Hawaii (State of) Travel Forum

Hello VT members
We are looking for info about traveling to Hawai.
what is the best USA mainland airport to fly to Hawai?
is it enough two weeks to visit there, including the 5 islands & Honolulu?
how good is the air connection between the islands?
can we make this trip ourselves or it is better to take an organized local trip that includes flight, hotels,etc.?

Thank in Advance for any tipes
Arie

As discussed on several threads on Hawaii, Hawaii is a feeling rather than a place and running around trying to see all five islands is not going to allow you to get into the Island spirit. There are some things on each island that the other islands may not have. If you want to see Pearl Harbor, you pretty much have to go to Oahu. I would do only two islands and just sit back and enjoy. If there are specific things you like to do, surfing or hiking, one island may be better than another. I prefer Maui, but this year I am spending a week plus on the Big Island as it has been over 25 years since I went last. Karl

I spent almost two weeks on two islands last year and it was great! I think to stuff 5 islands in 2 weeks is rushing it. You won't be able to enjoy the beaches and some of the sight seeing. Right now from LAX a round trip flight to Hawaii is $700-1300. Prices have gone up dramatically since I went last year. With a couple of airlines who frequently traveled to Hawaii having gone out of business, the other airlines are busier than ever. Prices are also up because of the fuel cost. The inter island flights are pretty good. Last year I paid about $80 per person r/t from Oahu-Kauai but this year it may have gone up. There is also the ferry and super ferry you can check to see what that cost is. They only drawback with that is how much time it takes to travel from one island to another.
Setting up the hotels and air fare yourself should be pretty straight forward. Going to a travel agency or using a travel site to arrange your flight/hotel/car will cost you a premium. We've done the math before and it always works out best to do it all yourself.

I would look at Oakland or Seattle as places to fly from the main land. I have been looking for flights in January and the cost has sky rocketed since last we went. Two years ago I paid $450 from Sacramento to Maui non-stop. Today that flight is $850. The best I could find from northern California to Honolulu in January is from SFO at $650, but they connect in places like Salt Lake City, Seattle, or Los Angeles.

As was stated above, two airlines to Hawaii recently shut down. We usually took ATA from Oakland, but that's gone. Flights from San Francisco are now around $900, and I imagine they are also expensive from LAX. Just two weeks ago a friend booked at trip through Orbitz, which she said was considerably cheaper than had she arranged the flight and hotels on her own. The hotel industry is responding to the decreased demand by lowering some prices, and the packages can be a good deal if you shop around.

You're probably better off trying to book from the major hub closest to your home instead of flying somewhere chasing a fare.

As people above have pointed out, 2 weeks is not enough time for 5 islands.

You CAN make this trip yourself. I'd suggest both VT and the Lonely Planet book and Thorntree forums as excellent resources for ideas.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa

When you do post those questions, it will be helpful to know what you like: beach time? night life? water sports? nature? cultural attractions? scuba/snorkeling? luxury living?

Thank you all for your answers.
we think to take 15- 18 day and to visit 2 big islands, the Oahu & Hawaii.

Nice to read your suggestions, it give us some other points of wiev.