Waikiki is the most popular tourist area in Hawaii and therefore the most crowded. But if you don’t mind crowds, there are quite a few interesting things to do.

Waikiki Beach is divided into several beach areas (Kuhio Beach, Queen’s Beach, Sans Souci Beach and Kaimana Beach). Some areas along Waikiki Beach offer good swimming conditions, while others are more suitable for snorkeling, bodyboarding and surfing. There are also three sheltered lagoons, which are ideal for novice swimmers and children.

Located along Waikiki Beach are many hotels, restaurants and shops. Entertainment venues include free outdoor hula performances and several festivals and parades throughout the year.

A few interesting attractions besides the beach that you can visit in Waikiki are:

• Honolulu Zoo
• Waikiki Aquarium
• Duke Kahanamoku Statue
• Kapiolani Park
• Ancient Pohaku (Wizard Stones)
• Diamond Head Crater

Below are videos and photos from Waikiki. Enjoy!

Magic Island is a popular beach park in Honolulu. It is actually a man-made peninsula (not an island) and a great place for picnics, swimming, jogging and relaxing. At the end of the peninsula is a small sandy beach, also known as Magic Island beach. It has a rock barrier, which protects the beach from incoming waves and currents. However, when the surf is up, the waves often times reach over the rock walls, so stay away from this area and don’t swim in the openings between the rock barriers. It is also not recommended to swim in the boat channels on either side of the peninsula. Magic Island beach has a lifeguard, restrooms, showers and picnic areas.

Enjoy the photos of Magic Island below.

And here are a few photos of the nearby Ala Moana Beach and park area.

If you ask me where on the north shore of Kauai I would like to stay again my answer would be at the Hanalei Bay Resort. I just came back from a 5 night stay there. The resort is very beautiful and lush. Located on a hill with marvelous views to Hanalei Bay and Bali Hai, the resort is surrounded by beautifully-landscaped tropical gardens and has two pools (one of which has saltwater and is connected to a few waterfalls), a jacuzzi, laundry facilities, tennis courts, a gift shop, a food booth that is open for lunch, and of course… plenty of chicken running around!

Both pools are very nice, especially the saltwater pool. It has a rock bottom (which looks more natural) and most of the pool area is shallow (around 4ft). It is a little deeper only in one area (near the Jacuzzi, where it is around 5ft). Here they also offer free diving lessons.

The other pool has a round shape and usually fewer people go there, so if you want to sunbathe and swim at leisure, this pool is a good choice. One note I would like to make about this pool is that even though it says it is 4 feet deep, it is actually deeper. It is 4 feet only on the sides, but in the middle it is around 6 feet. It is good to know this if you can’t swim!

We were lucky to stay at a very nice recently renovated condo rented directly by the owner. If you book a room directly from the hotel, ask about the condition of the room because some of their rooms are a bit outdated.

If you plan to stay in this resort, having a car is highly recommended. I was originally planning to come to the resort with a taxi and just walk to the grocery store. But then I changed my mind and now I’m glad I did! The grocery store is far from the resort and if you don’t have a car you will be stuck.

Here I will briefly review the pros and cons of the resort.

Hanalei Bay Resort Pros:

• Located in one of the most scenic locations on Kauai’s north shore
• Well-maintained resort with nice ocean and mountain views. When it rains you can see cascading waterfalls running down the maintains in the distance.
• A complimentary shuttle service to the resort’s beach, Pu’u Poa, or anywhere within the resort
• Two great pools
• Internet access (for a fee) at the gift shop
• All rooms have lanais

Hanalei Bay Resort Cons:

• The resort restaurant is closed, so nowhere to dine out at the resort. Overall there are not many dining out options in Princeville. The only place is at the Princeville Resort, which is next door, or around Hanalei. Or you can buy some groceries from Foodland (the only grocery store in Princeville), located in the beginning of the town at the Princeville Shopping Center.
• Some of the lanais are not very private and they overlook other lanais
• The walls are thin and it can get a little noisy if you have noisy neighbors. For example, we had a very talkative neighbor who was sitting on his lanai across our condo and I could hear his voice all the way in the bathroom.
• Maid service is once every four days

Overall I really loved the resort and I enjoyed taking the videos and pictures below. I hope you enjoy them too!

I have not had the pleasure yet to be a guest at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, so if you are looking for more in-depth reviews, you can find many good ones on TripAdvisor.  I just happened to walk through the tropical gardens of the resort and since they were so beautifully landscaped I could not help it but take some photos and videos.

The resort grounds are truly beautiful and there is something for everybody – a shallow lagoon for kids and people who can’t swim, several swimming pools, a quiet pool area for adults only, a scenic beach (even though it is not a good swimming beach you can just sit and listen to the sound of the waves or see brave local boys jumping into the water from a nearby rock).

Below I post some photos and videos I took at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. Enjoy!

If you think of Kauai as a small and quiet island where driving will be easy and fun, think twice! Kauai’s popularity has grown dramatically over the last years and more and more people have been moving there. So driving on Kauai is not so calm and relaxed anymore.

I live on Oahu and I have always thought that Kauai’s traffic is significantly less than traffic on Oahu. On a recent visit I was surprised to see how busy Kauai’s streets actually are. The areas around Lihue, Wailua and Kapaa are particularly busy during rush hours (on weekdays early in the morning and in the afternoon). I would say Kauai’s traffic feels almost as busy as on Oahu. The only difference between the two islands is that Oahu has multiple-lane roads and highways while Kauai’s highways are mainly one lane in each direction. Also I noticed that there are few traffic lights on Kauai outside of the main towns, even in busy areas where a traffic light could be very helpful.

Some of the roads on Kauai are narrow and curvy, such as the roads to Kalihiway Bay, Anini Beach, Anahola Beach and others. Kuhio Highway 560 from Princeville to Kee Beach is a bit challenging. After Hanalei, it is a narrow and curvy road with several one-lane bridges and warning signs for falling rocks on the side of the street. When I drove there the road reminded me a bit of the Hana Highway on Maui. It is just much shorter. Keep in mind that if you want to drive that route and stop at some scenic locations, it is best to do that during the week. On weekends it is even busier and you may have a hard time finding a parking spot. There is a large parking lot on Tunnels Beach where you can park when you can’t find parking space on the side of the road, but you have to pay $10 if you want to park there.

The trickiest area (in my opinion) on Kuhio Highway 560 between Hanalei and Kee Beach is a double one-lane bridge, which is located right before the Hanalei Colony Resort. You can barely see if a car is coming from the other side of the bridge so once you start crossing the bridge and you see a car coming from the opposite side, one of you will have to drive back to make room. Kauai has an island-wide bridge etiquette which means that 7-8 cars from one direction drive over a one-lane bridge and then it’s the other sides turn. But sometimes when you arrive at this double-bridge and there aren’t any cars in front of you, it is difficult to know if other cars from your side have just passed or not. A traffic light here would certainly help.

Below I have posted some photos and videos about driving on Kauai.

Before driving to Waimea Canyon I was wondering how the road and driving conditions are, as well as the weather. If you also have similar questions, I hope that you will find the answers on this page. I took some videos and photos of the road, so you can get an idea.

There are two roads you can take to Waimea Canyon – Waimea Canyon Drive (which starts in Waimea) and Kokee Road (which begins in Kekaha). Waimea Canyon Drive merges into Kokee Road around mile marker 6. Tour companies usually take Kokee Road, but Waimea Canyon Drive is a little more scenic. It has some curves and hills, but it is relatively easy to drive.

After Waimea Canyon Drive and Kokee Road merge (around mile marker 6), it is another 4 miles to the scenic Waimea Canyon lookout.

Since the Waimea Canyon lookout is located at an elevation of only 4000 feet, the temperature is not that much colder there during the day compared to sea level. If you plan to stay overnight at the Kokee Cabins which is further up, you need to bring some warm clothes because it can get chilly at night.

It is best to visit Waimea Canyon on a sunny day. If it is rainy, the scenery won’t be as pretty. Below you can see videos and photos of the Waimea Canyon Drive. Enjoy!

On a scale of one to five I would give three stars to the Kauai Inn. Coming from the Hanalei Bay Resort to the Kauai Inn was a little bit of a shock at first.  The Inn is located in a residential neighborhood behind Nawiliwili Harbor and there is nothing there besides a few homes and a small beach park, where mainly local people gather.

The Inn has 4 buildings and I left with the impression that in one of the buildings people live there permanently.  After we checked in we felt watched by a local Filipino man who did not look like a guest there (maybe he was one of the residents). As two women, me and my partner did not feel very comfortable. Luckily during the rest of our stay (5 days in total), we did not feel watched again.

One thing I would like to mention is my dissatisfaction with our room. When I first contacted the Kauai Inn I asked them for a nice quiet room with a garden view, so when I booked I thought I am getting a nice quiet room. Unfortunately I was given a room in Building 1, which is located right on the street and in front of a pavilion where local people gather, talk, sing and drink. I was really disappointed that the owners did not take my request for a quiet room seriously.  Not to mention that there were constant beeps and noises from Nawiliwili Harbor which is right next door.

The room itself was overall clean, but very hot and bright when the curtains were open, or too dark when they where shut. There was a fan and AC but even with their help it was still unpleasant to sit inside.  There was a TV, microwave and a fridge in the room but no coffeemaker.  The bed was very hard and uncomfortable.

The Kauai Inn has a pool and garden and we sat outside a few times in the evening (during the day the area around the pool is very hot and there are no umbrellas at the lounging chairs). Most of time it was quiet and nice. On one of the evenings, three kids were playing in the pool. They were not guests, but kids from the neighborhood and they were a bit loud.

Below I list pros and cons about the Kauai Inn.

Kauai Inn Pros:

• Friendly service
• Free breakfast, coffee and juice every morning – the breakfast is not that great but it is nice that they offer a free breakfast to get you going for the day
• Free wireless Internet
• If you need to you can print your boarding pass for free in the reception office
• There are laundry facilities
• Pool and nicely-landscaped garden area
• Maid service daily
• Close to Lihue Airport

Kauai Inn Cons:

• Isolated location with no store or any other neighborhood shops where you could walk to; the closest shopping area is Anchor Mall and Harbor Mall located near Kalapaki Beach
• Hot sunny rooms, especially in Building 1
• No coffeemaker in the rooms
• Constant noise from the harbor during the week

Overall if you are going to be out all day, the Kauai Inn is a good choice. But if you also want to spend time at the Inn and relax, this might be a challenge especially if you are in Building 1.

Below are photos of the Kauai Inn (garden and outside area).

Here is an affordable way to explore some of the most scenic locations on Oahu – rent a car and drive along the island’s southeastern shore. This part of the island is truly amazing because of the unique scenery, beaches and lookout points, many of which are located at sea cliffs.

A short drive from Waikiki and your breath will already be taken away as you stop at Kuilei Cliffs where you will see a pristine cliffy vista of blue ocean, tropical vegetation, colorful flowers, green palm trees and pine trees.

Your tour will continue with a scenic drive through Kahala (an upscale Oahu neighborhood), where you can drive by luxurious homes, surrounded by nicely landscaped gardens. At the end of the road you can stop at a fine sandy beach - Waialae Beach. This Kahala beach is great for sightseeing, swimming and water sports.

As you drive onto Kalanianaole Highway, you are heading towards several scenic beaches that are worth stopping at. The first beach park you will see is Wailupe Beach Park. It is a small park with beautiful scenery. Drive a little further and you will see another nice beach park called Kawaikui Beach Park. The beach park is large and lush and there are benches along the shore where you can sit to relax and enjoy the calm caress of the waves. From here you can see another upscale Oahu neighborhood – Portlock, which is located on a rocky peninsula.

Continue diving along the scenic highway and you will get to Maunalua Bay Beach Park, as you enter Hawaii Kai (also an upscale neighborhood). This is a large park (with a large parking lot). It is a good place for a variety of water sports. You can see kayakers, jet skiers and divers almost all the time. The water is very calm, but the beach park does not have a good swimming beach. The nearshore waters are too shallow and there is a reef.

After you depart from Maunalua Bay, you will approach one of the most popular beach parks in the entire state of Hawaii – Hanauma Bay. The beach is excellent for snorkeling and picnicking. Usually it is very busy, so if you come during the weekend, the parking lot is often times full later in the day. There is also an entrance fee to enter the beach area.

After you pass Hanauma Bay, you enter one of the most scenic drives on Oahu – barren mountains and sea cliffs on your left side and breathtaking ocean views on your right. The road rises up on a cliff and has two good lookouts on the way – Lanai Lookout and Molokai Lookout, from where you can see the islands of Lanai, Molokai and Maui on a clear day. After these two lookout points is the Halona Blowhole lookout, where you can see three attractions at once – Sandy Beach Park (also known as the beach of broken necks, and there is a reason for that name!), a blowhole that shoots ocean water into the air, and the narrow romantic beach, located among cliffs Halona Cove, also known as Eternity Beach, from the movie From Here to the Eternity.

Continue driving to Sandy Beach Park where you can see the waves crashing on the shoreline. You will see many local residents at this beach who have experience riding tough waves. It is not advised to swim at this beach because of the strong shorebreak and underwater currents. Many accidents have happened here (among visitors and experienced surfers alike).

After departing from Sandy Beach Park your next stop will be Makapuu Point – a scenic lookout from where you can see the east shore of Oahu, Makapuu Beach, Sea Life Park, Rabbit Island and the azure blue water. The water is so transparent that you can see the coral reef.

Next you will have the chance to explore Kaiona Beach Park, a truly tropical beach with calm waters for a leisurely swim. The beach is easy to miss because it is located behind beachfront homes. It is right before Waimanalo Beach – another spectacular beach with plenty of shade and fine sands. The water there may look calm, but the waves break close to shore and sometimes small rocks are in the waves, which can hit and scratch your legs. The shorebreak is quite powerful here on some days.

Two other popular beaches that follow are Kailua Beach Park and Lanikai Beach. Kailua Beach Park has a large grassy area and many trees on the beach. A good spot to view the entire beach is from a scenic lookout point located on the road to neighboring Lanikai. Keep walking on that road and you will see the upscale Lanikai town with many luxury homes. To get to Lanikai Beach, you will need to find one of the few public access walkways to the beach, which are located along the street. Once you get to the beach, you will see another postcard-perfect scene – the Mokolua Islands surrounded by azure blue tropical waters.

Now, after a day of unforgettable sightseeing memories, it is time to head back to Honolulu or Waikiki. Take the Pali Higway and be amazed once again by the lush tropical vegetation you will see along the way. There are a few good lookout points here as well, including the Nuuanu Pali Lookout, from where you can see the town of Kaneohe and a large stretch of Oahu’s windward coast, all the way to Chinaman’s Hat, another small island located at the northern end of Kaneohe Bay.

Below is a video and a photo gallery of the very same trip I took myself. Enjoy!

The best thing about the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu is the location! Far from busy Waikiki and surrounded by beautiful beaches, Turtle Bay is a great place if you want to enjoy beautiful scenery, typical for the North Shore of Oahu –white sand beaches, green sea turtles and lava rocks covered by green vegetation.

Turtle Bay Resort is a 4 star hotel, but personally I would rate it a 3 star hotel because of the service. My stay there began with an issue with my reservation. In April, I booked on the phone and  reserve a two-night stay in May. So the day I was supposed to check in, I printed my reservation confirmation and noticed that the check-in date was wrong. It was a date in April (which had already passed), and not for this coming weekend. So I called immediately and I happened to talk to the same person who took the reservation back in April. She was very unfriendly and said that it was my fault because I did not check the reservation confirmation email. True, I did not check it, but since she had confirmed me the date three times over the phone, I didn’t have a detailed look at the confirmation email. The reservation agent did not even apologize that the inputted the date incorrectly, but instead kept on saying that it is my fault and that she can’t do anything because they are all booked out.

Since this stay was for a special occasion, I did not want to give up, so I called again and spoke to a manager. He right away understood the situation and he said that he will make a room available. So we went.

Here is a list of things we liked and we did not like at Turtle Bay Resort.

Turtle Bay Pros:

• Beautiful location
• Most of the rooms have lanais
• The only resort on the North Shore of Oahu
• Two swimming pools and two Jacuzzis (plus a pool for small children)
• Large comfortable rooms
• Good drinks in the Hang Ten Bar. One of the best Mai Tais and Lava Flows I had tried on Oahu.
• Great easy hike nearby along the coast
• A few good dining options in the resort plus room service

Turtle Bay Cons:

• Very expensive – everything costs extra at Turtle Bay Resort. First off, the rooms are already pricey, but on top of that, there is a $25 resort fee per day. Also, if you order room service and they also bring you water you will be charged extra for the water. For the room service, on top of the cost for the food, you pay Hawaii state tax + 15% gratuity (mandatory gratuity) + $4 room delivery charge. Then when you sign the receipt, there is another field for an additional tip, so it makes you feel awkward if you leave it blank. Furthermore, the small convenience store is expensive as well. A small bottle of wine that normally costs about $1.69 in Honolulu costs $3.69 here. A bottle of water is $1.59 that you will normally get for $0.59 in Honolulu.  Also, if you want to watch some TV in the evening in your room, there is a good selection of movies, but they will charge you $10 for a movie.
• The TV quality was not good since it was an old machine with a loud background noise.
• Many of the rooms (especially the ones on lower floors) overlook a wide roof, so the view is very limited. Only from higher floors (floor 4 and up) you have a good view.
• The pools and the Jacuzzis were crowded. Many locals (non-guests) use the pool for free, even though it is not allowed if you are not a guest. I wanted to go in the smaller and warmer of the two pools, but I didn’t stay in it long because it was so crowded and it was not pleasant to be in.
• The Jacuzzi is not properly used. You are not supposed to have drinks there, but people do. Also, I saw a family there with a kid who was eating a burger while sitting in the Jacuzzi.
• Very few umbrellas are available by the pool. If you stay there during mid-day, it will be very hot in case you don’t have an umbrella.
• Not all beach chair sets (every two chairs) have tables. Actually very few tables are available, so if you eat or drink something you have to hold it while sitting in your chair.
• The hotel service is ok, but could be more professional and organized. For example, we had pre-paid the breakfast buffet. On the first morning, we presented the coupon to the person who was leading us to our table. We then proceeded to get food. We couldn’t figure out where to get coffee from and asked someone who was working there. But we didn’t understand her English well. Then we asked someone else and she told us that our server will bring us coffee. The problem was that we didn’t have a server. We waited a few more minutes at our table and were half way finished with our breakfast, but still no server. We then stood up again and found a server and said that we would like coffee. He then brought it to us.
• No kitchenette in the rooms, that means you have to buy all the meals. There are no other stores near the resort. The closest store is in Kahuku, but food choices are very limited there.  There are also no wine glasses or wine bottle openers in the rooms, no silverware and no plates.

Enjoy the photos I took there!

Today, one of the most luxurious motor yachts in the world was anchored at Aloha Tower in Honolulu Harbor, where she attracted a number of curious onlookers and photographers. The yacht was sparkling clean from the outside and looked like it just came out of the factory. It didn’t have a single salty or dirty spot on it. It was glittering in the sunshine. For those of you who are curious about the yacht and who owns it, here is some info.

The Triple Seven (777) yacht was built in Germany in 2006 by the Nobiskrug yard in Rendsburg. She it called Triple Seven because Germans consider this a lucky number. The yacht is 66.7 meters long and can accommodate up to 12 guests, who are being looked after by a crew of 18. She has a range of 5,000 miles and cruises at 15 knots. The Triple Seven is a charter yacht and is currently managed by Watkins Yacht Management of London, UK. She flies the Bermuda flag, is registered at Hamilton and is in operation worldwide.

Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon is a popular beach attraction located on Waikiki Beach, and it is part of the Hilton Hawaiian Village grounds. The lagoon was closed for renovation in 2006 and reopened in December 2007. The renovation cost was about $15 million!

The lagoon is is a great place to relax. The water is warm, calm and azure blue, surrounded by fine white sand and a grassy area. The Hilton lagoon has a scenic view to Diamond Head, the popular Rainbow Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Hotel, the Hilton Pier and Waikiki Beach.

Even if you don’t stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or other nearby hotels you are welcome to visit. There is plenty to do here - from swimming and paddling in the water, to relaxing and enjoying the surrounding views.

There is not a public beach shower at the lagoon but there are plenty at Waikiki Beach.

Below are photos and a video of the Hilton Lagoon. Enjoy!

This morning at 6 a.m., the sirens went on because of a Pacific-wide tsunami warning. The warning is in effect for all Hawaiian Islands. There was an 8.8 earthquake in Chile yesterday which triggered the tsunami. Currently it is not known yet how big the waves will be, but all people who live in an evacuation zone or near the shoreline are asked to evacuate. The tsunami is expected to arrive on the Big Island of Hawaii at 11:19 and Oahu at 11:25. It is also advised to stay off the roads and beaches.

Tsunami update (2:25 pm):

Luckily the tsunami did not cause any damage in Hawaii. There were no big destructive waves; only extreme tidal changes were visible, especially in the Hilo Bay area. A live camera is stationed there and the local TV channel KGMB broadcast a live shot of the bay. You can see some images below (shown by KGMB).

Even though most people took the tsunami warning seriously and many roads along the shorelines were closed, some surfers still ventured out into the ocean to surf. Another guy was playing in the water on Waikiki Beach right before the tsunami was expected to hit.

Even though the Kewalo Basin Park is conveniently located right next to Ala Moana Beach Park (west of it), it is still largely undiscovered and never crowded. The oceanfront park has many shady trees, grassy areas ideal for a picnic and great views to the entire length of Ala Moana Park, Magic Island and Diamond Head. There is no beach here, only rocks, but there is a nice promenade right on the ocean’s edge. The park also serves as an entry/exit point for surfers to get to the surf break offshore.

From here one can also view the ships that go in and out of the Kewalo Basin Harbor, which provides berthing for commercial as well as charter and excursion vessels. The only downside of Kewalo Basin Park is that it is also used by some homeless, who leave their garbage here.

Hawaii is sunny and warm year round, so whenever you decide to visit the islands, it is considered to be a good time. However, even warm year round, the weather here varies a bit during the seasons.

Hawaii is generally very humid and humidity could be feel most during the month of October, right before the winter starts, so if you don’t like humidity, that’s not the time to plan a Hawaii vacation.

The summer months May to August are usually busy on the islands. That’s the time when many tourists plan their Hawaii vacation. The most busy of all gets the island of Oahu and especially Waikiki. One evening in August while I was in Waikiki, I wanted to buy a bottle of water from an ABC store and I was shocked to see the store was entirely packed with people and I even was not able to get it. So if you would like to enjoy a Hawaii vacation in Waikiki between May and August be prepared to see many tourists. Often times you may also need to wait from 20 to 60 minutes to get sited in restaurant. The other islands of Maui, Kauai and the Big Island are overall not so busy, so you may want to consider them for your summer vacation.

Christmas time also gets pretty busy in Hawaii. Also flights to the islands are more expensive around the holidays.

June to November is the hurricane season in Hawaii. If you plan vacation during that time, don’t let this scare you off. Hurricanes hardly ever occur in Hawaii. And even if one hits Hawaii, the state is prepared to accommodate visitors and citizens.

Personally I would recommend February to April as a best time to visit. That’s the end of the winter in Hawaii and you can enjoy nice sunny weather and less humidity.

If you stay on the island of Lanai you can enjoy world-class golf, horseback riding, swimming and snorkeling and much more. You can also take a half-day or a one-day private Lanai tour that will take you to some scenic and unique places on the island.

We booked a half-day tour with Neal Rabaca Tours. Our day began at 9 am when our tour guide Bruce met us in front of the Koele Lodge (where we stayed at). After we introduced each other our tour began. On the way to our first stop The Garden of the Gods we were already impressed by the comprehensive knowledge Bruce had about the island of Lanai. We learned about Lanai’s pine trees, about Lanai’s pineapple history and the island’s people. When we arrived at the Garden of the Gods, Bruce took us to a scenic lookout point from where we could see the canyons of the garden all around and the islands of Maui and Molokai in the distance. Our guide showed us some interesting rock formations resembling figures and he gave us in-depth information about the stones and the area.

After our Garden of the Gods visit we left for the northern part of the island to visit Shipwreck Beach. On the way, while driving on Keomoku Road, we learned about dramatic historic events that occurred in this area in 1778 when warriors of the king of the Big Island of Hawaii, Kalaniopu‘u, invaded Lanai and killed almost all of Lanai’s around 4,000 inhabitants.

As we approached Shipwreck Beach we could see the Au‘au Channel that lies between the islands of Maui and Lanai. Once we got to Shipwreck Beach we walked on the beach and even saw a green sea turtle (honu). She did not seem shy and she let us take some pictures of her while sunbathing on the beach. We saw interesting lava rocks and stones on the beach as well.

After we enjoyed some time on Shipwreck Beach we headed to our third stop – Munro Trail. Our guide drove very slowly because the dirt road has some rough areas. He also told us more about the plants and trees in the area.

Finally we ended our tour with a drive through Lanai City. We saw some places of interest and after that we were dropped off at our hotel around lunch time.

Even though the tour was only three and a half hours long, it felt much longer because we saw and learned so much! I myself have been working in the Hawaii tours industry for the past five years and have been to many tours and activities. The tour with Bruce on Lanai was one of the best tours I have ever taken! The service was very professional and we saw a lot! Just like Bruce said, many people may think there is nothing to see on Lanai, besides the elaborately-manicured hotel gardens and golf courses. But it depends on how you define the word “nothing.”

Here are some photos we took on our tour.

The Feast at Lele luau takes place in a beachfront setting right next to the Lahaina Shores. The luau starts with a traditional canoe ride, right before sunset, followed by traditional Hawaiian music, dances and food. Here are some images I took while I walked by.

Lahaina on Maui is a popular tourist destination. The small town in a way resembles Europe with its cute little cafés, restaurants, small boutique shops and colorful buildings, situated along its main street called Front Street.

The town has a couple of small beaches located along Front Street, one of which is located right in front of the Lahaina Shores resort and the other one is about half a mile south of it. The beach near the Lahaina Shores has some shade and it is also a home of the popular Feast at Lele luau. Right there is the popular oceanfront restaurant Pacific‘o as well.

Both Lahaina beaches offer beautiful views to the island of Lanai. Lahaina’s beaches are not the best on Maui for swimming, but their beautiful scenery makes them a good choice for a romantic walk.

I stayed for four nights at the Koele Lodge on Lanai in September 2009. The time there was the highlight of my Maui-Lanai vacation. In this review I will try to briefly review the pros and cons of the resort.

Location Pros

• Located on beautiful green grounds in the middle of the island of Lanai, overlooking Lanai mountains
• Because of its higher elevation, the air here is cooler than on the island’s beaches and it can get quite chilly at night. This is definitely a pro for a person who lives in tropical and humid Hawaii (or other hot location) year-round.
• Mixture of tropical gardens, pine trees, palm trees and other vegetation
• Very quiet resort, away from everything

Location Cons

• Not many airlines fly to Lanai. The airport is very small and only propeller planes fly here. Due to occasional bad weather conditions, such as fog, airplanes sometimes cannot land because the clouds are too low. Another way to get to Lanai is with the Expeditions Lanai ferry from Lahaina on Maui. The ride takes about 40 minutes. Sometimes it can get a little bumpy depending on the weather and ocean conditions. At the Manele Harbor on Lanai you will get picked up by a hotel shuttle for a 30-minutes ride to the Lodge at Koele.

Koele Lodge Pros

• Beautiful resort set in upcountry Lanai
• Two world-class golf courses in the area – in Koele and Manele
• Plenty of resort amenities – pools, game room, library, garden activities, mini golf, etc.
• Guests at the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele can also enjoy resort amenities, such as the pool, at the sister resort, the Four Seasons at Manele Bay. The resort at Manele is a typical Hawaiian tropical resort set among palm trees overlooking Hulopoe Bay. So no matter if you like tropical or mountain style, if you stay at one of the Four Seasons resorts on Lanai, you can have it both.
• Large clean rooms with private lanai
• Room service until 11 pm
• Fine dining restaurants
• Lobby entertainment and bar

Koele Lodge Cons

• You will get spoiled and pampered at the Koele Lodge, but you got to pay for that. Service rates are very expensive. For two noodle entrees and a couple of wine glasses, be prepared to pay over $100. Laundry service is also very expensive. If you have a few T-shirts that need to be washed, your bill can also top $100. If you prefer to save this money, you can go to downtown Lanai City and use the public Laundromat there (it’s a small building that has a few coin-operated washers and dryers).
• No facilities to prepare your own food in the room. You only have a small fridge and a coffee machine.
• No supermarket at the Koele Lodge. The closest one is in Lanai City. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to downtown Lanai City or you can take the hotel shuttle that runs every 30 to 60 minutes depending on the time of day.
• Tip is automatically included in the bill, and in some cases you may need to tip extra, such as for in-room service, maid, etc.

I stayed for a few days at the Old Lahaina House in September 2009. In this review I will try to briefly review the pros and cons of the guesthouse.

Location Pros

• Located in a quiet neighborhood
• Two minutes away from a beach
• It is near a popular Maui luau – Feast at Lele
• Near Pacific’o oceanfront restaurant located at the 505 Lahaina Shops

Location Cons

• The Old Lahaina House is quite far from the downtown area of Lahaina where all the action is. If you don’t have a car, you need to walk about 20 minutes to get to the downtown area. During daytime it is very hot and there is not much shade on the road. At night there are hardly any street lights and the sidewalk is very narrow so I had to take a flashlight with me to make sure drivers on the road could see me. If you want to stay late in downtown Lahaina, you better drive or take a taxi to get back to the guesthouse.

Old Lahaina House Pros

• Beautiful house with a pool near the beach
• Large furnished bedrooms
• Private seating area near the pool. Especially at night it was very beautiful when the pool lights were on and I could hear the ocean in the distance and the swaying palm tree leaves around the house.
• Owners respect your privacy
• One of the rooms has a private entrance.
• Free wireless internet.

Old Lahaina House Cons

• The owner’s office (living area) was very dirty. I was a bit shocked when I arrived
• The pool can be dirty because of falling leaves from the trees
• House pets (a dog and a pig) like to swim in the pool
• The furniture in the house looked old
• The shower cabin was dirty and a bit rusty on the bottom. In addition it was very small. I am a short and slender girl and I had trouble bending down to reach my feet when standing in it. For taller people this must be even more challenging.

The Gazebo is a small breakfast/lunch restaurant located at the Napili Shores resort hotel, overlooking the beautiful Napili Bay. Even though its location is idyllic, I personally don’t recommend the place. The Gazebo is the only breakfast and lunch restaurant in the whole area and it is very busy. I went early in the morning before the restaurant opened and I was surprised to see that there were already people standing in line.

The reason I decided to go to the Gazebo was because everybody recommended it to me and especially their specialty dish – macadamia nut pancakes. So I went and I waited in line until I was seated. I got a good table with a view to Napili Bay. I ordered the famed pancakes and coffee. Unfortunately, their taste was nothing what I expected. The pancakes were way too sweet and had a sugary cream on top. I am a person who is very health conscious and try to eat healthy and I really did not like the artificial flavors in the cream and the pancakes themselves. The maple syrup wasn’t 100 percent pure maple syrup either, but one of the cheap ones that are made with corn syrup. Finally I did not like the coffee at all either. It didn’t taste like coffee. Basically I hardly ate and drink anything, but still felt slightly sick on my stomach.

I don’t like to be so negative in the reviews I write on my website, but this place is really not worth it – from the long wait to get seated to the food.

See the long wait at 8 am in the morning yourself in the photos I post here.