Hawaii... 3 Islands - Lots of questions!

[wineenthusiast]

I apologize in advance for my lengthy post!

We are planning a trip to Hawaii next fall and I'd like to maximize this trip the best we can.  It's pretty costly for us to get there from CHI so I have the mindset "this may be our only trip to HI so make the most of it".  Our plan is to fly in to an undecided island and spend 5-7 nights, then fly to Kauai where we will all stay 7 nights in time share units, then fly to Oahu for 2-3 nights and fly home from there.  There will be 8 of us (+2 kids) going to Kauai to celebrate my mom/SD's anniversary.  My mom/SD will likely come to Oahu with us as they would like to see Pearl Harbor as well.

For the first island, it may be just H and I.  My sister has decided shes going to head to Maui first but I haven't decided on our first island yet.  I'm open to Maui, I'm just not sure where I want to go!  What would be a good choice based on the other 2 islands we are doing?  A little insight to H and I... I love the outdoors in summer weather, H needs a break from the heat if its really hot.  I can go-go-go all day but H needs some down time.  We enjoy hiking, bicycling, boating and just being at the beach.  I am pretty clumsy and nervous on the edge of steep cliffs so I wont do really hard hiking trails.  I could sit on a beach for a week, reading and drinking and be happy but I do enjoy activities as well.  I will not surf but love to watch, H may want to try it.  I have absolutely no desire to go deep sea fishing.

On Kauai, the timeshare is in Kapaa.  We may get to upgrade to units at a Wyndham or Marriott resort but we wont know until January so we'll just assume we are staying in the units currently booked.  We'll have cars so getting around the island wont be a problem regardless of where we stay.  We plan to do some hiking and a catamaran snorkeling trip.  I'd also like to take one of the smaller boats out that bring you in caves.  We will definitely spend some time at a public beach as our time share unit does not have a beach.  I imagine we will find a luau for all of us to go to one evening.  My brother plans to bring their 5 yo and 5 month old with so I'm not sure how much they will be able to do as far as hiking and snorkeling.  Those of you who've brought young kids, are there any good activities to take them along on?  Any restaurant/luau recs?  Any MUST see/do's while there? 

On Oahu, the main purpose is to see Pearl Harbor.  Any other "musts" while there?  I've always thought I wanted to go to Waikiki, is worth checking out?  What area should we stay in while here?  Hotel recs?

I'd love any insight from anyone who has been to any of the islands!  Places you think are "must visits", activity company recommendations or even things to avoid would be great.  I've been visiting a lot of website reading up on each island but it's overwhelming choosing the itinerary. 





 

[Susie]

We're planning a trip for this winter, and looking to pick 2 islands. The 3 contenders are Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. It sounds like you are pretty set on Oahu, but that is the one we were able to easily eliminate. Waikiki and Diamond Head are famous of course, but my preference is for a less commercial, crowded, resort-y feel. I didn't honestly find it all that unique when I was there. Honolulu also didn't strike me as special or particularly interesting. I skipped Pearl Harbor when I was there. Of all the things to do in Hawaii, it wasn't high on my list.

I think we're definitely going to the Big Island, and are trying to decide between Kauai and Maui for the second one. Kauai will be very different from the Big Island, if you're looking for variety. Maui kind of offers a little of everything. I want to see the active volcanoes on the BI, plus as a triathlete I feel the need to rent a bike and ride in Kona, where Ironman world championships are held every October

[bullsgirl]

I have been to Maui and Kauai and loved both for very different reasons!

In Maui, we really enjoyed the road to Hana. If you go leave early and just expect it to be an all day event. There is good hiking at the end. I absolutely loved the black sand beach. We actually didn't use tour companies for anything, so no recs on those. Our hotel offered a free canoe tour, and it was really cool seeing all the sea turtles. I would definitely do something like that again.

In Kauai we enjoyed visiting the canyon. We stayed near kapaa, but my favorite area of Kauai was definitely Hanalei and the beaches in that area. Really cute town and amazing beaches. We also rented bikes near the hotel and road on the trails by the water.

Hawaii is amazing. You can't really go wrong

[mdgirl]

First, all of the islands are beautiful. As long as you go in with a good attitude and you like to explore you'll have a great time. I have 8 entries about Hawaii in my blog if you'd like to take a look, and I just got back from another trip on Sunday (the BI and Oahu, no post about that one yet).



I'd say your third island should be the BI, but that's partly because I don't really like Maui. It's not bad, just touristy (as in few locals) and I don't think it has much to offer that you can't find on the other islands. The resorts on the BI are beautiful and you could be happy just sitting around a good one for a week, but there's a TON to see if you want to. And it's really amazing stuff you can't see on the other islands. Our trip last week was our 3rd time there and pretty much everything we did and saw was new to us. There is a lot of driving involved, though.



I've been to Kauai 3 times but I've always stayed in Poipu, so I don't have much to recommend for you on the east side of the island. I will say that depending on when you go you may have to be flexible with some of your activities. Waves on the north shore of Kauai are no joke in the winter, and when I was just in Hawaii there was already a small winter swell in.



Waikiki is OK. They've improved it a lot in the last few years, so it's not as tacky as it used to be. I personally like to stay in an area called the Gold Coast, which is down a bit from Waikiki proper. It's really quiet because it's by a large park, there's a super nice beach called Kaimana, free parking, and you're close enough to Waikiki to walk if you want to go there. There are a couple hotels (New Otani, Lotus, which is where I've stayed), and condos. There are other areas of the island where you can stay, too. Ko'Olina has a few resorts (but IMO the area of the island isn't the best), there's Turtle Bay on the North Shore, which is where we stayed this past trip, and you can rent condos or houses just about anywhere. As far as must sees, if there's surf when you're there the North Shore is definitely a must, and the Windward side is beautiful. Also if you're interested in WWII history the Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl might be worth a stop. I know you didn't say anything about shopping, but the shopping in Honolulu is fantastic. The first Chanel boutique in the U.S. was in Waikiki for a reason!



I personally really like Oahu because unlike the other islands, which are pretty sparsely populated, it's actually full of people who aren't tourists. Hawaiian culture (meaning the present-day state of Hawaii) is so interesting and it's hard to get exposure to it off Oahu. But I know not everyone goes to Hawaii for that. Do keep in mind that if you only see Waikiki and Pearl Harbor you're missing a lot. The latter is a military base next to an industrial harbor. Tourists wouldn't think too much of the other islands if they only saw bases and industrial areas, either.

[dearprudence]

I agree with mdgirl, Maui is my least favorite of the islands and pales in comparison to Kauai.

The Big Island is very cool from a geologic standpoint, with Volcano National Park, the lava tubes, black and green sand beaches.  Kona and Hilo are both fun towns to explore and you can really be as active or passive as you like.

I've never stayed in Kapaa, but it's a "family friendly" area and close to some easy access public beaches.  It's also relatively central (at least moreso that Princeville, where we stay). The kids will probably get a kick out of the Plantation Railroad (well the 5 year old, I don't think much will impress the 5 month old).  And Waimea has some really easy, wide hiking paths that would be good for your entire group.

I'm also not huge on Waikiki, but I'm not a city girl and it's got a very city vibe - although cool that it's a city on the beach.  If you're there, and near Pearl Harbor, you might as well check it out for yourself.  It's not overwhelmingly large, so easy to just walk around for an afternoon.   We do stay in Ko'olina, but that's where our timeshare is (although DH and I don't spend a lot of time at the resorts -we're more "go out and see" travelers.)  The Dole Factory was touristy, but I liked it anyway and the North Shore is worth the drive.

I would recommend checking out the Hawaii Revealed series.  I think I have (outdated) ones for each of the island and they're filled with good recommendations.

[moreace01]

Hi - I'm also seconding the idea to really check into the water activities in Kauai in winter. Do the boats even run? Some of them didn't when I was there in November. Just something to check on.

[love1999]

We have done Oahu, Big Island and Maui. We weren't super impressed with Oahu but I understand the desire to see Pearl Harbor, which is why we went there on our first trip. I recommend hiking Diamond Head there. The view at the top is great. We also really enjoyed getting out of Waikiki and seeing the North Shore. We did the Polynesian Cultural Center but didn't really care for it. Might be good for the 5 year old though. Stop by the Dole Plantation for the Dole Whip if nothing else...yum! In Waikiki, hit up LuLu's for breakfast. The stuffed French toast is incredible.

Based on you and your husband's interests, I would say Maui for your other island. I think you both would really enjoy the Road to Hana and there are some great little hikes off of that. You would probably also really enjoy doing sunrise at Haleakala and biking down the volcano. We also thought the beaches we went to on Maui were nicer than those on the Big Island. We really enjoyed the Big Island too but Maui is still our favorite. It's really hard to go wrong in Hawaii though...it is all pretty awesome. If you go to Maui, have breakfast at The Gazebo and get some lunch and dessert from Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop. The chocolate macadamia nut pie is amazing.

I agree with PP on getting the Revealed books for whichever islands you choose. They are a wealth of info and will help you find things you would otherwise miss.

Have fun! Hawaii is one of our favorite places in the world!

[mich1]

When I went to Hawaii, we did Oahu, Maui and Kauai. I probably enjoyed Kauai the most. Oahu, where I spent the most time (I was at a research meeting there), I managed to see the sights I wanted to see, but would not go back to Oahu again.  If I was going to go back, I'd split my time between Kauai, Maui and probably try to get to the big island, as that's the one place I didn't get to there.

[wineenthusiast]

Thanks for all the info. I love your blog entries mdgirl. Very helpful! I am not all that interested in Pearl Harbor but my H said if I'm "making him" go to HI, he's at least doing that. He's 6'5" and really isn't thrilled with the thought of a 9+ hour plane ride. He could care less if we go to HI at all but I know he'll love it once we get there. I'm okay with a few days of the "touristy experience" since the majority of our trip wont have that feel. I do hope to checkout more than just Pearl Harbor and Waikiki on Oahu and am interested in the cultural experience there. The Gold Coast area sounds perfect, I am going to look into that. And I can't believe I forgot to mention shopping. Of course that is a must!

We will be there in October, which I don't think is technically winter yet so hopefully the weather will cooperate and the waves will be calm enough for us to a boat tour of some kind. I will look into that.

Kapaa definitely isn't our first choice for Kauai but its a free week so I wont complain. There is still a chance we'll be able to exchange for a fancier resort, which could be anywhere on the island so we're hoping that works out. Even if we end up in Kapaa, with a week we will have plenty of time to explore the island.

I am torn between Maui and the Big Island although I know we'll have a great time wherever we end up. I've got a couple months to decide still. I will be reading lots of reviews and books in the near future! Thanks for the book recs dearprudence. There are so many out there, even those are hard to choose.

[magdala]

Oct 10, 2014 14:04:09 GMT -5 mdgirl said:

I'd say your third island should be the BI, but that's partly because I don't really like Maui. It's not bad, just touristy (as in few locals) and I don't think it has much to offer that you can't find on the other islands. The resorts on the BI are beautiful and you could be happy just sitting around a good one for a week, but there's a TON to see if you want to. And it's really amazing stuff you can't see on the other islands. Our trip last week was our 3rd time there and pretty much everything we did and saw was new to us. There is a lot of driving involved, though.

We loved the Big Island.  I found it so much better than Maui for the same reasons.  Volcano national park and the observatory were my favorite parts of the Big Island.  We also hit fantastic restaurants such as Hilo Bay Cafe, Thai Orchid, Tako Taco, and Sushi Rocks.  We drove all over the island so I recommend upgrading your car from a basic compact to a slightly larger more powerful vehicle.   People were super friendly and driving was easy but sometimes I wanted a little more power for the hills.   

[knavy]

A tip for Pearl Harbor. Go 15 minutes or so before they open to get tickets. They only have so many tour slots per day and once they are gone that's it. I didn't think I was going to like it but it's a really informative tour about what caused the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I would also suggest the ali'i tour of the macadamia nut farm. It's really funny and they do a fire dance up close and personal. Totally worth the $20. I take all of my guests who visit me there.