posted 08-02-2004 12:53               

We would also like to go to a night dinner cruise, which one is better for the whole family? And any ideas on a hawaiian luau?

also any good places to eat at night in Hawaii, any rec'd on
buffet places?

Are there places we can load up of coupons for tours, sites etc?

Is it still possible to get an Entertainment book on Hawaii?

posted 08-02-2004 17:32               

best place for car rentals? thanks all

posted 08-02-2004 19:09               

There is a discount coupon in the book for the Polynesian Cultural Center that will save you about $30. You don't need a tour at all - it is a park and you can just walk around and see everything yourself.

The best place for a car rental is online, before you go, so you can shop around. Try rate code 6T at Alamo's website.

------------------
Denise

posted 08-03-2004 19:33               

btw, danb, you mention one could still get the book at HHV?
Is that in Honolulu?

posted 08-04-2004 03:54               

Honolulu has lots of great food, especially if you like Asian. The food court at Ala Moana is great. Ono Hawaiian Foods is unbelievable hawaiian food for cheap. It's in Kaimuki near diamond head. Japanese food is really cheap since it is so abundant. Just go off the beaten path. Yummies is great fast food Korean food. McDonald's is expensive. Don't bother going there. Fatties in Waikiki near the international market has good and cheap chinese food.

posted 08-04-2004 06:16               

If you plan on visiting Pearl Harbor, make sure you go directly to Pearl Harbor on your own. The entire grounds, historical film and the Arizona Memorial are free, and the Naval Reserve is the only establishment allowed to actually land on the Memorial. There are companies in Honolulu who will offer to drive you to Pearl Harbor and take you on a tour in the harbor for a fee, but they are not allowed to land at the Memorial.

posted 08-04-2004 07:10               

Having lived on Oahu for several years, I can tell you that the restaurant choices are just too numerous and diverse to list, however, there's hope: www.hawaiirestaurants.com
Click on the island that you're going to and choose "da kine" food you'd like.

Also, go to: http://calendar.gohawaii.com/ & www.gohawaii.com

For coupons, try this one: http://andhawaii.com/hawaii/coupon/oahu.html

www.ecouponshawaii.com

The Bishop Museum & the Iolani Palace,both reachable by "da bus", are great ways to spend a few hours learning about Hawaiian culture. Your children will also have
an opportunity to report on "what I did on my summer vacation" when they return home and impress their teachers.

Also, think "picnic" on Waimea Bay or one of the North Shore
beaches (ask a local where you're staying). If you're on the
North Shore, try a "shave ice" at the "Pancy Pancy Store", ask
a local again. As anywhere else in the world, use common sense
caution when venturing out to parts unknown.
Aloha nui loa,
Beags

posted 08-04-2004 20:18               

quote:

---

Originally posted by kauai kid:
Just a warning--the Oahu rickshaws are a ripoff. $42 for 2 blocks. Bellcap said they really rip off Oriental tourists. Sterling

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posted 08-04-2004 20:49            

I have made recommendations several times for a few of the places in Waimalu Shopping Center. Particularly Chun Wah Kam for Chinese food and Crispy Gau Gee, Shiro's for Saimin and the Big Shiro, and Waimalu Chop Suey for their Crispy Gau Gee. Also Leonard's for Malasadas and Malasada Puffs. All cheap, and all very, very casual, almost fast food casual. But a good place to feed a large family inexpensively with decent local food (as are the plate lunch places). In Waikiki, you will generally find things to be expensive, so it makes a lot of sense to get out of Waikiki when you can.

A fun day is often had by going to a supermarket and packing a picnic, then getting in the rental car and driving around the island, stopping at whatever beach suits your fancy to walk, picnic, and (depending on your swimming abilities and the particular beach) swim.

Consider the Dole Cannery Tour if it's still around. If not, tour the pineapple fields at the Dole Pavillion. Polynesian Cultural Center is a little cheesy, but for those who know nothing about the island cultures, it could be informative.

Snorkel at Hanauma Bay. . . good, gentle waters for the kids.

Go to the Pali Lookout and with any luck, it will be quite windy.

Sam Choy's is a nice moderate place to eat, as is Ryan's Park Place in the Ward Center. Both are a little less "local" food, and a little more "Nouvealle Pacific Cuisine."

Patti's Chinese Kitchen in the food courts at Ala Moana and Pearlridge has good, hawaiian-style Chinese food served in a fast-food style. You might consider trying a Manapua: A sweet, steamed bun stuffed with salty Chinese Barbecue pork. Children growing up in Hawaii snack on them all the time.

Also try a "shave ice" (like a snow cone, only the ice is finer and there are better quality syrups). If you want to try some "Crackseed" (Chinese style preserved fruits and seeds. Pickled plums, mangoes, Li Hing Mui, etc.), you can ask around for a seed store and someone will point you in the right direction.

Hawaii's local foods in general tend to be salty. I suspect that is because it is quite hot there, and you tend to sweat a bit more than usual. So the foods evolved to replace the salt lost through sweating.

If you want to eat like you are back home, then there are a few chains you might recognize: Cheesecake Factory, Palomino, Outback, Sizzler, Pizza Hut, etc. Personally, I wouldn't touch any of those places while I was in Hawaii.

Edit: Edited to add a link to the TUG Oahu Dining Guide.

posted 08-04-2004 20:50            

quote:

---

Originally posted by racket:
I think the proper term is asian. You cannot be an oriental person.

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In Hawaii, you can. "Asian" is a mainland affectation.

posted 08-07-2004 22:14            

Are the books still available and would you be willing to give them to me?

Sherry

posted 08-09-2004 19:54               

quote:

---

Originally posted by racket:
I think the proper term is asian. You cannot be an oriental person.

---

Sorry racket but you are mistaken. Here's the definition of Oriental http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/Oriental

Phil

posted 08-09-2004 20:48               

quote:

---

Originally posted by freechoice:
Thanks all, and We will get outside of Honolulu and enjoy the quiet beaches...any ones in particular?

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Lanikai Beach or Kailua Beach (both on the Windward coast of Hawaii) have both won awards for top beach in Hawaii. We visited Kailua Beach and thought it was great. There are bathroom facilities and showers. The park has some shade and one end of the beach has wind surfers. The scenery was fantastic. Both beaches are sometimes used for photo shoots. I often identify the beaches in pictures in advertisements for travel to Hawaii. We found about this beach in a book about Hawaii's best beaches.

posted 08-09-2004 21:44            

quote:

---

Originally posted by tugshare02:
Lanikai Beach or Kailua Beach (both on the Windward coast of Hawaii) have both won awards for top beach in Hawaii.

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Locals tend to stay away from Kailua Beach Park for swimming because it tends to have a lot of problems with Portuguese Men-of-War, which can sting pretty bad.

posted 08-10-2004 21:09               

I'm in Tacoma, too (at least from 9 to 5) and am heading to Oahu to get my daughter settled at the Univ of Hawaii next monday, 8/16. If you haven't already sent the Entertainment books to Sherry in Utah, how about letting me use one and then I'll send it on to her when I return?