Since we have so many Hawaiians on this board, I was wondering if you guys knew which airlines are the best to use to fly to Hawaii, and what the more interesting things to do there are. I'll probably fly out of S.F. or L.A, or even Washington DC.
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Hey, thetenken. Nice to see you again; finals must be over.

Check your PM . Thanks.

JAPANESE KARAOKE in WAIKIKI!!!!!!!!!! Then a visit to a quality ramen joint afterwards.

Very cute, georgous Japanese women throughout the karaoke rooms, bar, and on the streets. So even if you're not the singing type, the eye candy is well worth hanging out with us.

--- groink

Not only in the karaoke rooms. But in other places as well. Like ANYWHERE in Waikiki for example. Everywhere you turn, there's one! Always a good place to pick up some nanpa............ Give me a call when you come down and then we can go get some!!
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groink wrote:

JAPANESE KARAOKE in WAIKIKI!!!!!!!!!! Then a visit to a quality ramen joint afterwards. Very cute, georgous Japanese women throughout the karaoke rooms, bar, and on the streets. So even if you're not the singing type, the eye candy is well worth hanging out with us. --- groink

Jeez, you guys DO live in paradise...maybe I'll get a chance to experience some of it.

Anything more out of the way but cool in terms of nature walks or biking? I was thinking of possibly doing a little mountain biking or whatnot.
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"...but it was my integrity that was important. Is that so selfish? It sells for so little, but it's all we have left in this place. It is the very last inch of us...but within that inch we are free." - V for Vendetta

Oops. Meant to PM this one . . . so check your PM, Mr. thetenken .

thetenken wrote:

Jeez, you guys DO live in paradise...maybe I'll get a chance to experience some of it. Anything more out of the way but cool in terms of nature walks or biking? I was thinking of possibly doing a little mountain biking or whatnot.

correct me if i'm wrong, the man, but i think you can go to the big island and do a mountain bike tour down the active volcanoes.
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thetenken, are you planning on staying only on Oahu?

There are many mountain trails you can try, it just depends on how difficult you want them to be. There is so much to do!

Tybo wrote:

thetenken, are you planning on staying only on Oahu? There are many mountain trails you can try, it just depends on how difficult you want them to be. There is so much to do!

I dunno yet...I'm mostly going out for 3 reasons:

1. Relax
2. Snorkel in the clean, clear waters
3. Enjoy the natural beauty (and beauties) of Hawaii

I don't have to be on Oahu, heck, I don't even have to go there. I hear Maui is nice, and I'm not adverse to getting outside the big touristy areas for places that are quieter, calmer, and cheaper (cheap is good).
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"...but it was my integrity that was important. Is that so selfish? It sells for so little, but it's all we have left in this place. It is the very last inch of us...but within that inch we are free." - V for Vendetta

thetenken wrote:

I dunno yet...I'm mostly going out for 3 reasons: 1. Relax 2. Snorkel in the clean, clear waters 3. Enjoy the natural beauty (and beauties) of Hawaii

You know what then? I wouldn't recommend Oahu. My favorite island is Maui, which I visit at least four times a year (one of the times for the Mercedes Championships).

The best snorkling there is Molokini Island. It's a very small island, the shape of a crescent, sitting out in the southwest part of Maui. On most days (weather permitting), you would take a boat out there with a group. On only one occassion out of maybe five times, my girlfriend at the time couldn't reach the island due to the currents.

Natural beauty... Hiking at Iao Needle (above Wailuku). It's really nice!!!! It's a relatively easy hike (about a 3 rating, 5 being difficult). There are many other trails on the island.

As for places to stay... I'd recommend staying in Kihei versus Lahaina or Kaanapali. Kihei is much closer to many parts of the island, including Mt. Haleakala, and Upcountry Maui. Kihei is also close to Maalaewa, where the piers are for the snorkling. Lahaina is a much older town, but also more tourist-driven if you're into that sort of thing. I think you're going to spend very little time in West Maui, so driving in and out of that area is a drag!

As for airlines... Kahului Airport caters to Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines. Many of the other airlines, you may need to stop over on Oahu, then take a commuter to Maui, which may actually come out cheaper than a direct flight from the mainland to Maui.

--- groink

You know . . . I wanted to be silent, but, uh, WHY?

Tell me if I'm wrong, but, do I hear Oahu bashing? Simply put: I can't stand Oahu bashing.

The Man wrote:

You know . . . I wanted to be silent, but, uh, WHY? Tell me if I'm wrong, but, do I hear Oahu bashing? Simply put: I can't stand Oahu bashing.

I don't think groink is "bashing" Oahu, his point is (from what I can see) that Maui is away from all the hustle and bustle... and with that he is right. Plus, he lives on Oahu so he can't really hate it all that much. Although, Maui is becoming more and more like Oahu these days.

Maui has cleaner beaches, a relaxing atmosphere, and plenty of sights to see. The one thing Maui -doesn't- have is Waikiki... which thetenken might want to visit to fulfill part2 of #3

"3. Enjoy the natural beauty (and beauties) of Hawaii"

LOL! No, I'm not bashing Oahu! Sorry if it sounds like bashing -- it wasn't intended to be like that.

--- groink

Uh oh, I started up the island war. =)

Cool, lots of helpful hints. Are there like speedboats between the islands? Would that be cheaper than taking a commuter flight from island to island?

I'll have to take a look more into this...which I have all of work tomorrow to do...

So the other major islands, not really worth going to? Or more to the point, not enough to do for the added cost of going there?
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thetenken wrote:

Are there like speedboats between the islands? Would that be cheaper than taking a commuter flight from island to island?

I don't think there are any on a massive scale like an airlines company. There was such a thing about 30 years ago (SeaFlight), which I actually rode on from Oahu to Kauai. It was a VERY bad experience... At one point in the ride, we hit what I'd call water turbulance about mid-way, which caused the yacht to dip quite a ways down. Several people got injured from it. Upon returning to Oahu from Kauai, we instead flew back! LOL! SeaFlight closed shop less than a year later. Since then, I haven't seen anything like it commuting people between the major islands.

Commuter flights between islands are very convenient. During the weekdays, flight schedules are very flexible, usually about 45 to 90 minutes apart for the same destination. Two choices of airlines between islands are Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. If you fly Aloha, you may run into a flight attendant that looks EXACTLY like Suzuki Fumika. I'm not kidding about this!



--- groink

BTW, if anyone's interested in brochures of Hawaii (ALL ISLANDS LOL!), PM me your snail-mailing address and I'll send you some.

--- groink

groink wrote:

BTW, if anyone's interested in brochures of Hawaii (ALL ISLANDS LOL!), PM me your snail-mailing address and I'll send you some. --- groink

Cool...I'm currently looking on this website. Anything you guys recommend?

http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/special/index.html
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"...but it was my integrity that was important. Is that so selfish? It sells for so little, but it's all we have left in this place. It is the very last inch of us...but within that inch we are free." - V for Vendetta

Oh hey, I'm here too. I mt. bike too, although I haven't hit a trail in a long while now. Unfortunately the Tantalus trail system which would be closest to town is closed to bikes now. Millilani is a popular area, but you'd need to go with someone who knows the place as it is not an official trail system & won't be found on maps. Actually just about all the trails in Hawaii I would recommend going with someone as they tend to be technical and narrow. As mentioned, I've heard good things about snorkling on Maui @ Molokini. Big Island (Hawaii) has the active volcano that you can hike to @ night & see the flow right now. I did that years and years ago & must say it is an awesome sight. The bike ride you're talking about is a downhill ride on the road.
There used to be a ferry service. A new one is in the works right now using new SWATH type boats, but not yet.

I wanna live there someday.

taro wrote:

Oh hey, I'm here too. I mt. bike too, although I haven't hit a trail in a long while now. Unfortunately the Tantalus trail system which would be closest to town is closed to bikes now. Millilani is a popular area, but you'd need to go with someone who knows the place as it is not an official trail system & won't be found on maps. Actually just about all the trails in Hawaii I would recommend going with someone as they tend to be technical and narrow. As mentioned, I've heard good things about snorkling on Maui @ Molokini. Big Island (Hawaii) has the active volcano that you can hike to @ night & see the flow right now. I did that years and years ago & must say it is an awesome sight. The bike ride you're talking about is a downhill ride on the road. There used to be a ferry service. A new one is in the works right now using new SWATH type boats, but not yet.

Here's a good site I found about mountain biking in Hawaii.

http://www.bikehawaii.com/
http://hometown.aol.com/gooseamp/index.html

There's also a book by John Alford that describes trails and such.
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"...but it was my integrity that was important. Is that so selfish? It sells for so little, but it's all we have left in this place. It is the very last inch of us...but within that inch we are free." - V for Vendetta