First Time Hawaii- Oahu AND ???
 

11 days in Hawaii in early November- staying at the Mandarin outside Oahu for 3 nights- to see all of Oahu. Can we do two more islands or just one? Wife & I will want to split time between beach, touring, snorkeling- i.e. a balanced schedule. Is 7 days in Maui too much? Since we may not get back, how does 4 days in Maui and 3 on B.I. or Kaiui sound? Does November weather play a factor? Also, which resorts to avoid loud families? Thanks for input.

Three days isn't a lot for covering Oahu; I'd suggest making it four or five and spending the rest of the time on beautiful Kauai. There's much to see there, from the spouting horn at Poipu Beach to the lovely terraced rice fields at Hanalei, not to mention the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

Agree with 4 days Oahu, 4 days Maui, 3 days Kauai or BI. Visited Maui end of last Oct.-Nov1. weather was great in the Wailea area. Relatives visited Maui at the end of last November and reported rough surf at Kaanapali. Weather varies from year to year and is less favorable in the winter months (e.g. Nov-March), and also it is difficult to predict when and where loud families might occur, though it is possible to rent a house (e.g., Big Island) or stay in a secluded area. :S-

Because of time lost in airports and car rentals, I would recommend that if you want to do Oahu, you only do one more. We have been to Oahu and Kauai. We met a lot of people on Kauai that had come from Maui and liked Kauai much more. Important if you think you may not get back. Kauai is the oldest of the islands and has so much to see. The Na Pali coast, which can only be seen by boat or a helicopter - very majestic. Beautiful beaches. We were there for fourteen days and it allowed us to have a very relaxing vacation.

Knowing:

Thanks for the advice. Actually leaning towards 4 days Oahu, 6 days Kauai. In early November, will the weather allow for some beach time? Will Kauai allow for all of the activities you can do on Mauai? Finally, looking for recommendation on 4-5* resort to stay with beachfront access (not on North Shore). Thanks for input.

Alohaaa cotes,
Our 1st 3x over to Kauai we went around Thanksgiving since it's around our wedding anniversary.

Don't recall ever having too much of a problem with rain so as to where we couldn't find something to do, even beach time.

But, the rainy season usually starts around then and goes thru april/May.

Rule of thumb on Kauai for Fall/Winter months is South Shore/Poipu. (Hyatt, Sheraton, Emb. Suites, Kiahuna, Marriott Waiohai).

Spring/Summer in NoShore/Princeville.

I usually find resorts attract familes, so.....
Good luck. Great island!
Kal

Cotes,
We were there in February. In fourteen days, we had two days of rain. I think weather is a little hard to predict there. We had a lot of beachtime. In fact, I came home - after using tons of sunscreen - so tanned a friend asked me if I had bleached my teeth! There are many great things to do in Kauai and I see no reason that you couldn't do as many things there as you could on Maui. We stayed at the Hyatt and really liked it. We got a package deal that included breakfast every morning. Emily, the pastry chef, makes the best cinnamon rolls and breakfast breads! Other than that, we did eat dinner at the Sheraton one night and they had a nice ocean location. We also ate at the Marriott a couple of times and drove through the main entrance. The grounds looked nice. I would stay away from the Embassey. People were tearing it apart. Additionally, Kauai has many wonderful restaurants.

Princeville resort in Kauai is fabulous! Highly recommend.