Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Aulani, oh my!

[DVCTigger]

DH and I are headed to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary in August, woohoo!! We are spending a couple nights in Waikiki before our Aulani and Big Island adventures. The flight we have picked gets us in to Honolulu at 5am. I have heard stories about break-ins of rental cars and wondering if anyone has had experience in getting in early and what is best to do with luggage in the car. We were thinking of doing Pearl Harbor that day, our question is, is the parking area there gated/fee? We were hoping since it is a government area it would be more secure? Thought we could spend most of the morning/afternoon there as this is top of our must do list. We want to be able to spend the time and take it all in.
Do you have a better idea? We want to spend most of our time at Aulani at the resort. Must dos for Oahu or the big island?

TIA

 

[Cinderpamela]

Depending on where you wind up having to park... you can be very close to the Pearl Harbor entry area. Both times we have been we arrived early enough to secure a spot right in that front parking lot. There are people going in and out constantly so I would think it would be harder to break into someones car without being spotted.

As with anywhere, there is always a risk, but when you get there you will see for yourself what the set up is like and can decide if you are comfortable taking that risk, however minimal. There is a storage facility where you can rent space if you would so choose but I believe they only take small bags... not luggage-

From the National Park Service website about the USS Arizona National Memorial :

"Security Measures
Strict security measures prohibit purses, handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, luggage and/or other items that offer concealment. Visitors may bring cameras, cell phones, and wallets, although since no bags are allowed, you are encouraged to pack lightly.

A storage facility operated by the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park is available in the immediate area of the entrance to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. There is a nominal storage fee of $3 per bag. The storage facility is in operation daily 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visitors may use the same bag storage and parking stall for visits to all Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.

These security measures are strictly enforced at all visitor destinations on Pearl Harbor. Although federal law enforcement officers and security bike patrols monitor the parking lots, please do not leave items of value in your car."

http://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/index.htm

 

[DVCTigger]

Thank you for that information, it is very helpful! Any other ideas or suggestions for touring our first couple days are welcome.

 

[Cinderpamela]

Any other ideas or suggestions for touring our first couple days are welcome.

We haven't been to the Big Island yet, so I cant help you there, I will be looking for pointers from others on that one.

We spent the first 4 nights in Waikiki before heading out to Aulani. It was part of our plan to get some of the touring done first and then move on to relaxing at Aulani.

Foodwise DH had put together a list of places we wanted to try, he compiled it all from recomendations of friends who used to live on Oahu, and his own research.

So on the Waikiki days we tried to cross off a lot of the things on our to do list, both touring and foodwise -

Touring:
-Pearl Harbor- always amazing!
-Hike Diamondhead-I was so glad that we did this as we had not got around to it on our first trip a couple of years ago.
-Hanauma Bay snorkeling
-Bishop Museum- full of Hawaiian history... helps prepare you to appreciate all the hard work the imagineers put in to make Aulani a story of Hawaii. Before our first trip to Hawaii I had also read the book "Unfamiliar Fishes" by Sarah Vowel, this book really delves into a lot of the history that is seen in the Bishop Museum.
-North Shore-checked out turtle beach and explored the Turtle Bay Resort, great spot to sit out and watch the surfers.

Food:
-Koa Pancake House- highly recommend the Red Velvet Pancakes and the Loco Moco, they had a location that was pretty close to Pearl Harbor so we wound up going to that spot after our early morning of touring there.
-"Town" restauraunt- amazing farm to table restauraunt that we had read about in Sunset magazine. Dinner there did not disapoint!
-Breakfast at Sweet E's--we were the only non locals there- the breakfast was super yum! Again another hard one to find as it was tucked away in the back of this two story complex. We went there after hiking Diamond Head so we had calories to burn on Stuffed French Toast!
-Lunch at Goma Tei- this Japanese noodle house is in the Ala Moana Mall and was super popular!
-Leonards Bakery for malasadas- a must do!
-Alan Wong- DH and I went here for dinner on our Anniversary trip August 2012 and it was pretty darn amazing!
-Shave Ice at Waiola Shave Ice-in Honolulu- Our friend Andy, who grew up on Oahu, recommended this as his favorite Shave Ice.... and we all had to agree after trying it, it was our favorite too! Matsumoto's is good but Waiola was even better... or at least we thought so.

Hope that helps!

 

[DVCTigger]

That's all awesome info, thanks again!! DH Loves food, so we will definitely look those up! We really liked the idea of getting our Oahu touring done prior to Aulani as well, getting excited for the trip.

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

I would not leave my luggage in the car at Pearl Harbor. I would drop my luggage off at the hotel and then head to Pearl Harbor.

As far as food: One of our favorites is Ted's Bakery on the North Shore - it's amazing.

As far as the Big Island, it's hard to give advice because it truly is BIG - I think your itinerary would really depend on where on the island you are staying.

 

[DVCTigger]

I would not leave my luggage in the car at Pearl Harbor. I would drop my luggage off at the hotel and then head to Pearl Harbor.

As far as food: One of our favorites is Ted's Bakery on the North Shore - it's amazing.

As far as the Big Island, it's hard to give advice because it truly is BIG - I think your itinerary would really depend on where on the island you are staying.

Uuugghh, I just don't know what we want to do with our luggage!! We will be putting all our electronics in a bag in the storage lockers there, and of course have our wallets/phones with us. We will only have clothes and toiletries in our bags in the car. (I'm not a jewelry and shoes kinda gal) We were hoping that with the security and bike patrols in the parking lots, that we would be ok, but I know, you never know!

Anyhow, we will be staying in a condo in Kona on the Big Island and will spend most of our time on that side. We will have a car and plan on a long day to the volcanoes. Other then that, we really don't have plans yet, that's why we are looking for suggestions. I know everyone will say to take more time and not try to do the volcano side in a day, but we are used to long days and driving. Have the condo paid for a week and don't want to spend extra $$ on a hotel to stay there. We would rather make two trips on separate days if there are other "must-dos" there.
Teds bakery added to our food list!

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

It is a long day in the car to volcano nationwl park, but we always do it in one day. Just leave early in the morning so you're not driving it at night. I would check out Waipio Valley, Captain Cook monument and the city of refuge.

 

[DenLo]

There were lots of warning signs at Pearl Harbor not to leave items in your car. I wouldn't risk it, especially with a rental it could be expensive if damage ocurred to the car. So it wouldn't just be loss of your personal property involved.