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Ask HN: Traveling to Hawaii in a couple of days, any suggestions?

6 points by HAL9OOO ↗ HN
I'm going to Oahu/Kauai/(maybe big island) with a friend and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions. I was hoping to do the Kalalau trail but the permits seem booked up for months on end.

Looking to get a good mix of nightlife, backpacking and general exploring in. I haven't traveled in a long time so any tips would be appreciated!

7 comments

[ 4.3 ms ] story [ 31.5 ms ] thread
runjake
Just got back from Kauai a few weeks ago, it was great. Anini Beach was great for snorkeling. The north shore beaches were great in general and relatively uncrowded. Tunnels Beach was rough and not really snorkelable, but you can if you really want to. Poipu was fun, but packed, and the water rough as the sandbar was out. Hit the canyon, lots of old tourists, but still worth it and at the end of the canyon (at the last lookout point) you can hike the Napali coast however far you want.

There isn't much night life in Kauai. Things tend to close down after 6.

AFAIK, you can still hike the trail, just not legally camp overnight. We paid a bunch extra for a Jeep rental and had fun exploring the inland dirt roads -- it was worth every dollar extra.

If you have any questions about recent Kauai/Maui, I can answer.

TaylorGood
Kauai is majestic. The island feels like 90%+ nature - I fell in love with there being that much greenery. My girlfriends parents live at Anini. If you paddle board the reef instead of snorkeling the sea turtles come out.

To visit, end of the road is worth driving as you see various parts of Kauai.

runjake
There were sea turtles everywhere when we were at Anini a few weeks ago. At least a dozen just in the small-ish area we snorkeled. You couldn't miss them.
jaboutboul
Road to Hana is a great outdoors option. Lots to see along the stops, waterfalls, natural landmarks.
tyingq
Only partially related, but take a Benadryl at the start of the flight and sleep through it. Long flight times combined with time zone changes and the crazy reductions in airline seat pitch make the trip awful.
jasonkester
Not a helpful answer, but this thread makes me happy.

I've gotten so accustomed to the poor lifestyle choices we see here every day that I was fully expecting this to be a question about where to find coworking space on the island so as not to have to break one's working routine or accidentally enjoy the place.

Glad to hear there are still plenty of sensible people here. Have a great trip!