See the Wonders of Hawaii
Hawaii has so many things to offer. There are, first of all, the beautiful beaches. These beaches boast of beautiful sands and clean and blue water. It also harbors many surf spots, which many avid surfers pay big bucks to surf on. Secondly, Hawaii is rich and abundant with culture and heritage. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself. The people are very proud of their culture; so proud that there is even an island that's called the most Hawaiian Island of all the islands. Thirdly, Hawaii is home to many of the world's most active volcanoes. There is even a national park reserved just for these volcanoes. What's interesting is how such destructive forces have become a big part of Hawaii's culture.
When coming to Hawaii, you are given the choice to pick from six different islands, each having their own unique qualities.
The best way to experience the whole of Hawaii is to go Hawaii island hopping. I promise you won't regret it. You will be immersed in the diversity of culture that is unique only to Hawaii. The six islands that make up Hawaii are : Hawaii's Big Island (The Island of Hawaii), Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai.
One of the most unique things in Hawaii is the Aloha spirit. This is not something that can be seen physically or some mystical entity that haunts the islands. Rather, this is the warm hospitality that you will see in all of the islands of Hawaii. Going island hopping in Hawaii will surely show you what aloha means as a way of life.
Hawaii Island Hopping Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=F_Men |
Travel on a Budget in Hawaii 2009
You may think that you can't afford a Hawaii vacation, but the truth is it doesn't have to cost a bundle to enjoy this amazing group of islands. There are plenty ways you can visit Hawaii on a budget, which we'll talk about here. Hopefully after reading this you'll see that even though some people may spend a ton of money going all out in Hawaii, you don't really have to do so in order to have a good time.
One of the first mistakes that you can make if you're trying to visit Hawaii on a budget is to eat all your meals in the hotel you're staying at. This is especially true for breakfast, as breakfast can be pretty expensive for, well, breakfast foods! It wouldn't be hard at all to spend hundreds of dollars a week on breakfast alone if you're eating breakfast in the hotel every day. Two of your best bets are to ask the locals where their favorite place to eat breakfast is and check it out. More than likely, it won't be expensive and you'll discover much more of Hawaii than spending that time in your hotel. Secondly you can bring your own food and snacks to munch on in the morning before beginning your day. Many hotels will have a coffee table or coffee shop that offers free fruit and other foods easy to eat on-the-go.
Many hotels, resorts, and restaurants in Hawaii will have a valet service. Skip the valet service and walk. More than likely the weather is nice and this is a vacation right? Slow down, enjoy the scenery and save some cash all by just parking your car and walking. Speaking of cars, if you're renting a car, rent the economy or compact sized cars to save even more. If you're staying in the local area you could very well opt for renting a bicycle for most of your journeys.
When you arrive at your hotel ask if there are any free upgrades available. This can surprisingly be a great way to add a little more luxury to your vacation for free. Especially with today's economy, many rooms go un-booked and you could end up with a better room than you reserved at absolutely no cost to you.
Before you even leave home you should have researched and booked your preferred tours and activities. Most places will give you a discount if you book in advance, and you don't want to waste time during your vacation searching out activities you are interested in doing anyways. When you arrive you can check the airport and your hotel lobby for a brochure display. Many times these will include little coupon books that will give you buy one-get one free deals and many other kind of coupons that you can use to save a little more money.
There are tons of ways to visit Hawaii on a budget; these are only a few of them. I'm sure if you take just a little bit of time and use these tips as a starting point you'll be thrilled with what a Hawaii vacation could really cost.
Gary writes for Hawaii Relocation where you can find Hawaii real estate for sale in the all the major islands.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Allalouf
Vacation With Kids in Hawaii
Here are some cool places that you can enjoy with your kids:
Atlantis Submarine
This popular adventure takes you more than 100 feet below the surface for a 45 minutes underwater tour of Marine life in Waikiki. The submarine passes by coral riffs, sunken shipwrecks and airplanes, sea turtles, and countless fish and other sea creatures. The 64-passenger submarine is air-conditioned and has large view ports and comfortable seating.
Bishop Museum
The new Science Adventure Center feature Over 16,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and high-tech displays that let kids discover the volcanoes, oceans and diverse environment of Hawaii and the Pacific. Other exhibits of the museum include live hula performances, planetarium shows, garden tours, dramatic storytelling, Hawai'i Sports Hall of Fame and exciting traveling exhibits in the Castle Memorial Building.
Cirque Hawaii
Cirque Hawaii is a multi million dollar state of the art theatrical extravaganza in the heart of Waikiki. The show is an exotic blend of strength, balance, humor, skill, beauty and grace, and features aerial, dance and acrobatic acts, including Trapeze, Flying Silk, Skip Rope, Bungee, Clown, and Polynesian Warriors. This awe-inspiring 1 hour and 15 minutes show is a great entertainment for the whole family, and can be combined with dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Dole Plantation
Dole Plantation is a popular Hawaii attraction. It has "The world's largest maze" (2001 Guinness Book of World Records), two-mile, 20-minute "Pineapple Express" train ride, and a Plantation Garden tour.
Hawaii's Children's Discovery Center
The Hawaii Children's Discovery Center is a world-class interactive center. Kids are invited to explore, experiment and play with interactive exhibits, using their senses of touch, sight, hearing, and smell to better understand themselves and the world around them.
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park
Hawaii's only water park offers many fun rides and adventures, including inner tube rides, free-fall six stories down speed slides, mega wavepool, body surf or inner tube ride on 2 to 4 foot waves, tube cruise down an 800-foot long continuous river, interactive children's playground filled with waterfalls, mini-slides and water cannons, multi-level activity pool with seven family slides, lily pad walks and other water attractions.
Honolulu Zoo
The Honolulu Zoo features over 1,230 animals in specially designed habitats. You can get a glimpse of the endangered nene which is the Hawai'i state bird, visit the African Savanna, native Hawaiian forest birds, Pacific Islands and the Children's Zoo. The zoo also features family programs such as Twilight tours, Snooze in the Zoo, Breakfast with a keeper, birthday Parties, and day camps.
Luau
A luau is a Hawaiian party and feast. Most Luaus feature native Hawaiian food and entertainment, such as Hawaiian music and hula dancing. Many Luaus greet you with the traditional lei, and feature the traditional imu ceremony, in which the roast Kalua Pig will be dug up from the rock-filled underground oven (imu) where it has been slow-roasting all day. Dinner buffet usually includes multi-course Polynesian delicacies as well as American favorites. After dinner it's show time - a Polynesian revue featuring songs and dances from Hawaii and other Polynesian islands.
Polynesian Cultural Center
This popular attraction is located about an hour from Waikiki. This 42-acre open-air park has seven native villages that are designed to immerse the visitors in the Hawaiian and other South Pacific cultures. Natives will be demonstrating the arts of dancing with fire, making jewelry from plants, and climbing 50-foot trees in bare feet. There are also native arts and crafts demonstrations such as carving tiki statues, canoe pageant, reenactment of war dances and wedding ceremonies, an IMAX theater, an authentic luau and a Polynesian night show.
Sea Life Park
Sea Life Park is a world-class marine attraction located 15 miles from Waikiki on Oahu's beautiful and scenic Makapuu Point. The park features a 300,000-gallon aquarium, housing sea lions, dolphins, sharks, stingrays, turtles and other marine mammals in a variety of entertaining and educational attractions such as dolphins dancing, sea lions singing, and penguins performing. Other attractions are the Sea Lion Feeding Pool, Sea Turtle Lagoon, Sea Bird Sanctuary, Hawaiian Reef Exhibit and Pirate's Lagoon. There are also some interactive programs for swimming with dolphins and snorkeling by the stingray's side.
Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay
Hanauma Bay is located along the East Oahu coastline, and is a protected marine life conservation area and underwater park. This bay, which is all that remains from an ancient volcano, is one of Hawaii's favorite places for snorkeling, scuba diving, or swimming among turtles and tropical fish. There are over 450 species of colorful tropical fish in Hanauma Bay, many of them are indigenous to Hawaii.
Waikiki Aquarium
This great family attraction features an amazing variety of marine life from the tropical Pacific and Hawaii. It has a wonderful collection of bright and colorful exotic tropical fish, as well as sharks, living corals, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, graceful sea jellies, and many more unique and fascinating marine creatures.
Waikiki Beach
Waikiki Beach is one of the best known beaches in the world. It is usually crowded but is a very nice area for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, surfboarding, sun tanning, sand castle building, and outrigger canoe riding.
Waikiki Trolley
The Waikiki Trolley is a popular means of transportation in Oahu, and is fun and convenient. The Trolley's four lines routes cover almost all tourist attractions and stops at most major shopping malls in Oahu.
For more details and photo gallery please visit the Kids Vacations section of our web site: http://www.cool-kids-places.com/kids-vacations-hawaii.html
Dee Adams is a mom to a 7 year old boy and the owner of Cool Kids Places, a website for parents looking for fun and interesting places to go with their kids.