vicki_lapinta

I am so excited! Finally we will be able to plan the trip I have dreamed about for almost 20 years! My husband and I have always dreamed about going to Hawaii, but something always got in our way of planning. Living on the East coast, to make it worth the trip, I feel you need to go for at least 2 weeks. We had three kids in college up till this year. My son will be graduating PSU in May, so we decided to finally plan our trip. We own a Marriott timeshare at Ocean Watch (gold) so we put in a bunch of dates for this year and next year, and to our surprise, within 2 weeks, we were confirmed into -Marriotts-Maui-Ocean-Club-Lahaina-Napili-Towers in Maui for September 22! That is where we will start our trip
Now we are deciding what to do for the second week. We are between Kuai and the big Island. I have a Marriott reserved on Kuai w points as a back up plan in case our second trade dosent come through. Any suggestions to steer me towards Kuai or the Big Island? Any other suggestions for a first time visit are aprreciated. Soooo excited to finally plan this!!

jamie99

Well I am partial to Kauai, although the Big Island is beautiful as well. I own a timeshare at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club in Lihue and if you can get a unit there, it is a nice hotel with a terrific pool. Be sure to eat dinner or lunch at Duke's on property, the Barefoot Bar is open for lunch and casual dinner and the upstairs restaurant is dinner only with a terrific salad bar and good fish or steaks.

For the Big Island, you need a week or more, and due to the driving distances it is best to stay a few nights in either Hilo or Volcano Village to see the east side sites like Volcano National Park, Akaka Falls, maybe the botanical garden, etc. then move to Kohala Coast if possible for the rest of your stay. Have not been in awhile, was only there for five days and wanted at least double that when we left.

Have a wonderful trip, September is beautiful in Hawaii.

cd

While we had a good time on Kauai, we fell in love with the Big Island but then we were there 4wks so got to know it better. We stayed in an oceanfront condo in Kona and could walk the little town often and shop at the market often. We spent some time driving north to the resorts for lunch on the Kohala Coast. They are beautiful and expensive We snorkeled in Kona from a boat, there is also a snorkeling beach in Kona. We attended 2 laua's. We did spend 2days in the Hilo area. It is a rainy area but we still enjoyed Akaka Falls a lot, but I would always spend more time on the sunny side of the Big Island. I think no matter where you chose to stay, you will enjoy the spirit of the islands.

cd

PS What ever island you choose, buy the Island Revealed books.

sf7307

We've stayed at the Marriott Ocean Club on Maui and at both the Waiohai and Marriott Lihue (although the hotel not the timeshare units) within the last few years. We haven't been to the Big Island in 30 years so I can't comment on that. Our favorite is Kauai because it's so lush and beautiful. Even the drier south shore is beautiful (although nothing like the north shore for sheer beauty).

The Waiohai has beautiful grounds and is on a nice beach. The pool is very nice, although not as fancy as a big resort pool. The units are typical Marriott timeshare units, but the public hallways are oddly institutional-looking. It's particularly important to get a unit that looks out on the interior of the horseshoe, as some units (in Building 4 for sure) look over the parking lot and are still called "garden view".

We were not enamored of the Marriott Beach Club. The beach is on a lagoon, not the ocean. The pool is big, that's for sure, but I don't like the design personally (you can tell for yourself by looking at pictures on Tripadvisor). The hotel is showing its age unfortunately. I think the timeshare units are much newer and probably nicer, but the grounds/tennis courts/ etc need "refreshing".

Songdoc

Everybody has an opinion ;-) .

I "liked" the Big Island. Had a really good time. Then I went to Kauai ... and I LOVED Kauai--particularly the North Shore. For me, the Marriott in Kauai is in the least attractive part of the entire island--but it is somewhat centrally located for trips to the North Shore and Waimea Canyon.

I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you decide.

TravelingMan76

My friends on the Big Island (Locals) tell me that September/October are the hottest months; thr trades don't blow.

suze

I would go to the library, get a stack of guidebooks, and look at photos of the different islands. For whatever reason I'm not drawn to the Big Island. My personal favorite so far is Oahu because I like the city atmosphere in Waikiki/Honolulu. And I loved Maui on the one trip I made for a family reunion there. Kauai looks very appealing to me.

But this is one of those instances, it doesn't really matter what any of us like best only what appeals to you two.