• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 2842 0

au naturel at Little Beach (Click here). Oh my, look at the time – only a day left!? Get thee to Haleakalā National Park (Click here) before you go. Those staying longer should spend two days hiking (Click here) this awesome crater and catching the sunrise from the summit (Click here). Then drive the cliff-hugging Road to Hana (Click here), stopping frequently to gape in wonder. Those smart enough to stay the full two weeks can lounge around at hip Pa’ia (Click here), enjoying delicious eats and admiring the daredevil windsurfers at Ho’okipa Beach Park (Click here); overnight in Hana (Click here); and do some windsurfing yourself at Kanaha Beach (Click here) before departure time. And by the way, congratulations!

Return to beginning of chapter

KAUA’I One to Two Weeks

Kaua’i is Hollywood’s ready-made set whenever it needs a ‘tropical paradise.’ This faceted jewel of canyons, cliffs, waterfalls, rivers, bays and beaches is more than a backdrop for pretty actors, however. It’s one of Hawaii’s best, most soulful adventures. You’ll drive 175 miles.

If you’ve chosen Kaua’i, you’re looking for adventure, but let’s start off nice and easy in Po’ipu (Click here). Nap off your jet lag for a day or two on the sunny beaches here. For a taste of where we’re headed, go to nearby Port Allen for a Na Pali Coast snorkeling tour (Click here); scuba divers can take this chance to dive into the waters around Ni’ihau (Click here). Now, lace up your hiking boots and spend the next two (or three) days in Waimea Canyon State Park (Click here) and Koke’e State Park (Click here): trek the bogs of the Alaka’i Swamp (Click here), traverse knife-edge 2000ft cliffs on the Awa’awapuhi Trail (Click here) and wear yourself out on the Kukui Trail (Click here). If you aren’t camping, then stay in Waimea (Click here) and eat and shop in funky Hanapepe (Click here); if it’s Friday, chill out in Hanapepe’s art galleries (Click here). Well rested, head east: hit Wailua (Click here) and kayak the Wailua River (Click here) or the less crowded Hule’ia River (Click here). If you have kids, don’t miss Lydgate Beach Park (Click here). If time is tight, skip Wailua and giddy-up to the North Shore (Click here), which deserves three or four days. Get in some snorkeling and windsurfing at ’Anini Beach (Click here), and check out the surf-bum town of Hanalei (Click here), while surfing and kayaking in Hanalei Bay (Click here). Scenic drives hardly get more scenic than driving the ‘End of the Road’ to Ha’ena State Park (Click here); mix in snorkeling at Ke’e Beach (Click here) with a visit to beautiful Limahuli Garden (Click here). OK, ready? Na Pali Coast State Park (Click here) is all that’s left: if it’s May to September, kayak (Click here) 17 miles along the coast; otherwise, hike the Kalalau Trail (Click here). Either way, you’ve saved the best for last and have your story to dine out on.

Return to beginning of chapter

ISLAND HOPPING

Return to beginning of chapter

O’AHU, MAUI & LANA’I Two Weeks

You’ve got time, you’ve got money and you want culture, outdoor adventure and peaceful relaxation in equal measure. Combine O’ahu, Maui and Lana’i – half the time, you won’t even need to drive. You get Hawaii’s only metropolis, its fluffiest beaches and its quietest island. It’s 300 miles, more or less.

This trip is for lovers, culture vultures and anyone happy to spend a little more for plush lodgings and gourmet eats. Start on O’ahu, basing yourself in Waikiki (Click here) for a week. Among the major cultural sights in Honolulu (Click here), don’t miss the Bishop Museum (Click here), ’Iolani Palace (Click here), the Honolulu Academy of Arts (Click here) and Pearl Harbor (Click here). Along with time spent on Waikiki’s beaches, snorkel at Hanauma Bay (Click here) and hike the Mt Tantalus (Click here) and Makiki Valley (Click here) trails, after visiting the Lyon Arboretum (Click here). End each day exploring Honolulu’s dining scene (Click here) and enjoying lots of good Hawaiian music and hula (Click here).

Now go to Maui for four or five days. Again, make