Help Please with Hawaii

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Buff

I've been to Maui in 1987, Kauai in 2004 and Big Island (Kona side) in 2012. Stopped for a day in Waikiki on the first two trips but flew straight outta Kona in 2012. My memory of Maui won't be sufficient to chime in on that as I was in middle school and now I'm an old man.

However, Kauai was the most relaxing vacation I ever had in my life. Everything is so chill and laid back. Get a car. It's only like 1hr to go from North Shore to South Shore. Google Maps tells me 1hr 21 minutes from Hanalei Bay to Poipu beach but I don't remember it taking anywhere near that long when we were there. You need to rent a car to get anywhere efficiently on any of the islands. We snorkelled on the beach where Bethany Hamilton lost her arm to a shark. I didn't see the shark, they must have relocated it.

Big Island is really awesome too. We stayed in the golf course in Waikoloa Village, we were there for a wedding and that was the cheapest group rate, so we did some driving, but it was worth it. You mostly drive along the coast line so you never get bored and the landscaping when you're cutting across land is still picturesque. Volcano was ultra cool!

It would have taken less time in 2004 to go across Kauai then it does now because the roads are the same but there's lots more people, so traffic is much worse.

[fulham]

Spent 7 days in Maui and Waikiki(Oahu) in the past year.

Maui is great if you want a more relaxed family oriented spot, Lahaina is a write off(still haunting to drive thru), and makes entertainment/food options limited. I stayed in Kaanapali, if your more of a hit Costco and camp out kind of couple its perfect. Lots of great snorkelling nearby. Airbnb is the way to book, most of the resorts are timeshare's listed on Airbnb also so you have tons of albeit pricey options.

Waikiki was a completely different vibe, Everything on the strip is a luxury goods store, or an ABC store(their 7/11 in touristy spots) great deals for Oahu can be found via Costco travel. Oahu is gorgeous enjoyed my stay, however we got up and drove out to a different beautiful beach, then only returned to our hotel for dinner.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

OK, so I have decided to take my wife to Hawaii for out 25th anniversary.

Congrats!

Neither she or I are interested in big city and nightclubs.

We are down to hang by pool, snorkel, walk to restaurants (or drive) for dinners.

Looking for suggestions on where to go and where to stay.

Question. Are kids involved? Do you want to be around kids? Based on what you've shared I will think no on both questions?

Based on what you've shared, I'd stay away from Maui. It's busy and overly expensive. Not sure how the fires are going to impact tourism there, something to consider. I'd probably shy away from Oahu as well. In around Honolulu you're going to be in the middle of the party scene. At a lot of the hotels on Oahu you're going to run into a lot of families, even at a place like Turtle Bay. Hawaii (the Big Island) and Kauai are probably more your speed, especially Kauai. The pace on both islands is much slower than Maui and Oahu and much less commercial.

The Big Island offers a lot to do and see if you want. The trip to observatory on Mauna Kea is awesome as is the trip to Kilauea and the green and black beaches. There are some great resorts to just kick back and relax at and you can walk to restaurants. Waikoloa Beach is a really nice resort to stay at and is on the affordable side. Lots of restaurants and shopping in this master planned resort area so you never really have to leave property if you don't want to. Warning, it can be busy and the potential for kids is probably the highest here. If you want something a little more secluded I would recommend Mauna Lani resort. More expensive but just a gorgeous location with a great beach. Personal favorite on the Big Island.

Kauai is a little slice of heaven on earth for those who want to decompress. The location for a ton of movies (Jurassic Park, Tropic Thunder, Raiders of the Lost Ark to name a few) the beauty of the island cannot be denied. Waimea Canyon (Grand Canyon of the Pacific) is awesome and worth a trip. Walking the Na Pali Coast Trail is incredible (find the Blue Room on the trail and go for a swim to the back of the cave, the colors are indescribable). Hanalei is the place to be to just sit and watch the waves and sip Mai Tais. This end of the island is pretty quiet and extremely laid back. Hanalei Bay Resort is really nice and laid back. If you want something a little more upscale you can do Princeville just down the road and the Princeville Resort.

If it were my 25th and I wanted to spend time with the significant other, I would do Kauai and Hanalei. Something magical about the place. Just talking about it makes me want to go back.

[D as in David]

Given who the OP is, you should be telling him which island is the hottest.

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by troutman

Team Kona.

Agreed!

I’ve also been to Maui and really enjoyed it, however Big Island was incredible and offered so many landscapes. Plus I would personally avoid Maui until they get back on their feet after the fire.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Given who the OP is, you should be telling him which island is the hottest.

Well there was a Volcanic eruption not too long ago...where was that?

[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by Sliver

If you do Oahu you can definitely skip Honolulu. It's pretty meh.

I don't know. We went to Benihana in Honolulu and the Teppanyaki chef flipped a piece of onion onto my plate and said, "on the house". Highlight of the trip.

I think it's closed now though. RIP Rocky Aoki (Steve's dad).

[FireGilbert]

Did Oahu years ago and was very underwhelmed. Didn't help I was visiting from Australia so the weather, beaches, and rain forests did nothing for me. Found Honolulu to be a strange city with a massive contrast between the obscene wealth at Waikiki and poor suburban neighborhoods with people living in Pacific Islander style shacks.

Highlights were the history at Pearl Harbor and the Royal Palace. Also didn't mind the north shore that had a more chilled vibe and some good food options.

Have heard good things about the other islands. If I ever go back I'd like to visit Maui and the Big Island.

[sleepingmoose]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

I don't know. We went to Benihana in Honolulu and the Teppanyaki chef flipped a piece of onion onto my plate and said, "on the house". Highlight of the trip.

I think it's closed now though. RIP Rocky Aoki (Steve's dad).

We just ate there for Christmas Dinner - it’s called AOKI Teppanyaki.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Maui is also boring as heck.

Wat? I guess it depends what you like...reading the OP Maui is where he wants to go. If he wanted to go to NYC or LA he would have booked there.

Maui has awesome beaches, food, sunsets, locals, ect.

[habernac]

Loved the Big Island. The house we stayed at on Maui is almost certainly gone. Oahu had its charms, but stay away from Honolulu. If I could go back, I’d do more on Kona. No crowds, awesome snorkeling.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

OK, so I have decided to take my wife to Hawaii for out 25th anniversary.

I know #### all about Hawaii.

Neither she or I are interested in big city and nightclubs.

We are down to hang by pool, snorkel, walk to restaurants (or drive) for dinners.

Looking for suggestions on where to go and where to stay.

I have been to Maui four times, the big island three times, Kauai three times. From how you describe yourself, I would vote Kauai all day long.

Stay at the south end, Poipu area. It is very easy to drive to the north end and back in one day. Nice snorkeling at both ends of the island. Best beaches are at the south end.

Very laid back island. Only 4 lane part of the road system is in Lihue, rest are all lazy two lane roads.

[Bigtime]

I've been to Maui the most out of all the islands I've visited there (Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii).

The sheer amount of different variety of climates in Maui can be very cool to experience. From the lushness of the Road to Hana, to the very desolate and dry south side of the island (yes you can drive around it, and even see some interesting historical locations like the grave of Charles Lindbergh), windswept Paia and its quaint (but very busy) main street, and the eerie otherworldly feeling on the top of Haleakala, looking like a landscape out of another planet (you might even see one of our intrepid CP bike riders actually riding from sea level up to 10,000' and then ride all the way back down!).

Beaches abound for all types. Small and secluded, giant stretches of sand (Big Beach), easy to access (all the beaches along Kihei), and ones that can surprise the early riser with view of many sea turtles hanging out until they venture back into the ocean for the day (north side of Kihei).

While I have not been back since the fires, family members have multiple times and things in the Kihei/Wailea area are pretty much operating normally and they want those tourists coming in and spending.

Almost all of my stays have been in the Kihei/Wailea area, so that is where I would be most comfortable. Lots of options for places to stay, although I always liked having a condo with a kitchen, so you could do the Costco/Safeway shop and make some meals there, saving some money to hit up nice restaurants for dinners and such.

A rental car would almost be a necessity, so you can easily get around to all the parts of the island you want to take in.

If time allows I would recommend hopping over to the Big Island and spending a few nights to check it out. We did a 3 night trip there and had an AirBnB in the town of Volcano just outside the National Park. While we were there the volcano was active (Kilauea) and we made trips in the night and early morning to see the lava erupting in the caldera, it was incredible to see. Flew into Kona from Maui and then took a small Cessna Caravan from Hilo back to Kahului with Mokulele Airways, giving us a stunning low level view of the east side of the island and its many waterfalls dropping hundreds of feet into the Pacific, amazing to see.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I've been to Maui the most out of all the islands I've visited there (Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii).

The sheer amount of different variety of climates in Maui can be very cool to experience. From the lushness of the Road to Hana, to the very desolate and dry south side of the island (yes you can drive around it, and even see some interesting historical locations like the grave of Charles Lindbergh), windswept Paia and its quaint (but very busy) main street, and the eerie otherworldly feeling on the top of Haleakala, looking like a landscape out of another planet (you might even see one of our intrepid CP bike riders actually riding from sea level up to 10,000' and then ride all the way back down!).

Beaches abound for all types. Small and secluded, giant stretches of sand (Big Beach), easy to access (all the beaches along Kihei), and ones that can surprise the early riser with view of many sea turtles hanging out until they venture back into the ocean for the day (north side of Kihei).

While I have not been back since the fires, family members have multiple times and things in the Kihei/Wailea area are pretty much operating normally and they want those tourists coming in and spending.

Almost all of my stays have been in the Kihei/Wailea area, so that is where I would be most comfortable. Lots of options for places to stay, although I always liked having a condo with a kitchen, so you could do the Costco/Safeway shop and make some meals there, saving some money to hit up nice restaurants for dinners and such.

A rental car would almost be a necessity, so you can easily get around to all the parts of the island you want to take in.

If time allows I would recommend hopping over to the Big Island and spending a few nights to check it out. We did a 3 night trip there and had an AirBnB in the town of Volcano just outside the National Park. While we were there the volcano was active (Kilauea) and we made trips in the night and early morning to see the lava erupting in the caldera, it was incredible to see. Flew into Kona from Maui and then took a small Cessna Caravan from Hilo back to Kahului with Mokulele Airways, giving us a stunning low level view of the east side of the island and its many waterfalls dropping hundreds of feet into the Pacific, amazing to see.

Pretty well all of the islands have lushness at some place and dry areas in other...and most of the islands have nice beaches, the big island maybe not so much.

Regarding Kauai, they have the Waimea canyon, about 15 miles long? very deep...I would say 3500 to 4000 feet deep. They call it their mini grand canyon. You can take a road and drive all the way to the top, where you can overlook the other side of the island.

I don't think any of the other islands can rival the beauty of the Napali Shores of Kauai. If you go, make sure you take a boat ride there...usually their ones that include a dinner or barbecued lunch are very nice.

You can hike along that side but prepare for 8 days of trecking.

[chedder]

Hapuna Beach and Mauna Kea Beach north of Kona are probably two of the biggest, nicest Beaches on any of the islands. Both also have super nice hotels right on them if that's what you're looking for.

[redforever]

Oh, one thing. I don't think you can get direct flights from Calgary to Lihue.

When I fly to Kauai, I usually transfer through Seattle. Less hassle in that airport.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by redforever

Oh, one thing. I don't think you can get direct flights from Calgary to Lihue.

When I fly to Kauai, I usually transfer through Seattle. Less hassle in that airport.

Big stike against Kauai. Non-stop from YYC for the win (Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii).

The avgeek in me would fly to HNL or OGG and then hitch a ride on Hawaiian to fly on the 717.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Big stike against Kauai. Non-stop from YYC for the win (Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii).

The avgeek in me would fly to HNL or OGG and then hitch a ride on Hawaiian to fly on the 717.

That's what we did. Well, we had a few days on Oahu then to Kauai, then to the Big Isalnd and home from there. That was the theory before Air Canada had their usual ####up. What? An Air Crew? We need one of those? Damn man, OK. Best to fly back to Oahu for that...

[Benched]

another vote for Big Island.

Really none of the islands are 'bad', we're basically splitting hairs.

For a first timer doing Oahu and seeing Waikiki beach is something to see + there is Pearl Harbour there another thing to see. And there is Hanauma Bay for snorkeling which is incredible. North Shore Oahu to see surfers and surf competitions, big food truck scene, but you won't be snorkeling or swimming here....

But otherwise we like the Big Island. Kona side. LOTS of great beaches, just wade out and snorkel and see a million fish. Snorkeling near Captain Cook Monument is ideal. Although I will say that when we went in August it was HOT but much nicer water for snorkeling. January has more waves thus more silt is churned up, making the visibility less. In August it was like 30m, just incredible.

Big Island is also cheaper than other islands IMO. Still expensive mind you, but cheaper. And you can usually get a direct flight.


I found Kauai too rural. A little TOO slow for me. Oahu WAY too fast paced/busy city for me. Big Island is a nice mixture and right pace.

[Icon]

Originally Posted by Dion

Kauai is the perfect option if you want to visit a rugged and authentic Hawaiian island that won't ever feel overly crowded, even in the summer months.

Kauai is by far my favorite Hawaiian island. Will depend how focused you are on a resort vs. hotel vs. condo, etc...

The south side of the island is more "touristy"/commercialized, mini Maui.

The north side of the island you feel much more like a local. And Hanalei Bay is an awesome beach, great little restaurants in the town. Dammit now I want to go back.