Hawaii Vacation Ideas: 1001 Vacation Ideas

After landing in Honolulu and catching an inter-island flight to Kauai, we rented a car in Lihue and drove to the Grand Hyatt Resort in Koloa and checked into our ocean view room.

While fairly expensive, the Grand Hyatt is well worth it, with a tremendously high level of service and beauty.

The hotel itself offers tremendous opportunities for relaxation, with a very indulgent pool area.

There are 2 chlorinated pools, 1 for children and 1 for adults, a lazy river, and a saltwater sandy pool that is refreshed with ocean water daily.

It is truly a perfect place to relax. There is also a water slide and lazy river for guests.

Other activities during this trip included driving around the (small) island of Kauai, looking for small local restaurants and enjoying ice cream and shaved ice.

Wailua Falls is a can't-miss opportunity to hike to a beautiful waterfall not far from Lihue.

Other wonderful activities on Kauai (nicknamed the Garden Island) are finding the secluded beaches to relax on and golfing on one of the lush golf courses that dot the island.

We spent one day in the city of Honolulu and the remainder of the trip on the Big Island of Hawai'i. We found a very affordable vacation rental in the town of Volcano, just minutes from the Volcanoes National Park.

Every morning we woke up surrounded by fog and ferns to the sound of tropical birdsong and the scent of ginger wafting gently on the trade winds.

Every day after tea we proceeded to leisurely explore the National Park where we usually stayed until after watching the sun set over the wide blue Pacific Ocean.

It was an amazing vacation because we were able to avoid the large tourist crowds and the high prices of urban areas.

We spent a week on Kauai, half a week on the Big Island, and half a week on Oahu, and sometimes I feel as though our hearts never left. :) If you’ve never been, Hawaii is gorgeous.

Kauai is the least developed and least touristy of the main islands and we were big fans of that.

We went whale watching and snorkeling near Poipu with Captain Tara (Kauai Sea Riders), who was a friend of a family friend, we went ATV riding, took a helicopter ride around the island, and did all sorts of hiking.

On the Big Island, we stayed a couple days in Hilo (the verdant and more rainy side) and then a couple in Kona (the drier side); enjoying the beach, snorkeling, and such.

Finally on Oahu, we visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial, where you could easily spend an entire day seeing the memorial, Bowfin submarine, and the Battleship Missouri.

Hawaii Vacation Ideas #4:The Place of Refuge is a sacred spot for Hawaiians. Locals call it Pu’uohonua o Honaunau. In the past the Place of Refuge was a holy place that provided a safe haven for lawbreakers. Those that broke a law against the gods could go to the sacred spot and find safety and absolution for their crimes.

Access was by swimming or canoe, but if you could make it to the temple, you would be protected by the priests. Now a national park, the Place of Refuge has reconstructed the temple and associated thatched buildings.

Royal grave sites are featured. Explore the self-guided trail, learn about canoe building and watch demonstrations of traditional Hawaiian arts and crafts.