Hawaii

[CalStateTempe]

Wife and I are planning our first trip without our daughter in sept/oct 2016. We'll also be first timers to Hawaii. I'm know there is a wealth of knowledge here to help select an island among the 6ish.

We are thinking a 4-5 day trip focusing on beaches and R&R. Maybe a few outings to town and a a hike or two, but genrally we want good beaches and good dining.

Right now we are thinking between Maui vs Kauai and have some sense of the pros and cons of each. Certainly open to other suggestions and welcome strong opinions of which I can assume are many (having reviewed some Hawaii travel blogs).

Thanks guys, Bear Down.

[scumdevils86]

All I was going to say was go anywhere other than Oahu. I went there in 2006 and it was ok but definitely not a vacation I would do again.

[CalStateTempe]

This is what I gather from what I read and have heard from friends who've been to Honolulu.

[catgrad97]

Yeah, first-timers always look back and wish they had gone somewhere else besides Oahu.

I'd stay stick with Kauai, with an option to hop to Maui for a day somewhere during the trip. Just too many amazing waterfalls, canyons and beaches on Kauai.

There's a little spot called The Blowhole less than a mile down the highway from Captain Cook's landing I could stay at all day. Just breathtaking tides and pools.

[azgreg]

Loved Kauai. Went there for our honeymoon a million years ago. My wife has relatives there right near Barking Sands. Walk out their front door, cross the road, and you're on the beach. I remember great snorkeling there on the north side around the Hanalei Bay area.

[catgrad97]

Yeah, my sister went snorkeling there on her honeymoon, as did my best friend from high school. Neither could stop raving about the experience on Facebook for a week.

Really underrated mountain there nicknamed the Sleeping Giant which is very scenic to hike. Ask the veteran locals, they'll show you where it's at.

[Alieberman]

Maui is awesome! Hang on the beach, go snorkeling at Molokini crater, take a day trip to do the road to Hana.... a perfect trip to get away

[Merkin]

My daughter lives near Pearl Harbor with her Navy husband. We are going there in August for a week. Daughter claims there is plenty to do, but the nice thing is we can stay with her for free. Although free being taking them to dinner every night.

[wyo-cat]

I like Kauai. I have a relative with a house up on the north shore. I've been there quite a few times. The north shore never gets old.

[UAEebs86]

The Big Island is my favorite. Haven't been to Maui yet though.

[Puerco]

I like Kauai. I have a relative with a house up on the north shore. I've been there quite a few times. The north shore never gets old.

/cosign

Haven't been to any of the other islands, though.

[VegasCatFan]

Maui and Kauai are the only two that I've been to. Although we rented houses on both islands and didn't stay on any of the beaches. I preferred Kauai. We stayed in Princeville which is up north. The island just seemed more lush and laid back. The blowhole was cool that Catgrad was talking about. The Napali coast is something you'd want to go see and Waimea Canyon is really colorful and a good way to spend half a day, depending where you're staying.

My wife preferred Maui. She loved the snorkeling at Molokini Crater that Alieberman was talking about and the Road to Hana is really cool. Saw lots of waterfalls. We stayed in Lahaina, which is a bit dryer than the rest of the island, on the west side of the island. What was really cool about the house we stayed in was that we could see whales swimming and breaching. Didn't need binoculars but if you wanted to see it clearly, they came in handy. And you could clearly see two other islands.

[azcat49]

CST, you must go tubing down the haleMaka river. You have to wear miners lamps as you enter the lava tubes. As for the rest of the islands, it always depends on what you want yo aee. Seclusion, Party, tourist traps?

[CalStateTempe]

Thanks guys, Killer tips here.

I think we are settling on Kauai, we're planning 4-5 day trip really with the goal of hanging out and relaxing on the beach a resort. Kauai seems like the type of trip we are looking for with nice excursions into some sweet hiking trails. The blowhole and halemaka river are on the list of things to do.

I think we are going to save Maui for when we go as a family and hopefully around a certain holiday basketball tourney someday.

Bear Down

[Puerco]

If memory serves, most of the beach resorts are in the south, but the northern coast is much more scenic, IMO.

If you dive, give it a shot for a half day or so. The geography underwater is amazing. Not really coral reefs, but the wildlife is okay but not top class. Water is a little cloudy compared to the top places (Kauai gets a lot of rain which leads to sediment and more algae/plankton in the water, which leads to more interesting fish and larger stuff), but on our morning it was pretty clear. If you're serious and want to make the commitment, you could try diving off the coast of that private island a couple hours by boat NW of Kauai. Supposedly amazing. There was a recent CNN blurb about it.

Have fun. #jealous

[VegasCatFan]

We stayed in Princeville in Kauai, which is up north, about five minutes from the St. Regis which is a very upscale resort. It looked like a really nice place. You can also head west on the main road until it ends and just walk into the ocean and snorkel there. Nothing special though.

Don't remember the name of the main luau on Kauai but it was really good. Actually sat next to Auti's parents if any of you that have been around for awhile remember her. They were very complimentary of Ben Hansen too.