Jeanette Foster - Frommers EasyGuide to Hawaii 2015

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AN IMPORTANT NOTE

The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and busses and trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about, these hotels, restaurants, museums and transportation services. Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A resident of the Big Island, Jeanette Foster has skied the slopes of Mauna Keaduring a Fourth of July ski meet, no lessand gone scuba diving with manta rays off the Kona Coast. A prolific writer, shes been widely published in travel, sports, and adventure magazines. She has been writing for Frommers since 1995 and is the author of more than 50 Frommers guide books. In 2010, she received the Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist Bronze Award for her book, Frommers Hawaii Day by Day.

ABOUT THE FROMMER TRAVEL GUIDES

For most of the past 50 years, Frommer's has been the leading series of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24% of all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.

Though we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of the destinations we cover, and urge our readers to seek out people and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.

We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental, criticalboth pro and conin their comments, and wholly independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we called "practically worthless" (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many rip-offs we've condemned.

And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at every level of expenditure. Though we have broadened our recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to assist our readers, and are particularly proud of our feisty daily website, the award-winning Frommers.com.

I have high hopes for the future of Frommers. May these guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all human beings live in harmony and peace.

Arthur Frommer

the Best of Hawaii

T heres no place on earth quite like this handful of sun-drenched, mid-Pacific islands. The Hawaii of South Seas literature and Hollywood films really does exist. Here youll find palm-fringed blue lagoons, lush rainforests, hidden gardens, cascading waterfalls, wild rivers running through rugged canyons, and soaring volcanoes. And oh, those beachesgold, red, black, and even green sands caressed by endless surf. The possibilities for adventureand relaxationare endless. Each of the six main islands is separate, distinct, and infinitely complex. Theres far too much to see and do on any 2-week vacation, which is why so many people return to the Aloha state year after year.

Unfortunately, even paradise has its share of stifling crowds and tourist schlock. If youre not careful, your trip to Hawaii could turn into a nightmare of tourist traps selling shells from the Philippines, hokey faux culture like cellophane-skirted hula dancers, overpriced exotic drinks, and a 4-hour timeshare lecture before you get on that free snorkeling trip. Thats where this guide comes in. As a Hawaii resident, I can tell the extraordinary from the merely ordinary. This book steers you away from the crowded, the overrated, and the overpricedand toward the best Hawaii has to offer. No matter what your budget, this guide helps ensure that every dollar is well spent.

Hawaiis best Island Experiences

Hitting the Beach: A beach is a beach is a beach, right? Not in Hawaii. With 132 islets, shoals, and reefs, plus a general coastline of 750 miles, Hawaii has beaches in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, including black. The variety on the six major islands is astonishing; you could go to a different beach every day for years and still not see them all. For the best of the best, see The Best Beaches, below.

Taking the Plunge: Don mask, fin, and snorkel to explore Hawaiis magical underwater world, where exotic corals and kaleidoscopic clouds of tropical fish await youa sea turtle may even come over to check you out. Cant swim? Then take one of the many submarine tours offered by Atlantis Submarines (www.go-atlantis.com; 800/548-6262 ) on Oahu, the Big Island, and Maui. Check out the Watersports section in each island chapter for more information on all these underwater adventures.

Meeting Local Folks: If you go to Hawaii and see only people like the ones back home, you might as well not have come. Extend yourselfleave your hotel, go out and meet the locals, and learn about Hawaii and its people. Just smile and say Owzit?which means How is it? (Its good, is the usual response)and youre on your way to making a new friend. Hawaii is remarkably cosmopolitantheres a huge diversity of food, culture, language, and customs.