Another way to decide where to stay is to first look at what the accommodations in each area look like, and how much they cost. If you’re a visual person, the best way to do this is by looking at aerial photos of Kauai’s condo resorts

An Aerial view of Kaha Lani Resort

HawaiiGaga.com’s Kauai Condo Guide includes aerial photos so you can see what the surroundings look like. Most aerial photos are taken from the ocean, so you get the coastal perspective.

Our condo guides also include an estimate of average prices, and a subjective luxury rating. The map shows you what beaches and attractions are located nearby each resort. For many people this is very important consideration in choosing a place to stay.

The gadget actually uses Kayak.com’s flight search technology to discover those low fares. Kayak.com is an excellent web site for researching airfare, but there are many more. So how do they stack up? Recently, we took a look at airfare from Seattle to Lihue, and compared the major players:

Expedia.com - $321
Orbitz.com - $321
Kayak.com - $322
OneTravel.com - $330
CheapOAir.com - $574

Incidentally, the airfare found was with Alaska Airlines, whose own web site also quoted a price of $321.

These results are quite interesting. First, CheapOAir, a major player in the market, couldn’t find the discounted Alaska Airlines rate. As a result it found a much higher rate with a different carrier. OneTravel.com, another relatively new but big player in the market, quoted a rate that was slightly higher. Unlike the other web sites, OneTravel.com uses coupon codes to give people discounted rates. If you know about the coupon, you can get the $321 rate.

Finally, expedia, orbitz and kayak all discovered the lowest possible rate.

What differentiates these web sites is the way they search for low airfare. If you have exact dates, either expedia, orbitz or kayak will do the job. However, if you have flexible dates, kayak.com is the web site to use as it can search a range of dates, which is extremely useful.

Google street view is also available on Maui. The coverage is not as comprehensive as Oahu but it allows one to explore and get a great feel for areas like Wailea and Kihei. Unfortunately Kaanapali resort is not covered yet.

Bing maps has introduced an amazing bird’s eye views to its Waikiki map which allows one to explore the area from the sky. HawaiiGaga.com utilizes these bird’s eye view images for our Waikiki condo guides. For example take a look at our Colony Surf condo page. Note how you can move and spin the map around!

View Maui Farmers Markets in a larger map

Some excellent advice Terry gives is to write reviews about your experience after your trip. There are three reasons for doing this. First, as a way of rewarding a quality rental. Second, to help out fellow vacationers. But finally, as Terry recommends in the guide, when you go on vacation again and approach an owner to make an inquiry, you can tell them “We’ve used vacation rentals in the past and you can see one of my reviews here.” Quality owners love guests who are savvy enough to write online reviews because it helps build the reputation of their rental. Likewise, an owner who cuts corners will be put on notice that you mean business.

What is a wolphin? Take the trivia challenge to find out (image courtesy of Mark Interrante)

For more Hawaii trivia pick up the book Hawaii Trivia by Ed Cassidy, which contains at least 1000 Hawaii trivia questions.

Bishop Museum

Bishop Museum features 5 main exhibit halls. The recently renovated Hawaiian Hall spans 3 floors and takes visitors “on a journey through the different realms of Hawaii.” Here you will learn about key moments in history, Hawaii’s kings, the fascinating area of Hawaiian mythology, and also learn about the connection that Hawaiian’s have with the ocean, land and nature.

The 2 story Polynesian Hall focuses on Hawaii’s Polynesian roots, while the Science Adventure center teaches about Hawaii’s unique geology and environment. Two other exhibits honor Hawaii’s Monarchy and athletes.

Bishop Museum also has rotating exhibits. On Display through January 3, 2010 is Dinosaurs Unearthed featuring life sized robotic dinosaurs, sure to be a huge hit with kids. In fact, many of the Museum’s exhibits have interactive components which children tend to find especially enjoyable.

It’s unfortunate that so many visitors to Oahu miss out on the best the island has to offer. Whether it’s the fabulous beaches of the east and north shores, or wonderful cultural experiences like Bishop Museum. Remember, you can’t spend the entire day out in the sun. And if you’ve taken your kids out of school to go on vacation (an excellent strategy to save money), taking them to Bishop Museum will surely make up for a lost week of lessons!

Bishop Museum is open Wednesday to Monday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

As you may know, HawaiiGaga.com displays panoramic photos of Hawaii’s 150 most popular beaches and tourist attractions. Panoramic photos give one an excellent idea of what a beach looks like. Now we’ve supplemented those photos with aerial images. The added perspective reveals many details about a beach. You’ll notice that many Hawaii beaches enjoy beautiful surroundings. As an example, take a look at spectacular Tunnels Beach on Kauai.

Brian Powers of Hawaiian Images Photography and Video decided to photograph the Big Island’s coastline in 2004. The project proved so popular he continued in 2007 and photographed the rest of Hawaii. Over 10,000 photographs later, and he now has nearly every inch of Hawaii’s coastline photographed. The photos are taken at about 500ft. Brian can somehow fly an airplane and take sharp photos at the same time!