You don't say where they are coming from, but if it is the midwest or east coast, I like both Naples, FL and Miami/Miami Beacg a lot.

Naples is upscale, relaxed, beautiful. It has good cultural activities and access to nature as well as beautiful beaches and good restaurants. Flying through RSW (Ft Myers) is pretty hassle-free. The weather is excellent.

Miami has great weather, lots of multicultural interest, interesting upscale neighborhoods like Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, all in addition to the action of Miami Beach and the very upscale Key Biscayne. The Everglades are not far away. Great restaurants. MIA is not my favorite place to fly, but it is better as a destination than as a transfer point.

Neither has long lists of gotta-do-before-you-die stuff, so both very relaxing.

Which part of California do you live in? Which parts of California have they not seen? Which state do they live in?
If they have seen all of California that they care to, Hawaii would be my choice.
I think I've seen enough of Florida to last a lifetime.

Thanks for the input. We are all from the LA area.

Yes, I love the Miami area as well. A few years back we took a road trip together, covered a lot of Florida (Everglades, South Beach, Key West, Datona Beach, Orlando). I think we briefly stopped at Naples too. But would love to go visit again though, especially South Beach.

We have taken some lovely road trips together within California, so seen most of it.
For Hawaii, I've been to Oahu and Maui myself, but they haven't so it'll be new to them.

What do you guys think about Puerto Rico? I speak very little Spanish - will it be difficult to get by with English only?

Bryce Canyon will probably be too cold, right?

My DH and I have chosen Maui for many a winter, but if your parents haven't visited Hawaii at all, they would probably enjoy Oahu as a first island. Stay Waikiki in winter. Easy to get around on foot, by taxi, by bus.

We often took trips or cruises to the Caribbean *before* we discovered Hawaii. Florida isn't a sure thing for warmth in the dead of winter. Since you are west coast, you can be in Honolulu in five hours and home in four.

I second Hawaii, especially since your parents have never been.

I recommend you find out where your parents would like to go, amongst the choices available, and take them there. It's that simple.

Since you are in LA - consider Costa Rica - which is very beautiful, safe and fairly easy to get around.

We love Hawaii - but Costa Rica offers you a bit of a different experience and you don't have to worry about not speaking Spanish. Do however learn your exchange rate and carefully count your Change/Cambio - as they have been known to make mistakes when helping Touristas.

TomSD...did you notice the OP request for US?

Or do you think Costa Rico is part of the US?

Another off the mark post...

Choosing to stay in US and US Territories (Puerto Rico) for elderly is a wise option due to access for healthcare/Medicare benefits.

Hawaii would be a good choice & I have seen some great airfares on Alaska.

Puerto Rico is ok. You don't need to s/Spanish and there are several US hotels that offer familiarity. The flight though is very long most w/redeye routes, long layovers and timezone changes.

69...elderly??? Methinks not. (although I do agree the post didn't respond to the OP's request)

SF307...soxially I don't think of 69 as elderly. Howeever from the POV of healthcare & Medicare, 69 is considered appropriately elderly.

Holy nit pickers. So IJAR - are you an accountant or some such? I suggested a nice alternative and fyi - they have good medical care in Costa Rica if needed. My sister lived there for 4 years and it's a great place to visit. As easy to get to from LA as is flying to Hawaii, and they have a real, booming volcano - Arenal - vis the more placid, lava flowing one on Big Island, although we also love Hawaii.

Thanks everyone for all the great input, appreciate it.

At this point, I think Oahu would be a good choice. I'll get a plan together for the 6 days or so, and shall post again on here for some more feedback.

One thing I need input on for now is this: would it be better to rent a car for the days we are there, or just cab it to/from the hotel and take the island tours that are available at the hotel? Thinking about just getting a car so there's more flexibility, but would be good to get some input. Thanks.

Car.

You'll see a lot more and be more in control of your own hours and schedules.

There are some things that you might want to do - luau, hula dancing, - that would need a "program" - but check with your hotel first and see if they offer anything close to what you like. There's also that ghastly Mormon-run "Cultural" Center. Heard from my relatives that it's improved "somewhat". Don't know what "somewhat" really means.

Good choice! Enjoy your trip!

Hawaii! Great rates from the west coast; good weather more likely there than Florida; the parents have never been.

Rent a car! Lots to see on Oahu besides Honolulu. The North Shore is beautiful.

You may want to consider three or four nights Honolulu and the remaining nights on another island.

Have a wonderful trip!

(1JAR: I beg your pardon! I don't think of persons in their sixties as elderly, if they are in good health otherwise.)

You'd better get working on plane, hotel, and car reservations NOW if you want to go to Hawaii.

"Winter" is a peak season and the week before and after President's Day in February is a particularly busy time. All the rates are high for that time period and people are reporting having trouble reserving rental cars. I would avoid the time between Feb 9 and Feb 24 if you can.

You could also spend 3 or so nights up on the North Shore of Oahu - which is like going to an outer island.

Check VRBO - and around Haleiwa and Waimea Bay - and the Turtle Bay Resort also.

Hello, and thanks so much for all the great input, appreciate it.

Debating a couple of options, thought I'd get some input:

Option 1: Waikiki 3 days + North shore 3 days

Vs.

Option 2: Waikiki 5 days + another island 4 or 5 days ( only I've been to Maui, Oahu - parents have not)

Leaning more towards option 1 at this point: easier to plan ( for me), less strenuous for parents.

My questions are:

1. For another island (if we were to pick option 2), what would be a reasonable choice?

2. For North Shore, Oahu, am I better off going for an apartment rental or hotel? Any hotels/apartments you recommend?

Thanks for your help.

Am a big fan of Kauai - and it's only a 20 minute flight from Oahu. If you parents can ride in an auto for an hour or so - it's the most beauitful of the islands with - at least - IMO - the most to see in the shortest distance.

The North Shore is especially beautiful/lush - even for the "Garden Isle" - and Waimea Canyon was called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific by Mark Twain - with good reason.

For some ideas - see: http://gohawaii.about.com/od/kauaiactivities/ss/top-things-to-do-on-kauai.htm

And there are other posts in here - under Hawaii - on/about the various islands. If you go to Kauai during the "winter" - staying mid-island - or down at Poipu would be the best this time of year - but do get up to the North Shore.

Ask your parents if they ever saw the classic WWII musicle/love story by Rogers and Hammerstein - South Pacific.

It shows the North Shore in all of it's Bali Hai splendor, and the pier in Hanalei Bay is still there. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052225/

BTW - the last page of the Go Hawaii site has a list of other movies filmed on Kauai:

http://gohawaii.about.com/od/kauaiactivities/ss/top-things-to-do-on-kauai_12.htm

I believe there are no hotels on the north shore of Oahu other than Turtle Bay.

It may only be a 20 minute flight, but it's a 4 hour expedition by the time you check out, drive, return the rental car, check bags, and get through security.

Thanks for the well thoughtout posts.

Just checked Turtle resort prices, that's out of my range.

If I book all the nights (6 nights) in the Waikiki area and use that as a home base for exploring Oahu, would that be a good idea? Weighing this in as an alternative to getting an apartment rental/VRBO somewhere in the North Shore for half the time and spending the other half in the Waikiki area.

Personally, I'd stay in Waikiki and rent a car. It's about 1/2 hour from Waikiki to Kailua (east coast), less than an hour to Haleiwa (north shore), a 1/2 hour west to Pearl Harbor. We once drove to Kailua in the morning, spent 4 hours kayaking, drove up to Haleiwa and the north shore for a late lunch, and were back in Waikiki by early evening.

Get your rental car lined up NOW, reading a thread on Trip Advisor about a person who was not able to find a car to rent.

I'd stay on Waikiki too. You can even tour the entire circumference of the island by local bus. Two of my trips I didn't bother w/ a rental car (but other times I have - works fine either way)

I'm doing the same/similar vacation. I am going to Oahu March 1 and staying in Waikiki at a condo rental for 6 nights and then 3 nights on another part of the island. Right now I've a room reserved at the Marriott Beach club in Ko Olina but I am thinking of switching to a room at Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay's rates are cheaper and it includes parking, but the Marriott has condo facilities like a kitchenette and laundry which I like. Right now I'm leaning towards booking at Turtle Bay using a deal I saw on Travelzoo.com where you can get a early check-in, late check-out, free upgrade and a 50 dollar credit. Not too shabby especially since their prices are almost equivalent to booking directly with Turtle Bay (but without extras). If Turtle Bay is not affordable then I would definitely rent through VRBO, a nice cottage or condo on the North Shore. They are probably more of them on that side than Ko Olina and the vibe is completely different than Waikiki, almost like going to a different "island". For such a short stay, I think it's best to stay on one island and really experience it. If you definitely want to switch, I would suggest Kauai. Hope you and your parents have a great trip!

PS, even I am having trouble booking car rental for my dates March 1-10 2013. All the prices are ridiculously high, e.g. an economy car is 40 bucks a day! =O I will most likely have to bite the bullet at some point or I am also looking to book using some credit card points - I am just shy of a few points so thinking that x-mas shopping will make up for that.

tifa, try discounthawaiicarrental.com, got a great car from Avis with them my last trip to Kauai.

Thanks for all the help and great advice on here. Ok, so in the last couple of days, I finally got the air tickets, car rental reservations, hotel reservations.

We are going Dec12th-Dec19th. I got into "panic mode" after reading jamie99's post About "get your car NOW", and got into a booking frenzy. Am going through the typical buyer's remorse now, but that's ok I booked a hotel in Waikiki for all 7 nights.

Tifa2276, regarding car rentals, I got a 7 day rental for a compact from Thrifty for $175 including taxes. Maybe check with them for your travel dates? I booked with them directly on the 27th.

Now that the reservations are done, still need to plan out the days. This is what I'd like to have some help with, from you experts. So far, I have:

Polynesian culture center
Explore North Shore
Diamond head
Pearl harbor
Waikiki area
Attend a Luau (PCC or Paradise Luau?)

What more could I add to this list, that's not too strenuous? I'm afraid that with 6 full days and two half days, and the restrictions we have on things we can do, We might end up with an empty schedule.

The plan is still somewhat flexible - can even add another island for 3 days, as long as I get back by 8PM on the 19th to HNL. Was thinking of maybe adding Maui, and doing:

Road to Hana
Haleakala crater (excuse the spellings)

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the helpful input. We decided to just stick with Oahu for this trip.

What would be a good Luau to go to in Oahu? Any recommendations will be helpful. And would also like some feedback about the hike to Diamond Head - is it moderate-average in the level of difficulty? Thanks.

The hike to Diamond Head is really a walk, not a hike. It takes about 45 minutes. The only part that's strenuous is the 99 steps at the very end.

I think your plan of staying in Waikiki for all 7 days is excellent. You have plenty to do on your list (too much imo). It's OK to plan some 'down town' for easy things around Waikiki like the Zoo, going to the beach, seeing some free music or dance in the evenings, etc.

Here are some suggestions for things to do:

http://www.valley-of-the-temples.com/

http://www.iolanipalace.org/

pearl harbor http://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm

haleiwa a cute town on the way to the north shore
http://haleiwatown.com/

http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/