Hawaii (Big Island) Travel Forum

Hi all, my husband wants to visit china and borneo on 27 th December for 10 days but i want to come to Hawaii.We have never been before so please give me some good info to convince him. I really like warm weather, sights, flora and fauna(except snakes) and shopping. Not great on nightclubs etc. Been on sites about differetn islands but which one shall i choose. PLease help cos i am not very fond of chinese food.!!!

Honolulu is all about shopping.

The big island is great for sightseeing. It's the only island with an active volcano - very fun tour. The snorkeling was great in Kona. There's also great snorkeling at Poipu beach on Kauai. I think Maui tourism aims itself more at active sports, but it's also a lovely island.

Maybe you should split your time and visit a couple of islands.

If you have seen the sites about the different Islands, then you know they are different. The one Island that gives you a little of everything is Maui. "No Ka Oi" means that it is the best and that is what is said of Maui. No great invasion of snakes but a few have been seen and Hawaii does try to eliminate any. So, you could say there are no snakes in Hawaii.....to speak of. Sea snakes are another thing, but then eels bother me as well. Maui has the ride up Haleakala road to the summit of the volcano(dormant). The road to Hana and the Oheo Gulch (seven sacred pools). The 'Iao Valley and the needle mountain. Old Lahaina Town with lots of shopping and history. Speaking of shopping centers, there are so many with Wailea Shopping Village, Whalers Village, Lahaina Center, and the Lahaina Cannery my favorites. Even a winery on the slopes of Haleakala, Tedeschi Vineyards. An artists town, Makawao. Great restaurants everywhere. Some of my favorites are Mama's Fish House,Paia, Lahaina Inn, Lahaina, Hali'imaile General Store, upcountry, I'O Restaurant, Lahaina, Hula Grill, Kaanapali, and hundreds more. Maui Ocean Center, The Hawaiian Aquarium sits in the middle of the Island. One of the best beaches at Kapalua. With 10 days you could visit another Island as well, so the choice is really two not one. Aloha.

I think that may the rainy season in Borneo.

I agree with a two-island trip. Oahu for the sights (Arizona memorial, Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, aquarium and zoo) and shopping (Ala Moana Center, International Marketplace); Kauai for the flora and fauna; both for warm weather.

Maybe you've never had good Chinese food. I have terrible memories of a really bad Chinese dinner in the UK...

Kauai is the most lush and least touristy of the islands. My favorite island. I suggest you stay on Kauai first and spend the last 2 or 3 days on Oahu. That way you can sleep in later on your last day because you don't have to get on an interisland flight first. If your flight leaves late in the day then I suggest you keep your room for that night so you can rest and shower before your flight. Even a cheaper room that night is okay because you wont be there overnight anyway. Nothing worse than being tired and sweaty on the flight home. I assume Borneo is more "snakey" and expensive so spend the money on a nice hotel in snakeless Hawaii.

My daughter went to China last summer to satisfy her foreign study requirement in order to graduate from college. She starved because Chinese food in China is NOTHING like what we have in the US. As a matter of fact, you have to look far and wide to find Americanized Chinese restaurants. This means they sell Chinese food like that which you find in the US. Even then, my daughter disliked it because of the different spice. She said even the good ol' KFC chicken is spiced differently to appease the Chinese taste buds.

Anyway, enough on China.

My wife and I love Hawaii and we love to hike the trails on various islands. And what makes Hawaii so enjoyable to hike is that you NEVER have to worry about putting your foot down on a snake - since there are none. It is the one aspect of hiking that every hiker is concerned with. And in Hawaii, it is made totally worry-free. Don't get me wrong, there are other worries when hiking. But just knowing that you do not have to worry about placing your foot on a rattlesnake or cottonmouth makes it so much more enjoyable. You have so much more time to enjoy the view.