Hawaii questions

[7costanza]

We are going to go to Hawaii in October for my 30th birthday, and will be taking our (at the time) 15 month old son. My H told me he's just "along for the ride", so I have free reign to plan what I want to do and where I want to go. I was thinking 3 nights in a hotel on Oahu, and 5 in a condo on Maui. I actually already have a condo booked for 4 nights on Maui (near Wailea) but can extend if needed. Does that timing sound ok? Should we do 4 nights on each island instead? 8 nights total is probably pushing it for my H's vacation tolerance, we did 7 on Sanibel Island in 2012 and he was itching to leave by about day 5. 

I want to see Pearl Harbor, but not sure what else on Oahu.  I'm a total beach vacation person so don't need to do a ton of activities but if there are other major highlights I would like to see/do them. Based on my initial research, I would love to stay at the JW Marriott at Ko'Olina, but not sure I want to spend that much (~$450/night). If we stay in a city rather than Ko'Olina would you recommend Waikiki or Honolulu? Do we need a car on Oahu? We will definitely get one on Maui. Any other Hawaii tips?

[skib]

Honestly, I would say do two nights on Oahu and six on Maui. We loved Pearl Harbor, Matsumoto Shave Ice, and the Dole Pineapple plantation on Oahu, but other than that, we found it pretty commercial and not totally what we were looking for in a Hawaiian vacation. I'm sure others who have been to Oahu can tell you more fun things to do, though.

We LOVED Maui. Loved it. We did hiking and horseback riding in Haleakala National Park, a luau, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, and just relaxing on the beach and at our hotel.

[doctorsbaby]

We stayed in Ko Olina (rented a 2 bed 2 bath condo on VRBO) and absolutely *loved* it. We stayed for one night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and I told DH that I would shoot myself if we had to stay there longer, it was way too touristy for me. The beach by Ko Olina was beautiful, they have basically cut lagoons out so you have the protected ocean to swim in and play with out getting big waves or anything like that. We went right before DD turned one. If you stay in Ko Olina, get a car because there isn't a ton of stuff close and it is a little bit of a drive from the airport.

If we go to Oahu again, we will stay in the Ko Olina area again, hands down. We drove all over the whole island and I liked it the best.

[bcv513]

We stayed in Ko Olina and loved it. It's far enough away from the city life in Waikiki and Honolulu but close enough that you can get there easily. Pearl Harbor was awesome as was the dole plantation

[RoxMonster]

I have only been to Oahu and I'd also recommend exploring the North Shore. It is a lot less busy than the Waikiki area (we still encountered some traffic in the summer, but nothing like around Honolulu). There were a lot of beaches we could stop at and we enjoyed driving through towns like Haleiwa. To do that, you would definitely want to have a car.

[foundmylazybum]

Ko Olina is a great family place. The beaches are man made and protected. As others mentioned it is not really close to Honolulu and is a bit of a drive to the North Shore area as well--so plan on spending time in the car. The traffic on Oahu can be HORRENDOUS. Going towards Honolulu in the morning from Ko Olina sucks and then trying to get out in the afternoon is equally as bad. It's something to be aware of.

I like Oahu..it's okay but I vastly prefer other islands. You *might* consider dropping a couple days off your Oahu visit, and flying to Kauai. It is definitely worth the effort!

[7costanza]

Thank you all so much! Based on this I think I'll try to find something at Ko Olina, get a car, and try to extend our Maui stay.

[Deleted]

I would do 3 days Oahu, 5 Maui and car on both.

There is a ton of stuff to do on Oahu like others have mentioned, and even tho it isn't my fave island; Im happy I've been because there is some great scenery and its worth checking out Pearl Harbour.

Have a good holiday!

[redheadk]

With a child your son's age, I'd do 2 days on Oahu and 6 on Maui but I'd do Maui first.

We typically do an Oahu/Kauai combo and like getting the longer day of flying over with at the beginning of the trip while we're still excited. We relax and whatnot on Kauai then, by the time we're ready for more action, we head over to Oahu, do our thing there, then we fly out on a red eye from Oahu. Works perfectly!

Costco typically has the best car rental rates, though www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/ is great, too, if you don't have a Costco membership. You'll need a car on both islands.

[zis4zebra]

I love Hawaii - I don't think you can go wrong with any of the islands. If it were me traveling with a 15 month old, I'd just stick to one island so I didn't lose time having to pack up/travel to another island/get settled again- plus I feel like kids have a ton of gear at that age that you'll need to haul around as well. If it were just me and my husband, then no problem - but throwing a baby in the mix makes me want to minimize my time in transit. I like to lounge around at the beach and read, so I feel like changing locations eats into my relaxation time. But whatever you end up doing, you will have a great time!

[soxin2]

Totally biased, we honeymooned on Oahu and a did a day trip to Big island /VNP.

I would go back to Oahu in a second. It was originally a compromise as I wanted beach/pampering/relaxing and H is not a beach/pamper person, so Oahu was a good compromise of island and familiar for him.

We absolutely loved Kualoa Ranch.

Do the Pearl Harbor "Home of the Brave" tour, you seem to avoid some of the hurry up and wait that others have described, however, it didn't include the Missouri, so if you want to tour that, ignore that suggestion. It will take you to all the other bases tho, which was cool.

We hiked Diamond Head which was incredible, but not sure I'd do it with a 15mo in tow.

And see the island from a boat, which is super cool. (So many different options for this)


We didn't snorkel or paddle board, but I wish we had. (My inability to swim be damned)

We stayed in Waikiki, because, cheesy, but also because buses. I'm not sure what we'll do if/when we go back.

[daisypaloma]

I'm a little like your DH when it comes to travel (I'd be bored just staying in one spot for the entire week); so 5 days in Maui sounds like a good compromise for the both of you.

Then if you do the 3 days in O'ahu and stay at Ko Olina you can likely do:

One day to do the Pearl Harbor/USS Missouri, and maybe spend 2 hours souvenir-shopping at Aloha Flea Market at the stadium across the way.  Iolani Palace or Bishop Museum may be something family-friendly to check out (never been to either).  You can likely watch the sunset at the famed Waikiki Beach in one of the local restaurants/hotels.  I personally liked Rum Fire in Sheraton, but you can likely find a family-friendlier spot.

One day at the North Shore to do the Polynesian Cultural Center or Dole Plantation or Waimea Valley, have some Matsumoto Shave Ice, for beaches check out Sunset/Ehukai Beach/Waimea Bay.

One day to check out Hanauma Bay for beach and snorkeling, and then you can head towards Kailua for the famed Lanikai Beach.  You can also combine this with the North Shore day if you have time.

Then just spend a day in Ko Olina itself, enjoy the beaches, and maybe do the Lu'au.

Diamond Head is a nice, easy short hike, but the incline at the top many prove to be too much for your toddler.  If you must do a hike, check out Manoa Falls Hike or Makapu'u Trail.  Bring mosquito spray, sunglasses, good footwear and head gear, water.

You can also check out gohawaii.com for more info.



 

[purrbox]

I'm also a big beach person and I didn't really care for Oahu much at all. It was nice seeing Pearl Harbor, but that's about all I cared for with the island. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I don't think I would even waste the money going to that island. I agree with others; cut Oahu short and spend more days in Maui. Maui is the bomb.

I also loved Kauai with a passion. If your really into beaches and nature, I strongly urge you to look into Kauai.

Have fun on your vacation to paradise!

[linz]

We did our HM in Hawaii. I think how you have the time split sounds good. We did Oahu and Maui and Oahu was just ok. We did a circle island tour that took us to pearl harbor, north beach, and the Dole plant (amazing). I recommend doing a tour to see the whole island. We did not have a car. We stayed at Waikiki which I loved. Plenty to walk to and our hotel gave us free passes to ride the trolley that takes you to places like the mall - where we ate one night. We also paid I think $10 to have a ride to and from the airport. Maui def get a car. We stayed in Ka'anapali (sp?) and that was fab. I def recommend the Old Lahaina Luau. Book now so you get good seats. The one thing I regret not doing in Maui was the Road to Hana. We just didn't have the time. We did do Parasailing right in front of our hotel and it was amazing. I believe UFO parasail?

[Deleted]

We just got back from Maui with our 19 month old and 3 1/2 year old. We did the road to Hana, and we didn't get to stop as much as we'd like just because it's hard with kids. It was still a really pretty drive but if your kid isn't good in the car, it may not be the best choice since it's an all-day thing. We actually enjoyed the drive up and around the west side of the island more because it wasn't as long and the kids could get out and walk around a bit more. If you have the Maui Revealed book we just followed the drive in there.

[Deleted]

I vote to spend way more time in Maui. We went to Hawaii this summer and Oahu was by far my least favorite of the Hawaiian islands I've been to. But I love Maui.

[love1999]

I agree with the others. Spend just enough time on Oahu to do Pearl Harbor and the couple of other great things there (Diamond Head, Dole Plantation, checking out the North Shore) and then go to Maui. We LOVE Maui and even after two trips, there are still whole chunks of the island we haven't seen. You can easily fill a week there and only see a fraction of it. I recommend the sunrise at Haleakala, the Road to Hana and a boat trip (either for snorkeling or just a sunset cruise). A great place to grab a bite to eat is Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop in Oluwalu. Casual for your child but SO good. The chocolate macadamia pie is to die for and all of the sandwiches, pot pies, etc we had were delicious too!

[love1999]

I agree with the others. Spend just enough time on Oahu to do Pearl Harbor and the couple of other great things there (Diamond Head, Dole Plantation, checking out the North Shore) and then go to Maui. We LOVE Maui and even after two trips, there are still whole chunks of the island we haven't seen. You can easily fill a week there and only see a fraction of it. I recommend the sunrise at Haleakala, the Road to Hana and a boat trip (either for snorkeling or just a sunset cruise). A great place to grab a bite to eat is Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop in Oluwalu. Casual for your child but SO good. The chocolate macadamia pie is to die for and all of the sandwiches, pot pies, etc we had were delicious too!