First Time Hawaii Traveller!

Hi all,

So me and my girlfriends (party of 9) booked our first trip to Honolulu for June. We are staying at the waikiki banyan resort that%26#39;s close and nearby to the shopping centers and beach! We will probably be out all day everyday so the quality of the hotel doesn%26#39;t really matter to us since it%26#39;s not all-inclusive.

For people who%26#39;ve been to Honolulu or have stayed in this hotel... what are your reviews about it? I%26#39;ve heard many people complaining about roaches.. and that%26#39;s what i%26#39;m most afraid of!

How hot does it get in Hawaii during June? We are all around 21 years old and wanting to do lots of activities, tours and nightclubs.. We are interested in ATV, snorkeling/surfing, partying, zoo... anything with a nice beach for us to get a good tan and enjoy the weather! What are some good recommendations of some tours/activities to do and approximately how much are they?

All my vacations have been to places that were all-inclusive so we took advantage of the free alcohol and food... so this is a bit different when it comes to budgeting for the money!

And last question... How much are meals in hawaii usually? Are we better off just cooking our own meals in our hotel (we have a kitchenette)?

Thanks so much! Any advice or recommendations on places to check out in Hawaii... please email me and let me know! Looking to hear from you!

Tammy.

First Time Hawaii Traveller!

Hi Tammy,

I can help you out with some of your questions as I just returned from Waikiki a week ago. The Banyan is in a pretty great location, I stayed right in front of it at the Marriott, and it is close to everything! A couple things you really must do...drive up to the North Shore,snorkel Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor, drive the Pali hwy and stop at the Pali lookout-I cant say enough about the views from there,attend a luau( I think you would like Paradise Cove-it is a great fun party atmosphere) and of course spend time everyday at the beach as your time will go fast!! There are many tours that will take you to all of these places, you can either research and book before you come, or grab one of the many coupon books that are around for some discounts and you can book alot of the stuff when you arrive. You will find alot of the tours pretty reasonable in price. Look at some of Dusty%26#39;s posts for a complete list of all the great things to do on Oahu!

As far as food, I did find that meals can be pretty expensive, of course there are alot of fast food places near your hotel as well, but you may want to do some of the eating in your room being that you hae a kitchenette and save some money for activites and SHOPPING! Speaking of shopping, ABC stores which are everywhere on Waikiki, have some great prices on gifts to take home!

Just do alot of reading here on TA, I found it to be super helpful! Enjoy your trip!!

First Time Hawaii Traveller!

Hi Tammy, I would suggest that you try and get a copy of Oahu Revealed, published by Wizard. It will answer a lot of your questions and provide you with a lot of tips.

Hope you and your friends have a great trip.

John.

Lots of info:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862鈥?/a>

ok ill try to help you all out as much as possible i have been there 3 times and going on my 4th on June 15-23 i cant wait so here we go first go to this website www.honoluluscreamer.com this is cheap and awesome before you buy tickets theres the office where you buy the tickets but you can get jetski also at a discount if you get both......we stay at the Hilton which has fireworks every friday night so go there and next door is a good happening bar thats always packed and if you have a rental car go to Waimea Beach towards the north shore it has cliff jumping and good snorkeling go to youtube and search waimea beach i see for yourself.....also on wed fri sat sun go to the aloha stadium for the flea market to get all of you souvenoirs its huge and cheap check this out and the pearl harbor memorial is right next to it so you can do them both together the same day....the food at the hotels are expensive but when you walk around honolulu you will see lots of coupon books so pick them up and use them also try a place called Zippys its like a dennys or ihop but better food.....also you will see stores everywhere called ABC that are like our 7-11 or Circle K get food there......also try Sharks Cove for snorkeling its right by Waimea Beach and no theres no sharks but bring your own goggles and snorkels from home but no flippers if you snorkel alot i would recommend the rubber shoes for walking on the rocks when you snorkel......also try this place www.kualoa.com they made alot of movies here and give movie tours and there horseback riding and ATV....if you do a luau do the paradise cove luau and theres 4 man made beach coves by them to go swimming or snorkeling or just lay out its very nice....just to let you know waikiki beach is very busy and the sand is rough and the water is not clear like the other beaches so venture out i could go on and on if you want to know more you can email me at azflyboy6477@yahoo.com have fun Gary

Thanks to everyone who replied! That%26#39;s alot of help for me and i%26#39;ll definitely check out some of those tours/activities.

For the nightlife... anyone have any good recommendations on a good club or party place for a group of girls in their 20%26#39;s to party and drink?

Thanks!

Also... in regards to the Paradise Cove Luau, what exactly is a luau? and is it an all day thing or just evenings? And do you need to drive down there or can you pay to take a bus of some sort to go there? Definitely something i would want to check out!

Tammy, regardaing Paradise Cove luau, yes they have busses going there that will pick you up at or near your hotel usually.You really should be able to wait and book it when you arrive, as you can get discount coupons usually for this or they may even have some specials on their website. Go to paradisecove.com for all kinds of info on this luau. But basically a luau is a place to celebrate Hawaii%26#39;s history and traditions with lots of food, drink, culture and dancing. You and your girlfriends would enjoy it I believe!

Senior Frogs in Waikiki would be a great club for you. My husband and I accidently wandered in there for dancing. We are in our thirties, and we DEFINITLY felt like old farts there, but for visitors in their twenties who want to party with locals, military, and other visitors, it would be great fun.

Tammy

we just returned from a week in Waikiki and stayed at the Banyan- out of a group of 17 couples, only one reported seeing any roaches in their room and that was only one and only once. Its good value for your money and a great location. One bit of advice, If you arent leaving Waikiki proper, drop into an ABC and buy a 4 day bus pass for 20 bucks- you can pretty much go anywhere on the island of Oahu on the bus, including the North Shore and no need to pay for expensive parking everywhere. Pretty much any ';attraction'; you might want to see will come pick you up at your hotel.

Have fun, I know we did

Steve

Aloha Tammy,

For several years I used to visit Oahu with my girlfriends...what a good time we had. We just went over there with no agenda, no plan. We just let our mood decide what we would do next. We spent most of the daytime on the beach and then would go to a great little place called ';The Rose n Crown'; it is not there anymore but we had such a good time. We just followed our hearts and each day was better than the last. Time fly%26#39;s by quickly so you don%26#39;t want to waste time trying to decide what to do next. If you click on my profile I have a little video there called Paradise, Paradise, Paradise...it shows the beauty of this island. Aloha and have a great time. This will be my 21st visit to Oahu and have booked for 1 month...it just is never enough. Once you go there...you will be overwhelmed with the feeling of Aloha and you will be back!