Insight Guides: Explore Hawaii

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• ISBN:
  9781786715470
• Topic: Développement personnel
• Subtopic: Voyage

With its idyllic climate and timeless landscape, Hawaii ranks as one of the most alluring places on Earth. Explore Hawaii is the latest title in this popular series from Insight and is the ideal pocket companion when discovering this beautiful archipelago: a full-colour guide containing 15 easy-to-follow routes on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii - the Big Island, Kauai and Maui. Insight's trademark cultural coverage perfectly sets the routes in context, with introductions to Hawaiian cuisine, outdoor activities and nightlife. The best places to eat and drink are highlighted in each route and in the directory section, which also contains a wealth of useful practical information, including a range of carefully selected hotels to suit all budgets. All routes are plotted on the useful pull-out map, and evocative photography reveals Hawaii's unique character.

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

'Insight Guides has spawned many imitators but is still the best of its type.' - Wanderlust Magazine

A-Z

A

Addresses

On neighbor islands, cities are widespread, and on the smaller islands of Molokai and Lanai, there’s only one zip code per island. Be wary when booking accommodations if you’re looking to be in a certain area – just because it says the town name, doesn’t mean it’s in it. Always check a map, or if in doubt, call the hotel prior to booking online.

Age restrictions

The legal driving age in Hawai‘i is 16, and while considered an adult at 18, drinking of alcoholic beverages is not allowed for anyone under 21 years old. Bars that also serve as restaurants generally allow minors in until a certain time of the evening – usually 9pm.

Roadside stand on Maui

Steven Greaves/Apa Publications

B

Budgeting

Broadly speaking, Hawai‘i ranks at the expensive end of American vacation destinations. Prices are generally high, as so much of what is consumed in the islands has to be shipped there from across the Pacific or beyond. In addition, many tourists are happy to pay premium rates for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday in paradise. However, it is possible to keep costs down. The finest hotels tend to charge at least $250 per room per night, and often double that. For pretty good accommodations close to the sea, it’s perfectly possible to pay $125–150 in a hotel, or perhaps $100 for a rented condo.

The average visitor spends about $30 per day on food and drink; even if you buy and prepare your own meals, it’s hard to go much lower than say $20 per day, while at the other end of the spectrum there are plenty of fine-dining restaurants charging $50 or more for a single meal. Average beers cost anywhere from $3 to $5 per pint; the average glass of house wine ranges from $6 to $12 (or $15 at posh restaurants).

You’ll never have to pay to go on the beach and will rarely have to pay to access the islands’ best hiking trails. Still, prices for most kinds of commercial activity – a snorkel- or whale-watching cruise, a bus tour, a submarine ride, a guided hike or bike ride – also tend to be high.

C

Children

Unless otherwise specified (or unless you’re heading to a bar), most places in the Hawai‘ian Islands are child-friendly and actually encourage families to visit together. Many restaurants have children’s menus and offer young kids crayons when they sit down. Many attractions charge reduced-price admission fees for children. Also, most luxury hotels will recommend babysitting services.

Private and independent babysitting services exist on every island and many travelers use them without incident.

Fun for all the family on Waikiki Beach

Steven Greaves/Apa Publications

Clothing

In Hawai‘i, attire is almost always casual. While the downtown working crowd dresses a bit nicer, it’s rare you’ll see a suit. For the rest of residents, shorts and T-shirts and sundresses are the norm. Jeans are always appropriate for evenings out, and only at the most fancy of restaurants will closed-toe shoes be required. Some do, however, require a collared shirt or no tank tops in the evening, so if going somewhere nice, call ahead. In Waikiki, you’ll sometimes see visitors walking around in only a swimsuit. While it’s almost always warm enough to do so, it’s considered polite to cover up – so throw on a shirt or sarong before leaving the beach to go shop or eat.

You’re likely to encounter rain at some point during your stay, so you’ll be glad of light, waterproof clothing or perhaps an umbrella. If you plan to venture at all higher, to areas like Maui’s Upcountry, you’ll need something warmer too. And if you head towards the summits of the volcanoes, most notably for the dawn at Haleakala on Maui, you should be prepared for literally freezing temperatures.

All the islands hold rough volcanic terrain, so good walking shoes or hiking boots are very useful, and in many places the ocean floor can be rocky and abrasive, so reef shoes are a good idea too.

Crime and safety

Hawai‘i has earned a reputation for hospitality and all the good cheer that the word aloha implies. However, travelers should be warned that all types of crime – including burglaries, robberies, assaults and rapes – do occur on the islands. To avoid them, follow the usual precautions as when traveling anywhere else. If you’re out late, it’s best to travel in pairs. Use common sense. Don’t carry jewelry, large amounts of cash, or other valuables. In areas far from population centers, car break-ins and beach thefts of unattended personal property are becoming common, even at popular tourist sites. Never leave valuables (or anything) visible in your car. If your hotel has a safe in the room, it is advisable to use it.

Customs

Travelers from the mainland United States to Hawai‘i are not eligible for duty-free shopping, but travelers from other nations are. There is no limit to the amount of money travelers are allowed to bring into Hawai‘i – or any part of the United States, for that matter – but any amount exceeding $10,000 requires a formal report with US Customs.

In order to prevent the spread of fruit flies and other hazardous plant insects and disease, no fruit, plants or live snails from the mainland are allowed into Hawai‘i, and no fruit, plants or live snails from Hawai‘i are allowed to be brought back to the mainland.

Slippers, essential footwear in Hawai‘i

Hawaii Tourism Authority/Dana Edmunds

D

Disabled travelers

Hawai‘i is very well geared towards meeting the needs of disabled travelers. Download detailed reports on facilities from the website of the State of Hawai‘i Disability and Communication Access Board (tel: [phone]). Specific information on Hawai‘ian hotels is also available from Access–Able. Many vehicles on public transportation networks on Oahu and Maui are adapted for travelers with disabilities.

E

Electricity

Standard US 110-120 volts, 60 cycles AC. Large hotels usually are able to provide voltage and plug converters, so y...