Timeshare Information

As you plan your family vacation this year, consider renting an Oahu timeshare and taking the time to teach your children about the day that President Franklin Roosevelt said "would live in infamy" by visiting Pearl Harbor. Located on Oahu, just west of Honolulu, Pearl Harbor was named because it was teeming with pearl-producing oysters until the 1800s. It is the home of a United States deep-water Naval base, and is the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet where on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States starting WWII.

Many generations of Americans have been born since that fateful day, and have grown up needing a real place to touch and feel to understand the great import of what happened at Pearl Harbor. The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial is just such a place where your kids can truly become immersed in history.

The most popular attraction for visitors to Hawaii, the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial is built over the sunken battleship and its crew of 1,117, among the first to parish in the on slot of bombs dropped by Japanese planes, in the surprise attack on that peaceful Sunday morning. Nine ships were sunk and 21 were severely damaged in just minutes. The death toll reached 2350, including 68 civilians.

In 1964 the Navy base itself was recognized as a National Historic Landmark district, including not only the U.S.S. Arizona, but other ships as well. There are several different tours that you can take your kids on to spend a day at Pearl Harbor. The tours include the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, and the U.S.S. Bowfin, a submarine that traveled over 100,000 miles and sank a total of 38 ships during WWII. Also on the tours is the U.S.S. Missouri, the last battleship ever constructed by the U.S., and famous for being the site where the Japanese signed surrender papers to end WWII in the Pacific theater.

Standing above the sunken U.S.S. Arizona, clambering through the U.S.S. Bowfin, and walking underneath the gigantic guns of the "Mighty Mo" to the spot on her decks where the Japanese Imperial Navy formally surrendered to the United States, will give your kids not only an appreciation of this time in history, but the thrilling experience of being up-close and personal to some of the United States Navy's finest ships.

See all Honolulu timeshares.

(Photo from NPS.gov)

The critically acclaimed and massively popular ABC Television series, Lost, will air its final episode in May, 2010. The drama series that follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island is filmed almost entirely on location on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. If you're one of the many devoted fans of Lost, now is the time to plan a Hawaiian vacation. Rent an Oahu timeshare and explore the sites scattered all over the island where scenes for the TV show are filmed.

The original island scenes for the pilot show of Lost, which aired in September, 2004, were shot at Mokele'ia Beach near the northwest tip of Oahu. Subsequently most beach scenes over the years have been filmed in secluded spots along the North Shore.

Many "inland" scenes are filmed in the Ka'a'awa Valley on Oahu's Windward Coast. The area is owned by the Kualoa Ranch, which offers horseback rides along with guides who point out the various film locations. Most scenes that include banyan trees are filmed in a wooded area beside the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore. One episode was filmed at the beautiful Byodo-In Temple which is located in the Valley of the Temples off of the Kahekili Highway in the town of Kane'ohe. Most interior scenes are filmed at a sound stage at the Hawaii Film Studio, operated by the Hawaii Film Office.

Many urban areas in and around Honolulu represent locations for other cities including New York City, Miami and Paris, and even for South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Thailand. Scenes for Australia's Sydney Airport were filmed at the Hawaii Convention Center, and an Oahu WWII-era bunker was a stand-in for an Iraqi Republican Guard installation. Lost fans might be surprised to learn that a winter scene set in Germany was still filmed on Oahu - a Honolulu residential neighborhood was covered in finely crushed ice to create the look of snow, while German traffic signs were placed along the streets for authenticity.

A Hawaiian escape to a timeshare rental is a great way to turn your vacation into a treasure hunt of nostalgic Lost episode locations all over Oahu. When your favorite TV show ends, you'll have wonderful memories of walking in its very footsteps.

There are many budget-friendly timeshares available to rent on Oahu, the third largest, and the most populous, of the islands of Hawaii. Taking the family to Honolulu for a Hawaiian Christmas vacation is an easy decision to make when you see how much you can save by renting a timeshare.

Once you are settled into your Honolulu timeshare, you'll have time to seek out the many free things to do that bring the magical Christmas season to life, even on a tropical island. You'll find most of these Christmas festivities easily accessible in Honolulu and along Waikiki Beach.

1. Honolulu City Lights. Honolulu celebrates Christmas all through December by lighting up the city from the financial district to downtown with dazzling Christmas light displays. While enjoying the city lights also stop in at the Honolulu Hale (City Hall) to view the spectacular Christmas trees and wreaths in the lobby.


2. At the Ala Moana Center's Centerstage, you'll delight in afternoon performances by keiki (children) as they earnestly strum their ukuleles. Dressed in colorful aloha shirts and mumus, these little performers will put a smile on your face with their renditions of fun Christmas songs.


3. The Iolani Palace is where you can watch "lovely Hula hands" as dancers perform beautiful Hawaiian dances to traditional Christmas music. Held by the gazebo on the lawn in front of the Palace, these free presentations are usually held every Friday afternoon during December.


4. The Honolulu Boys Choir holds a concert of Christmas music on the Sunday before Christmas at the fourth floor Grand Lanai of the Embassy Suites-Waikiki Beach Walk. Free and open to the public as seating allows, the beautiful strains of holiday music will put you in a wonderful Christmas mood.
   
   
5. The Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu holds Sunday services in the Hawaiian language. Made from hand-carried coral reef rocks, it took 1000 men to build this historic church in the mid 1800's. Sit in on a December service, enjoy the celebrations of the season in the melodic Hawaiian tongue, and discover the true essence of Hawaii.

And don't miss Santa's arrival on Waikiki Beach - in an out-rigger canoe! (The reindeer are enjoying their sun-splashed Hawaiian Christmas vacation too much to join him!)

June 21st is almost here. If you are still thinking about what to get Dad this Father’s Day, consider a family vacation in a timeshare. Timeshare resorts are available across the U.S. and around the world, so, your possibilities are endless. You could find something close to home that just requires a short drive, or, fly to an exotic destination for a big adventure. Dad might like the gambling and nightlife a Las Vegas timeshare can offer. Or, perhaps an island getaway on the soft sandy beaches of Waikiki in a Honolulu timeshare would put a smile on his face. As long as the family is together, anywhere would be ideal, and timeshare resorts offer so much more space and amenities for families than standard hotels.

When you choose to celebrate Dad’s special day with the gift of a family vacation, you are not just giving a gift; you are creating memories that last a lifetime. To make the gift even more special, take a lot of pictures and digital videos and put them on a photo sharing web site when you return. Try Shutterfly.com which has a Share Site feature for free with membership (which is also free). You can even email a link to the site to grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins too and share those precious moments even more.

With a timeshare family vacation, you give the gift of time together for laughing, sharing, and bonding. The beautiful memories you create will be a Father’s Day Dad will not soon forget.