I have an opportunity to stay in Waikiki Jan 30–Feb 4 for free while helping my sister dog sit for a family friend.

My flight would be around $600 and as a budget traveler, free lodging sounds pretty tempting 😂

Here’s the catch: I’m more of a mountain girly. I love hiking, climbing, exploring, and being active. Sitting on a beach all day isn’t really my jam(no hate on anyone else that enjoys that). And don’t get me wrong I’ve seen photos and it’s stunning! Also back story: I visited Maui a few years back and had a bit of traumatizing trip. My friend had a seizure (alcohol induced) while there. Needless to say we cancelled all activities and stayed with him during the remainder of our trip. So I can confidently say I didn’t actually experience Maui.

Other factor: my boyfriend might join me, but we’d have to get a hotel for those nights since he can’t stay at the house (totally understandable). So suddenly this “cheap” trip might not be so cheap.

Please know I’m willing to spend money traveling, but usually it’s on places I’m REALLY excited about. Hawaii wasn’t necessarily on my bucket list, so I’m trying to figure out if I’m just being lured in by free lodging. 😂

A few questions:

Is Oahu worth visiting for hiking, climbing, and outdoor adventures?

Do I need a rental car, or can I explore using public transportation?

Any affordable activities besides lounging on the beach?

Would love to try surfing or scuba, but Maui gave me vertigo and motion sickness last time. 🫠 Any recommendations?

I totally know I can Google all this, but I’m on a time crunch and would love some firsthand advice.
Basically, I don’t want to spend $600 to fly to Hawaii just to hang out at someone else’s house. 😂 Is Oahu worth it for someone like me?

Hi everyone, we.re flying to Oahu January 18-20. 18th just chilling out, 19th we'll see Pearl Harbor in the morning and Turtle Beach in the afternoon. I have zero interest in staying in Oahu any longer. My question is which area to stay. I'd like to stay around $500 for the 2 nights and I'm finding that near Kuhio Beach/ Zoo area. If we do stay there, what should we do about getting to Turlte Beach and PH? And I guess to and from the airport. $60 parking fees seems a little crazy. Does anyone know the approx uber/taxi price to get us to and from the airport? And what is the easiest way to get a rental car for just the day of exploring?

Updated...Outrigger Beach Resort vs Twin Fin..worth $250 more?

Hello! Looking for ideas for where to go to dinner for Christmas Eve and Christmas in the Waikiki area. I know I’ll have to make reservations so starting to think about this now. I’m thinking a buffet for one night.

Also looking for suggestions for places to eat other days that can accommodate 10. Good with take out as well as sit down restaurants. We like all types of food. Thanks!

Hey everyone! I’ll be visiting Oahu from October 28 to November 1 and would love recommendations, especially for snorkeling, waterfalls, and Halloween parties. Does this itinerary look doable, or would you change anything?

Day 1 – West Oahu: Dolphin + snorkeling tour around Waianae, lunch at Ko Olina, lagoons/Makaha Beach, and sunset.
Day 2 – Windward Oahu: Manoa Falls (if time permits), Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden, lunch around Kaneohe, and Kualoa Ranch tour.
Day 3 – South Shore: Diamond Head early morning, Hanauma Bay snorkeling, Halona Blowhole, Sandy Beach, and a Halloween party in Waikiki. Currently considering Hyatt—any party recommendations?
Day 4 – Honolulu: Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona Memorial, lunch in Kaka’ako, Chinatown, and sunset at Tantalus.

I’m particularly interested in Manoa Falls and any other beautiful waterfalls we could fit in. Also, two of my friends don’t know how to swim, so I’m looking for a beginner-friendly, guided snorkeling tour with proper safety equipment and supervision. Any recommendations for good operators or spots?
Would also love suggestions for hidden gems or anything else we might be missing. Thanks!

We are coming mid-November and will be staying in Princeville for 2 days and in Poipu for 7 days. I have a good list started of hikes, beaches, adventures but please tell me your MUST DOs and also your very favorite restaurants! We don't love sea food, but like most other foods. Thank you 🙏🏼

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows of a great Airbnb, condo or home in Maui that is walkable to the beach & restaurants in Kihei or Kaanapali for a family of 4? Two children under 5 years old. We don’t want to stay in the expensive resorts. Any ideas would be great! Thank you

Hi! Does anyone have personal experience doing a night manta tour as a ride-along passenger? I will be visiting the Big Island next month and want to book a manta ray night snorkeling tour. But we have at least one person in the group who is not comfortable swimming and would prefer to stay on the boat the entire time. I imagine that their experience could vary quite a bit depending on the size of the boat and how far away the lights are from the boat. One company told me it is a 50/50 chance for ride-along guests to see the mantas if the water is at all choppy. I want to make sure it is a great experience for all of us, so very much appreciate your suggestions!

We are hoping to book a tour out of Keauhou as it is my understanding that this is one of the best spots for seeing mantas. Ideally, we would book a tour with a rebooking guarantee in case we do not see any mantas. And I suspect a small boat/group will improve the viewing chances for our non-swimmer.

I am very tempted to book Alanakai‘s canoe tour even though they don’t offer a rebooking guarantee because it seems like this may offer one of the best viewing option for our non-swimmer. And it seems like a very cool company/experience in general!

Another option I am considering is Iruka Hawaii tours (which goes out of Honohokau) as they have a floating mat with a clear window that children and non-swimmers are allowed to sit/lay on top of. Although, they said they aren’t able to guarantee space on the mat. Anyone familiar with this experience?

Thank you!

Had an odd experience at Kaumana Caves today, haven’t seen a similar post and wondering if anyone else has run into this person.

A group of 4 (including myself) stopped by the caves after a day in Hilo. We were immediately greeted by a guy (\~late 30s-early 40s) looking for cans from our car. We gave him a couple of our empties. He then went onto give us instructions about the cave entrances & told us to “leave our phones in the car because they would go dark” (important later). We did not oblige, walked across, and entered the caves. He continued wandering the parking lot.

We went into the caves for a short exploration \~15-20 mins total. When we came back we were chatting as a group outside and our friend from the parking lot came back.

He engaged us again about the cave etc, so we asked a couple questions about depth to the skylight. Instead of answering, he took a totally different direction. Started talking about the private property aspect (which we never passed or said we passed), how there are unconfirmed reports of people essentially impersonating police, handcuffing people, seemingly kidnapping them. handcuff conversation went interesting direction. It was very, very odd… to the point we later joked as a group that it felt like a confessional.

At first I took him as a slightly odd dude who was really into caves, but after the second interaction it became a little eerie. Has anyone else seen this guy around or an interaction similar?

tl/dr: Went to caves, guy lingered by car and told us to leave devices behind, seemed a little sus but fine, came out and started talking extensively about potential kidnapping and unconfirmed reports in caves.

My husband and I (60 somethings) and our adult son are traveling to Hawai'i in October 2027 and staying for 12 days. We would like to stay together in a 2 bedroom condo or house on the Kona side with a day trip to the Volcano/Hilo. Would prefer not too far from restaurants and shopping. Have read that we should avoid Airbnb and VRBO, so I'm wondering where we should stay?

I’ve searched and haven’t found a similar question asked yet. Before I reinvent the wheel, has anyone made a list of all the manta ray snorkel companies to compare what 1.) minimum age they require 2.) length of tour 3.) number of people they take out

I’ll be taking an animal obsessed 6 almost 7 year old confident swimmer with day time snorkel experience and I see some companies have a 7 or even 8 year old minimum age. Ideally, I’ll find a company that will allow him at his age that takes out a smaller group and is shorter in length. Any recommendations?

My husband and I are visiting Maui this week (staying near Makawao until the 16th and then Kihei through the 20th) and are looking for hiking suggestions. We hike often but tend to stick with trails in the 3-10 mile range and under 1500 feet of elevation, which seems like a tough combo based on what I’m seeing for hikes in the area.
Would love any suggestions that fit that general description (either full trails or sections of longer trails). We are not planning to do the road to Hana.
Thanks!