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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Hawaii recommendations - O'ahu, Maui, and the Big Island | |
Some ideas ....
First, get travel insurance. The move to relax restrictions might well result in an upswing in virus cases (it has in other countries), and may lead to re-imposing restrictions. Insurance to cover any commitment that can't be cancelled certainly seems like a good idea. Be sure to get in writing (print?) and understand your hotel cancellation policies.
In the tropics, the easterly winds blow all year round, and make the eastern side of each island the rainy side. The western side should have sunnier weather in August.
Also, weather in the Pacific is the cause of the surf. In winter, the storms to the north generate the big swells that result in the famous huge waves on the north shore of Oahu. However, in August, you can expect the surf at the Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach to be roughly equal to the pool in my backyard. In the summer, the Pacific storms move much farther north, so the swells come up from the south and will be smaller. So the best surfing while you will be there will be at beaches on the south and southeast sides of the islands.
Maui - there are nice hotels along the west coast north of Lahaina, which includes your hotel location. The famous Road to Hana has hundreds of corners in around 40 miles, a number of waterfalls that may have swimmers, and good coastal views. We found one and only one restaurant with a very long waiting list in Hana in 2014. We found a hot dog stand on the beach and ate there. Be cautious driving back in the afternoon. Lots of people who live in Hana work in the Kahului area, and will be driving home at speeds that can be quite frightening (they drive like they own the corners). Expect a drive to Hana and back to use up a full day. In Lahaina, there's a "submarine" ride over a nice reef. The boat doesn't submerge, but has window seats below the surface. It's an entertaining ride and will probably be a memorable experience for kids, but it's not great for photo ops.
We didn't do much on the Big Island - my wife wanted to stay at a "destination resort" on one of the islands, so we stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa and didn't see much else in those three days.
Oahu is interesting. The beach at Waikiki was busy with lots of surfers, but we were there in July just before kids went back to school. The surf may not be as busy on weekdays in August. The shape of the bottom at Waikiki makes the waves rise and break rather far out from the sandy shore - my 300 mm was inadequate for getting surfer shots I liked. The Arizona Memorial is unique (we arranged a shuttle through our hotel). The battleship Missouri is docked near the AZ Memorial on battleship row on Ford Island - the surrender was signed on the Missouri. So the ship and the AZ Memorial are the start and end of WWII. The northeast side of the island is not tourist country - it's local residential, but it's beautiful, with an abundance of kids playing the surf, an interesting shoreline, etc. You'd need a rental car to see it, though.
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