Hawaii Dream Vacations

The Hawaiian Islands have so much to offer, and each island is a unique and magical experience of its own.  Below is a list of some of my personal favorites and recommendations for "must-do" activities on the islands.

If you’re planning on arriving in the islands a couple days before your cruise, or if your flight leaves back home late in the evening after your cruise returns to the pier in Honolulu, the following activities are excellent ways to spend the day:

• Pearl Harbor & Honolulu City Tour - $39/person
• A complete tour of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and Honolulu’s historic places such as the Iolani Palace, the King Kamehameha Statue, Punchbowl National Cemetery and much more…
• Departs Honolulu pier at 10:30 am.  Returns at 4:30 pm to pier, Waikiki, or airport.

• Highlights of Oahu - $39/person
• Take a mini circle island tour of the island, passing through Waikiki to Diamond Head Lookout, then Hanauma Bay nested in a crook of the ancient Koko Head Crater.  Continue along the cliff-side road to the Blow Hole, turning the corner at Makapu’u Point to the windward side where you’ll enjoy a beachside rest in the small country town of Waimanalo, then continuing along the towering crags of the Koolau mountain range up to the Pali Lookout (arguably the island’s most photographed vista) before the final home stretch back to Honolulu
• Departs Honolulu pier at 9:30 am.  Returns at 1:30 pm to pier, Waikiki, or airport.

• Polynesian Cultural Center - Ali’i Luau Package - $107/person
  
• If you’ll be spending extra time on the island, a trip up north to the Polynesian Cultural Center is a must.  A minibus will pick you up at your hotel around 10:00 am and drop you off at the center, located about a 1-hour scenic drive from Waikiki, where you’ll enjoy Hawaii’s top attraction.  The package includes admission to the seven native villages which give visitors the rare chance to participate in the daily adventures of Hawaiian and other South Pacific cultures, the Long Canoe Pageant, a tram tour of the town of La’ie, an IMAX film, a lei greeting at the Ali’i Luau dinner buffet, and Preferred seating at Horizons, the world’s largest Polynesian night show.  After the show, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel around 10:00 pm.

Hilo, Big Island

Volcanoes created Hawaii, and each Hawaiian island is the peak of a volcanic mountain many tens of thousands of feet high reaching up from the bottom of the ocean floor and rising above sea level.  Even today volcanoes are changing and affecting the face of Hawaii. The Kiluaea Volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaii, has been actively erupting lava since 1983 and in the process creating hundreds of acres of new Big Island.  While in Hilo, a trip to Volcanoes National Park is a must.  This is the place to see the eruptions of Kilauea and the unique landscapes that are formed by young volcanoes. There is nowhere else in the world where a person can get this close to these powerful forces of nature relatively safely, and Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park has been honored as an International Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.

• Circle of Fire Helicopter Tour - $209.28/person
• A helicopter tour is the perfect way to explore the most geographically active environment on earth and witness earth in creation.  Sweep over miles of intense volcanic activity from Kilauea Volcano and travel over acres of past flows crusted with blackened lava, including the once pristine Royal Garden subdivision.  You’ll observe hot billows of steam spew forth from glowing flows of lava escaping from the Pu’u O’o and Kupainaha Vents. This fully narrated tour explains in detail the nature of Kilauea’s awesome activity.  Along the way, you’ll encounter strange black sand beaches across the shining coast. Then you’ll relish the grand panorama of the Big Island’s natural beauty as you fly across miles of unspoiled rainforest.
• For more details, please visit the following page: http://abby.hawaii-aloha.com/?p=82

• Volcanoes National Park - $39/person
• It’s a beautiful drive up the slope of Mauna Loa volcano to where Kilauea Iki’s cauldron still steams.  This tour covers the Crater Rim to Halemaumau Fire Pit, Thurston Lava Tube, with full narration along the way of Hawaii’s remarkable geological history in the making.  The tour is topped off with fresh macadamias at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory.
• Departs Hilo pier at 10:00 am.  Returns at 2:45 pm.




• Volcanoes National Park & Rainbow Falls - $59/person
• In additional to the tour above, explore more of the Hilo surrounds, including Akatsuka Orchid Nursery and Rainbow Falls - a tropical rainforest wonder.
• Departs Hilo pier at 9:30 am.  Returns at 3:30 pm.

Kona, Big Island

• Historic Kona - $39/person
• This tour is a glimpse into Kailua-Kona’s royal history.  First, you’ll take a trip back in time to Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, an ancient Hawaiian village of refuge for kapu (forbidden law) breakers.  Beautiful Keakakekua Bay paints the scenic backdrop.  Then you’ll visit St. Benedict’s, the tiny church Belgian priests painted to be a grand cathedral.  You’ll also delight your senses when you experience history and the brew at the Kona coffee processing plant.
• Departs Kailua-Kona pier at 9:00 am.  Returns at 1:30 pm.

• Big Island Snuba Diving - $82/person (1.5 hours), $145/person (3 hours, 1 dive), $171/person (3 hours, 2 dives)
• Explore the beautiful waters and underwater world of the Kona Coast on a Snuba tour.  Snuba was created for those who want to experience the wonders of breathing underwater. It is a unique, patented, shallow water dive system, bridging the gap between snorkeling and SCUBA diving.  Snuba is safer and easier than scuba diving and does not require certification. Before entering the water, you will be given a complete yet brief orientation of what you can expect on your dive. Your guide will be with you at all times. You can go a maximum of 25 feet on your Snuba dive, or you can stay at any depth you please.
• The tour visits two sites.  If you book 1 dive, you’ll Snuba at the first site and snorkel at the second.  If you book 2 dives, you’ll Snuba at both sites.
• Check-in at Honokohau Harbor at 12:00 pm.  Returns at 3:30 pm.
  

Maui

• Haleakala Crater - $39/person
•  Departs Kahului pier at 8:30 am.  Returns at 12:45 pm.
  
• Maui Tropical Plantation & Iao Valley - $39/person
• Departs Kahului pier at 1:00 pm.  Returns at 4:30 pm.
• Maui Tropical Plantation, Iao Valley & Maui Ocean Center - $59/person
• Departs Kahului pier at 1:00 pm.  Returns at 6:00 pm.

Kaua’i

• Kaua’i ATV Mudbug Waterfall Tour - $155/driver, $135/passenger
• The ultimate off-road experience!  The Mud Bug and Ohana Bug are two and 4 seater buggies that adults can drive.  This 4-hour adventure takes you on a journey into Kauai’s lush, tropical paradise on an easy-to-drive, semi-automatic, all-terrain vehicle.  Ride your own ATV through 22,000 acres of private dirt roads and trails, enjoying breathtaking mountain and coastline views and unspoiled tropical landscapes, as you voyage to TWO private waterfalls. Feast on gourmet sandwiches, cookies, juice, and island water. Bring your swimsuit, towel, water-friendly shoes, and your appetite (the sandwiches are huge!). Rental clothes provided and you will get muddy!
• Tour times: 8am - 12pm, 12pm - 4pm, and 1pm - 5pm

• Journey to Waimea Canyon - $39/person
• Ride along the southern coast of the island and up 3,400 feet to overlook the breathtaking Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."  Along the way you’ll pass through Old Koloa Town, dating back to 1834 and the heart of Hawaii’s first sugarcane plantation, as well as Waimea, the little town where Captain Cook first set foot in Hawaii in 1778.
• Departs Nawiliwili pier at 8:30 am.  Returns at 1:30 pm.

• Wailua River & Paradise Gardens - $49/person
• Take an easy river cruise down the Wailua River to the beautiful and romantic Paradise Garden, stopping along the way to overlook the Opaekaa Falls.  Bring somebody you love because this tour will surely secure your love of the Garden Island.
  
• Departs Nawiliwili pier at 8:30 am or 2:30 pm.  Returns at 12:15 pm or 6:15 pm.

• Kaua’i Zipline Tour - $120/person (Zip Express, 3 hours), $140/person (Zip N’ Dip Expedition, 4.5 hours)
• Located in Princeville, on the beautiful North Shore, these zipline tours are sure to be a highlight of your trip and one of the most memorable activities you’ll do.  Clip in and soar like a bird over breathtaking valleys and streams.
• Zip Express: zip the full course on the pristine private lands of Princeville Ranch in three hours. The course is a combination of eight picturesque ziplines and a suspension bridge spanning a waterfall.  Imagine walking off the edge of a lush valley, flying over tree tops across to the other side, soaking in the mountain views along the way. This tour is all about zipping. Hiking distance is less than one mile.
• Zip N’ Dip Expedition: an exciting adventure experience on the pristine private lands of Princeville Ranch! This tour includes everything in Zip Express and an hour at a thirty-five foot deep, hidden swimming hole, fed by a small waterfall. Here you’ll enjoy lunch, swimming, jumping, diving, and floating on inner tubes. Hiking distance is less than one mile.
• Zip Express check-in at 2:15 pm. Returns 5:45 pm.
• Zip N’ Dip departs several times daily, with check-in times of 7:00 am, 9:00 am, 11:30 am, and 1:15 pm.

• Na Pali Coast Snorkel Cruise - $128.60/person (4 hours)
• Experience the majestic Na Pali Coast on a 49’ catamaran, with a complete narration of the history of the Na Pali Coast and the ancient Hawaiian culture that lived and vanished there.  The smooth catamaran allows you to view wondrous sea caves, cascading waterfalls, uninhabited lush valleys, miles of white sand beaches and incredibly blue ocean water.  Marvel at the colorful marine life, playful dolphins and humpback whales when in season (December to April).  Dive into the most beautiful water in the islands for an hour of snorkeling and enjoy a deli lunch with fresh baked bread, ham, turkey, assorted cheeses and veggies, pasta salad, fruit and dessert.
• Check-in 8:00 am in Waimea, southwest Kaua’i.  Return 12:30 pm.