you to try Hawaii someday. Maybe with the Disney resort opening in Oahu many of you will take a trip out west or maybe you will go this year and see the Black Pearl that is docked in Honolulu for the making of the 4th Pirates movie, but don’t wait too long, with prices the way they are, now is the time.
After visiting maybe you will understand better how authentic the Polynesian is and that it is not out of date or 70’s in its decore. Those type of statments about the Polynesian resort only come from lack of knowledge about the resort and the culture it is trying to represent.
