Our extended family would potentially like to travel to Hawaii… but I'm not sold on the idea, and would like to visit somewhere else.
Is Hawaii worth the visit?
Is Hawaii Worth The Trip?
ShortyX on 11/09/2019 - 09:05
Comments
"no other options for food".. definitely wrong
HUGE choices from local hawaiian food (like loco moco), to fantastic japanese food and all the other typical american food
And spam. Don't forget the spam.
If you're just looking for a beach holiday, there are a lot of cheaper options in SE Asia and the Pacific. But Hawaii is amazing in and of itself, and I really enjoyed it
We have been fives times, so I guess that means we like Hawaii. That said we are not visiting the USA for the time being.
What are you other destinations were you thinking of though?
Maybe SE Asia, US, Europe… still up in the air.
Not Africa?
Anywhere particular in Africa that you suggest? :)
@ShortyX: South Africa is supposed to be good, but as you seemed to have only excluded Africa from your list of possible continents to visit, I wondered why?
Plenty of safaris in other countries.
@GG57: No worries, thanks. We're very early in the decision making process as the trip won't be until 2022. My family was talking up Hawaii but the OzBargainer in me had alarm bells going off for the cost, so I came here to verify. :D
Family visited recently - they said the hotel they stayed at, while good, was a little old. And it cost them nearly 20k for a family of 3 for 1 week. The exchange rate at the moment is a big killer, then theyve got the tourist tax - then taxes on top of those taxes!
20k for a week?! Holy crap that's a lot of money for a holiday.
I don't care if it was the best holiday ever I think going to Thailand for 5k for a week 4 times would equal a lot more enjoyment.
How much if that was shopping? Personally I think that shopping costs should be backed out if any discussion as they would vary widely.
Put simply, I dont think it is for what you pay. You'll leave feeling like you've gotten terrible value for money, and I say that having had accommodation covered by reward points.
If you want a tropical beach holiday, go to SE Asia. If you want the experience of exploring Hawaiian / US culture and don’t mind paying the quadruple whammy of extra costs (bad exchange rate, tourist hotspot, it’s an island, tipping), head to Hawaii. If you choose your airfares and accomm carefully and find value, it can help to offset these extra costs.
Oahu is a bit meh, in my opinion, accommodation is generally older and expensive, food and dining out is expensive, beaches are nowhere near as nice as Australia. Maui is gorgeous and the beaches nicer however the sand is finer and less packed on the beach so it is harder to walk on and easier for kids to fall, the surf is much much stronger and you could get knocked off your feet with the water not even to your knees, Maui is also more expensive than Oahu. Shopping is fabulous.
Besides the heat Asia is a much better option for families I think. There are some beautiful places in Thailand/Vietnam/Cambodia that offer much better value for families than Hawaii.
Our family went two years ago. I really enjoyed it. Wakiki/Honolulu is very touristy, think Gold Coast. We only stayed a few days there and tried to stay away from the typical tourist things. Accommodation there was expensive but we splurged on a really nice boutique hotel which made the stay enjoyable. The majority of our time was spent on the Big Island based in Hilo. The Big Island has volcanos, black sand beaches, ranches, forests, waterfalls etc.
I think whether or not it's worth it for you is going to depend on what you want out of the holiday. For me Hawaii was worth it to see and experience things I couldn't do here.
This +1
Comes down to what you want to do and see.
My family with 2 kids at the time 8 and 5 absolutely loved Hawaii and had a fantastic time. We spent a week on the Big Island and then a week on Oahau staying around the north shore. Apart from the last couple of days in Honolulu, we made sure we got out to see and do things we couldn't do at home.
If you want beaches and shopping then you might as well stay home and go to the Gold Coast.
Have a read through this thread to get ideas of things you can do and see:
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/3ynx47w9
Wakiki/Honolulu is very touristy, think Gold Coast.
IMO Wakiki/Honolulu has a positive family friendly vibe about it that the Gold Coast (apart from the theme parks) absolutely doesn't.
I have to agree with this. Gold Coast is overrated. Went last year in Dec and weather and beaches were not the best.
if going with extended family, i would recommend going to Penang (Malaysia) and staying at one of the resorts
if going to south east asia. try Sabah, on the north eastern corner is Kota kinabalu and brunei.
the island of borneo has a few unesco heritage sites..
and again as mentioned above depends what you want out of the holiday.
"…extended family…"
"Is Hawaii worth the visit?"That is all the info that OP has provided. How about a few more items of info to allow others to consider and provide a respective response, such as:
- Extended family: ages, how many, interests, limitations, etc., etc.
- Hawaii:
- Why have they indicated Hawaii?
- What type of holiday does the family like? Beach, active, relaxed, shopping, eating, partying, sports?
- Is budget a primary focus or not relevant?
- What time of the year is this planned for?
Answer = Yes
Looks like a fun place to visit, but obscenely expensive for food and accomodation. Probably have just as much fun going to Thailand.
I second that, but I'll throw in Coron - Philippines. I love El Nido, but Coron is amazing!
I lived in hawaii for a year, so did not really do touristy stuff. Mum came for a week and she did do the tourist route while there, she loved it but she had never been to Australia. I loved hawaii as a home place but to be honest the Australian Coasts are just as beautiful and just as worthy of holidaying and I expect you will find nicer accommodation here then in Hawaii. And because of the exchange rate you would be better off choosing a coastal town in Australia over Hawaii these days. Don't get me wrong Hawaii is a great place to live but so is Australia!!!
Hawaii is good place the to visit and few things can be unique (ie hiking, peal harbour etc) . Not sure if you can justify the price. Individual choice.
I personally stay in hostel with group of friends and spend on activities and food.Alaska
Might as well suggest it. OP hasn't responded for about 7 hours, so Alaska is as relevant as any other suggestion.
I enjoyed it, but remember that it is part of the USA, with the pros/cons that carries. I went 6 years ago. Personally I wouldn't go in the current situation. If you want a tropical place to relax, try Fiji.
Hawaii is great.
Is it worth it? as in value? that would be subjective.
Is it worth it as in time & experience - definitely yes. Weather is great, it seems like most people there are on holidays. It's a totally different vibe.
It is USA, not a 3rd world asian country.
There is no issues you would have in some cheaper countries like language barrier, direction issues, price haggling, theft, scam, etc etc. But yes even my comment is subjective.My mum went to Hawaii for her 70th birthday and loved it.
I would love to do New York City USA one day soon, how many days should I go?
At least 5
IMHO a cruise is the absolute best option for an extended family. There is so much for every member to do both together and separately as their interests dictate. The cost is fixed if you choose it to be by eschewing non approved extras. It is absolute top notch value including your food, room, entertainment and stops in places you may wish to see.
I have a friend who joined Air Hawaii online and gets offers very often that include flights & accommodation deals. She says the prices are very reasonable & often cheap if you can be flexible. She & her family take advantage of their offers annually. Six of them having been going. She says htought you have to be quick to book since the offers are very popular. If you are interested, it might be worth checking out Air Hawaii's site online & what they offer. Some sightseeing maybe included, I don't know but signing up has been very helpful for her family of 6.
Waikiki (where the international airport is) is an overpriced shit hole like the Gold Coast. Vegas on the water.
You have to go to Maui, Kaui, Big Island and the other islands. Take a short 45 min $30 flight to get there. Worth every cent.
We impulsively bought the Jetstar Buy 1 way Return for Free deal last year thinking it was going to be a 'cheap' trip to Hawaii….our flights were cheap, no question about that but a 7 day trip still cost us almost 10K. Mostly in the accommodation and food. We didn't like the food…we tried the local cuisine and didn't enjoy it. Tried to get into the whole Poke bowl and Spam thing but nope, not our thing. I would probably never go back and would rather do an Asian trip or back to mainland US which was more exciting
Never been, but probably cheaper to go to Thailand. I think places like Hawaii because you have no other options for food etc its really expensive.
Could be wrong :P but always seems to be the case