We're booked for 4 nights each on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island in early Jan. (I know - too many in too little time, but it's done.)

We'll have our 19 year old daughter with us...enjoy walking and easy hiking (not STRENUOUS hiking due to touchy ankles and knees), want to snorkel, see whales, some beach time but not necessarily a lot - we're not inclined to lie on the sand when there are things to see & do, enjoy some shopping, love good food...

We figure we'll be back & spend more time on a favorite island or two in the future, but for now would appreciate suggestions for how to make the most of this trip!

Thank you!

Hi,
In Maui, we loved Kanapali beach. But a must see Luau is The Old Lahaina Luau in Lahaina, Maui. It's right on the beach and it's just beautiful...lots food and drinks too! We snorkeled in Kona and it was great too.

Several suggestions-
Maui:
Haleakala (mountain-inactive volcano_
Drive around west end of island -
wonderful views
Hana

Kauai:
Napali Coast- Helicoper, Captain
Zodiac(boat), or other - just go
Wiamea Canyon
Fern Grotto

Big Island:
Volcano, lava flow - hiking
South Point& Green Sands Beach
hiking
Waipio Valley - Can hike down 1/4
mile to valley floor
Kapa'au- town where original King
Kamehameha statue located (on
the Kohala Coast)
Pololu Valley - Kohala-past Kapa'au

Four days each island will give you good time to see each. Of course you won't see everything....that's why we keep going back!

Enjoy

We visited Maui, Oahu and Kauai on our honeymoon years ago and loved it. Each island is different. On Maui we loved going up Haleakala but didn't enjoy Hana much, thought the drive was over-rated. Enjoyed Lahaina and also went to the Old Lahaina Luau, it's a bit smaller and more intimate than some that the big hotels in Kaanapali put on.
Waimea Canyon on Kauai is great, a bit like a small green Grand Canyon. We drove up to Hanalei and took a catamaran trip out to see the Na Pali coast, really enjoyed it.
Have fun! Kay

I firmly agree that the drive to Hana is very overrated - don't bother, especially with the limited amount of time you've got! Spend a morning (preferably a sunrise) up on Haleakala, snorkel, hang out on Kaanapali Beach, stroll around Lahaina, and don't miss Old Lahaina Luau!

On the Big Island, eat at least one meal at Volcano House. You also might want to walk a few of the easy trails on the east side near Hilo, as there are a very easy trails to lovely waterfalls. The town of Hilo is interesting, too.

One if the previous posters mentioned "Hanalei" on Kauai. Was Hanalei the inspiration for the "Land of Hanalei" where Puff the Magic Dragon lived ?

Thanks for all the suggestions. Our family sat down the other night with our Frommers and other materials and came up with a sketch of what we'll do - most likely we'll do many of the things suggested by you folks. The only thing we've booked is the Feast at Lele luau on New Year's Eve, but we'll take the rest of the trip as it comes. THANKS!

One piece of advice... go to Maui first.

My wife and I did this basic itinerary in October '01 (we had 15 days) and we did BI - Kauai - Maui in that order. The only regret was that after the more nature oriented experiences of BI and Kauai, finishing up in Maui was sort of like culture shock. Maui is nice but is far more urban and much more "civilized", for lack of a better word. After the extreme beauty and wildness of the BI and Kauai, Maui was something of a letdown. I'm sure if we had gone there first we would not have felt that way at all.