Long Layover in HNL (4 hours) any ideas on what to do?
 

My sister has a long layover when she flys KOA - HNL (4 hours) before getting on a HNL-SMF (Sacramento) flight next April. She and her husband and 14 year old son are wondering if there's anything to do to escape the airport for awhile. Of course, they won't have a rental car. Any ideas?

Go for a Hawaiian Plate Lunch, there are a couple places w/in a few minutes of HNL airport.

See: http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...ML/000058.html

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Does Byron's Drive Inn serve Plate Lunches...for dinner? We have a 4-hour layover from 6:30pm to 10:30pm and would love a plate lunch - any possibilities close to HNL???

This thread might be of interest to you:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350605

aloha

From baggage claim, walk outside, turn right, and keep walking, following the road in the direction of the traffic. As you walk past the end of the terminal, the sidewalk and road will gradually turn left 90 degrees and head toward the mountains/elevated highway. Keep walking, don't deviate from the sidewalk. You will cross a traffic lighted intersection. Keep going. You will cross another street (no traffic light). Keep going. Byron's will be on your right as you cross the the next street. You'll also see a Chevron gas station adjacent to it (they're both on the same side of the road and intersection). Should take 10-15 minutes to get there, unless you're dragging baggage along.

There's also an L&L Drive Inn in the building across the street from the one you walk along on the way to Byron's. If you prefer an air conditioned indoor restaurant, then go to L&Ls. Byron's is outdoor shaded seating.

And yes, you can order plate lunches for dinner. Lunch or dinner, it's the same thing. And unless you have a large appetite, make sure you get the mini size, not the regular size.

If you like chicken and bbq sauce, get the BBQ Chicken plate. If you like crispy fried chicken, get the Chicken Katsu (pronounced Cot - Sue) plate (it's boneless chicken battered and rolled in crispy panko, served with a separate container of red sauce). Of course, if you like beef, there's the Bul-go-gee or beef (pronounced Bull - Go - geek without the k sound) plate, which is barbecued strips of marinated beef. And if you like beef ribs marinated in a spicy soy sauce base sauce (not bbq sauce), get the kal-bi plate. Enjoy!

12 Hours in HNL: Making the Most of It?
 

Ok, we fly in from NRT arriving into HNL at 7:40AM. Our flight back to the mainland doesn't leave until late in the evening.

How do we spend the time in Honolulu? We have never been to Hawaii before and really want to maximize our experience.

Rent a car for the day. Alamo usually has the best rates.

Pearl Harbor is near the airport. Definitely visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, a very moving experience. Head over to Diamond Head and climb the volcano. Then find a nice beach for rest and relaxation. My recommendation would be Sandy Beach and/or Makapu'u (they are about 1.5 miles apart). If you like shopping and people watching, stop by Waikiki, but the beach itself is very overrated for swimming and sunbathing. However, grabbing a beverage at sunset at one of the beachside hotel bars in Waikiki (e.g. the Royal Hawaiian) is worthwhile. You can grab a shower at the Shower Tree Mini-Hotel for about $8 per person when you drop off your rental car at Alamo (it's just a block away) to clean up and get refreshed before your redeye back to the mainland.

From the terrific sticky that Slippahs has complied above...

Links to Threads Discussing Extended Layovers in HNL

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284580
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284517
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284512
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284494
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284479
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284477 (Seeing Arizona Memorial)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284464 (a very packed schedule in a few days on O'ahu)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284442
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284416 (1 day layover)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284400

Some follow-up questions...
 

caAl, I love your suggestions. I didn't even think about climbing the volcano at Diamond Head -- what a great idea! FlyinHawaiian, thanks for the links. I did do a search (of course) of several forums, but only turned up a few threads that were of minimal value.

It seems the consensus is to head over to Waikiki for the day, in addition to hitting up a few museums. A few questions:

• Is there anywhere at the airport to leave our bags? (Although, if we do end up renting a car -- that takes care of bag-storage. Is it pretty easy to find free parking on the island?)
• Does the RCC in HNL have showers? (We're traveling in XC/NC.)
• Is it really worth the expense of renting a car (we're young and cheap!) -- won't the bus do?
• We'll be there in late November. What can we expect weather-wise?

Thanks for the links to the restaurant recommendations too. Of course, anyone is welcome to add their ideas and suggestions!!

Waikiki is certainly world famous, but if your looking for a less crowded place to soak up the sun and play in the surf, it is frankly one of the worst places on all of Oahu. Which may be less of a knock on Waikiki and more of a tribute to the rest of the island. Like I said, Sandy Beach and Makapu'u are significantly better beaches from every aspect, unless you really, really dig high rise buildings.

I'm cheap too. Well, actully, I prefer "frugul" but I guess it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Yes, you should rent a car. "The Bus" is a top shelf public transportation system. The first time I went to Oahu, I skipped the rental car and relied upon it. Ever since then, I have rented a vehicle without exception. The problem with "The Bus" is that its frequencies leave a lot to be desired, especially as you branch out from Waikiki proper. And with precious few hours on Oahu on a fairly short layover, time is of the essence. Plus, having a rental car addresses the luggage storage problem (although you always need to be wary of theft on the islands). And Alamo's rental car rates are usually pretty good. Take a look at them, then look at Hotwire. If neither offers you what you are looking for (I'd look for a $26 rate or better), then give Priceline a shot. Oh, and National apparently has an offer for full-size vehicles at $24.99 a day right now.

Perfection. The weather in Hawaii is pretty constant year round. I'd expect highs in the upper 70s (maybe reaching 80) and lows in the low 70s. The Pacific will be fairly warm as well. There's never a bad time to be in Hawaii.

A rental car is a good idea so you can get around to more areas. Most places have metered parking at 25 cents per half hour.

Please remember to slather on sunblock continuously (don't forget your ears and tops of your feet) since it's easy to get a sunburn without realizing it. Also, stop and pick up some bottles of water to keep yourself hydrated.

Since you're arriving so early, head over to Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab for a rib sticking breakfast. Ty a loco moco if you're truly hungry. Sam Choy's is on Nimitz Hwy near the airport.

Then go to Pearl Harbor if you are interested. You should get right in early in the morning. After Pearl Harbor, the traffic will have died down and you can head over to the Diamond Head area.

Drive past Waikiki and head up Diamond Head. Take time to pull over in the cut-out areas and enjoy the view. Breathe that fresh air and watch the early surfers. Enter the Diamond Head Crater entrance (fee is $5 per car) and park. Enjoy a hike up Diamond Head. The view is fantastic from the top!

If you are hungry for lunch even after the big breakfast, Rainbow Drive Inn is down the hill. You can experience a local plate lunch. On the lighter side, you can also find a quick sushi fix at Kozo Sushi followed by a shot of caffeine at the Starbuck's next door. Of course, you can go for a liquid diet at Jamba Juice too.

You're probably ready to relax now. If you're a beach person, you have several choices. Waikiki is the most famous, but crowded beach you can go to. You can also go to Ala Moana Beach Park which is usually less crowded unless it's a weekend. If you'd rather shop, Ala Moana Shopping Center is a good choice. Of course, I'd prefer a relaxing massage so I'd probably find a massage therapist. This option may even help take care of the shower that you want since some massage places have showers too.

End the day with an umbrella drink. Go for the best. Stop at Halekulani Hotel (free validated valet parking). Walk through the lobby towards the the House without a Key restaurant. Tell them you are there for drinks and they will lead you to a table outside. Enjoy the maui potato chips and Hawaiian music with your drink as you toast to the Hawaiian sunset.

Tear yourself away from the atmosphere and head back to the airport to return your car and catch your flight. Dream about your next trip back to paradise.

Have a good time!!

TF :cool:

Great tips!
 

Wow -- what a great "play-by-play" for the day. Thanks, TropicalFlyer. We'll probably follow your itinerary pretty closely.

cAAl, yes, I found the $24.99 special yesterday after I posted the message here. What a great deal for a full-size! That takes care of the baggage issue, and will make it much easier to get around the island.

It sounds like traffic in Honolulu isn't great.

Just be careful about leaving your luggage in your car within view. Your car could get broken into and all could be lost. This happens with rentals.

Sounds like fun. But I'm like a bird: "Cheap, cheap, cheap!" ;) Oh wait, I mean frugal. haha... We grabbed the deal from National for a $24.99 rental for a full-size.

And thanks for the tip about the baggage, we'll be sure to store it in the trunk. Bummer that there is so much tourist-targeted crime on the island! I guess I'm a little surprised (maybe I shouldn't be).

Cheaper
 

Being cheaper than the previous poster, I once got a very cheap deal on a very small car for a day trip on Oahu. When I signed the paperwork and finally saw the thing, I realized that my luggage whould show. I went back in and let them upgrade me for $5 or $7. I then came out to see an SUV! It was a giant SUV too, like one of those airport limos or for a family of 16 or a football team :D

I only wanted to drive to Ala Moana Beach for the day so off I went. A couple miles later I slid into a spot by the ocean and was just ready to exit the SUV when a car in front of me decided to back into the spot ahead of me. I was able to lay on the horn and stop them by 2 inches from crunching the front of my rental! :eek:

As dusk came, I took the long way back to the airport and passed a hotel with people obviously waiting for a ride to the airport. I asked them if that is indeed where they were headed and was ready to give them a free ride when their cab pulled up. It's not like I would have charged them :p

In any event, my fillup was about a gallon or so.

Imagine if I had had that accident with the vehicle after only a few miles on the road... :p