Honolua Surf Co. I go there whenever i’m in Maui and they have a ton of Maui Built!! Hope this helps! :]

Ive lived on the hawaiian island kaui for all my life i suggest you go there but only stay in princeville hotel really nice and its located in the most beutifal place on earth hanalei you should come here during may because we celebrate the hawaiian holiday may day and you can watch kids from grades kindergarten to 6th grade celebrate like we have a royal court and we do tahithian dancing and anyone is welcome i also suggest youget a boat tour of napali coast really cool then you should visit kiluea point lighthouse and wildlife refuge and check out the sunset at at the peer at hanalei bay. also you should go shopping at hilo hatees in lihue for souveneirs and try to eat at some restaurants in hanlei like sushi blues or zelos (now called kalypsos) and polynesian cafe.note:dont go on any heicopter tour they have shut down because recently theres been lots of crashes.and if your near lihue go to dukes restaurant located near the mariot hotel really nice restaurants and a good place to ride a kanoe or surf.

Go out to North Shore (Haleiwa) to see the sea turtles on the beach and watch the surfers take on some huge waves (they’re getting big this time of year). While you’re there, head to downtown Haliewa and have lunch at Cholo’s (great food and the best margarita bar on the island for mom and dad) and follow it up with shave ice at Matsumoto (try it with ice cream and Azuki beans).

On the drive to North Shore, you pass the Dole pineapple plantation, where there’s a lot to see and do (and Dole is packing up and leaving the island in the not-too-distant future, so this place won’t be there much longer).

Be sure to check out Hanauma Bay! You can rent snorkeling gear (FYI… they only take cash at the rental shack) and snorkel in the reef! Be sure to get there early because the parking lot fills up quick.

Another great beach is the one at Bellows Air Force Station. They’re only open on the weekends to the general public, but it’s one of the most pristine beaches on Oahu.

I’d reccommed the luau at Paradise Cove over the one at Polynesian Cultural Center, but it may be because it has more of a “local” feel to it.

One of the best breakfast buffets is at the Shorebird (in Honolulu, located in the Outrigger Reef).

You could go see Dog the Bounty Hunter’s buisness, “Da Kine” downtown.

For “educational” attractions, I’d reccommend:
Queen Emma’s Summer Palace (http://www.daughtersofhawaii.org)
Iolani Palace (http://www.iolanipalace.org)
Shangri La (http://shangrilahawaii.org)
Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial (if you decide to visit, get here EARLY to get in line!!! The tour buses arrive about two hours before they start handing out tickets [I think they start handing out tickets at 8am] and if you get in the back of the line, it could take 2-3 hours to get tickets that set your showtime at 3pm] so that it doesn’t turn into an all-day event).

Also, a few places to avoid:
Chinatown after dark (it goes from family-friendly to a place filled with prostitution and drugs… it’s pretty dangerous)/
Wai’anae (if you’re not a Hapa [local], they’re not friendly, and there’s a lot of homeless people living on the beach, which ruins it).

Enjoy my ‘aina!

KAUAI without a doubt! I found the people there to be the most friendly and I have been to all the islands. There is a great, reasonably priced hotel in Kapaa, the Kauai Sands. Central location, 2 pools, on the beach and most rooms have microwave/fridge etc. Great places to eat in Hanalei (north shore near Princeville area) include Hanalei Dolphin, Postcards and Zelo’s. There are so many beautiful places to see and visit, I recommend a book called “The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook” by Wizard Publications. It has more info than any other book I have ever used on trips, and it is in paperback so it is easy to carry with you. Also, you must take a helicopter ride to get the full view of the island’s beauty, and plan to do it early in your trip in case the weather happens to be bad you then have extra time to reschedule. Your best place to get souvenirs is still the Wal-Mart in Lihue, best prices, awesome selection. Sunset must be seen from Poipu area, don’t forget to take the drive to the top of Waimea Canyon (I prefer afternoon here to the mornings). In Koloa town TomKats is a must for a meal, another place frequented by locals for great food, and large portions at reasonable prices. Also when you land in Lihue and are waiting in baggage claim area, pick up ALL the travel brochures and papers about the island. Read thru them, many have valuable coupons for tours, dinners, luaus (another must) and then you can discard what you don’t need. One day on Oahu to see Pearl Harbor, Punchbowl, etc. is enough time there. To see the real Hawaii and enjoy all the beautiful scenery of the islands Kauai is your answer. A day trip to Oahu can be done thru Roberts Hawaii, will include your roundtrip air fare and a rental car. First flight out in the morning, last flight back at nite and you will see all you need to in Honolulu. Enjoy your trip to paradise…..ALOHA!!

Here’s a historical building for you:

I just went on their tour this past Sunday. It was the second time I’ve done it since I was 15.

And also a museum, since you have children. I have a year long membership here:

Hawaii is a beautiful place and instead of driving away fighting tourists, have you considered a cruise around the islands. You will be able to visit differnt islands and since you would be on a cruise ship, all your lodging and meals would be provided.

You can find great cruise deals at “18 K Travel”

I would visit the Polynesian Culture Center and attend their luau, climb Diamond Head, watch the surfers and go swimming at Waikiki beach, shop at the International market place for bargains, have nice dinner at Kobe Steak house (located in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village) and have a casual dinner at Duke’s Barefoot Bar and Grill (located on the beach in the Outrigger Canoe Club hotel).

Also, take a drive to the north shore of Oahu and see the world famous Sunset Beach. On your way you can also visit Pearl Harbor and the Dole pineapple plantation.

Have Fun!

Go to the Polynesian Cultural Center
Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial
Hike Diamond Head
Honolulu Zoo
The Pacific Beach Hotel is a nice one! It is located directly across the street from Waikiki Beach, close to transportation.
Maybe kids can learn to surf from the beach boys.
A rather inexpensive place to eat (a hole in the wall in Waikiki), is the Seaside Bar and Grill located on the corners of Seaside and Kuhio Ave. Always great prices and good food!
Cheeseburger in Paradise has really great burgers and you get a slice of pineapple with your order. The fries are really delish!!
The Oceanarium Restaurant is a treat! Located at the Pacific Beach Hotel (Oceanarium Tower). You will see a part of the 3-story 280,000 gallon oceanarium and view Hawaii’s tropical fish!!! The Oceanarium houses only a third of it. The other two restaurants at the hotel houses the other parts.
Go to Sealife Park.

Chech out this website. It lists all the stuff you can do in Hawaii

1 - There is no way to Hawaii from the West Coast except by air and very expensive cruise ship. I suppose you could drive from Texas to the West Coast.

2 - You must work with a vet or when you come to Hawaii you will have to leave your dog in quarantine for four months.

There is no other alternative for EITHER of these two things.

The stay in quarantine for your dog can be five days if you lay the groundwork properly, months in advance. And you can visit your dog in the clink, you just can’t take your precious darling with you during quarantine. See information linked below.

If you must fly from Texas to Hawaii, I recommend the Houston (IAH) to Honolulu (HNL) flights of Continental Airlines. When I leave Hawaii, I always try to fly that way. Each passenger has a separate entertainment system, with several movies and TV shows to choose from, or even video games. And they serve beverages about five times during the course of the flight. It’s a long time to be on an airplane, and every little comfort helps.

for the island of oahu, some points of interests are Pearl Harbor, Waikiki beach (which is a man-made beach if you didnt know), Diamond Head (which was a volcano), the Polynesian Cultural Center (like a park full of the the different Polynesian cultures in the world), and the city of Honolulu which has many interesting museums, cultural stores, etc. there are still many more places! keep doing more research!

by the way, the w in hawaii is pronounced as a v in the state of hawaii. just the people from the states (the us) say it how it is written!

Hawaii has a lot of interesting places to visit. In Oahu you can go to Hanauma Bay where you can swim and feed the fish - there’s Waimea falls - pineapple plantation - beautiful beaches such as sandy beach, north shore -polynesian cultural center which has shows from 7 different cultures such as tahiti, fiji,hawaii,etc- downtown waikiki is a place where tourist can shop,enjoy entertainments,swim at waikiki beach - and so much more

Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Celebrity have cruises to Hawaii departing from Los Angeles, San Diego.
Holland America has a cruise departing from San Francisco.
You will have to check with the line abut your dog. There are also issues on bringing animals into the The State of Hawaii. I would avoid doing it if possible. I had a friend that moved to Hawaii in the seventies, and she had to keep her dog quarantined for weeks. These laws may have changed, so check with the state government on this.
Good Luck

i totally recomend flying though [when my family and i thought we were moving there we had to get our dogs a million shots and stuff [almost 1 thousand $ on each] its really hard to get them ”certified” for Hawaii, not to mention expencive. good luck!!! i live in texas, and when u fly u will most likley fly from houston–hawaii, or texas-california-hawaii, it all depends. good luck again, hope this helps!!!

Wow, this is a very interesting request. The trouble is not how to travel from Texas to Hawaii by not flying, the trouble is about the dog.

Without the dog, you could take a train from Texas to California. Then take a cruise from San Diego, Los Angeles, Ensenada (Mexico) to Honolulu by Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises.

If you are independently wealthy, then you could charter an RV traveling from TX to CA, then a private cruise ship to house you and your Fido, if this trip is possible. I’ll be interested to learn about your trip.

Quoting from the FAQ on travelocity:
“PETS - Any ordinary domesticated bird or animal. None are carried aboard cruise voyages.”

BTW, there is quarantine law in Hawaii for all incoming animals. So you can’t see your dog for a few weeks. You can compare the costs, it’s more cost effective to leave your dog to a first-class care in Texas.

Think you gotta fly, bubba. Hawaii is pretty far off shore. You usually fly from here, to there, hop another jet that takes you out there. Call the local travel agents and they can help you better.

Don’t you live in Texas? New here?

Everything here in Hawaii is expensive because it is all shipped here by ship or plane. Milk is 4 dollars a half gallon, gas is over 4 dollars a gallon, homes run from 500,000 and up.,condos go from 200,000 and up, each Island is a little bit different in prices, labor jobs go around 10/hr. Try to make a living on that. Any decent job here requires a drug test and some require an alcohol test too. Some people are nice, some have attitude, the islands are getting overdeveloped with labor coming from everywhere except here. Maui is turning into time share, we call them crime shares island. Most jobs are through the hotels where they tell you how to dress, how to look and believe me, you bend over for them or your fired. There are many different cultures here,now that Aloha airlines has gone bankrupt, so that makes flying difficult to get here or leave here. The infrastructure is so far behind the times, old treatment plants, pollution in our ocean, bad roads, crime is up, and a very corrupt government.

average home cost is 699,000. I had a studio apt and paid $700 for it. Milk is about $5 a gallon.

I just got married in Hawaii this past June. What I would suggest is to stay away from the hotels. Hotel weddings on Oahu are extremely over priced. For example, the Hilton Hawaiian chapel is gorgeous but costs $4000 to rent for the ceremony. If it’s just the two of you I would suggest getting married on the beach and having a professional videographer (at least a photographer) there to capture the ceremony. Stay away the beaches in Waikiki as there a lot of tourists and you won’t have as much privacy. The beaches on the windward side of the island are gorgeous and not as busy.

Sign up for the wedding cafe (located on Oahu in Manoa) e-mails. That is the best place to get information about vendors:

Other resources is this excellent magazine that regularly posts wedding vendors and weddings in Hawaii:

Here are some photographers:

Here are some wedding planners in Hawaii: