7 days in hawaii - trip ideas please?
 

hi everyone,
my partner and i have 7 days stopover in hawaii on our way to europe (from australia) in early december.
we've never visited and were thinking we might spend the first night in waikiki then head on to another another island or two? are we being too ambituous thinking we can see both waikiki and 2 other islands in 7 days? we are keen to see/hike around the volcanos on big island and perhaps have some down-time relaxing at the beach/snorkelling too. can we do this all at big island or would we be better to see amazing scenery/beaches on another island? we had thought spending a few days seeing other parts of oahu might be worth doing also ie: 3 days waikiki/oahu island then 4 days on big island. would this be more realistic than waikiki plus 2 more islands?
also, should we book flights between the islands before we go or can you do this once you are there easily enough?
any suggestions would be most welcome! plus any tips for accommodation, we don't spend much time in our rooms as we tend to be out doing things so luxury is not essential for us!
thanks sarah

With 7 days,do only one other island. Big Island is fine for the activities you mention.

aloha
I have been to Hawaii 7 times and have seen all the Islands. Here are a few suggestions:
I've not been to the north side of Oahu, but aside from seeing waikiki beach and of course,Pearl Harbor, I prefer to not spend alot of time on this Island.
The Big Island is awesome for seeing lava flows, the crater, devastation from the lava, it's really cool.
Favorite Island - Kauai - it is truly paradise - great hikes, good snorkeling, and beautiful views.
If you want more info on Kauai, I can give you tons of stuff to do. We just got back from 10 days there.
Maui - is pretty resorty, sunlovers love this Island. Not one of my favs.

It is difficult to take in 3 Islands in your time alotted. I would go for two. My pick would be the Big Island and Kauai.
Tina

astropossum, 3 days on Oahu, and four on Big Island would be perfect. I wouldn't try to do a third island, as you will just scratch the surface of the first two in that time. Oahu is a gorgeous island, and Big Island is fascinating, different and lovely as well. I would book my interisland flights before I go ... Have a great trip!

thanks for your replies everyone, i will definitely plan to go to big island for about 3 days and perhaps kauai for 3 days...sounds great!
maybe we might skip oahu/waikiki altogether and simply fly out again to big island/kauai once we arrive in honolulu from australia...
would this be a better use of our 7 days?
thanks sarah

Depends on what you want to see and do. In seven days, you will barely scratch the surface of what any two islands have to offer.
Since the beaches on the BI are on the west side of the island and Volcano is on the east, I suggest that you use your time on the BI to visit the volcano and the Hamakua coast over to Honokaa and the Waipio Valley. We usually stay in the Kapoho area of Puna which is about an hour drive from Volcano. It is sunnier and warmer there and you can swim in tide pools and the Champagne Pond. (Volano is cooler and rainier than the coastline)
Then go to Kauai for beaches.
www.apoparadise.com has some lodging in Kapoho--looks like the cottage has a special price.

Also there are no (few) non-stops between Kauai and BI--most stop in Honolulu--so traveling between those two islands will take more time.

2 nights in Oahu to acclimate and take in sites and culture. Then 5 nights at either Big Island or Kauai. Or all 7 nights on BI. You realize that the Big Island is a lot of ground to cover.

There really are no wrong answers. I just prefer to take enough time to savour the essence of each island, rather than the Chevy Chase style of hit and run.

Oahu has many things to do and if you like the city life, plan to stay there for 3 days. Visit Maui and the Big Island for 2 days each. The easier and cheapest way to see the islands is by the Norwegian Cruise Line and they are about 7-10 days long for about $700-$1100 each. Prices vary, but check it out.

When staying in Oahu, stay away from the pricey and overly rated Royal Hawaiian Hotel. If you willing pay those kind of prices, stay at the Kahala Hotel and Resort, the Hilton Hawaiian Village or our favorite, Ko Olina Resort & Marina.

With 7 days I would spend 1-2 in Waikiki then 5-6 one single other island (yes I think 3 islands is too many for only 7 days, too much time wasted moving island to island imo).

Aloha
If you like big cities, crowded beaches, then Waikiki is your place.

Kauai, which is my number 1 vote, is a smaller island, easier to cover then the Big Island, which is huge, and takes longer to drive around.
Here are some cool things we have done on Kauai:
Drive to the far western side, go up to Waimea Canyon, looks like the Grand Canyon, there are some hikes there if you like to do that. Then continue west, maybe take picnic dinner, drive to Pole Hale State Park, you will drive through a sugar cane field until the end of the road, very bumpy, but worth the bumps, and sit on the beach for the sunset, this is also the start of the Napali Coast.
If you stay in Poipu which is the sunny south, more like a desert, cactus included, go to Brennekes for lunch, across the street from the beach, great place to snorkle.
You can rent gear right there.
This time we stayed both in the south for a few nights, then went to a neat place called Hanalei Colony just outside of Hanalei, the northern most city before the Napali coast on the north side. This was an old plantation type place, on the ocean, quiet, and just down the road from Tunnels Beach, great beach, and Kee Beach, where the Kalalau Trail begins, great trail, hugs the Napali coast, beautiful.
Hanalei is a small town that hasn't changed over the years, great restaurants, little shops etc..
If you want to go on a whale watching boat tour, you have to book the north excursions as they fill up, otherwise the boats leave from the south side.
You must get a Bubbas Burger in Hanalei, shaved ice, (north side)
Brick House Pizza and Camp House Grill(the Cane Bird sandwich to die for) both on the south side.

Just to let you know, Island hopping takes a full day, by the time you get to the airport, rental car, etc...

If you wanted the most beautiful of the Islands, from desert areas to rain forest, great sunsets, and small enough to drive entire Island, then Kauai is my first choice.
We've been to Kauai 5 times and never tire of it, this last time we saw several waterfalls after a day of rain.
and yes, the north side is rainier, but so lush.
Good luck on deciding, have a great trip.

<i>Island hopping takes a full day, by the time you get to the airport, rental car, etc...</i>

Well, half a day is more like it. If you leave your hotel at 8 for a flight around 9:30 or even 10, you'll arrive by 11. Even with picking up baggage and car and driving to your destination, you should be there by 1:00.

Please remember ... Oahu is NOT just Waikiki (which, by the way, is a very fun, admittedly busy city with a terrific beach.) You could not go wrong with spending all your time on Oahu, except that you'd miss the live volcano. Really, you can't go wrong wherever you go in Hawaii! :)

Just to be clear, Waikiki is just a part of Oahu--it's a two mile stretch on the south shore. If you search on this board you'll find much more to see and do than just hang out in Waikiki. I thought about such sweeping general statements last weekend, as I sat on a peaceful beach in Wailua with a giant sea turtle lazing on the sand in front of me, and sea turtles of varying sizes frolicking in the waves just a few yards away. Seriously -- Oahu has a lot of hustle &amp; bustle, but the idyllic escapes are anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes away.

I would stay 2-3 days on Oahu to take in history, dining, shopping, culture and scenery, and the rest on the Big Island. You gotta see the volcano, after all! Maybe the Mauna Kea observatory and a farmer's market.

oops! I was writing while you were posting, elsie!

More to see &amp; do on Oahu than any other island.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564

g'day everyone!
thankyou so much for all your useful tips and recommendations...we have a lot to think about now!

we are now considering spending 5 nights on kauai then going to big island for 2 just to see the volvanos. we really are outdoors types and aren't at all interested in cities/shopping/nightlife etc so beautiful scenery in kauai sounds perfect for us.

it seems like we'll need a car to get around but we're a bit worried about driving on the right-hand side of the road! we drive on the left in australia...are the roads quite busy on kauai/big island? i guess we'll just do our best not to hit anything!!!
thanks again everyone for the great help,
cheers sarah

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My husband and I have been to the islands 5 times...actually just got back on Sunday from Maui. If you decide to stay on Oahu, I agree with Tidbits...stay at Ko Olina, which is just north of Pearl Harbor, and outside of Waikiki area. The north shore of Oahu is beautiful.

traffic moves slow during peak hrs from kapaa to kalaheo (usually a 40min drive will take 1hr, big whoop), but smooth towards kokee or hanalei once pass through those towns.

however, other posters are correct about arr/dep to each island, it'll take up half your day. with more flights arr/dep in honolulu and oahu is scenic with lot of outdoor activities. it makes more sense to divide time between oahu and bi.

but if kauai and bi are your choices, you may want to consider spending less time on kauai and more time on bi, since the bi is well big. on kauai, snorkeling in december is may not be advisable at northshore. will want to listen to radio (95.9, 93.5 or 720am) for surf conditions. poipu most likely not as rough but still check first. reports will also let you know of beach closures too (rare but does happen). there’s lots of other stuff to do on kauai tho. ton of threads on that!

have a safe trip and alooooooooha

Sorry to disagree with Tidbits...but Royal Hawaiin is hardly overated. It is a cultural icon, abosolutely gorgeous and kept in perfect condition.

In my humble opinion, one of the finest hotels. I wouldn't stay any other place then the RH, Moana Surfrider or the W.

And how on earth can you compare that to the Hawaiin Village which is quite tacky???

As far as someone saying only city....the North Shore of Oahu is absolutely stunning. But given your statement that you are not interested in the city scene at all, then BI is probably a good choice overall.

Yes 2 Islands tops for sure.

Have fun.