Critique Hawaii Itinerary
 

Help! I am impulsively booking a trip to Hawaii in mid-January. How does this itinerary look? Are the days spent at each location OK? Are the inter-island flights quick and reasonable? TIA

JFK to HNL
2 nights o/n in Halekulani
HNL to Hualalai/Kona
4 nights o/n at FS Hualai
Hualalai/Kona to OGG
5 nights o/n at FS Maui
OGG to JFK

It looks good to me. I'm most familiar with the Big Island, and the Four Seasons is lovely. You can relax and enjoy the resort as well as travel to the four corners of the island to enjoy the natural beauty and rural charm.

Maui has lovely beaches. I find Oahu too crowded and congested, so a couple of days there would be enough for me.

Inter-island flights are pretty easy-going. You'll still need to be there more than an hour in advance for a 40 minute flight, though.

Well, Doc, I would cut your trip to two (2) islands.

While the interisland flights are short indeed, you will lose one-half or more of a day of precious vacation time packing and checking out, traveling to the airport, turning in and re-renting a car, driving to your next hotel, checking in, unpacking, and doing the whole madness all over again a few days later. And that is supposed to be your vacation.

I would be happier with visiting two islands max.

Anna Roz

I agree that you probably only want to do 2 islands in that amount of time. The flights themselves are short but you still have to pack up your stuff, check out of the hotel, drop off your rental car, check into the airport, etc each time.

What sort of things do you plan on doing on each island? The Big Island is just like the name - BIG - so you might find yourself definitely wanting more time on that island.

I must tell you that I LOVE your choice of hotels though - should be wonderful at each.

Ok! This is just the type of advice I was looking for. Which island would you guys cut? Which ones have the best beaches?

Of the islands you have on your list, Maui would have the best and numerous beaches.I am not that familiar with the Big Island having visited it for a short trip to go to the Volcanoes National Park, so I could not say. Likewise, we visited Oahu for its historical significance of Arizona Memorial, Punchbowl Cemetery, etc., not necessarily doing the beach thing, only Waikiki really. So, Maui is a winner in terms of beaches and the other one could be your pick. I really do not want to mess your equation here, but have you thought of Kauai at all? Has some great beaches and stunning scenery.

Anna Roz

I also would not want to spend so much time island hopping on such a short trip. Every day you change islands you basically "lose" most of the day.

Completely personal preference, but I'd probably keep just Oahu and Maui myself.

It's not so much about the flights being quick or their cost... but each island change requires checking out of the hotel, getting to the airport, waiting for the flight, taking the flight, transportation from airport to next hotel, checking in to new place.

I'd rather be laying on the beach
:-)

Ok two islands it is. Don't many people prefer the FS on the Big Island to the FS on Maui?