Honolulu in August

[PeggyTinWhistle]

Dd has qualified for a competition in Honolulu so we are just looking at travel arrangements.

We would need to be in Honolulu for 5/6 days and were thinking of 5 days somewhere else (any advice would be appreciated)

To break up the flight we were also thinking of doing 2/3 days in San Fran.

Does this seem feasible or are we mad?

We are hoping to be away 2 1/2 weeks max.

Does anyone have any tips/advice please? We have never been before so it's a rather large learning curve!

I'm sure somebody more knowledgeable will come along, but it doesn't sound mad to me at all. I did a 2 week trip as an older teenager with my parents many years ago. The flights are long but survivable. I also went to French Polynesia which is a similar trip for my honeymoon more recently.

I would recommend LA over San Fran. A lot of people disagree, but the drugs/homelessness was awful when we were last there approx 7 years ago and apparently it's worse since then. We went to LA 1.5 years ago and if you stick to the right areas it's better - Santa Monica is great. Better with a car but Ubers were pretty reasonable if you don't want to hire one.

I would stay in the US first to acclimatise to the first time zone change then fly to Hawaii. Ideally maybe Honolulu last if your DD is competing? Then tackle the journey home in one go which won't be fun but at least you'll be home to recover at the end of it.

I can't comment on Honolulu as we stayed on Maui and the main island when we went, but would definitely recommend visiting a second island if you can.

I would also choose to stopover in Los Angeles rather than San Francisco. You will also need to stopover for the return leg as flights from the Islands to the US mainland arrive some hours after flights have departed for the U.K and Europe.

There is a three hour time difference between the US mainland and the Islands. Flight time to Honolulu on the island of Oahu from the mainland is around 5,5 to 6 hours. Look at airlines like American to fly you to the Islands. Most people who fly into Honolulu stay in Waikiki which is very built up and much like America on sea. If you can travel
around the island of Oahu so much the better

You will all need an ESTA re entry into the US.

You may want to spend some days also on the Big Island (Hawaii) or Kauai. Maui is still very much recovering from wildfires.

Any other questions just ask

You could stop over both ways - SF on the way out and LA on the way back - or vice versa. Yes, there is a big homelessness problem in the whole of California, but personally I like both cities and there is plenty to do in both. SF has some great museums and I love walking around Chinatown, Nob Hill, etc. If you want to visit Alcatraz you need to book in advance via their website for a time slot. Dylan's Tours are great to get an overview of the city, particularly if you're short of time, and you can do one that includes Sausalito and Muir Woods (redwoods). LA is more stereotypical California - huge beaches, palm trees, surfers, but also museums, theme parks, shopping, film studios, etc.

As for Hawaii, Honolulu is very modern and high rise, but if you have time make sure you visit Pearl Harbour. We also loved Doris Duke's Shangri-la (you need to book). For your other five days I'd either stay in Wailea on Maui or Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. Maui is apparently happy to have tourists back now, as they recover from the horrific wildfire in 2023, but avoid the Lahaina area. As for the Big Island, I can recommend Volcanoes NP and particularly taking a helicopter over the active craters of Kilauea. The seas of both/either are great for snorkelling. If you go to Maui you can take a boat trip to the Molokini crater for some offshore snorkelling.

Seconding the recommendation for Big Island.
Volcanoes National Park is wondeful.
norkelling at Kealakekua Bay- world class. Highly recommend going with Sea Quest Hawaii due to size of boat and timings to avoid clashing with the arrival of a big group.
Take a tour into the Waipio Valley
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is interesting and also the hottest place I've ever been.

Another vote for the Big Island. We absolutely loved it and stayed in 2 places - Hapuna Beach itself in what is now the Westin Hapuna - stunning views and beach, though it looks rather soulless but would totally recommend. Easy access from here to lots of wonderful places. Also stayed in a gorgeous cottage right by Volcano national park and did lots of hiking.
Maui was also lovely but we preferred the Big Island. I deliberately avoided Honolulu as didn’t want that big city vibe.
SF was fine - some great bits but agree with others that the drugs etc is pretty intimidating at times. What about Seattle instead?

defo break up the flight if you can. When I went i did three days in vancouver (lovely place with enough to do), then 8 days in honolulu then san fran on the way home. either LA or san fran are interesting cities bout do note that both have big drug and homeless issues. i guess it depends what you would want to do. san fran has alcatraz (book in advance you cant buy tickets on the day), pier 39 for shops and restaurants etc, and can be really windy and cold. LA you have the hollyood sign and celebrity turs as well as universal or disneyland.

Thank you for the all the guidance and advice. I will have a look at the other places that have been suggested to stopover too.

Is it best to book the two flights separately? I suppose with having a few days on each then missing your connecting flight isn't much of a risk?