Subsonic Radio

I'll see if I can get some tips from my cousin this weekend. She lived and worked on the big island for a while, doing some kind of tour for some of the big hotels there.

Well, for starters, which island(s) do you plan to visit? Do you plan to island-hop? Maui is a nice balance of natural beauty and things to do... Kauai is the greenest, most raw nature of the major islands people commonly visit. Oahu has the most nightlife (Honolulu especially) and great surfing, and Hawaii (the Big Island) is half-volcanic ground (aka Hawaii Volcanoes National Park), with some very rustic places around Kona.

I've only been to Maui. Going back for my honeymoon in May, going to stay outside of Lahaina and spend most our time on that (the west) side of the island, as opposed to the less-developed eastern side (Mt. Haleakala and the Seven Sacred Pools of Hana are worth the look though!). My fiancee has been to Maui and Hawaii, where she stayed near Kona, if you stay in/near Hilo it's a bit more civilized

As for things to do... explore, for one! There are national and state parks on all the islands where you will see things you really won't see anywhere else in America. If you enjoy golf, you can try your hand at some of the world's best courses... Kaanapali and Wailea on Maui and Waialea on Oahu... Oahu is good too because there is a ton of history there (Pearl Harbor) mixed in with the natural monument stuff (Diamond Head)

Horseback riding, SCUBA diving (especially if you go to Maui, you can take a catamaran from Wailea to Molokini, which is this little half-submerged volcano peak that makes a crescent shape in the water. The pool that this creates is about 1000 ft-diameter warm water breeding ground for some of the coolest fish in the ocean) there's all kinds of stuff to do in Hawaii

Oh yeah, and there's my favorite. Chill out at the beach.

island hopping is convenient enough, but you will always be on very small planes (a problem for some people, not so much for others)... you will definitely need a rental car on Maui, Hawaii, or Kauai... but might be able to get away without one on Oahu if you stick mainly to Honolulu (cabs and public trans would be your options then)

Personally, I would rent a car on every island I went to, were I you.

I've only been to the Big Island once, but to Oahu many times. Oahu has only one airport, on one side of the island, so I don't really recommend taking the bus if you wan to go all around it, unless with your with a tour.

Here's two places we always make sure to stop by:

Leonard's Bakery on Kapuhulu st. for their famous malasadas (fried dough things with sugar on top; they also have fillings, but original is the best)

Matsumoto's Shave Ice up in Haleiwa near the North Shore. It's really famous for their shave ice. You can also get ice cream in it too.

There's:
Bishop Museum

the Polynesian Cultural Center

Ala Moana Shopping Center in Ala Moana near Waikiki

International Marketplace in Waikiki

Diamond Head national park(it's like a 1hr hike, and at the summit, you can see all of Waikiki)

Aloha Stadium flea market(go in the morning, cuz it can get HOT)

Hanauma Bay- a beach where you can swim with the fishes(after a short video on why you shouldn't feed or stand on the coral)

And there's tons of water activities you can do