I never thought I'd see Hawaii. It was a fantasy location that only rich people visited. I only knew it from pictures of lush tropical scenery, mystical volcanoes, perfect white-sand beaches with giant surfing waves, and exotic Polynesian people. Whatever I'd seen on Hawaii Five-O (old and new) and Magnum, P.I. (only the old one) filled in the gaps for me.
I surprised myself when I booked a trip to the Hawaiian Islands. My daughter was graduating from college (Yay!) and planned to meet her friend in Japan. She had a few weeks to kill in between, and I had lots of vacation days. Hawaii is halfway to Japan. Flights were cheap ($550 round trip). I figured that lodging and food would be expensive, but we only live once, right?
We did a little research and decided we could visit three islands in 16 days: 3 days for Oahu, 5 days for the Big Island of Hawaii, and 8 days for Maui. That worked out about right. Oahu has Honolulu and the tourist mecca Waikiki. The Big Island has Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the coffee mountains around Kona. And Maui has a million things to do, highlighted by the Road to Hana.
O'ahu
Waikīkī was just like I imagined: a long strip of luxury hotels on a beautiful beach, with Diamond Head overlooking it and the city of Honolulu surrounding all of it. The beach was narrower than I'd expected, and crowded. But the crystal-clear water was a tepid 79 degrees, the sand felt as soft as powder, and the surfers were aplenty. Waikīkī is a great place to people-watch, too—a mix of Asians, Polynesians, and Whites leisurely strolling along the beach, upscale stores, and outdoor malls. But it's also super expensive: $17 for a combo meal at Burger King (in Boston, that's around $9).
One day on O‘ahu, my daughter and I spent time visiting Pearl Harbor and Chinatown. Honolulu has pretty good buses, so even on Memorial Day, we had no trouble getting around. I was a little disappointed with Pearl Harbor. I was expecting a solemn memorial to a tragic moment in US military history, but instead, I found a jovial atmosphere and a government money grab. Visiting the Aviation Museum, Submarine Museum, and Battleship Missouri Memorial would run $100 a head. The USS Arizona Memorial required advance reservations—though I think that one is free. We strolled around and got a feel for the place.
Chinatown has a lot of history and is a nice representation of the blend of Asian cultures found in Hawaii. It's also maybe the cheapest place to each lunch! We found a food court with stalls from all over Asia. Philippines adobo is tasty! That evening the hotel front desk clerk told us about the annual Memorial Day lantern floating ceremony at Ala Moana beach. That was a big deal with tens of thousands of spectators, a short ceremony and thousands of lanterns floating out to sea. The vibe was super relaxed and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Another day, we rented a car and drove all around O‘ahu. It's a spectacularly beautiful island, and it's easy to see how someone could come out here on vacation and never return—that's if you can somehow afford it. Gas was anywhere between $4 and $5 per gallon (maybe 33% more than Boston). Our first stop was Nu‘uanu Pali: a great view and the site of an important Hawaiian battle. Then we enjoyed a Hawaiian breakfast before heading over to Lanikai Beach—a beautiful, wide-open white-sand beach. Nearby, we climbed the Lanikai Pillbox Trail (short and steep). From up there, we could see the whole coast. We continued along the shore road, enjoying the coastal views. It seems the hotels are mainly limited to Waikīkī, while the rest of the island has small towns and private homes. But all the way around, the shoreline is public and beach access is guaranteed. We found ourselves facing west in time for sunset. Hale‘iwa treated us to burgers, ice cream, teens jumping from a bridge into a river, sea turtles, and of course, spectacular sunset views.
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| Waikiki Surfer |
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| Pearl Harbor on Memorial Day |
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| Oahu North Shore |
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| Honolulu Chinatown Market |
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| Honoulu Floating Lanterns |
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| Oahu Sunset |
Hawai'i - the Big island
A short plane ride took us from O‘ahu to Hawai‘i—the Big Island. We immediately noticed this place would be more laid-back. The airport terminal was open-air. Casual. We rented a car and began to explore the west coast north of Kona. Here we found vast areas of land near the coast covered in lava flows from prior volcanic eruptions. It was an alien landscape with more rubble than lush growth. But when we arrived at Hāpuna Beach State Park, we found that the Big Island has beautiful beaches too. It's a lot different than Waikīkī—more natural. After the beach, we stopped by Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site. We saw an ancient temple and learned about the early Hawaiians who vied for power and unified the islands.
Our Airbnb was a remodeled coffee shack in the hills outside of Kona. While we waited for our host to fix a glitch in the door lock, we enjoyed a Hawaiian pizza—what else could we order? Our apartment was small but had everything we needed, and we enjoyed the jungle around us. Two roosters visited us in the morning. They're never shy. And then we visited Greenwell Farms for a coffee tour. Mostly they're trying to sell you outrageously expensive coffee, but the samples were free and it was a beautiful farm. Something about the soil on the side of the volcano, along with the temperature and rainfall... I dunno, it's supposed to be great coffee.
In the afternoon, we rented snorkeling gear and hiked a couple of miles down to the Captain Cook Monument. I believe it's the site where the explorer got himself killed by the locals. Today there's a marker for Cook, but it's better known as the island's best snorkeling spot. As soon as you put your head underwater, you're looking at brightly colored tropical fish. The hike itself was fun. The trail runs beside farms and we saw lots of cool vegetation and a bunch of goats. That's something unusual about the Hawaiian Islands: there is escaped livestock living all over. Mostly chickens and goats, but reportedly pigs—maybe even horses and cows. More than once we saw chickens in strip mall parking lots.
The next day, we drove to the southern part of the island. Very quickly outside of the Kona area, there's not much in the way of civilization. Just a lot of green. We stopped at Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach because it sounded cool. Unknown to us at the time, it's a prime spot to see green sea turtles, and we saw a bunch!
We drove onwards to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A few days before, we'd heard that Kīlauea, the world's most active volcano, was erupting again. But when we got there, we found it was only smoking. Our itinerary for Day 1 at Volcanoes NP included Kīlauea Crater, Thurston Lava Tube, Chain of Craters Road, Hōlei Sea Arch, and Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs. The lava tube was sort of like a subway tunnel—hard to imagine it was once a zillion-degree boiling lava stream. Chain of Craters Road helped us appreciate the scale of the eruptions—miles and miles. The sea arch was neat, and the petroglyphs (mostly circles) had us imagining prehistoric life. Apparently, there was once a campground on the shore that had been buried under lava flows, but we couldn't see it. We stayed in a great Airbnb/hotel that night near Volcano Village and returned to Volcanoes NP the following morning to drive up, up, up Mauna Loa Road to the Mauna Loa Lookout. This had a sweeping view of many miles of coast.
Next was a short drive to Hilo on the east side of the island. This is a less touristy area—it was kind of refreshing. Lunch at a normal diner, driving past schools and a small college, a small downtown... normal life. We visited Rainbow Falls in a nice park and stopped by a farmers market with lots of cool fruits and vegetables. We ended up at Carlsmith Beach Park right across the street from our Airbnb/boarding house. The beach was more like a lagoon, but the water was super refreshing. My daughter saw a sea turtle in the water followed by a parade of kids. Our Airbnb was a former mansion designed by a famous Japanese architect. Our rooms were small, but the downstairs lounges, kitchen, dining room, and verandas were super fancy.
Leaving Hilo, we headed to ʻĀkaka Falls State Park. There was a cool loop walk through some bamboo and other tropical plants before we reached the 442-foot falls. Super cool. Leaving the falls, we stopped at a little farm where my daughter played with the baby goats. We met a young woman from Massachusetts working there who went out to Hawaii on vacation and never left. It really is that nice.
Next stop was Waipiʻo Valley Lookout. The lookout is high above where the valley meets the sea, and it's a great view. Apparently, Waipiʻo Valley is a spectacularly beautiful five-mile valley surrounded on three sides by 2,500-foot cliffs, complete with waterfalls and lush vegetation. Unfortunately, access is limited to residents with 4x4 trucks. Walking down the dirt road into the valley is prohibited. There are tours, but they're expensive—book in advance.
Waimea was a nice inland town. We enjoyed Hawaiian barbecue at L&L (a local chain) and drove past the famous Parker Ranch. It was a big cattle ranch before it was a major training area during WWII. We headed back to the west side of the island and visited Waialea Beach. It's more rocky here, but popular with locals. Our Airbnb at Waikoloa Village was fine but unremarkable..
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| Ancient temple |
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| She loves baby goats! |
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| Kona Roosters are LOUD! |
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| Can Goats climb trees? |
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| Captain Cook Memorial |
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| Green Sea Turtles at Black Sand Beach |
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| 440' waterfall! |
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| Big Island Sunset |
Maui
We returned our rental car and took a short flight from the Big Island to Maui. Our rental car was from a place near our Airbnb in South Kīhei. They picked us up and drove us across the island. Maui is more developed than the Big Island. We stayed across the street from a nice beach—Kama‘ole Beach Park II. There were shopping plazas and restaurants all around. We ventured to a supermarket to stock up and were stunned by the prices. This was a residential area, but everything was so expensive: $7 for white bread! Prices were roughly double what we pay around Boston, but it's Hawai‘i, so far away from everywhere else.
Our beach faced west, so we enjoyed beautiful sunsets every night. And there was an ice cream place, too! More importantly, on Day 9 of our travels, we were able to wash our clothes. Cool.
The next morning, we headed to Mākena Beach. Everything we'd read said it was one of the nicest beaches on Maui, and it didn't disappoint. It's a long, wide beach—just sun, sand, wind, and surf. All natural, no development. Perfect. And if you're up for an adventure, you can walk a short trail to Little Beach (nude?) and a little farther to One‘uli Black Sand Beach. It's hard to compare and rank beaches, but I think Mākena would be near the top of a long list of amazing beaches I've been fortunate to visit. A few hours after the beach, I considered myself fortunate to enjoy a large fish burrito. Yum.
The next day, we drove north. We drove past Lahaina, where devastating fires destroyed much of the historic town in August 2023. So sad. We stopped at Kā‘anapali Beach and found resorts for the rich, but beaches for everybody. The sand was deep and soft. The water was bathwater-warm and as calm as a small lake. I think I could just float there forever.
The next day was one of the highlights of our trip: the Road to Hāna. It's an all-day, 100-mile round-trip coastal drive between lush green hills on one side and the sea on the other. You're driving through a tropical rainforest—600 hairpin turns along a narrow road with 59 single-lane bridges, dozens of streams, a bunch of waterfalls, and great ocean views. I don't think scenic drives get better than this. Highlights included Pā‘ia town, Ho‘okipa Beach, Ke‘anae Arboretum, a distant view of Waimoku Falls, Hāna Lava Tube, Hāna town, Kōkī Beach, and Twin Falls. It is a popular drive, and with the turns and scenery, it's slow going, but it's really pretty great.
Pā‘ia town is sort of a traditional Hawaiian town. We kind of rushed through it. We stopped for a minute at Ho‘okipa Beach—nice beach, and we saw a bunch of surfers. Ke‘anae Arboretum was super cool, featuring trees from all over Asia. The stars of the show were Rainbow Eucalyptus trees, native to Indonesia, with super cool bark in all colors of the rainbow. We saw the 400-foot Waimoku Falls from a distance without doing the long hike in the heat. Hāna Lava Tube was a self-guided tour on private land, but it was pretty good—more extensive than the lava tube at Hawaii Volcanoes NP, with educational notes along the way. Hāna town is a traditional Hawaiian town with a cool waterfront. I ate coconut shrimp from a food truck that were worth the drive all by themselves, and of course, I chased them down with ice cream. Kōkī Beach was past Hāna town and a little off the beaten path. It's a dark sand beach with super rough surf. We saw teenagers surfing mammoth waves in and around rocks—they were amazing! On the drive back, we stopped at Twin Falls just before they closed for the day. A short hike yields two beautiful waterfalls, and we had the place pretty much to ourselves. Awesome!
Somewhere along the way, I'd stepped on a thorn, and it had embedded itself in my heel, getting driven in deeper as I walked on it. I had ignored it for a couple of days, and the skin had healed over, but it still hurt to walk on. We found tweezers but couldn't reach it. I went to urgent care and had it removed. Boy, did that hurt! And it hurt more after the painkiller wore off! Thank God for Motrin. So for the rest of the day, we enjoyed the pool and the beach across the street. We did a short walk to Kama‘ole Point, where we saw some cool Hawaiian birds and a super giant sea turtle.
The next day, we drove north again to complete the circuit on that side of the island. We returned to Kā‘anapali Beach, enjoyed lunch from a Mexican food truck, tried some roadside shave ice, and proceeded onto the Kahekili Highway (Route 340). This road was insane—at least 10 miles of two-way, single-lane driving with a cliff face on one side and a sheer drop-off on the other. No guardrails, and no lights if you're insane enough to attempt it at night. You had to honk your horn before each blind turn since you'd never see another driver coming. Luckily, there weren't a lot of cars on it, but I was relieved when we completed the drive. All I can compare it to is the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Crazy, but beautiful! Then we stumbled onto the 13 Crossings Hike. It's a relatively easy hike through a rainforest. You cross Makamaka‘ole Stream way more than 13 times to get to two 20-foot waterfalls with small swimming holes. You walk through a magnificent bamboo forest as well. If you're nimble and have quick feet, you can step from stone to stone at each crossing and avoid getting your shoes wet. It's a lot of fun.
Our last couple of days, we took it easy, enjoying mornings at the beach and afternoons by the pool. We noticed that at many Hawaiian beaches, the pattern is windless mornings and windy afternoons—the Tommy Bahama beach umbrellas are no match for those Hawaiian PM winds!
And then it came to an end: car rental return, shuttle to the airport. My daughter flew west to Japan for more adventures, and I flew east to Boston and back to my regular life..
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| Big Fella |
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| This way to the beach |
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| Coconut Shrimp! |
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| Rainbow Eucalyptus |
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| Maui Beaches |
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| Maui from Above |
===Itinerary===
O'ahu
Day 1 - Sun May 25 - 10.5 hour flight, arrived 1PM, ubered to hotel, Waikiki beach, cooked spaghetti in hotel
Day 2 - Mon May 26 - Bus to Pearl Harbor, lunch in Chinatown, Waikiki beach, evening at Japanese/Hawaiian ceremony with floating candle armada
Day 3 - Tue May 27 Turo car rental, drove around Oahu island, Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout, breakfast in Lanikai, Lanikai Beach, Lanikai Pillbox hike, Oahu north shore beaches, dinner/sunset at Haleiwa with sea turtles, drive back passed by Dole Pineapple plantation
Hawai'i - the Big island
Day 4 - Wed May 28 - Uber to airport, short flight to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii island, Avis car rental, lunch at hamburger place, alien lava flow landscape, Hāpuna Beach, Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site Hawaiian Pizza Dinner, Kona mountain Airbnb with roosters
Day 5 - Thu May 29 - Greenwell Farms Kona coffee tour, Taco truck, hike to Captain Cook monument and snorkeling
Day 6 - Fri May 30 - Drive to Volcanoes National Park, Punaluʻu black sand beach with green sea turtles, Kilauea Crater, Thurston Lava Tube, Chain of Craters Road, Holei Sea Arch, Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs, Hilo roadside pizza and gas, Volcano Village Airbnb
Day 7 - Sat May 31 - Volcanoes NP, Mauna Loa Road to the Mauna Loa Lookout, drive to Hilo, lunch at diner, Rainbow Falls, Hilo farmers market, Carlsmith beach park with sea turtle, Airbnb mansion, Chinese food dinner
Day 8 - Sun June 1 - Akaka Falls, baby goats, Waipiʻo Valley Lookout, lunch at Waimea L&L, drove past Parker ranch, Waialea Beach, Waikoloa Village Airbnb, pasta dinner
Maui
Day 9 - Mon June 2 - Short flight to Kahului, Maui, shuttle to Kihei car rental, lunch at plaza, South Kihei condo, Kamaole Beach Park II, thorn, supermarket, spaghetti dinner, sunset at the beach, laundry night
Day 10 - Tue June 3 - Makena Beach, Little beach, sun, thorn bush, Jaws fish burrito
Day 11 - Wed June 4 - Med school test, drive north, Lahaina, Kaanapali beach, resorts, deep sand, calm ocean water
Day 12 - Thu June 5 - Road to Hana, Paia town, Ho'okipa beach, Ke’anae Arboretum to see Eucalyptus Rainbow Trees, Waimoku Falls view, Hana Lava Tube, Hana town food trucks and ice cream, Koki Beach with surfers, Twin Falls swimming
Day 13 - Fri June 6 - Urgent care thorn removal surgery, Long's pharmacy for pain killer and antibiotic cream, mexican restaurant lunch, Kamaole point reserve, birds, sea turtle, condo pool
Day 14 - Sat June 7 - drive north, Kaanapali Beach, Mexican food truck, Kahekili death highway (HI-340 1-lane cliff road), Makamakaole stream 13 crossings 2 waterfalls hike
Day 15 - Sun June 8 - Kamaole Beach Park II, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, condo pool, thai dinner
Day 16 - Mon June 9 - Kamaole Beach Park II, pizza lunch, plaza dinner, ice cream, laundry night
Day 17 - Tue June 10 - Breakfast at Jack-In-the-Box, car return, shuttle to Kahului airport, flight to Japan, Papi's flight plane engine didn't start
Day 18 - Wed June 11 - Flight to Boston, 8 hours at Kahului airport, 25-hours travelling, missed day at work
===Flights===
Hawaiian Airlines Boston to Oahu Honolulu Sun May 25 2025 HA 89 / 11h 10m·/ Airbus A330 Hawaiian Airlines HA 89 Boston (BOS) to Honolulu (HNL) Sun May 25, 2025 08:00AM - 1:10PM Meal will be provided (nice flight. on time. enough leg room. meals served.)
Alaska Airlines (Myself Only) Maui to Boston Tue Jun 10 2025 Alaska Airlines AS 860 Kahului (OGG) to Seattle (SEA) Jun 10, 2025 01:11PM - 10:00PM Alaska Airlines AS 536 Seattle (SEA) to Boston (BOS) Jun 10, 2025 11:00PM - 7:20AM +1 (didn't work. plane had engine issue. rebooked flying through Portland. those flights were ok - got upgraded to premium seat. good legroom. free beer. but trip home ended up taking 25 hours and cost me a vacation day from work)
Southwest Airlines Honolulu (Oahu) to Kona (Hawaii Island) Southwest Airlines 2358 Honolulu (HNL) to Kona (KOA) Wed May 28, 2025 9:45AM -10:40AM (nice flight. on time. enough leg room.)
Hawaiian Airlines Kona (Hawaii Island) to Kahului (Maui) Hawaiian Airlines HA 239 Kona (KOA) to Kahului (OGG) Mon Jun 2, 2025 10:09AM - 10:40AM Flight to Maui - Kahului (OGG) (nice flight. on time. enough leg room. we each had window seats and we saw Maui from the air flying in)
===Lodging===
Wiakiki, Honolulu, Oahu Lodging Royal Grove Waikiki 151 Uluniu Ave, Waikiki, Honolulu 3 Nights Expedia https://www.priceline.com/relax/at/125099204/from/20250629/to/20250630/rooms/1?meta-id=DqECUO5qsIjqTuzp9xJrKPebIiWqn6GuSULF3KawdpuwcsqgIDpHa40UlKR1MBWfy8c7VzlJTkD8jRN8WZIYMTpz8bc2J99lJmdylCubjMcG2-PXp0dmJuOTxWx6LJ2hiNXJAIKDrMtAV-VjHvL2ba5-gdKg4Rqrj-QzNr7_wexFbsTo0W0ebZ7x6jDkU7ijYCJ-yEe5T8VapPOhEAfP2lG2MJ5j7OfN-ujNk19QVcShepepucZVKZUF-7VSPGS1PMmMRxEfFjRJv5LBMHENwNdtIBT36uAMlBHD4BDJGxHh6S_9duX3ksV8xZTjLjvR&pclnId=C2A0BE087C409F33AA59182FD9143841DFBDF84FC3212F9F82D74470BA6D74DAEA8EA576964CEE5A19633A68E3FA37B06E4CC1D5914813E2EC7622596739A8C5C5CA7C01A0A7C61B94D9CC7B1405DB1C67BD97ECFD8ABA18&gid=2864&cityId=3000004031&cur=USD&backlink-id=dwb94garpz6&taxDisplayMode=BP&qdp=84&spt=NARPEX Great location right off Waikiki beach. one block to beach. Old 2-star hotel amongst newer 5-star mega hotels. room was nice inside. nice beds separated by pocket door. pool area was nice too. balcony was dingy overlooking alley/food service seating. if anyone stays here they should try to get balcony over pool. for price I'd still recommend it. but no parking for cars in this area.
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Island Lodging (Maianna) Sunroom Suite at Holualoa House 75-5256 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kailua-Kona, HI 96725 2 Nights 1 bedroom2 beds1 private bath Cozy Vintage 40’s coffee shack in the tropical jungles of Hawaii! Recently renovated getaway offers a comfortable, cool, quiet, and affordable getaway on your Hawaiian stay. Located at 1,560' elevation in the heart of the Kona Coffee belt, Completely Private room and entrance, with a shared bath. During the day, the vibrant colors of the tropical Hawaiian jungle come to life, and in the evenings, coqui frogs sing and feature a stunning view of the spiral arms of the Milky Way! We are a 15 minutes drive away from the airport, 10-12 minutes away from Kailua-Kona, and 5 minutes from the nearest coffee shop and convenience store! Access to the suite is via a private pathway from your roadside parking spot. Living space includes sun room, kitchenette, equip with hot plate, microwave, rice maker, toaster, and most importantly, a coffee maker with some pods included. Soft daybed situated by the large windows around the room, Dining/work table, High-speed WiFi. The daybed features a trundle underneath. The bedroom, separated from the Sun room by 2 French doors, features a luxurious king bed, A few steps away is a shared bathroom, with locks on both sides of the doors. Recently renovated bathroom features a beautiful marble shower in a serene and clean space, that also includes a bidet, open shelving, and large mirror. There are 4 resident cats, and two resident chickens! Our welcoming committee as we call them, are all friendly, but we ask you do not let any of them into the airbnb. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/952947892082291693?c=.pi80.pkaG9tZXNfbWVzc2FnaW5nL25ld19tZXNzYWdl&euid=d779b25d-334b-7326-5ba0-d62c1c47cb9e&source_impression_id=p3_1747330182_P3_06ILnrfbxYLEi Nice rustic little place on the highway in kona coffee country. giant bed and little kitchen/living room with trundle bed. ok base for kona side of the island. issue getting into the place. code didn't work and hostess didn't respond immediately. but within an hour she reset code and everything was fine.
Volcano, Hawaii Island Lodging (Dan and Shannon) Aloha Crater Lodge 1 Night Priceline Room 1: King Room - Guests can make meals in the kitchenette that features a refrigerator, kitchenware and a microwave. The spacious double room features a private entrance, a tea and coffee maker, a balcony with garden views as well as a private bathroom boasting a bath. The unit has 2 beds. https://link.cloudbeds.com/xDR5PuqOw Really nice place in the woods close to volcanoes park. beds were super comfortable. nice bathroom. little kitchenette. big patio. coffee, fruit, oatmeal provided. might have been a hot tub somewhere but we weren't there long enough to find it.
Hilo, Hawaii Island Lodging Garden Manor Airbnb Reservation for Double twin room upstairs w/ shared bath at beach 1 Night Pre-statehood mansion designed by renowned Japanese architect Frank Arakawa, lead architect for many iconic buildings in downtown Hilo, this unique island home with tropical garden is a testament to olde Hawaii craftsmanship. Minutes walk to a rejuvenating swim or snorkel with sea turtles at Carlsmith Beach Park. This is a long, narrow room (7'x20') with a pocket door in the middle that separates the two spaces. Each room has a twin bed. High-speed internet, A/C, and TV/Netflix. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/548120542519230532?c=.pi80.pkaG9tZXNfbWVzc2FnaW5nL25ld19tZXNzYWdl&euid=514e31bb-9a2a-4055-ea41-928d35afc8db&source_impression_id=p3_1747189692_P3Qg31ess-Uoyq6v Awesome mansion across the street from beach. not far from town of hilo. place had giant lobby, kitchen and tv room, dining room, huge front porch and veranda. we had connected small bedrooms. shared baths worked out fine. pristine. basics provided for breakfast.
Waikoloa Village, Hawaii Island Lodging Airbnb Reservation for Recently remodeled 1 bedroom, full kitchen, A/C (Olga) 1 Night Entire guest suite in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii 1 bedroom, 1 king bed, 1 sofa bed, 1 bath https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/41749456?c=.pi80.pkaG9tZXNfbWVzc2FnaW5nL25ld19tZXNzYWdl&euid=d54b21e4-d24d-5605-78e2-8269ebfa5c34&source_impression_id=p3_1747259676_P3Xy1wTTt8ol4bwy Not as great as I'd hoped. condo was basic. studio. sort of tucked behind another unit. no pool or anything but close to town. ok for 1 night. nice bed. garage sale furniture other than that. had to call hostess for bedsheets for pullout sofa. rained. didn't spend much time there.
South Kihei, Maui Lodging Kihei Kai Nani #1-204 8 Nights Tropical Bound Condo Rentals 1-866-456-6284 tropicalbound.com https://www.tropicalbound.com/details?property=5724 Oceanview condo unbeatable location in the heart of South Kihei, directly across from the golden sands of Kamaole Beach Park II—one of Maui's top beaches. Walking distance of shops, restaurants, and local attractions. Beautiful 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom unit features a full kitchen, a king-size bed in the master bedroom ,a queen sofa sleeper in the living room. The condo is equipped with A/C in the living room and ceiling fans throughout. South kihei was a great place to stay. nice beaches and parks with lots of shop and restaurants close by. condo was great too. 150 feet from a nice beach. big balcony had nice ocean view. complete kitchen modern appliances. living room with sleeper (just ok to sleep on). nice bedroom with big comfortable bed. provided beach chairs, towels and coolers. complex had a very nice pool with recliners and shade houses. also laundry room. parking. only issue we had was wifi router was obsolete so we had no internet for first 5 days. then no cable tv for 1 day. new router arrived and everything worked. the problem was my daughter needed to take test for medical school. she was able to connect from bedroom corner to pavilion wifi. we complained for a one-day rental refund.
===Cars===
Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu Car Rental Turo Kai San Ho: (808) 769-7222 Honda Civic 2012 Honolulu car rentals are super expensive and parking in Waikiki is non existent. So a one-day rental was fine. We used Turo to get the lowest price car. Rental was fine. 2012 Honda Civic 163K miles. Must have been around the island 500 times. Guy showed up to our hotel with a scooter in the trunk. Delivered the car and scooted away. Scootered back when we called. Drove the car away. Good rental. No issues.
Hawaii Big Island Car Rental Avis / Kona Intl Airport at Keahole Standard airport car rental. 202? Nissan Altima 50K. Fast airport pickup and dropoff. Fast check-in and check-out. no issues.
Maui Car Rental Kihei rent a car 2018/19 Nissan Sentra Phone: (808) 879-7257 These guys rent used cars that are older and have more miles than other car rental agencies. But the cost is a lot less. It was was a good rental for us. 2019 car with 74K miles. $25 per day. Airport pickup and dropoff. Fast checki-n and check-out. No issues.
