One of the best ways to do Hawaii Island hopping for Women Traveling Together or Alone is aboard a luxury cruise line around the Hawaii islands.
Think of it as your floating hotel where you will unpack and pack once. These luxury women travel packages can include your round trip flight from your home location. Luxury cruise packages also include Pre or Post stay on Honolulu, Oahu before your cruise starts to the other islands. I just returned from such a cruise to Hawaii, where I did the Pre stay in Honolulu, Oahu my package included two nights in Oahu at a beautiful Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa downtown Honolulu. This luxury resort is beautiful and is surrounded by plenty of restaurants, shopping and entertainment. Oh and the best part is the rooms all have balconies that over looked the Waikiki Beach where each evening and morning I enjoyed sitting out there waiting for the sunrise and sunset with amazement.
Let’s get started with my Hawaii island hopping trip on each Island.
Pristine beaches, unrivaled waves, and majestic forests are just some of the samples of the island’s variety. Luxury shopping, fine restaurants and great nightlife. Very Metro, but there are some very beautiful remote places away from the city. Rent a car and get away from all the activity.
After arriving in Honolulu, the luxurious cruise package included transportation from the Hawaii International airport to the Resort, where I checked in for the two-day stay before my luxury cruise.
This luxurious Hawaiian resort has a great concierge desk that will help you pick and choose what you will like to do while in Oahu; the luxury cruise line will also have a list of excursions offered and
sponsored by the cruise line.
Another exciting thing, at this location most tour pickups are from this hotel.
I decided to try something I had never done before, so I choose a submarine dive—yes, a dive. This tour was great, they took us out away from shore on a small boat to meet the submarine,
then we got aboard the submarine and went inside while the crew prepared to take us down around 100 feet below sea level where there we saw some of the most beautiful Hawaiian fish, sea life, and man-made coral.
Next up I decided to attend a Hawaiian Luau that evening. A Hawaiian Luau is traditional and if you are a first time visitor it is a must, try the “poi” some say it reminds them of what paper paste might taste like but tradition is to eat it with a salty dish to help cut the salty taste of the meal. And if you haven’t had pork wrapped in layers of taro leaves and cooked in an underground hot rock oven for hours until it turns soft and smoky flavored, OMG!
I attended the Big Kahuna Luau, great show, food 1-10 I would give it 7. Enjoyed a night of music and dance at the beautiful Honolulu Ridge! This 1920’s boutique estate is nestled in the hills of Tantalus and offers inspiring panoramic views of Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu and the Waianae mountain range. What a great finish in Honolulu, Oahu.
First stop on my Hawaii Island Hopping trip is Maui.
Known as the “Valley Isle,” Maui is dotted with quaint towns, artist communities and local favorites that have been around for generations. Head to Wailuku for pastries from a “mom and pop” bakery, or head to Lahaina for a taste of Maui’s famed farm to table cuisine.
Lahaina, Maui | GoHawaii.com www.gohawaii.com Lahaina is a historic whaling village and lively west Maui hot spot we visited on our Hawaii Island hopping trip.
Port of Maui, Kahului Harbor is an industrial terminal, and the city is not a touristy one.
You will have to take a cab, local bus, rent a car or cruise excursion to get away from port.
Why, unless you want to wait in long lines for the “free” shuttle that makes several trips back and forth and after you get to the local bus stop to ride it to Lahaina, you will be on a local bus that is serving the community, meaning long waits for pickup, and when they do you are crammed in the bus and may have to stand for 45 mins or more.
I recommend you do the excursion to the sunrise or sunset at Haleakala National Park-Haleakala Volcano. This is a once in a life time experience, hopefully the weather will be working in your favor.
Haleakala visitor center Hilo Hawaii
When I went the clouds were low, the temperature was 48 degrees, and the wind was blowing. Still I enjoyed getting up at 3:30 am Hawaii time, going up 10,023 feet to get to see the sunrise.
Great photos of people waiting to see the amazing event in the cold. Coming down was wonderful when the sun finally appeared through the clouds, getting to see the view of Maui from about 6,000 feet.
There were bikers who went up to see the sunrise and ride bikes down the mountain afterwards—these are some brave people to ride down winding and twisting roads close to high cliffs.
Inspirational Tips for Women Travelers
I wandered into an ABC store it is a one stop for all store, there is one on every corner in each island in Hawaii. I looked at the post cards and wondered to myself, “Does anyone still send post cards anymore?” Now that we use cellphone cameras and social media.
I still think a postcard is a great thing to send to enjoy special moments with your loved ones who stayed at home.
Hawaii the big island is your island for adventure, black sand beaches and active volcanoes on your Hawaii Island hopping tour.
We were here for 8 hours, first excursion was the town of Hilo; I decided to take the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens and coastal tour. While riding from the port to the Gardens the driver gave us some historical information about the area. Once we got to the gardens it turned into a walking tour of this beautiful tropical haven.
The next morning we toured the town of Kona. Now if you are a coffee drinker, this is the place to be.
On my schedule for this one-day Hawaii Island hopping trip I participated in a tour called Historical Kona. This tour started out on a tour bus that made three stops in Kona.
After a long day of touring and returning to Kona bay and to the ship it was time to relax at one of the open air restaurants overlooking the beach on Keauhou Bay with a nice meal and my favorite Island drink, “Blue Hawaii.”
Last on the list of Hawaii Island Hopping for this cruise was Kauai, and for me the best.
Lose yourself to the gentle trade winds. Take in the lush greenery. Inhale the fresh floral environment around you. Each Island has its own distinctive charm, and Kauai is the tropical centerpiece of Hawaii, full of outdoor activities, attractions, and culture.
I was smitten with this lovely place and hope to return soon. My day began with the ride of a lifetime for me, I can’t began to tell you what I experienced all I know is that it was amazing.
Make sure that the Helicopter ride is on your list of things to do when you come here as part of your Hawaii Island hopping trip adventure. My helicopter first time experience was with the Blue Hawaiian company and it was wonderful.
The flight takes you over the following areas of
They even supply you with a DVD of your experience on the ride. “Don’t miss this one.”
Well I had one more excursion on my list for Kauai and it was near and dear to my heart, I don’t know about you but I love old movies and two come to mind when I was younger that gave me hope that one day I would go to Hawaii.
They are “Blue Hawaii” with Elvis Presley and “Donavan’s Reef” with John Wayne, well it just so happens that the excursion I choose was Kauai’s – The Director’s Cut where we went to movie shooting locations and saw clips of the movies that were made there.
We even went by the famous Coco Palms Resort and Wailua River site that you see in Elvis’s movies like Blue Hawaii.
Did you know that the famous hotel was destroyed by Hurricane Iniki 1992?
Today it just a shell of what it used to be, but eerie when I saw it ;I couldn’t help but to think to myself, if those walls could talk and tell about all the stars and VIP guess that stayed there. I could go on and on, but I will leave room for your stories when or the next time you go Hawaii Island Hopping.
The icing on the cake was at the end of the cruise to Kauai, the cruise line sailed past the Napali Coast at the end of the day before leaving Kauai headed back to Oahu….this was majestic featuring emerald green pinnacles towering along the shoreline for 17-miles.
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