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Hawaii Experts, Advice needed
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sailorgirl
- Posts: 1644
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm
Hawaii Experts, Advice needed
Having a difficult time deciding on where to take a vacation this summer. I want to sit on a beach, hubby has other ideas. I floated the idea of Hawaii but Im an east coast girl and know nothing about it.
Im thinking a few days in Honolulu so Hubby can tour the Pearl Harbor sites (get his fill of historical sightseeing)and then off to one of the other islands maybe for some sun, relaxation and maybe some outdoor activitiy like hikes, bike rides, sailing.
All suggestions and advice would be most welcome.
PS I did find Chicagoans report about Kauai and now im very interested!!!
Im thinking a few days in Honolulu so Hubby can tour the Pearl Harbor sites (get his fill of historical sightseeing)and then off to one of the other islands maybe for some sun, relaxation and maybe some outdoor activitiy like hikes, bike rides, sailing.
All suggestions and advice would be most welcome.
PS I did find Chicagoans report about Kauai and now im very interested!!!
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Teddy Salad
- Posts: 205
- Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:05 am
- Location: Colorado
Hi Sailorgirl,
My wife and I have been to Kauai 3 times and we are seriously thinking about going back next winter for 2 weeks.
I can't give you advice on the other islands from personal experience, but I know that they all have their strong points.
My advice would be to take more than a week for your trip. 10 days is probably the minimum if you're spending a few days on Oahu. 2 weeks would be better. If memory serves, you will be coming from NYC. That's a long trip, although you will gain 6 hours going over. The trip back home will probably be an overnighter since you will be losing those 6 hours.
PM me if you have questions about Kauai. It's a special place for sure.
My wife and I have been to Kauai 3 times and we are seriously thinking about going back next winter for 2 weeks.
I can't give you advice on the other islands from personal experience, but I know that they all have their strong points.
My advice would be to take more than a week for your trip. 10 days is probably the minimum if you're spending a few days on Oahu. 2 weeks would be better. If memory serves, you will be coming from NYC. That's a long trip, although you will gain 6 hours going over. The trip back home will probably be an overnighter since you will be losing those 6 hours.
PM me if you have questions about Kauai. It's a special place for sure.
We've been to Hawaii twice. First trip was to Maui and Kauai. Second trip was to the Big Island and back to Kauai. If we go again, we'll probably spend the whole trip on Kauai. We're East coasters also or we probably would have gone more often. The travel can be grueling. I agree that you'd want to have more time than just a week.
I really love Kauai, particularly the north shore. It's different than the Caribbean. Two versions of paradise. We found the TA Kauai forum very helpful. Quite a few posters there who live on the island.
These are a few of the sights from the north shore:
I really love Kauai, particularly the north shore. It's different than the Caribbean. Two versions of paradise. We found the TA Kauai forum very helpful. Quite a few posters there who live on the island.
These are a few of the sights from the north shore:
I can help with any info that you may need about Oahu, from the tourist stuff or more of the local vibe. It's right up there with STJ and JVD for one of my favorite places in the world. It might be easier for you to send me a pm with any questions you might have, otherwise I would really go on and on about the island. 
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sailorgirl
- Posts: 1644
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm
I've been to all four of the main islands twice. I recommend Maui. It seems to encompass alot of the other three islands into one. It has it's surfing side, it's snorkeling side, dry side, rain forest and vulcanic rock side. It is really beautiful. The whales this spring have been incredible. Lots of baby whales too! Two days, one night on Oahu is all you need to see Pearl Harbor and a few other sites.
The islands are moderate as far as climate goes. Kauai is exotic but the most rainy, however, it is one of the oldest islands, on that Pacific plate, so it is actually sinking. Kauai offers great helicoptor tours, the Fern Grotto, rafting, etc. The newer islands have active volcanos and are still developing. Kauai is gorgeous for it's lushness. There are roads that have tree tunnels. 
It is more quiet and has a better sense of localness. It is hit or miss for weather, but very romantic and great hiking.
Look at a map of the major islands and you can see where they lay on the Pacific plate...lower is Hawaii,then Maui,then Molokai, then Oahu and then Kauai. Hawaii is much newer in development (physically) than Kauai. That is why it still has active volcanos.
Really any time of year is a good time to go to these islands. I've been in August and November and both were in the 80's.
Here's my personal feeling on Hawaii islands versus STJ...it's not the same. STJ has the original islands feel with great beaches. Hawaii has great beaches but without the islands feel. Does that make sense to anyone?
It is more quiet and has a better sense of localness. It is hit or miss for weather, but very romantic and great hiking.Look at a map of the major islands and you can see where they lay on the Pacific plate...lower is Hawaii,then Maui,then Molokai, then Oahu and then Kauai. Hawaii is much newer in development (physically) than Kauai. That is why it still has active volcanos.
Really any time of year is a good time to go to these islands. I've been in August and November and both were in the 80's.
Here's my personal feeling on Hawaii islands versus STJ...it's not the same. STJ has the original islands feel with great beaches. Hawaii has great beaches but without the islands feel. Does that make sense to anyone?
I've been to Honolulu/Waikiki, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.
Kauai was beautiful; the Poipu area has the more consistent weather, but I really liked the north side of the island, especially Hanalei.
The Waimea area of Maui had a really nice beach and the road to Hana had awesome scenery. We stayed right in Lahaina which is very touristy and the beaches not so great.
We did a helicoptor tour over Volcano National park on the Big Island; stayed at one of the resorts along the Kohala coast. Really good snorkeling at a couple of beaches just south of Kona.
Waikiki was fun. Pearl Harbor is very moving.
Definitely try to do at least 10 days.
Kauai was beautiful; the Poipu area has the more consistent weather, but I really liked the north side of the island, especially Hanalei.
The Waimea area of Maui had a really nice beach and the road to Hana had awesome scenery. We stayed right in Lahaina which is very touristy and the beaches not so great.
We did a helicoptor tour over Volcano National park on the Big Island; stayed at one of the resorts along the Kohala coast. Really good snorkeling at a couple of beaches just south of Kona.
Waikiki was fun. Pearl Harbor is very moving.
Definitely try to do at least 10 days.
janet
Both of our trips to Hawaii were in early September. The first time we knew little about Hawaii and the timing just sort of came together that way. The second trip was in early September by design.
The fall is low tourism season in Hawaii. No hurricane worries, but summer vacations are over and people aren't thinking about escaping winter. Weather is great. Warm days, nights cool down a little. An infrequent shower, usually yielding a rainbow.
We love the north shore of Kauai and the surf gets very rough there during our winter months. Really too rough to get in the water. So we wanted to be sure to be there during the calmer seasons. Early September also turned out to be guava season and there are lots of wild guava on the north shore trails.
So I guess we've liked early September because there are less people around and the weather's great. And for us, the surf conditions on Kauai's north shore are really important. If we weren't able to get there during the calmer months, we'd put a trip off until we could. One strategy we used on our last trip was to stay on the north shore of Kauai for most of our time there, then stay somewhere in the south or west for a few days. We wanted to minimize driving time, so did our north shore activities from the north shore base, then explored the south and west from the southern base.
The fall is low tourism season in Hawaii. No hurricane worries, but summer vacations are over and people aren't thinking about escaping winter. Weather is great. Warm days, nights cool down a little. An infrequent shower, usually yielding a rainbow.
We love the north shore of Kauai and the surf gets very rough there during our winter months. Really too rough to get in the water. So we wanted to be sure to be there during the calmer seasons. Early September also turned out to be guava season and there are lots of wild guava on the north shore trails.
So I guess we've liked early September because there are less people around and the weather's great. And for us, the surf conditions on Kauai's north shore are really important. If we weren't able to get there during the calmer months, we'd put a trip off until we could. One strategy we used on our last trip was to stay on the north shore of Kauai for most of our time there, then stay somewhere in the south or west for a few days. We wanted to minimize driving time, so did our north shore activities from the north shore base, then explored the south and west from the southern base.
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chicagoans
- Posts: 1586
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:51 pm
- Location: IL
We have been to Maui and Kauai and loved them both. Both have beautiful beaches and great hiking options. I liked Kauai best because it seems more laid back and IMHO has even more natural beauty than Maui, but I don't think you can go wrong with either. (If you do visit Maui, I hope you consider spending a couple of nights in Hana. It is a more remote area on Maui and my favorite part of the island.)
If you want to check out lodging options, I like this site: www.wizardpub.com. It shows aerial views of resorts so you can see the proximity to the beach, which buildings have the best views, etc. (Click to enter the site, then click on whatever island you're interested in, then the Resort Aerials tab. Lana'i lodging is under the Maui aerials tab.)
I also like this site for Kauai: http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/
Good information about hikes and be sure to check out the link for seasonal surf trends. Time of year could make a big difference in whether you will enjoy the swimming conditions more on the north or south shore. (Summer: stay north; winter: stay south.)
If you want to check out lodging options, I like this site: www.wizardpub.com. It shows aerial views of resorts so you can see the proximity to the beach, which buildings have the best views, etc. (Click to enter the site, then click on whatever island you're interested in, then the Resort Aerials tab. Lana'i lodging is under the Maui aerials tab.)
I also like this site for Kauai: http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/
Good information about hikes and be sure to check out the link for seasonal surf trends. Time of year could make a big difference in whether you will enjoy the swimming conditions more on the north or south shore. (Summer: stay north; winter: stay south.)
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sailorgirl
- Posts: 1644
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm
chicagoans wrote:We have been to Maui and Kauai and loved them both. Both have beautiful beaches and great hiking options. I liked Kauai best because it seems more laid back and IMHO has even more natural beauty than Maui, but I don't think you can go wrong with either. (If you do visit Maui, I hope you consider spending a couple of nights in Hana. It is a more remote area on Maui and my favorite part of the island.)
If you want to check out lodging options, I like this site: www.wizardpub.com. It shows aerial views of resorts so you can see the proximity to the beach, which buildings have the best views, etc. (Click to enter the site, then click on whatever island you're interested in, then the Resort Aerials tab. Lana'i lodging is under the Maui aerials tab.)
I also like this site for Kauai: http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/
Good information about hikes and be sure to check out the link for seasonal surf trends. Time of year could make a big difference in whether you will enjoy the swimming conditions more on the north or south shore. (Summer: stay north; winter: stay south.)
Thanks I found both those sites, lots of good info.