A one week vacation to Hawaii is not enough to give you even a quarter of what the island has in store for you. That notwithstanding, you can get the most and see and experience as much as you possibly can, but this is contingent upon you planning perfectly well for your stay.
Most people, especially those who want to make short visits to Hawaii, normally don’t end up with a great experience simply because they don’t take their time to plan well and know beforehand which places they will be visiting and what kinds of activities they will be doing. Though longer stays will always be recommended, here is a practical plan you can use to get all the fun you want in Hawaii in just one week-:
Arrival Day
You can’t expect to do much on the arrival day. You may or may not be tired, depending on how long and how far you have traveled, so it would be just a good day to get your vacation going by unpacking and getting settled in your place for accommodation. Take some time and explore your hotel and the amenities available, and if possible, catch the beautiful Hawaiian sunset as you enjoy a cold refreshing drink.
Day One: Fun at the ocean
With the big, beautiful blue Pacific ocean just a stone throw away, most people will desire to spend the first day at the beach and this is rightly so for a number of reasons. To begin with, the beach is one of the greatest attractions to Hawaii and most people will have a huge desire to have the feel of the Hawaiian waters at their earliest convenience. Secondly, you will still probably be jet-lagged and you can take advantage of the smooth ocean conditions to kick of your vacation. A morning snorkel tour is highly recommended. A typical tour may take up to five hours, after which you will just relax for the rest of the day.
Day Two: The Volcanoes and the Waterfalls
On the second day, you should be ready to experience some awesomeness in the lots of beautiful attractions in the forms of volcanoes and waterfalls in Hawaii. You should prepare for a long, but a very energizing and enjoyable day as you move from one site to another. Some of the places worth visiting on this day include Akaka Falls, Waipio Valley, Rainbow Falls, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Since it will be a long day, you should venture as early as 7am so that you make the most of it.
Day 3: Customize as you wish
The third day should be a flexible one as you will still be recovering from the activities of the previous day. It would be a good day to move around, explore and interact with the locals. You can spend the day at the beach, but if this is not ideal for you, there are lots of popular activities you can get engaged with. Some of these include-:
- Horseback riding
- Zip line Adventures
- Kayak tour
- A trip to Oahu
- Evening manta ray snorkel tour
- Farm tours
- Waterfalls hikes and swim
Day 4: Sight Seeing and Food Tour
Since you shall have been well rested and energized, the fourth day is a good day venture outdoors for some sightseeing. There are a plethora of tours you can organize to see the best of Hawaii that will take you through places and regions where you will be amazed at the various climate zones and marvel and the dynamics of the island. A tour such as the Kohala Driving Tour will see you pass through different climatic zones – from desert-like places to lush green forests, while at the same time giving you epic views of the expansive pacific.
The sightseeing should take about half of the day and the remaining half should be set aside for the many food adventures in Hawaii. Being a multi-cultured society, the food tours are incredible opportunities to sample various cuisines and appreciate the culinary diversity of the island.
Day 5: Hawaii Nightlife
A vacation in Hawaii will never be complete without sampling the Hawaii nightlife and to tell you the truth, this is one of the best places to spend the night in the world. Depending on which town you are in, a robust nightlife, filled with fun activities will always be beckoning. There are lots of bars and restaurants serving all kinds of drinks and playing great music. Whether you are interested in block parties, shows or clubs, you will find a lot of places where the fun begins immediately the sun sets and it won’t stop till the first ray pierces the skies. Whether it is a Monday or Friday, all nights in Hawaii will always be lively.
Day 6: More of the beach and a dinner tour
You will probably be reeling from the effects of partying your heart out the last night and there is a good chance that you will wake up late in the day. Depending on when you wake up, you are free to customize the day as you wish, but ideally, after waking up and taking some fresh fruit juices to remove the hangovers, more time at the beach would do. Instead of swimming and enjoying the sun and sand, you can engage in the plethora of beach activities for more fun and fulfilling experience. Water sport activities such as parasailing, jet skiing, or the fly board would be very ideal.
In the evening, a dinner tour would be most appropriate as you will now be winding your days in Hawaii. There are a quite a number of dinner tours available at affordable rates, and they will give you a chance to experience truly relaxing moments at sunset and also sample some of the cuisines you may have missed during the food tours. There are also dinner cruises which will enable to enjoy great meals aboard ships inside the ocean as you relish the Hawaiian sunset and feel the refreshing breeze.
Day 7: Time to say goodbye
Indeed, a week is not enough to get the most of Hawaii, but if you use this itinerary, you will have higher chances of having truly great moments on the island. On the final day, wake up to a sumptuous breakfast with an ocean view. If time allows, go out for a quick dip at the pool or at the beach, before coming back and starting to process out.