It's Never Too Soon......Let the planning begin- #SOTB3

So we've heard that some of you are already asking about Sunset on the Beach 2012.  For those of you who don't know what it is, it's the premiere of Hawaii Five-0's 1st episode of their new season on the beach in Waikiki. Yes, literally on the beach.

We believe it's never too soon to start planning your trip.  Although we do not know what day the premiere will be, we do know that it usually lands somewhere around the second weekend of September.  That would be September 8, 2012 if we guess correctly.  Let me tell you, if they decide to have it that Saturday, you can expect a very, very, very large crowd. SOTB last year had approximately 10,000-15,000 people show up on Queens Beach. Check out this aerial view of the crowd from our hotel located right across the street.

 Here's what you should begin to think about. Some helpful tips if you will.

1. Plan, plan, plan.  Make a wish list of things you'd like to see, do, and accomplish while visiting Hawaii.

2.   Get yourself a great travel agent. We highly recommend our friend Bruce Fisher.  He worked with us last year to help us plan not only our trips, but he arranged our tweet-up, luau, brunch and tour of Hawaii Five-0 filming locations. You can read about it all in our past blogs.

Bruce, Yaling and their agents at Hawaii-Aloha travel can help you with airfares and hotel pricing, along with information on whatever adventures you can dream up while visiting. In our experience, as fans of the show themselves, Bruce and Yaling will listen to what you want your vacation to be,  (what kind of a mix of H50 and sightseeing you are interested in) and work very hard to find the best and most inexpensive rates possible. They have a wonderful "book now, pay later" program you can take advantage of, so paying for your trip won't empty your pockets. This was a blessing for those of us who couldn't afford to pay for our dream trip all at once. Going to Hawaii isn't cheap. Prices can range anywhere from between $1,000 - $2,000. If you want to go, with the help of good information and expert assistance, it can be done. You can click on the highlighted link we've provided for their contact information. Don't wait to book. Once events are planned, they will fill up quickly. From preliminary talks with Bruce and his lovely wife, Yaling, we're in for another fun-filled long weekend of wonderful events.

3. Speak to other Hawaii Five-0 fans and locals that were at SOTB last year. Get some helpful hints about the dos and donts while visiting. The places to eat, shop and some of their favorite places they visited while they were there.

4. Once your trip is planned and paid for, it's time to think about what to pack. We were told by locals and others that have visited the islands to pack light. There are no truer words spoken. If there is one piece of advice we can give you, it's just that... PACK LIGHT. You don't need 4 pairs of jeans, sweatshirts in case you feel cold and 6 pairs of shoes. Trust us this is all you need:
T-shirts, shorts, flip-flops (aka..slippahs), a pair of sneakers, bathing suit, suntan lotion, sunglasses, hat, camera, batteries, electronic charger cords (for camera/phone etc..) the usual toiletries and undergarments. Trust us, if you forget anything, there are ABC Stores on every corner. They carry everything you can think of. (or in this case, that you've forgotten.)

Trust us when we say, you're all in for a wonderful time. We'll talk again. Aloha for now.