Travels: 2003-2014 Hawaii

     Over the years we've traveled to Hawaii several times. Each time we leveraged our timeshare/vacation club, so we were limited to visiting those islands that have a Hilton condo complex (O'ahu and the "Big" island, Hawaii).Someday we want to explore some of the other islands,  (heck, someday I want to live there part time) I'm looking forward to it.
     Here's a summary of when we went:

• 2003: Waikiki (Oahu)* Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHV), with Chad & Melissa
• 2005: Big Island (Hawaii) Bay Club, with Steve, Maryanne, & Jamie
• 2006: Waikiki (Oahu) HHV, with Mom & Dad Furno
• 2008: Waikiki and Big Island, HHV and Waikoloa Village, with the Hawes Family
• 2014: Big Island, Kings' Land

Oahu:

• The Hotel/Condo: Lagoon Tower at Hilton Hawaiian Village. On Waikiki Beach, the resort complex has a nice collection of shopping outlets and restaurants, several pools, prime beach access, and for some reason, parrots,flamingos, penguins and turtles. Condo units have kitchens, whirlpool baths, balconies and laundry facilities. Meals at the resort restaurants tend to be spendy, so a trip to the grocery and/or ABC shop to stock up on 'fixin's and beer' was a necessity. Pizza from King Arthur (in the resort) was surprisingly good. The only downside is parking is not free, not a problem when renting a car on site (there is a Hertz facility) but a pain otherwise.
• Things To Do: Honolulu is the only large city in Hawaii, plenty of fine dining, shopping, museums etc. The Island isn't that big - everything is within a reasonable drive. The stretch of beach (Waikiki) from our resort on one end and Diamond Head on the other is paralleled by a row of hotels, clubs, shopping etc. Diamond Head State Park, and hiking up the mountain is an enjoyable half day excursion with nice views from the peak. The zoo, rainforest/waterfall trails, and botanical gardens all also make nice treks. A short drive (less than an hour) will get you to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. In that same area is the WWII battleship U.S.S. Missouri, and a WWII era submarine that can be explored. Nearby, the sports stadium, the Aloha Bowl, hosts a flea market (where we bought most of our souvenirs). We also went on excursions to the Dole Plantation, (working pineapple plantation, and home of Dole Whip, soft serve sorbet) and Haleʻiwa (North end of the island). Snorkeling/ SCUBA in the Hanauma Bay was spectacular.  In my opinion, a trip to Hawaii without a luau or two is incomplete. The best we attended were at Paradise Cove (other side of the island, I understand the new Disney resort is nearby). Nice shows also at our hotel and at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). The PCC is a nice day trip in and of itself, with or without the dinner/show. There are examples and demonstrations of different aspects of various cultures and traditions of native pacific island peoples. 

Hawaii (Big Island):

• Hotels/Condos: We stayed at three different properties within a stone's throw of each other. The Bay Club is sort of across the street from the Hilton Waikoloa Village resort. Units were fine, but facilities feel a little old and tired. The Villas at Waikoloa Beach Resort were newer/nicer, plus nice big pool and access to facilities at the Hilton if you wanted a change of pace. King's Land is the newest of the three (was under construction the first time we went) best pool, most room type choices, free parking, and now our home resort. All of the resorts are a little ways from the beach and kinda intermingled with the golf course. There is  shopping center, but it isn't anything special, but nice restaurants are there.
• Things To Do: Hawaii, (aka the "Big Island") is bigger than most of the other hawaiian islands combined and much less densely populated than Oahu. The attractions are mostly natural (volcanos, rainforests, mountains, waterfalls,etc) or agricultural (Macadamia nut farms, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, koa wood producers, cattle ranches etc) I really like the more laid back and rural feeling of the Big Island. 

    *On the first day of our first trip, on our way to lunch (they still had a Sizzler!), Leanne tripped and fell while crossing the street. She banged her elbow and was sent to the hospital for a look-see just in case (this was May 2003, Leanne was 20 something weeks pregnant). After she got checked out, we were waiting for a taxi to take us back to the hotel, when Leanne fainted. She tangled up her feet and broke her fibula. So I spent a week with Leanne while she was in a wheelchair. It got us to the front of the line at some places, and got us bumped to first class on the flight home, however; not an ideal vacation experience.