Trip Coach: November 25, 2008

Sheila Beal: Molokai is the least touristy, in fact, there's only one hotel on the entire island. If I had to choose the least touristy of the others, I'd choose Kauai.

One aspect I really like about Hawaii in general, is that you can go sight-seeing and on hikes and sometimes feel like you have the the place all to yourself.

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Leavenworth, Kans.: Where is the cheapest place (from the mainland) to fly to Hawaii? Which airlines give the best deals?

Sheila Beal: Hello Leavenworth, Kansas–The cheapest fares I generally see are from Los Angeles (LAX). In fact, at the moment, Hawaiian Airlines has a deal for $223 round-trip plus taxes and fees from LAX to HNL (Honolulu).

Sometimes there are airfare wars that defy logic. For example last summer there was a fare ware on and for a brief period of time, you could get round-trip tickets for under $300 from Charlotte, NC.

One of the best weapons for finding cheap airfare is to sign up for custom e-mail alerts from sites like
Kayak.com, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com, etc. Some airlines will also offer e-mail alerts, too.

Good luck in finding an excellent fare to Hawaii!

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Ann Arbor, Mich.: We'll be traveling to the Big Island over the last week in December, staying in Kapoho (near Hilo). Will restaurants be open then? If so, are there any family-oriented restaurants (we'll be 7 people, from age 6 to mid-60s) that you would recommend? Anything good to do for New Year's Eve in Hilo? Thank you!

Sheila Beal: Hi Ann Arbor–You are wise to wonder about restaurants being open around the Holidays. Most restaurants in hotels will be open, others will be hit or miss. If you have a particular restaurant in mind, do call them in advance. For breakfast and brunch, Ken's House of Pancakes advertises to be open 365 days per year.

As far as anything special to do for New Year's Eve, I checked with the helpful Big Island Visitors Bureau and they aren't aware of special event (like fireworks) for the evening. One activity that I might suggest is to go see some of nature's fireworks, e.g., the active lava flow into the ocean near Kalapana. It's not a very difficult or far hike to see the lava flow and it is roped off so that you don't get too close to danger. I called the folks who manage the lava viewing site to see if the viewing point would be open for the holidays. They said that baring any wind issues, they do plan to keep the lava viewing point open every day. You do need to be prepared, so see my tips for watching the lava flow.

Enjoy your holiday time in Kapoho!

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Richmond, Va.: We are doing a 7 day cruise of the Hawaiin Islands with several other couples all in our 50-60's with no children. We will be there in September 2009. None of us have ever been there before. What are the must do's? We will be in the usual places that the cruise ships stop.

Sheila Beal: Hi Richmond–I like to direct people to what makes each island special and to the most beautiful scenery. For example, I don't want people to miss Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Parks on Kauai or the amazing Waipio Valley on the Big Island. I actually wrote a series of articles on what I would see and do with only one day on each of the islands. You can access each of the articles from this post The good news is that with the exception of renting a car, the scenery is free!

Enjoy your cruise of Hawaii!

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Denver, Colo.: My mom loved Maui, and I would like to spread her ashes there. Are there laws which regulate this? And where would be a good place to let her loose?