Trip to Hawai'i, January 2026
by Michael McCay, Travel Advisor

While travel should not be reduced to the mere ticking of boxes, I'll totally confess to keeping a running bucket list in my head of places I'd like to visit. Hawai'i is such a fun and fascinating place that I'd like to visit as many of the islands I can. Prior to this trip I had visited O'ahu in the 1990s, and Moloka'i in 2023. The intent of this trip originally was to visit Lāna'i and Maui. But with four of us (myself, my wife Iña and our sons Éamonn and Mikel) traveling on a budget, when friends very generously offered their condo for a stay on O'ahu, we seized the opportunity and decided to leave Lāna'i on the list for now.
What I do attempt is to be more "present" when visiting a new place, enjoying it for what it is while I'm there. This explains why you won't be reading this until several days after my trip is finished, and why you might not see photographic evidence of some of the funner or more interesting experiences.
Our tickets were booked on Alaska Airlines, but we flew on their new partner Hawaiian Airlines. We flew coach from LAX to Honolulu, then to Kahului-Maui, then back to LAX. The airport experience wasn't the greatest - surly ground staff, lots of evidence of cutting corners. However, as seems to be the case with many airlines these days, things were much different in the air with the staff on board. On both long-haul legs, service was attentive and efficient, and frequent offers of water to stay hydrated were much appreciated. We even got a quick drink of water in the few minutes that it took to fly from O'ahu to Maui!
Once on the ground, my standard approach is to pack in as many activities as possible in the time I have on location. On this trip, the family had other ideas, and so the only activity that we booked in advance was our visit to Hanauma Bay. Everything else was done on the fly at whatever time we showed up.

We landed, got a Lyft to the condo, and pretty much saved our energy for the following day. Our first stop was for breakfast at local hangout Rainbow Drive-In. I had the loco moco plate. Of course. Bed of rice, two hamburger patties smothered in gravy, two sunny-side-up eggs on top, with a scoop of macaroni salad on the side. Provided fuel for our first and probably most strenous day. We took a drive through Waikīkī, and kept going until we got to the body-surfing mecca known as Point Panic. While Éamonn got in with the fins for a session, we enjoyed the views, got some action video and strolled around a bit. Then we headed back to Hawai'i Kai for a bit of exploration of the area around the condominium. We decided to tackle the Koko Crater Stairs, also known as the Stairs of Doom. The hike is barely a mile, but you're going from near sea level to well over 1000 feet. The "stairs" are actually railway ties, bolted to the two rails that make up the World War II-era tramway. So they have fairly wide spacing, perhaps even optimally spaced for speed for some of the younger crowd zipping up to the top and back, but a bit challenging for my own set of legs that have seen over six decades of use. In any case, that made getting to the top feel like that much more of an accomplishment, and we were rewarded with some great views!

The next day, we took a little road trip up through the center of the island, making our first stop at Green World Coffee Farm. Escorted and self-guided tours are available on site at no charge, and visitors have the opportunity to sample their various offerings, get a bite to eat and even just relax surrounded by coffee trees.
Just a mile up the road you'll find the Dole Plantation, where we toured the botanical gardens and had a generous cup of Dole Whip, a frozen pineapple creation.
We also went up the coast to Pua'ena Point and Banzai Pipeline, to check out the big waves and watch some of the surf action. It was pretty amazing to see younger kids taking on the big surf, both solo and going tandem. From there we drove back to the condo along the slower but more picturesque east coast route.

Anyone who has researched a visit to O'ahu probably is aware of the obligatory visit to Hanauma Bay and the great snorkeling there, without having to get on a boat. When we went 30 years ago, all you really had to do was show up at the parking lot, leave your car and walk down. With the much higher demand these days, steps are taken to limit the number of visitors (and therefore the impact on this nature reserve), so for us visitors, a reservation is needed. The catch is that you can only book entry tickets two days in advance, and you have to make sure that you're up and on line at 7 AM HST to pounce on available reservations before they sell out. We were lucky enough to get an available spot, so off we went. It is not possible to reserve parking, but fortunately there were spots available when we went. For those going in on their own, if the parking lot is full, the only option is parking outside and walking in, or taking public transportation. There is another option, and that is booking with an authorized concessionaire that will pick up at your hotel in Ala Moana/Waikīkī, bring you to Hanauma Bay, and drop you off afterwards. With this option, availability is much broader, allowing you to book a day or a month in advance, on any day (except Monday and Tuesday) that has not already been booked out. On arrival, you will watch an informative video telling a bit about the reserve and how to behave (e.g. no walking on the reef, use reef-friendly sunscreens only, don't hassle the fish, etc.). From there, it's a matter of walking (or taking the tram) down to the beach, find your spot, and get in the water! You'll find a shop with that reef-friendly sunscreen, a snack bar and a place to rent a mask and snorkel. You'll find it easier to swim out if you enter the water where you see the sandy bottom; that will allow you to get into the deeper area without having the reef in the way. Bringing in outside food is fine if you don't want to pay snack bar prices. I would definitely do this again!
Those who have been following my pictures and blogs know that I always enjoy a good view; after Hanauma Bay, we took a drive up to the Nu'uanu Pali lookout, where you'll see some really great views of the island's east coast as well as the site of a tragic battle leading up to the reign of King Kamehameha I.

The next day, we were in the mood for a stroll, so we parked at the Zoo and walked the length and breadth of Waikīkī. For lunch, we decided to try some local cuisine at Helena's Hawaiian Food. Portions are smaller, giving you the opportunity to sample more of a variety. We went for Lomi Salmon, Fried Butterfish Collar, Long Rice Chicken, Tripe Stew, Beef Stew and Poi as starch. We were also introduced to the local custom of dipping onion strips in pink salt, and got some haupia, a sort of coconut pudding for dessert on the house.
This didn't leave us a lot of time to visit the Bishop Museum before it closed at 5 PM, but we did get to see a lot of interesting exhibits in the time we had left. As an amateur linguist I was gratified to see that just about every item had some content in the Hawaiian language. One could easily spend an entire day here learning about Hawaiian history and culture.

At that point, it had been 48 hours since any of us had been in the water, so time for a surf session! We rolled up to Hale'iwa and Pua'ena Point, where fortunately the North Shore Surf Girls had a few boards available for rent. Éamonn got in for a session; you can see some video evidence in my photo gallery links below.
One of my travel correspondents (yes, you, BM!), mentioned that some of the best snorkeling he had ever experienced was at Shark's Cove, between Pua'ena Point and the Pipeline. This is a protected cove, with corals and fish, surrounded by a reef that most of the time lets in enough water to keep the Cove clean and refreshed. Winter is a different story on the north shore, and when the tide is high and the surf is up, the waves just come crashing over the reef. I felt like I was in a washing machine on the Heavy Duty setting. After getting a picture or two with my underwater camera while trying my best not to get dragged over rock and reef, I decided to get out before the spin cycle kicked off.
Before heading home, we picked up a cheap picnic at the Foodland Supermarket across the highway.

Our last full day on O'ahu was a bit more laid back. After a leisurely breakfast at the condo, we went to the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu for their New Year celebration. There were different exhibits for dance, traditional musical instruments, food and crafts. I finally got to try the cold soba noodles that I had been hearing about for so long. A permanent exhibit at the center focuses on the history of the Japanese experience in Hawai'i, from working on the plantations, through internment during World War II, to today. At one time, the population of Hawaiʻi was over 40% Japanese.

The Hawaiian lounge at Honolulu airport was nothing special, but if your pass gives you free access, you at least have a place to sit before your flight and have a free coffee. Certainly not worth paying money to get in. Spoiler alert: we found the same situation on our flight home at Maui airport.
As you can imagine, inter-island flights are measured in minutes, and this was no exception. Surprisingly, there was time for the crew to provide all of us with a drink of water!
We were hungry after landing, so after picking up our Jeep Wrangler 4X4 from the Hertz lot, our first stop was at Hawaiian restaurant chain Zippy's. Being a creature of habit, I opted for a Loco Moco for my first Maui meal as well. From there it was off to check into our digs at the Maui Coast Hotel. As we were on a budget, the four of us were stuffed into a double queen room, but in their nicely appointed new tower, on the fifth floor, with fridge, microwave and coffee maker. The only complaint from my fellow roommates was having to endure the loud snoring from a certain member of our party.

The waves were going off again, so it was a great day to check out Maui's big wave at Pe'ahi, also known as the Jaws surf break. If you're a spectator and not one of those being towed by a jet ski into the waves on your board, you have two options for getting to the vantage point to watch the show. You can walk a mile and a half down a not-too-steep but rutted path, or for a unique thrill, you can do the same trip in your vehicle. I was glad to have rented a Jeep Wrangler with 4L on the transfer case, locking front and rear differentials, and a disconnectable sway bar, because I used all of it to negotiate the harrowing path down to the lookout. The trip was well worth it, as we were treated to acrobatic feats from the likes of Maui surfers Kai Lenny and Ian Walsh. Check out my video feed to see some amazing rides with flips and 360s on these massive waves. Afterwards, we managed to make the drive back out to the highway unscathed to continue our sight-seeing, stopping at Ho'okipa, then continuing west.
The road to Hana is the famous one, but making the drive around West Maui is also a treat. As we wound our way around the coast, we got to appreciate some beautiful scenery and experience the blowhole at Nakalele. Although you're following the coast, there are parts where you're going up over 600 feet of elevation. There are also plenty of stretches where the road goes down to a single lane, so it's important to keep an eye on where you're going, and to find a lay-by when a car approaches from the opposite direction. You'll find a number of snack shacks and even fruit stands that operate on the honor system (you take the fruit you want and leave payment at the unattended stand).
Prices of eats seem to be a bit higher on Maui versus O'ahu. On this day we had lunch at Mama's just north of Lāhainā, and our dinners tended to be picnic-style with poke, sushi, pupu platters etc. from Foodland.
From there is was back to our hotel in Kīhei, to watch the beautiful sunset over the Kealaikahiki Channel (see the picture at the top of this page).

You've probaby heard of a couple of popular activities associated with the Haleakalā national park and its summit at over 10,000 feet (over 3,000 meters). A popular one is to book a sunrise bike tour where a company picks you up in the wee hours, and takes you up the mountain, providing a bike to ride back down. We opted against this one as we weren't ready to commit to waking up at 3 AM, the bikes are not allowed to enter the national park, and I read something about one of the mountainside towns prohibiting rides through their area.
The other is to drive up into the park before sunrise and watch the sun come up from the top of the mountain. The challenge here is snagging a reservation to enter the park for the sunrise show. Part of the tickets are released 60 days ahead of time. Basically, you'll want to log into the reservation site the day that they are released if you want to get in, so some advance planning is in order. There is a second set of reservations released two days before, at 7 AM HST. I attempted to grab one of these reservations and was ready to go with my laptop open before 7 AM on the right day. I went to the site a few seconds before 7 AM and they had not been released yet. I then refreshed a couple of seconds after, and only 15 were available. By the time I clicked on "Request Tickets", not even 15 seconds after 7 AM, all of the tickets were gone. That's OK because I couldn't see getting four of us on the road in time to get up there for the sunrise anyway.
If you're arriving after sunrise, no reservations are needed, and if you already have an America the Beautiful Pass (I have the Senior Lifetime Pass which cost me 80 bucks), no need to pay!
Be sure to bring warm clothing! At that elevation, the temperature can dip below freezing, and the winds will make you feel like you're standing in the Jet Stream itself. Also probably best to ditch the sandals and use some decent footwear if you want to explore any of the trails. After a stop at Maui Bees Farm for a quick breakfast, we drove straight to the top, then stopped at the various points of interest on the way down. Amazing views as you can imagine, including some interesting geological features. The bare terrain, inactive volcanoes and chilling winds seemed more Mars-like than of this Earth.
Anyone who has heard of Maui has heard of the Road to Hāna, and of course we were no exception. As a guide I picked a random blog through Google, and with the printout in hand, set off.
Our first stop was Twin Falls. Parking is $10, and there is plenty to explore. We settled for a quick dip in the nearest pool, fed by a stream and waterfall.
A swim always brings on the appetite, so as we continued along the highway, we made a stop at Savor Maui for artisanal eats in the company of some friendly peafowl.
We continued on, hitting the Ke'Anae Peninsula and repeating the waterfall-fed-pool-swimming experience at Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside. We also stretched our legs at Koki Beach Park.
From there we visited the national park for the second time that day. The national parkland up on Haleakalā actually extends all the way down to the coast and includes the Kīpahulu District, reached after driving past the town of Hāna. As it was getting late in the day, we didn't explore this entire section of the park, but we did follow the Kūloa Point Trail past the 'Ohe'o Gulch and its seven sacred pools.
At this point, most people return back to Pā'ia, Kahului or wherever they happen to be staying by turning around and driving back through Hāna. Rather than do that and experience the traffic resulting from all of the other Hāna day-trippers, we decided to continue along the southern coast from Kīpahulu, taking a route that we had not already experienced, and had the advantage of being nearly empty of other traffic. At times, the highway would shrink to a single lane, or have a lumpy asphalt or dirt surface, but it was a much more interesting route and may have even taken less time than going back through Hāna.

On our last full day, Iña and I attended a presentation while Éamonn and Mikel went for coffee and a stroll around Kihei. Based on a recommendation, the four of us went for lunch at the Māla Ocean Tavern in Lāhainā. We opted for their excellent burgers, but as an appetizer ordered poisson cru. It's name literally means "raw fish" in French, and is Fiji's equivalent of ceviche, served in a coconut-milk sauce. That was the first time that I'd eaten it, but now I want to go to Fiji and try it out where it was invented. If you don't have a reservation at Māla Ocean Tavern, there's a good chance that you'll need to wait, but in our case we only had to wait 30 minutes and were given an excellent table right next to the open window, with the ocean lapping on the rocks just below. As many are aware, Lāhainā was the scene of some disastrous fires and is still being rebuilt. By supporting their remaining businesses, we hoped to help them get back on their feet and get back at least some of their previous precious ways of life.
The only part of the Maui coast that we hadn't explored until this point was the stretch below Kīhei, into Wailea and Mākena. We drove down, past the fancy houses and hotels, until we found ourselves surrounded by lava fields. Where the highway finally ended, there was a trailhead, which, for those sufficiently motivated, can get them to a lighthouse without the house (basically a lamp on a pole), and even some remote beaches. Most of the trails are over sharp lava so flipflops are not ideal for these hikes.
Our final activity for the day was another visit to Foodland for poke and pupus. The next day we had a late flight, so we just relaxed at the hotel, opting for a late checkout in exchange for a $40 fee.

Final thoughts

• If you're not the off-roading adventuresome type, pretty much any car will do on either island. But I am certainly glad I went for the Jeep for our adventures at Pe'ahi and Mākena.
• Two-and-and-a-half years after the fires, Lāhainā is still in recovery, but decidedly open for business, so by all means, go to places like Māla Ocean Tavern, which was largely spared but still required remodeling to reopen, or others that have reopened after an especially hard struggle. However, please refrain from participating in "disaster tourism", and don't bring up the subject with the locals unless they broach it first. The person you're talking to might be having their first good day in a long time and you don't want to be the one to ruin it. Remember that the death toll for this fire was the largest in the U.S. in over a century.
• If you're going to be in Hawai'i for a while, and you go all in on the poke/sushi/pupu section at Foodland, by all means enter a phone number at checkout and get some significant discounts. Even if you never give them any other information, just entering the phone number is a low-effort way to get the discounts. And if you take the next step of filling in your information on line and linking accounts, you can transfer award points to Hawaiian/Alaska Atmos points. While we're on the subject, on this trip I also got over 1000 bonus Atmos points for my Lyft rides from a linked account.
• There's no shortage of dead zones when it comes to cellular coverage on any of the islands, especially when driving through some of the rural areas, moreso on Maui. Through T-Mobile my satellite-enabled phone means that I can still send and receive texts when not in cellular range, but nothing else is going to work. Fortunately in these areas generally all you need to figure out is whether you drive with the water on your right side or on your left, but it might be helpful to download maps in Google or whatever app you use for navigation before entering dead areas.

Pictures, you say? Click here:

• Point Panic and Koko Head
• Green World Coffee, Dole Plantation, Hale'iwa, Banzai Pipeline
• Hanauma Bay and Nu'uanu Pali Lookout
• Waikīkī and Bishop Museum
• Hale'iwa, Shark's Cove, Banzai Pipeline
• Japanese Cultural Center
• Pe'ahi, West Maui, Nakalele Blowhole, Kīhei
• Haleakalā and Road through Hāna
• Lāhainā, Māla Ocean Tavern, Wailea, Mākena
• Mikel's extensive collection
• Here are our pictures from our 2023 Trip to Molokai:
• Snorkeling
• Whale-searching
• New Year's Eve
• New Year's Day
• Halawa
• Last day

I'd love to hear your questions and comments! Let's continue the conversation on:

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…or e-mail me directly!I'm here to assist with all of your travel needs, whether you want to:

• build an engaging and fun-filled itinerary with help from someone who's been there
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  If you're in Hawai'i or planning to go soon and want to take part in the same adventures that I did, book them here! I'll also include those that were on my short list but we didn't actually get time for:

• Germaine's Luau - This was recommended to me as one of the more authentic, less commercial offerings
• Toa Luau at Waimea Valley - This has the added bonus of admission to Waimea Valley, but sells out quickly, so be sure to purchase in advance
• Hanauma Bay visit with transportation from Waikīkī hotel
• Round-trip shuttle from Waikīkī to Green World Coffee, Dole Plantation and Hale'iwa town - didn't rent a car? Don't let it stop you from visiting other parts of the island!
• Polynesian Cultural Center
• Koko Crater Stairs of Doom Challenge - transportation included, with visits to Makapu'u Point and Sandy Beach
• All-day excursion hitting my personal points of interest - including the coffee farm, Hale'iwa, Waimea, Banzai Pipeline, Kualoa Park, Byodo-in Temple, Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, Halona Blowhole, Makapu'u Point, plus two food-truck stops
• All-day road to Hāna excursion - let someone else do the driving!
• Majestic Haleakala Sunrise Tour with Pick-up
• Contact me if you plan to visit Molokai - alternatively, you can see it from the air on this helicopter tour departing from Maui
• Looking for something specific? Contact me, or browse these options on O'ahu and Maui

Contact me for an obligation-free quote and make sure you're getting the best experience for the price before you commit. I can assist with:

• Accommodation of all types, including:
• Hotels from 1 to 6 stars
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• As an example, I priced the Maui Coast Hotel (our lodgings in Kīhei) for a week in March, and I can actually book on my travel agent's platform for less than the direct rate. Depending on the property, I can also get perks not available through the standard booking process.
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I have lived on two continents, visited over 30 countries and speak multiple languages. Travel is what gives me joy in life and I look forward to sharing that joy with others.