Las Vegas,Oahu and Maui part 2

Today, visitors have the opportunity to stand directly above the remains of the USS Arizona, one of the ships sunk during the attack. Be sure to visit the Battleship Missouri, the ship on which the Japanese signed the Instrument of Surrender that ended World War II. Pearl Harbour tours are available daily and include round-trip transportation, we can recommend this.

The next day we went to Diamond Head and again we bought a day bus pass. Diamond Head, one of the island’s most-photographed landscapes, is a remnant of a volcanic explosion that occurred some 300,000 years ago and is 3,500 feet in diameter, with a 760-foot summit. We hiked to the top of a formation called Leahi, the “brow of the tuna”, by Hawaiians. This easy/moderate hike took us on a self-guided audio tour that encompasses the history, culture, geography, and flora and fauna of the Diamond Head State Monument. I would suggest half day for this trip.

Whilst in Oahu I would recommend car hire to explore the rest of the island. Shame we didn’t stay longer as I would love to see more of this beautiful island of Oahu. I think 5-7 days should be considered for Oahu.

We then took an internal flight to Maui, flying time is around 50 minutes. We hired a car in Maui as public transport is not so easy there. Journey time by car from the airport is one hour depending on traffic. We stayed three nights at Ritz Carlton in a Deluxe, Guest room, 2 Queen, Resort view. We were greeted by helpful and polite staff. This hotel is suitable for couples and families. The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua captivates guests with luxury amenities including two golf courses, a locally inspired spa, six restaurants and outdoor activities that highlight the surrounding natural beauty. The Alaloa Lounge is the place to view the Maui sunset or enjoy an informal lunch. The hotel offers complimentary bus service to the beach and shops. About 5 minutes’ walk away there is a local convenient store to drinks, food, snacks etc.

A must is Old Lahaina Town to explore the shops and restaurants. We visited whilst a cruise ship was in dock, so it was very busy. Again, we should have stayed for longer to explore Maui as it has so much to offer. Driving around Maui was easy and it’s a great way to sight see plus car hire was a reasonable price.

We then flew back to Las Vegas via Los Angeles where both flights were busy. We stayed two nights at Planet Hollywood in Ultra-Hip room. We arrived at 1am and were surprised to see so many people check into the hotel, so we had to queue. We stayed on 16th floor with no view but the room was funky. This hotel is suitable for groups to explore Mile Shops, featuring the glitz and glam of Hollywood. Located inside Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, the 1.2 mile retail mecca is beyond amazing. Here, you can have your retail therapy and a workout.

Miracle Mile Shops features 200 shops, tempting restaurants and live entertainment venues at the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip. Coveted brands include Victoria’s Secret, M·A·C Cosmetics, GUESS, Urban Outfitters, Flight 23 at Footaction Steve Madden, H&M, White House/Black Market and more. Miracle Mile Shop's restaurants include Buffalo Wild Wings, Cabo Wabo® Cantina, PBR Rock Bar & Grill, Pampas Brazilian Grill and more great Las Vegas restaurants.

We managed to do some last-minute shopping at Las Vegas South Premium outlet which is some of the world's finest outlet shopping where you can save up to 65% every day on designer and name brands including Coach, Gap Outlet, Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren. Go by bus SDX service and suggest that you buy a day pass or three day pass for the buses.

On our last night we were treated to a helicopter tour over the Strip at night by Maverick, which is a must while in Las Vegas. Vegas Nights is an amazing Las Vegas helicopter tour flying over the mega resorts of the Strip from the New York-New York skyline to the Bellagio fountains and the never-fading light of the Luxor pyramid. We were also afforded unparalleled views of Downtown historic Fremont Street, home to the city’s first casinos.

Prior to our departure from our Las Vegas terminal, we were served champagne. We certainly recommend doing this tour as it’s a great way to see Vegas at night and would suggest booking it to depart just before sunset. Sadly we went back home in economy class.

Some tips: Pack lots of sun cream. Las Vegas and Hawaii make a great twin centre holiday. Remember resort fees in America and also paying for baggage on internal flights. Buy lots of bottled water in Las Vegas as the hotel do not provide this as part of the service. Try going midweek to the hotel as rates are lower plus there are less youngsters, as we found at weekends, there were some rowdy youths. We regret not seeing a show like Blue Man group.

Las Vegas has changed a lot and we are glad we went back. Vegas was very hot when we visited with the hottest months are June, July and August. We would like to thank the following people for making this trip possible Natalie from Virgin Atlantic, Heni from Planet Hollywood, Niamh from Hawaii tourism, Kelly from Maverick, MGM Grand hotel, Brandon Reed from Graceland Wedding Chapel and finally Rosanna from Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.