jeandiament

Hi! Over the past few trips I have gotten so much helpful information from the Fodor Forums! Maybe you can help me again! My friend and I are both visiting Hawaii for the first time this fall, either October or November. We are 24, female, and up for some adventure! We are interested in probably staying on the main island for 5 days or so and most likely Maui for the other 5 days, but are open to suggestions. I have not found somewhere to stay yet in Maui but will most likely be staying in a hostel on the main island! We would GREATLY appreciate and helpful information on places to go or things to see etc. I already am planning on doing the North Shore Shark adventure. We do not drink, so the night scene is not necessarily of huge interest to us, although we do like to dance! We thought to rent a car on the main island and perhaps a moped on maui. Any information about places to say for cheap, things to do(non touristy) or touristy if they are really that amazing.

ChiSue

If you are on a tight budget, you might do well to stay right on Oahu. Honolulu has some inexpensive lodging, and you'd only need a car for days you toured outside of Honolulu. (You'd need a CAR full time on Maui -- not moped kind of place.) It's also going to cost you to fly between islands.

ChiSue

Oops -- It will be costly to rent a car if neither of you is 25.

suze

When you refer to "main island" are you talking about Oahu, where Honolulu/Waikiki is located?

Sounds like your budget is tight, so I would suggest spending all 10 days on Oahu. It's less expensive there, plus there's good public transportation. Maui is more expensive and you need a car (not only a moped) to get around.

edjim

I would recommend Maui because of the variety of non-touristry things to do. There are a B&Bs in the Kihei area that will save you some money and believe me, they are not stereotypical B&Bs -- no lace doilies, etc. You do need a car in Maui, so if you need to save money, you might be able to get around Honolulu and nearby without one.

DebitNM

Main Island = Oahu OR Big Island?

Personally, I would not ride a scooter on any of the islands as a main means of transportation.

I would also agree that given your ages and car rental issues [scooter the same issues??] I would stick to Oahu. Lots to do there.

Skowvegas

Backpackers on the North Shore is an awesome hostel. They have bikes and the bus stop is just across the street. I loved it there!

jeandiament

Hi Thanks everyone! I should have mentioned, money is not really an issue but just from my experience from traveling i would rather spend money on seeing more things than on where i am sleeping. Thanks for the info about the scooters. The girl im going with will actually be 25 by then so we are in the clear! I guess we will rent cars on both islands as after research its actually cheaper, i thought the mopeds may be fun but you guys thing its not really practical, the car it is! Yes I would really like to get off Oahu for at least part of the vacation as i would like to avoid touristy stuff as much as possible. Thank you edjim, I will check out the B&B's! Any suggestions on things that are a must see or what we should do.

emalloy

If you like nature and want to see a variety of things, I would suggest you go to the big island as it is so diverse, active volcano, black sand beach, rainy/green side, dry side, fantastic waterfalls and I think there is a hostel on it.

On Oahu, do go to the Arizona memorial, take the road around to the north side, check out Pali overlook, Punchbowl, all things that tourists do but very worthwhile.

sf7307

On Oahu, don't miss Kailua and Lanikai beaches on the southeast side. Take a kayak tour - so fun. We went with this outfit and had a blast.

http://www.kailuasailboards.com/

ChiSue

With ten nights you can do two islands. If one will be Big Island of Hawaii (least 'touristy'), allocate at least a week there. You'd probably want to stay both Kohala area (NW) for sun and at Volcano (SE). It really is the BIG island!

Autumn: Avoid American Thanksgiving; Oceans will be calmer off southern shores.

What flights are best from your home? Can you fly into one island and home from another, leaving only one 'hop'?

suze

<Yes I would really like to get off Oahu for at least part of the vacation as i would like to avoid touristy stuff as much as possible.>

On both Oahu and Maui you can find "touristy stuff" or not. Just depends where you go, what you do, on each island. Don't make the mistake of thinking Oahu is only central Waikiki. There's plenty of incredible beaches around the island, and smaller town, and undeveloped areas, which you can get to in your rental car.

Katzgar

you might connect with the cock fights in the cane fields.

tifa2276

If you are into hostels, I have heard great things about the Banana Bungalow on Maui http://www.mauihostel.com/

It seems they offer free tours every day which is nice as they will probably take you to a variety of touristy and non-touristy places.

jamie99

Sorry I would not recommend that hostel, it is in a terrible area, one girl a month ago on TripAdvisor stayed there (for the free tours) and had a horrible experience. Believe there is another hostel in Lahaina.

suze

Again, if you just stick with Oahu it is a LOT easier to find cheap and safe accomodations, plus there is excellent public transportation, another money saving feature of the island.

ddubya

Jean, here's three valuable lessons I learned on my recent family trip:

1. Even with visits to different parts of the island, including a trip to Pearl, you should not need more than 5 complete days on Oahu.

2. Only if you are a glutton for unimaginable punishment is reason to stay in Honolulu (as was mentioned in a reply as an option) for 5+ days, and travel to/from for your daily activities.

3. If you go to Pearl and want to take the ride out to see the Arizona, get your tickets now.

suze

Obviously this is personal choice and only our opinions. I love Honolulu and Waikiki. It's hardly "punishment" for me to spend a week or two there.

carolyn

We haven't been off Oahu on our last four trips, which were all two weeks long. I love it there; there is a ton of stuff to do.

ddubya

Suze, my use of that term was directed at the ability to travel in a car in and out of Honolulu, not to offend you on the quality of the island. I'm sorry, but traffic sucks in that area and trying to navigate through there frequently is a hassle and not relaxing. Other than that, I loved my time there.