General travel thoughts

Honolulu, it truly is a paradise for the first 48 hours! You don't need to rent a car and in fact I would recommend against it unless you're the type that feels lost without your own set of wheels. There is good public transportation and you can get from the airport to most hotels either using a hotel courtesy bus, limo or the public transportation system. If you stay in the Waikiki beach area (and why wouldn't you?) you're walking-distance close to just about everything the tourist needs for a satisfying stay.

Anything not within walking distance can easily be accessed either on a tour bus or the public transport system. Ask the concierge for suggestions, they are very accommodating. That said, I have rented a car too while on vacation in Honolulu and while I had to pay extra to park it at the hotel where I was staying it did allow a bit more scheduling freedom. Go to the north shore to see huge waves in the winter months, the climb to the top of Diamond Head is a challenge but I think it is a must-do activity as the view from the top is tremendous, and I also suggest a short cruise on one of the party boats. The cruise isn't the memorable thing, the views of the island from out in the ocean are. And you'll usually meet other fun people on the boat too.

The prices can be high but there are deals to be had, especially if you book the hotel along with your air-fare and rental car (if you must). Definitely stay at or near the beach, 1-2 blocks away at the most.

My shopping was mostly for trinkets and inexpensive gifts to remind others that I had been to Hawaii. Clothes are a bit high (to be expected) and don't expect duty-free to be a big deal. Go to the Caribbean for deals on jewelry and electronics. Truthfully I don't know why anyone would even bother with that these days, Fry's Electronics has great prices every day and if I can't find something there I go to E-Bay anyway. OK, go to the International Marketplace - you won't be sorry.

Most restaurants are chains or knockoffs. I didn't find much that I would call exotic and really worth investigating but then, even though I've been there several times, Hawaii is really just an extension of the U.S. to me and I don't look for a food that is unique to the region when visiting. One thing I didn't expect, they served rice and pineapple with my egg-mcmuffin breakfast at McDonald's. It cost extra and I didn't order the stuff so I asked them to take it off the bill. They weren't very friendly about the whole fiasco ... don't eat breakfast at McDonalds!

I've been told the luaus are a bit hokey, touristy, and unless you are easily entertained they get boring in a hurry. The food at the luaus is mostly pretty good and I suppose island-authentic though I'm not sure it originates in Hawaii, probably most of it is imported from further out in the south Pacific.

The place is definitely tropical. Warm and humid every time I visited though not necessarily uncomfortable unless you're an airline employee required to wear a suit on the flight. The airport is open-air and as soon as you walk out into the terminal you're hit with the atmosphere. Change clothes in a hurry if you have on anything more than shorts, tank top and flip-flops!