shothyme77

We have 9 days in early January...Should we spend it all in Maui or split it between Maui and the Big Island? I'd love to hear thoughts on both options...Thank you so very much!

It's our first time to Hawaii and we're looking mainly for relaxation, but of course want a few things to do as we don't need 9 beach only days...We don't want major cities or anything like that, but some water activities, volcano hikes, etc, could be fun!

dfr4848

Our preference is 7 days per island. But if you have 9 full days available and it's your first time, I'd seriously consider splitting - maybe 4 days Maui and 5 on BI. They are very different islands and there's a lot to do on the BI with it's very diverse climates and topography. And it has Volcano National Park for your hikes. BI is our favorite island and is a great place to explore as well as relax.

CajunStorm

Keep in mind that you lose a day to "travel" when you take an interisland flight (checking in and out of hotels, rental car returns and retrievals, flight check-in, baggage claim, etc). That said I still think 2 islands are do-able but just be sure that you figure out what you want to do on each island and can plan your stay accordingly.

As an option, if you decide to stay on Maui but really want to see the volcano on the Big Island I recommend Volcano Air Tours. I did this earlier in the year and thought it was well-worth it.

shothyme77

Thanks...we would arrive late on the first and leave the night of the 10th so it's debatable if there's enough time to do both islands. People are raving about the volcano on the big island, but the weather, hana and relaxation of maui.

Any other thoughts on one or both would be great!!! Thank you -- we are hoping to book this week.

kgh8m

I think you should split. We just got back last week from a week split 5 nts on the Big Island and 2 nights on Oahu.

I went to Maui 15 years ago, and while it was pretty, it was a bit too boring for me to spend 9 days there. I loved the Big Island, and I think you could get a good taste of it in 4 or 5 days.

You certainly don't lose a day to transferring between islands. You'll probably be waking up earlier than normal because it will take a while for your body to get used to Hawaii time. That leaves time to do something in the morning before you switch islands. These aren't major airports - rental car return takes all of half an hour. There are numerous direct flights from Maui to the Big Island (they're adjacent), and you could rent a car and drive around sight-seeing before checking in to your new hotel. Then you'd have time for dinner and after dinner. Not a waste of a day.

sf7307

You can definitely make it to second island, get your car, have lunch and be at your new hotel by 2:00. Half a day gone at most. Last time we were in Hawaii, we split our time 5 days in Kauai and 4 in Maui, but we don't do too much sightseeing in Hawaii, mostly beach, pool, snorkeling, poking around town.

gyppielou

I'd relax in Maui and spend a couple of nights in Hana. Plenty to explore on that island - but it's all good - one island, 2 islands. No wrong choices.

denise8101214

I like what gyppielou said, "...it's all good...no wrong choices."

shothyme77

First, thank you all for your feedback. We are so excited about a relaxing vacation, but definitely didn't realize that there was so much to choose from in Hawaii...I know when I went to India -- it was tough narrowing things down, but who knew that Hawaii was so amazing!

I am sure between Maui and BI we cannot go wrong, but I am leaning toward dividing the time. I actually just got off the phone with a friend from Hawaii who swears by Kauai and that it's the most beautiful place ever...I'm a bit worried about Kauai in January as it will be "winter" and rainy and colder, I hear. Would love insight on this too if anyone has thoughts...

Again, thanks for your help as we plan this last minute trip!