turleytravels

My husband has a business trip to Oahu sept 26-30, 2016. I will travel with him from ny. We were thinking of going to Maui & Kauai the following week October 1st & planning on being back in ny October 9th or 10th. We will be celebrating our 7th anniversary & our first honeymoon!
Any suggestions on splitting up the trip between Maui & Kauai? Thinking of spending more time in Maui & less time in Kauai?Looking for ideas for best places to stay, must see/ do activities? We prefer to be active & also want to relax on the beach.
Ritz Carlton looks good in Maui &
Grand Hyatt in Kauai? Are these hotels worth the extra $$$ if we are out exploring most of the time? Are they good locations for activities & airport travel?
Thanks, Patricia

Kathie

I'd choose one or the other, not both. By trying to go to both you lose time in transit. You will want all the time you can get no matter which island you choose.

Are you interested in nightlife? If so, opt for Maui. All of the big hotels/resorts can set you up with as many activities as you want. Neither hotel is close to the airport, not do you want to be close to the airport. You will need to rent a car for both Maui and Kauai.

Kauai is my favorite, but I prefer the quiet, lush greenness of Kauai. We always stay in the Poipu area (The Grand Hyatt is in this area), which has a good variety of excellent restaurants. The North Shore (which you should visit even if you stay in Poipu) is lovely and has good restaurants, but has more rain than Poipu has.

The Ritz Carlton is well located on Maui. It has been years since I was last on Maui, so I will let others comment more.

Enjoy!

sf7307

IMO, the Ritz Carlton on Maui is not that well-situated for "activities" if you mean driving the Hana Highway, visiting upcountry, Haleakala etc. It's the hotel that's farthest from the "center" on all of Maui. It is closer than the Wailea hotels to Lahaina.

sf7307

I would add, if you have a full week or more (it seems like you do), I see no reason to avoid doing both Maui and Kauai. You could fly to Maui on October 1st, spend that day and 4 more days (through the 5th). On the 6th, fly to Kauai, and spend that day and 3 more (or vice-versa, 4 on Kauai and 3 on Maui, which would be my preference, just because I like Kauai more than Maui).

On Kauai, the north is lusher/greener than the south (which is still very nice, and my preferred location), but the fancy hotels - St. Regis for example - in the north are not right on the beach (they're on cliffs above the beach). The north does have incredible natural beauty (jaw-dropping), great beaches, hiking, and the cute little town of Hanalei. It also has Princeville, which is a planned community outside Hanalei - golf courses, houses, condos, hotels. We've stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu and it's very very nice, but it's a "grand" hotel, nothing small or quaint about it (and it's not on a swimming beach, which doesn't matter to me - I like the pool!)

Maui is overall much more developed than Kauai. There are three "resort" developments - Wailea in the south (with a Marriott, Andaz, Fairmont, Four Seasons and others) Kaanapali Beach in the West (Hyatt, Marriott time share, Westin, Sheraton, etc.) and Kapalua in the northwest (Ritz-Carlton and Montage) There are other hotels scattered about. I personally don't find Maui beautiful outside of upcountry (road up to Haleakala, Hana road), but others will disagree.

jamie99

I'd stick to one other island and my pick would be Kauai, the North Shore is beautiful that time of year. St. Regis is OK, don't like that most rooms do not have lanais. Grand Hyatt is terrific and all but small kids will be back in school that time of year, plus there is an adult only pool. Restaurants are good there. Beach is not swimmable there but Poipu is a short drive.
Personally I would look into renting a unit at Hanalei Bay Resort from an owner, two beautiful pools, bar onsite and the restaurant should reopen this month or next.

carolyn

I'd do both Maui and Kauai. Hawaii calls you back for more, and next time you will know where you want to spend more time. Oahu is my favorite.

katydidnt

We visit Hawaii frequently. My husband has a "one-island-per-trip" rule because we found long ago that switching islands, or even locations on one island, ends up costing you a precious day of your trip. Packing, checking out, transport, checking in, unpacking...and there goes a day you could have been sitting by the pool sipping mai tais.

However, if you don't think you'll get back to Hawaii soon, or ever, perhaps it is worth the lost day to explore a second island. Maui and Kauai have somewhat different characters.

Maui: more commercially developed, an excellent "first" island to visit. Four Seasons Wailea for luxury; Hyatt or Westin on Kaanapali are in a more crowded area but are nice (I was going to say mid-range, but nothing is Hawaii is mid-range!) choices. The Ka'anapali Beach hotel has a flavor of old Hawaii amidst the high rises on that strip and is a favorite of many. Whaler's Village shopping center is in the middle of the strip and is either a blight or a terrific convenience, depending upon your point of view. Up the hill is north Ka'anapali with the newer Westin Villas and other condo developments. A bit further north from Ka'anapali is Napili Bay, also very popular. I haven't stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua but we have friends who love it there. The Montage up there is getting quite a bit of buzz as well. Some people say it is rainier and windier up at Kapalua but I can't attest to that.

Kauai: the Garden Island! Lush and beautiful and populated with chickens since Hurricane Iniki roared through years ago and everyone liberated their coops ahead of the storm. The chickens keep to themselves - it's not as if you're having to step over them, although there was one strutting in front of me through a store in old Koloa town a few years back. North side of the island is rainier and a popular destination for golfers. The St. Regis there is a chi-chi resort. A friend of mine recently stayed at the Hanalei Colony Resort and is raving about it months later. (I believe parts of the film South Pacific were filmed at gorgeous Hanalei Bay.) We prefer the southern, sunnier part of the island. The Grand Hyatt is a very nice option there, although Shipwreck Beach there is considered by some to be un-swimmable. We're planning to head back to Hawaii in January and might stay at the Grand Hyatt. Their Tidepools restaurant over the water where you can watch the koi is such a lovely place to have dinner. Depending on when you go you will be fighting for pool chairs there - also at the Ka'anapali hotels and, surprisingly, also at the Four Seasons Wailea - all are popular resorts and thus, tend to be crowded. Best time to go might be in September after all the kids are back in school so your trip might be at the perfect time.

edjim

We usually split time between Maui and Kauai when we go to Hawaii, usually staying about nine or 10 days, and usually in October or late November. One option, particularly on Maui, is to rent a condo. We have also stayed at bed and breakfasts on both islands. When we went to both places the first time, we did spend much of our time at the beaches or seeing the sights, so we really didn't need a fancy room or a pool. At the B&Bs, we also were able to talk a bit with the locals and the other visitors -- good for tips and ideas on what to see and do. If you go to Kauai, I would consider staying in the south near Poipu during the fall months, but don't leave out the scenic North Shore. It's just stunning. Maui has the Hana Road, Haleakela, the bustling town of Lahaina and some great snorkeling beaches. You can't go wrong either way

northie

We rent The Villas at Poipu - 3 times now - close to Hyatt but has better beaches just at the new of the path , pool, lovely gardens . Certainly need a car if you want to explore Kauai - lots of places to visit - recently spent 10 days there .

suze

I would also pick one OR the other for the second week. I don't think splitting 7 days between Maui and Kauai sounds very relaxing or appealing. But there's plenty to do to keep busy both places if you want to.

Also don't overlook your time on Oahu. There's loads of interesting things you could do in Waikiki/Honolulu area on your own while your husband's working during the day.

kanunu

I totally agree with Suze. We have done 3 islands several times, over 16 - 18 nights, but wouldn't do it again. As lovely as they all are, your time is precious, and you'll be doing enough flying, checking in and out, etc. with just 2 islands.
Personally, I would pick Kauai for the 2nd island, and DW would take Maui. Do all the pro's and cons, and pick an island. You really can't go wrong, and can catch the other on your NEXT visit. A lot of people seem to consider Hawaii a once in a lifetime destination (like I did), but after you've been there, that often changes!

suze

These are two tours in Honolulu that would be great to do if you have time solo when your husband is working.

http://www.iolanipalace.org/Visit.aspx
http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/visit/

turleytravels

Thanks for all the great
tips!