I absolutely am in love with Kauai! My husband & I have been twice to Kauai and once to Oahu. I would love to someday take an extended trip to Kauai for perhaps 1-3 months!

1) Has anyone taken an extended vacation to any of the Hawaiian Islands? Which island and for what amount of time?

2) What was it like to be there for a long amount of time?

3) Where did you stay?

I would love to hear about any experiences! I am so curious. If I could I would move to Kauai! I just love it so much.

Mahalo in advance for the replies!

can you ask me again in October? we're going to spend the month of September in Hawaii. My plan, which is still forming, is to fly into Maui and out of Honolulu.

Maui: 5 days
Big Island: 10 days (2 locations)
Kauai: 7 days
O'ahu: 4 days

I guess if I thought I'd go again soon, I would stay longer on one island. But for me, this is an overview and I feel lucky to have enough time to hit all 4. Its a long/expensive trip from the east coast, and who knows when I'll be back.

Yes! I've been fortunate enough to spend a month in Hawaii and would love to answer your questions.

Actually I've done it five times now. Each trip is slightly different but they are all centered on the Big Island. I've combined Kauai and Oahu with the BI but since the BI is my favorite I like to spend as much time as possible there.

I've stopped first in Oahu twice for just a day or two, once in Kauai for a week and the other times were strictly BI for the full month. I divide my BI stay between the Hilton and Vista Waikoloa. Last year I stayed at the Hyatt in Waikiki and then spent the remainder of the vacation at Vista Waikoloa.

A month's stay is wonderful. You can relax and do absolutely nothing one day and put in a full day's activities the next. I never have a schedule or a plan (other than hotel/condo reservations). At least 2 days a week I just take a book to the pool and relax.

Cost is a huge factor when staying for a month. Even the least expensive rate mounts up when multiplied by 28. I always look for bargains & specials and make use of Hilton Honors points and Hyatt Gold passport & stay certificates. Last year I got a great deal using VRBO for the condo.

Car rental is another big cost over 4 weeks. I've used discounthawaiicarrental.com with excellent results.

My husband joins me for the second half of the vacation. He likes condos better than hotels so all hotel stays are over by the time he arrives.

As far as your question about what it's like to be there for a long time, it's wonderful. Coming back home (we also live on the east coast) and back to work after a glorious sunny month is very difficult.

I hope this helps you.

My wife and I stayed on Maui for 3 months. I loved it but she got island fever. So it all depends on each individual's reaction. I would do it again anytime. You might be interested in the book: "So You Want To Live in Hawaii". It has lot of useful info for longer term stays.

We have been to Hawaii 3 times. First, we did Oahu, Maui, and Big Island in one visit, and the last 2 visits were purely Oahu. There is SO much to do and see on Oahu beyond what most people think. We are active hikers, sightsee-ers, do-ers, and not necessarily beach people. There is so much here off the beaten track even though Pearl Harbor and all what Waikiki has to offer will also keep you busy. We think there is plenty to do here for a couple of weeks if you go beyond Waikiki. Every island is unique though, each deserving of a visit.

Dear Louist5, After taking early retirement 4 years ago, we became long term Kauai visitors extending our stay each year from 6 wks to 2 mos to 3 months. We're Westcoasters who for years visited Oahu and Maui for short couple and/or family vacations seeking sun and warm ocean water. Still haven't got to the BI but after discovering Kauai 12 yrs ago we returned yearly. Love it!

We just slid into the island style and music and as we both love to walk, sightsee, swim, read, eat and drink, it's been fabulous. We love the local Sunshine Markets for fresh fruit, veggies and flowers, purchased a 5 yr Hawaii Public Library Card (great book selection and for internet access before we got laptop) We have rented the same condo through VRBO in a garden setting in Poipu with reasonable long term rates and then added a very reasonable timeshare in an older oceanfront studio on the East Shore and now split our time. In the bigger rental condo, other family can join us, we eat in more, love to grill but will treat ourselves to the Hyatt, Keoki's, Brenneke's etc explore the many beaches and attractions of the south and west shores, generally calmer and sunnier in winter. The East Shore has so many nearby stores, restaurants to discover, we take long beach side walks-love the new Pedestrian Bike Path. My husband is happy to sit and watch the ocean all day-the whales, turtles, wind-surfers but also golfs and I'll do aquasizes in the pool to help compensate for the mai tais! We also love spending time on the laid back and beautiful North Shore and discovering more beaches and gentle hiking trails.

Although the Kauai bus service keeps improving, one really needs a car to enjoy the island's features. I found that long term rentals were not as expensive as some shorter terms but I REALLY research rates/coupons/ discounts as the lowest rate varied each year. Once was Rent-a-Wreck (feel more local) then Thrifty, Avis, Alamo. We both like option of driving so check if spouse is charged as extra driver (Avis didn't but Alamo did unless you use Costco discount-no charge for any extra driver)

Neither of us has gotten stir-crazy. After both working hard for many years, we really appreciate relaxing in such a warm scenic friendly setting. I'm being very wordy but hope our experiences can be helpful.

We spend 3 weeks every year on the Big Island, at a condo in Kona. We eat out about half the time, and I cook simple meals the rest of the days. We love the BI because there is so much to do. The beaches are not as good on BI but there are lots of other places to go and see. We have mixed feelings about going home -- hate to leave the lovely weather and sights, but also need some more stability, like home.

Look at "The Big Island Revealed" (go to www.wizardpub.com) for lots of local info. This guidebook is somewhat controversial because some of its more extreme suggestions are kind of dangerous, but if you use your head and stay sensible, it's very useful. They also have books on Maui and Oahu and Kauai.

Hello there- I'm a solo traveller planning to visit hawaii in the month of October. This is my very first solo trip, I'd welcome any input you may have.

Welcome to Fodors Travelsavvyy. You will do much better to start a new thread of your own - the thread you topped is more than 10 years old.

TravelSavvy - I've been to Hawaii 5 times, 4 times solo. I like to stay in Honolulu/Waikiki on Oahu because that's the only place I don't have to rent a car. Which I'd rather not do by myself. Suze

Oohh...Edit...just saw the original post was 10 years old! Sorry! Probably not very useful!



We have been spending a month in Hawaii for the past few years. We now own a condo on the Big Island - that's how much we enjoy being in Hawaii for an extended trip.

However, prior to that, we found off-season rates for small rental condos to be very reasonable. In our complex, if you are not too picky about new furniture or design aesthetic but are looking for a nice enough place for the longer stay, units can be rented for 30 days starting at around $2500 and up, maybe less if you ask? $2500 is $73 / night plus tax, roughly...no way any hotel or combination or points and hotels is likely to get you anywhere into that neighborhood. Trade off for our spot is we are very rural and remote (60 minutes from Hilo, 80 minutes from Kailua-Kona), but it's great for us and many others. True peace and quiet.

Point of my mentioning this is to the OP - shop around and even on Kauai you'll likely find someone willing to do 30 day rental at a deep discount. Time of year and location on the Island is important, too. Probably not $75 / night, but probably under $100. Enjoy it!