Re: where to stay in Hawaii
tim,
Hawaii is a great family destination, lots of stuff for the wee ones to do. Mine were content just to spend mornings on the beach playing in the sand, which brings up a good point---get kids off the beach by noon to avoid the most intense uv rays even with sunscreen.
Photographically I found Hawaii to be a delightful place even with family oblligations. Probably the worse place in the islands is Waikiki but even there I caught some architectural relics of territorial Hawaii in the early morning when the light was primo. The Big Island of Hawaii is IMHO one of the most photogenic with the volcano, ferns, lava tubes and all that stuff. Kauai is fabulous (from what I remember---its been awhile and things change, especially in Hawaii)
There are a lot of quirky places in Oahu too. A staircase that goes a mile up the side of mountain where a communications array used to be (great view) trails to 'hidden' waterfalls, old concrete coastal artillery emplacements, places of refuge for the ancients, a natatorium and one of the best zoos around.
The best guide I know is by Lonely Planet and there is a guide called Hawaii with Kids (or something like that) that has lots of neat stuff of interest to children.
Have a great trip---and try not to fall into any of AA's tripod holes! ;-)
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
Hawaii is a great place to vacation. In fact I just returned from Oahu last week. I've visited Oahu, Kauai and Maui. All three islands are different. Oahu is great for the nightlife/food/shopping. Maui is very relaxing and beautiful. Kauai is probably the most laid back of the three with very little nightlife.
If photography is what you're after perhaps Maui or Kauai are good destinations. Kauai offers Waimea Canyon (the Hawaiian version of the Grand Canyon) and the Na Pali Coastline. Maui offers the road to Hana and Haleakala (at sunrise). Personally, I found Kauai to be the best destination for photography.
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
Get out of Honolou, there are some teriffic sposts going east there is a pullout where you can get some great sahots, for sentimental reasons, hit Perl, national cematery
If in the winter time, get shoys of of the waves on North Shore
In Big Island,
Volcano shots.
Sunset shots of the volvano foing into the ocean - remember to bring a flashlight so you can find your way back
\Black sand, green sand beaches. From the visitor center up the volcano, get shots of the crater when the cloud cover clears - its awesome, silver sword blooming
Maui
Road to hana - just remember its easiest to pull-off and take shots going TO Hana. There is some sort of arborteum on the way down, great color shots of some local vegation
Wind surfers
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
If you're going to Oahu, the key is to get out of Waikiki, though there is some interesting old Honolulu architecture in places like Kaimuki downtown, which is also the location of Imageworks Photo--the last place to buy sheet film in the islands.
There are many places to pull out as you drive East around the island. I suspect the spots that bwoitaszewski is thinking of are around the Halona Blowhole, just past Hawaii Kai, right next to the small beach where that famous beach scene in _From Here to Eternity_ was shot. It's also right near Sandy Beach, which is less touristy than the Waikiki beaches.
Get up to the North Shore and explore the inner island, and there's lots to see on Oahu. We like going to Ka'ena Point, and on another great trip we visited all the accessible Heiaus (Hawai'ian religious sites) on the island. There's not much pineapple cultivation left, so if you see signs of it in the central and northern parts of Oahu, photograph it while you can.
Maui has lots of beautiful places, but it also has a lot of tourist traps. That private arboretum along the Hana Road, called "The Garden of Eden" if I remember correctly, is a nice place with some great views and an interesting variety of plant species, but beware the per person charge when you enter, considering that there are a lot of things to see along the Hana Road for free. Maui has a very "southern California" feeling about it--crowded overdevelopment in the central part of the island around Kihei (though that is the cheap place to rent a condo), celebrity culture out in Hana, galleries piled on top of each other in Lahaina, lots of New Age spirituality and such.
We like to go to Moloka'i, and we'll be spending the better part of two months there this summer. The tourist infrastructure isn't so well developed there (the main attraction would be the historic leprosy settlement on Kalaupapa), but there's some beautiful landscape on the east end in the Halawa Valley, midnight rainbows on Papohaku Beach at the west end (which was the source for much of the white sand in Waikiki) when conditions are right, natural and ethnographic sites to explore, outstanding local music and simple local food, and friendly people.
We've also been to Lana'i, which is almost entirely privately owned and managed, which makes it a bit sterile in some ways, but there are interesting old settlement sites all around the perimeter of the island, so you can see things like Hawai'ian petroglyphs, if you look for them. If you go there, stay in the Hotel Lana'i, which was the old plantation house and guest residence.
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
The Big island has a lot to offer, dry on the west, wet on the east. Great photography on both sides and the waterfalls are fantastic. But there are few sand beaches and they are crowded. Kawai is just great but the traffic is starting to build. The "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" (Wiemea Canyon) is great for landscapes, great waterfalls although difficult to get in good locations for photos, and lots of beachs. I have found that hotels are like everywhere else, a crap shoot. The best we ever stayed in was Kona Coast Resort on the big island and the Kauai Merriott. Just plan a laid back trip and enjoy it.
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
I want to give my son a vacation trip for high school graduation since he's graduating with high honors. Due to the terminal illness of my spouse, I won't be able to travel for many months. He is now 20 yr old. His brother also could go with him. I know they can't rent a car, so I'd like to find a trip where they could fly and use public transportation or cabs. They'll have a credit card and cash for food and sightseeing. I'm hoping to keep it to 5-7 days, at $2500 or less. Are there any travel agencies for college kids that could have trip packages?
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
Are they going to be doing any large format photography while they're there? That's what this forum is about.
For student travel deals, try http://www.statravel.com/
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
Do not stay on the West shore of Oahu. It's scary and dangerous.
Kauai is beautiful, I really enjoyed the surroundings of Hanalei.
Re: where to stay in Hawaii
I've been able to rent a 1 bedroom condo in South Kihei (Maui) for $75 a night, rent a car for $225 a week. Big Beach, Little Beach for swimming, Black Beach for snorkeling, up country 10 minutes away, Hana an hour away, Lahaina an hour away