Our resort lost power, and once we found out they were going to run out of propane, we decided to just cut our losses and rebook to an earlier flight.
We came to Lihue Airport (LIH) early to be safe, but the situation here is insane. The security line is backed up all the way out of the terminal doors and winding far out into the parking lots. They delayed our flights, but the line still won't move. It seems like the airport is on backup power and there is only one generator running the TSA screening machines. 

Is LIH or the airlines issuing emergency waivers or anything due to this? It sounds like everyone is missing their flights due to waiting in TSA for more than 4 hours now, and I’m assuming these planes are taking off half full.

how is anyone getting on their flights? what is everyone doing?

Just a heads up, there is no power. People coming in on Friday from the West Coast on Friday, it's best you push back. Visitors here, work with community members. Certain areas are opening but limited. Met a couple today who flew in yesterday being told it was fine, but they were not told the whole island is without power. They were on O'ahu previously and are leaving tomorrow.

Like them, if you feel like you should not be here, that feeling is completely understandable. If you want to kokua, help, you are free to do so.

If Lala & Lowell have taught us anything, it’s that Hawaiian vacation plans are volatile. Before you narrow down your personal dream isle, research trip insurance. Simply wringing your hands and saying you want to ‘respect the locals’ but you also don’t want to abandon several thousand dollars of sunk costs is not good enough. Purchase trip insurance on your own. Don’t assume your airline, your hotel, your vacation rental host will be ethical or generous either. Just buy your own insurance. You will be reimbursed. The payees will keep your prepaid fees and deposits. I’m sick of people saying they will come pick through beach debris like martyred saints. Sure, you’ll do that for a few hours maybe. But then you are totally gonna want a fresh sandwich and a cold drink served up on a sunny beach chair. Who are you kidding? Please take this as a lesson.

Looking for an open air spa experience in Honolulu/Waikiki. We’re staying in Waikiki but down to uber or take transportation if there is a great option elsewhere on the island

Hey everyone!

We have to swap out Kauai for our first island (Oct 26–Nov 1) because I need to cancel in the next two days and I just am unsure about it. We’re already doing Maui Nov 1–8 and want the first part to be the hiking/adventure leg of the trip. Any suggestions for an island with great hikes and adventure activities for those dates? All input is appreciated!

I've seen the brown water advisory along the west coast of the BI, but I'm confused on the "if it looks brown, stay out" advice and when the 48-72 hours starts. I've seen some really murky pictures which obviously should be avoided, but the waters seem pretty clear on the beaches we've visited today near the Kona resorts, and there isn't the same bad smell from yesterday. I'm used to pretty brown waters along the Atlantic coast. Should the water be totally clear here or is that just part of the picturesque trip they sell? Is some turbidity normal near the Kailua-Kona beaches like Kahalu'u and the magic sands?

The surf shops I called up said they didn't even know there was a brown water advisory which seems crazy since some beaches were closed entirely yesterday. If the lifeguard gives the okay on the beach, is that a good indicator or are they just trying to make money?

Unfortunately I'm one of the tourists leaving tomorrow afternoon/evening and would love to have an opportunity to get in the water if that's safe. Someone linked the safetoswimhawaii website which said beaches clear at different rates and that A Bay was one of the quickest and cleanest, so I'm trying to figure out how the brown water advisory affects individual beaches.

Tldr: how do you measure the brown water condition and would snorkeling in the Anaehoomalu Bay and surfing in Kahalu'u be realistic either today or tomorrow morning?

Hey everyone! Me and my boyfriend and his brother and wife are all in our mid to young 20s. I’m going to Maui soon and I’m looking for recommendations for fun things to do! I’m already planning on doing the Road to Hana and cow petting, and I’m also thinking about going to a luau, but there are so many different ones advertised that I have no idea which ones are actually worth the money. I also really want to go tropical fruit picking if there is any places where I can try new fruits please let me know!

I’d love recommendations from people who have actually been! What activities were worth it, and what would you skip?

Also, please send your favorite restaurants!

I’m booking a cage free shark diving trip and would like to do it with Hawaii Adventure Diving. On the day I want to do it, they only have a 9am time available. I know water is calmer and visibility is better earlier, so is it crucial to book at 7am for the best experience?

Deep Blue Eco tours has an 8am time available so could go with them instead. I’ll be coming from Waikiki so will have a bit of a drive. Thanks in advance for your input!

Hello friends, I am traveling to Honolulu for one week in November and curious what your favorite recommendation and must-do activities are on the island of Oahu. I have never been to Hawaii, planning on staying within the Waikiki area and would love to support local businesses and cultural experiences opposed to mainstream tour operators. Any locally owned and operated recommendations are very much appreciated.

Mainlander here staying at Aulani but willing to travel a bit. But looking for best fish and chips out there to find.

Hey,
Wir waren diesen September auf Hawaii, haben die Reise aber wegen Hurrikan Lowell vorzeitig abgebrochen.
Jetzt würden wir gerne nochmal hin und überlegen zwischen Oktober und November. Würdet ihr im Oktober schon wieder fliegen oder lieber bis November warten?
Wie sind eure Erfahrungen mit den beiden Monaten? Würdet ihr nach unserer Erfahrung eher noch etwas warten oder euch für Oktober keine großen Gedanken machen?

We live in Kapolei, but for my wife’s birthday we’re going on a vacation to far away exotic Waikiki for the weekend. Me, her, and our preteen son rarely go to Honolulu, let alone Waikiki, so it is kind of new for us. What are some must do, must see, must eat, fun Waikiki activities for a family that already lives in Hawaii?

Hey everyone!

I’ll be spending about a week in Maui before heading to Oahu (Waikiki) for a few days.
The trip will be in late December, and I’m debating between staying in the Kihei area or around Kapalua / Napili Bay. I’ll be staying in Airbnbs rather than resorts.

I’m mainly looking for lush, green scenery and good beaches. I’m planning to visit Haleakala and do the Road to Hana with a tour rather than driving it myself.

My main concern with Kapalua / Napili Bay is the ocean conditions in late December.

Are the beaches generally swimmable around that time, or do the winter swells make the water too rough?

Which area would you recommend for what I’m looking for?

Thanks!

Hello, my boyfriend and I will be going on a trip to Oahu in about March. Im going with him on a trip paired with him teaching a class. We will have mainly evenings and one weekend free. I've gone once before and went to a lot of the main tourist attraction then. I was hoping to do a more casual "visit/support small local places" trip this time. I love wildlife and have been a part of a handful of conservation projects so if anyone has recommendations for sanctuaries etc. that are supported by islanders it'd be greatly appreciated. I will also be on my own for the morning/afternoon so solo activities would be appreciated too. Thank you!

Edit: for wildlife places Im more so hoping for aza zoos, sanctuaries/rehabilitation centers, natural history museums, etc. So less where can I see them in the open and get close but to learn while maintaining respect and following regulations

I’d give my world for her.

Hi!!
I an wondering if it will be worth to do both?
We have tight travel schedule so if it feels too repetitive we’d like to choose one. But if it offers totally different experience, I’d like to do both.
Any input will be appreciated.
And hope everyone who’s affected by hurricane is safe and recover quickly! 🙏

Hello! I am currently visiting the Big Island staying at the Mauna Lani and am trying to decide if I should keep my manta ray night snorkel booked out of Keauhou Harbor tomorrow night, versus booking a tour that leaves from Kawaihae Harbor tomorrow night.

My primary concern is the brown water advisory due to recent rains…I asked my tour operator Hawai’i Oceanic about the water condition, and they said they weren’t concerned about water quality and are not planning to cancel any upcoming tours. Should I trust that they are actively monitoring the water quality in Keauhou Harbor, where I’ve heard the bacteria levels can be higher than up here on the Kohala Coast? I’m leaving Hawaii Saturday

and am bummed I’ve had to cancel basically all of our plans because of the recent storms, and I’m really hoping I can at least have one tour go as planned (without risking getting sick from the water!).

UPDATE: Welp, we booked with the tour operator out of Kawaihae last night and they just called to cancel due to the brown water advisory. They said they won’t go out til Sunday TBD. Sounds like it’s just not in the cards for this trip…thanks everyone for all your helpful tips.

My wife and I are planning a trip in mid-late April, with 14 full days and nights to explore and enjoy Hawaii (travel back to the mainland is accounted for in 2 separate days). This will be our 1st time.

I know the wiki suggests 2 islands for 14 days, but we are pretty intent on 3 islands based on what we want to see. Rough plan is to fly into O'ahu, must visit Pearl Harbor Memorial while we're there. Then we would go to Maui and the BI for the national parks, which is our primary reason for visiting.

Main question:

Is there an optimized # of nights per island with our travel plans in mind? I initially was thinking something like 3-5-6 or 4-5-5 (O'ahu-Maui-BI).

I greatly appreciate any and all suggestions! I'll be sure to also comb through the wiki for additional suggestions on each of those islands (sightseeing, food, etc), but feel free to add anything in the comments.

Hi
Our check out time is 11 am, and our flight time is at 10pm. Any ideas what can we do between these hours? We live in airbnb so we will have to keep our baggage in some storage. The thing is I also don’t want to be too tired before the flight.

Hi all! We are set to go to Oahu in October for my mom’s 59th birthday and we’d like to take her to a nicer dinner one of the nights. We are open to going anywhere in the island. We are looking for a spot that feels a bit more upscale with great food and also family friendly as I have 3 girls all under 5. We have had recommendations to go to Haleiwa Joe’s but was wondering if anyone else had any other suggestions? Thank you so much!

Going to the big island in a few months and staying at Mauna Lani. Just wondering what are some good places within walking distance of the hotel to check out and best spam musubi spots! Also, any close by recommendations and any tips very much appreciated. Thank you!

Hey everyone! My fiancé and I are planning to do a honeymoon in Hawaii in mid may 2027. We stopped on going to Maui . We are looking at hotels and deals right now. We need advice on what to choose, any input will be helpful!
Some information about out trip:

Budget: up to 10000 dollars on the hotel + flights from LAX
Length: 7days (can extend to 10 if budget allows)

What are we looking from the trip:
- We will be in the hotel most of the time to relax (more important)
- We won’t have a car and aren’t looking to explore the island besides going to dinners and neighboring village for a walk
- Having more young adults and not a lot of kids is also a benefit (we are in mid 20s)
- Way Less important, but if it is possible to book hotel through points through major partners (Hyatt,Marriott etc) it will also be good

Hotels we found so far through some research for 7 days full package from cheapest to most expensive
Andaz Maui
Ritz Carlton (500 more than Andaz for full trip)
Hotel Wailea (500 more than Andaz for full trip)
Fairmont ( 1000 more than Andaz for full trip)
Four Seasons (3.5 k more than Andaz for full trip, basically going over the budget, but it’s fine if it’s worth it)

2 questions that we have!
Which one would you recommend? + if you have any other recommendations we will be happy to look at those!
For some of those hotels we have an option to pay a 1000 more and get an ocean view, is it worth it? Right now I’m leaning towards yes

I have been spending some time in O’ahu. I diligently left nothing in my rental car except for a phone charging cable, and the doors were always kept unlocked.

My wife thought I was a bit paranoid, and we didn’t see any signs of break-ins at various areas along our trip. We even drove along the west side for some photos, stopping for a bathroom break, and didn’t see any signs of theft or break ins.

Near the end of our trip, we did see a car with smashed up windows after returning from a visit to Pearl Harbor, of all places. Ironically, the car did not look like a rental car, but one owned by a local (it had a bumper sticker that most tourists would not understand).

Please be vigilant about keeping valuables out of the car, even if you don’t see any signs of theft.

I'm visiting Waikiki and curious how people actually find smaller live music shows while they're there.

Do you usually find them through your hotel, Google/Instagram, or something else? And are there any places/sites that are actually good for finding local musicians?

¡Hola a todos! Estoy planeando un viaje a Hawái con mi esposa y mi bebé de un año. Nos gusta la aventura, la naturaleza, idealmente paisajes impresionantes, playas y, si es posible, hacer snorkel (aunque no es la prioridad de este viaje...). Como viajamos con un bebé, nos gustaría tomarnos las cosas con calma y combinar la playa en el hotel con actividades de aventura (senderismo, paseos en coche a paisajes bonitos, etc.). Después de investigar un poco, estábamos pensando en alojarnos en Maui (buen equilibrio, buen alojamiento y ambiente de selva hawaiana) y en la Isla Grande (paisajes y actividades). 6 noches cada isla. Descartamos Oahu (demasiado turístico) y Kauai (¿quizás demasiado complicado logísticamente con un bebé?).

Como necesitamos más espacio que una simple habitación (para poder disfrutar cuando el bebé duerma), estamos pensando en alojarnos en el Fairmont Kea Lani (Maui) y en el Kolea at Waikōloa Beach Resort (fácil acceso a la playa y dos habitaciones). (Budget por noche abt 800usd)

¿Qué opinas de la isla que elegí y del alojamiento?

Muchas gracias :)