Hawaii (State of) Travel Answers

big island has the volcano (active one). All islands have beaches, possibility of seclusion, hiking, etc. Our favorite island for diversity and a little bit of everything ('cept the active volcano) was Maui. Maui has gorgeous scenery, fine dining, distinct different topographical points throughout the island, beaches, hiking which are very friendly, even to the elderly...etc. Kauai has all of the above also - 'cept the volcano - but is more laid back and except for the major resorts, more "secluded"? It is called the garden Isle because of this. If you've seen the movie Jurassic Park (opening scene of the helicopter flying to waterfall secret landing strip), King Kong with Jessical Lange and South Pacific - these are all examples of movies filmed in Kauai. I'd still stick to Maui. Homer

This is a tough call to have you satisfy all the needs you may have on one island. So here are the options that you have. First dont go for a week, expect to spend longer period on each island that you visit since there is so much to see and do. Beaches-Every island has them. Honolulu is great for Waikiki on one side of the island but the north side has great surfing. Honolulu is also great for restaurants and nightlife. Volcano-The Big Island is the only one for this. Its active and you can climb all around it. Nightlife and restaurants is in Kona but nothing like Honolulu. Different terrains-Maui is best for this. Night life and restaurants mainly in Lahaina. Kaui is great for the different terrains as well, but not much real nightlife and restaurnats here. No matter which island you go to driving is easy and you can go from one side of the island to the other in a matter of hours or less, depending on the island. You can walk, hike all over and see different terrains (Except Ohau which is rather plan compared to the other islands.) Homes are available for rent on each island from different sites and you should have not problem finding something fitting your budget. The closer to the beach you may be the more it will cost you. And yes this is a very costly trip even if you cook your own food due to prices of everything in Hawaii and the cost of gas for driving. Plus of course the cost of getting there. Don't forget there is Wal Mart on all the islands. There is a Costco on Maui, The Big Island(I Believe) Kaui and Ohau where you can stock up on food along with the local grocery stores. Do not shop in the grocery store in Honolulu near Waikiki beach only because he cost is higher then just accross the canal and outside of the downtown area.

I have only been to Oahu and Maui. But if I had a choice between those two, I would definitely pick Oahu. In Maui, we visited Hana for one night (really liked that, but forget nightlife there), then spent the rest of the time at a Ka'anapali beach timeshare condo. That side of Maui doesn't have a lush, tropical landscape. In fact, it was dry and fairly barren, except for what was planted at the resorts. Also, on Maui we didn't really get that "Hawaii" feeling. Very little Hawaiian music playing anywhere and hardly an "aloha" to be heard anywhere. Just typical "Hi", "good morning", "good evening", etc.

Been to all the islands over the years and used to have a house on Molokai'i. We loved Molokai'i as it was so quiet and peaceful (and cheap) but we recognize it isn't ideal for most folks. We're from rural Alaska so we have a tough time with crowds. The island with the most diversity is the Big Island of Hawaii. Two volcanos and 20+ eco systems there is much to see and do and big enough it never feels crowded. Kona is the hot spot and there is Hilo on the wet side. Might rent a house through VRBO.com. Get a spot out of Kona a little ways. Down by the water is nice, but the locals have learned to live uphill about 500 feet and get the tradewinds. Most of the places on the water don't have beachfront but rather rocks and a walk to sand. Maui seemed far too crowded to us. Bumper to bumper traffic. But also lots to see and do. Kuaui is a personal favorite for the diving and verdent flora. My wife won't go back because the house we rented on our last trip had a roach problem and can't get her to seperate the island from the house (ah well). Might break up the trip and stay a few days in Honolulu frist and then on to the big island. Waikiki is a lot of fun for all ages. Our last trip (2011) we rented a 2 bedroom house on the north shore of Oahu for a week. Right on the sand overlooking the Bonzai Pipeline surf break. Like a private retreat. wonderful break but spendy tho. Found that on VRBO.com as well. Plan on renting a car where ever you decide to stay (except perhaps Waikiki).

This is why VT is so varied and you need to take into account everything and then decide. Our advice is all very subjective. To us, living in Miami / Miami Beach - Honolulu was just way too crowded full of big condos, hotels, commercial buildings and inferior beaches (compared to beaches we have here in Florida). This is a good representation of Honolulu: visitingdc.com/airports/hono... Maui can be crowded around certain larger cities however, far from barren! Kula - the volcano (extinct) but where all the downhill biking takes place, also the area known for wines and beautiful flower farms is quite lush. Ditto for Hana - yes, no nightlife to speak of and the mid section of Maui - Iao Gulch area. Maui also is the gateway for some popular tourist destinations such as Molokini crater snorkeling and diving - a must if you get the chance. This is very typical Maui photos, along with the resorts also avaiable: globaltraveltorusim.blogspot... Molokini crater: http://www.molokini.com/ Big Island - our 2nd favorite also has some very isolated areas. However, as already stated, they are limited to two - Kona and Hilo. Hilo being closest to volcano national park. I have some pictures of Big Island on our Hawaii pages. Finally, Kauai - the most "natural" of all the islands however, we found this island to be the least friendly. Even Hawaiians will tell you as much as they are not so crazy about outsiders - "Howlies" because they feel outsiders, especially from California will come out and populate and take over the island. (this is what we were told). Again, if you've seen some movies such as the ones I mentioned earlier you will get a feel for it. As you can see, much depends on age and what we want out of our visit as to determining which island is best to visit. If you are younger I can see the draw for Oahu/Honolulu as it's the 'happening place" not unlike South Beach here in Miami full of nightclubs, bars and big hotels. I can also recommend a great set of books for you to read which to me, are the best written guides about Hawaii with each island having it's own guide dedicated to it: They are the Andrew Doughty & Harriett Friedman guides called: "Maui Revealed - the ultimate guidebook", "Big Island Revealed - Ultimate guidebook" and "Ultimate Kauai". Homer

All great replies so far. One way for the entire family to enjoy all the islands in one trip is to take a cruise on Pride of America. www2.ncl.com/cruise-ship/pri... cruisecritic.com/reviews/rev... The cruise ship departs from and finishes 1 week cruises at Honolulu, Oahu island(most developed island in state of Hawaii). It hits these 4 islands: Honolulu (Oahu) -> Maui -> Hilo (Big island) -> Kona Hilo (Big island) -> Kauai -> Honolulu). Note Hilo and Kona are actually both on the Big Island (confusingly aka the Island of Hawaii), where the only active volcano is located at. On the Big Island, the activities are on the Kona side and the active volcano is on the Hilo side. The cruise ship moves between islands at night so that you can explore the islands during starting in the morning. So one possibility is take a cruise, and then rent a vacation rental for a few days before or after the cruise. Only issue is with this schedule is that your choice of vacation rental will probably have to be on Oahu as the cruise departs from Oahu island (Honolulu). I should note that finding 3 bed vacation rental on or near the beach in Oahu (near Waikiki area) was rather expensive. However Maui offered more choices with more reasonable prices. I think this is due to the fact any multi-bed housing in Oahu is more in demand for housing for residents versus Maui, which doesn't have any many residents living on the island of Maui. I personally recommend Oahu, especially if this is firs trip to state of Hawaii, as it has both plenty of modern amenities and green space etc. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you all SO much for the great information! I definitely don't want to be somewhere where it's too crowded, but I would like to be close enough to great restaurants and shopping and maybe some nightlife. I think right now we're leaning toward Maui or Oahu. Started looking at vrbo for 4 bedroom rentals (which is what we now need) and WOW - quite pricey! I know this will be the trip of a lifetime and a great memory for our family, so it will be well worth the price! Now I'm off to visit some Hawaii pages on VT!!

check www.Hawaii4less.com They offer timeshares which are not being used, condos, etc. When priced out, they are quite affordable and some have 2 and 3 bedrooms. Also,, many come with a car included in price as a comp. Some people I know have used them and were quite happy with them. Homer

Feel free to come back for more info/questions as you do your research. Between Homer, Ed and I we've probably been where you plan to end up. My wife and I have started researching where to have a family reunion in summer of 2013. Have some aging aunts and cousins in England and Ireland and my mom down in Carson City, NV. How to get everyone in one spot is trickier than we had imagined. Might have to have 2 gatherings - one in Ireland and one in Hawaii. Rather than one 4 bedroom house, perhaps a couple of two bedroom condos close to each other might give you the space but also close to the water. Just looking at Hawaii4less homer/eddie mentioned previously. Even at per person rates those are good prices. The 2 nedroom cottage we rented on the north shore runs about 320/night - mainly because of location.

Aloha. Sounds like a loving family. Congratulations to your parents for the 40 years together as man and wife. Oahu is called the "Gathering Place", so your family may gather there as well. I may be partial to Oahu as I had a home in Kaneohe on the windward side of the Island. Fifteen minutes from Waikiki, but years apart with the tourists. Kialua Beach, next door to Kaneohe is one of the greatest beaches in all of the Islands. White powder sand and easy to swim in the water. The town of Kialua and Kaneohe both have some great restaurants. Night life and Waikiki is just over the mountain range via the Pali Hwy. Also of interest to most tourists is the Pearl Harbor tours of both the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri Battleship. Chinatown on Oahu has many fine restaurants and interesting shopping. The Dole Plantation in the middle of the Island has great pineapple gifts and a large maze to be lost in. The North Shore has many fine beaches and a slower pace of living. Outside of the great shopping in Honolulu with the Ala Moana Shopping Center and the Aloha Tower restaurants, the resorts and hotels along the Waikiki strip of sand have not only good restaurants but Hawaiian entertainment and shows in some of the hotels. The Honolulu area has many times to see from the only Palace of a Queen in America, to the Punch Bowl Memorial views of Waikiki from Honolulu to Diamond Head, one of the most recognized dormant volcanoes. The windward side and North Shore, through the interior of Oahu, are all different and beautiful to see and feel. Many areas of gardens and a waterfall on the Island with the North Shore Wiamea beach and the Falls area hard to beat for beauty on any of the Islands. Even a short trip from Kialua is the Haiku Gardens and a great restaurant to be found. See my VT tips for Honolulu which include the Haiku Gardens at: "Honolulu, Hawaii" - Honolulu by travelgourmet See for yourself with the 101 Things to do list for the different Islands. See: http://www.101thingstodo.com/oahu/ For a typical beach town rental in Kailua, see: hawaiianbeachrentals.com/Haw... Most of all, whichever Island you choose, you will be greeted with Aloha. My preference is Oahu and the Kailua town beach area. A nice stroll on the shore, not crowded, sand beneath your bare feet, the ocean a few feet away, palm trees swaying in the tradewinds, looking out to sea, before or after dinner is my idea of paradise. Enjoy, it does not matter is you are a Malihini (visitor), haole (newcomer), or Kama'aina (long time resident), all relax and have a laid back outlook after only a couple of days at the beach. Aloha 'oe.

Well done Larry.

+1 to Kailua. I just went to Haleiwa Joe's last Friday for the first time and was blown away -- this is the restaurant at Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe mentioned by travelgourmet. It is hands-down one of the best places to eat on the island. I give it the triple crown for great food, great service, and great location/atmosphere.