first timer with multiple questions
 

Hello everyone. This fodors site helped make my may 2003 trip to australia wonderful and my march 2004 trip to aruba unbelievable. Now it is time for my hawaii 2005 March trip. Right now I am scheduled to leave new york on Friday March 4th and will be returning from Honolulu on Friday March 18th. That give me two full weeks in Hawaii. The only thing I know that I want to do for sure is I want to start the trip in Honolulu. First of all is March 4th -18th a good time of year to go. Does it rain to much that time of year. SO now for my questions. The first question is how much time do I need in Oahu. I thought if I arrived there on Friday March 4th at 4:30PM and spent all of Saturday and SUnday there and then left Oahu on Monday morning March 7th that would give me enough time in Oahu. But I will listen to whatever most of you have to say. the other thing is I wanted to spend about 300 per night for a hotel on each of the 4islands. I want to go to Oahu, B.I., Maui, and Kaui. This is our first trip to Hawaii and I don't think we will be back anytime in the near future. I was told to stay at the Four Seasons but when I looked at the prices for the four seasons on the B.I. and in Kaui and Maui the prices were about 500 per night which is too steep for me. So I guess my questions are how would you devide up the 14 nights I have to spend in hawaii encompassing Oahu, B.I., Kaui and Maui and what hotels on each island average no more than 300 per night. That gives me about 4200 to spend on all of the hotels for the 14 nights. I hope the advice I get here is as good as is was on my australia and aruba trips which made those both trips of a life time. Thanks for all of your help. You can either answer these questions here or at my personal email at [email protected]. Thankyou again

marshall, you are likely to get a better response if you at least put "Hawaii" in the heading. You might want to break your questions up into several posts. One for weather, one for your itinerary, and one for hotels after you get the itinerary settled.

By the way, we were just on Maui, March 20-28, and had less than wonderful weather. Overcast and threatening to rain, when not actually drizzling. The week before we were there it rained a lot.

Some of the friends we were with swore they'd never go to Hawaii in March again. They've had 3 March trips with lousy weather.

Hey Marshall,
Is there a reason to fly in and out of Oahu? Are you looking for a resort destination, or island experience? Do you want to savour the essence and feel of the island or are you looking for a fast food hit of as much and as big and as fast as possible? It really is important to know since people have such diffent expectations. I myself feel less is more, better to hang in one place then to run around trying to see it all and missing the true feel, missing --- getting it!? Make sense???

That sounds like a decent amount of time on Oahu.
For the remainder of your Hawaiian Islands overview trip, how about:
Big Island - four nights (Hapuna Prince?)
Maui - four nights (Hyatt, Sheraton, Westin, Renaissance Wailea?) A friend of mine recently got the Hyatt for $150. per night on Priceline.
Kauai - three nights. The Princeville and the Hyatt are both fairly pricey. Sometimes you can get the Princeville for just under $300. using Starwood Preferred (free membership online). Others may have more suggestions for this island.
Once you've firmed up all of this, you can start planning activities and meals! Planning is FUN!

I usually go to Hawaii in the summer but have always wanted to go in March to see the whales!

I agree with Gyppielou--we need to know what kind of traveler you are. Do you enjoy running all over the place to see as much as possible? I agree that you might tend to miss out on the essence of a place when you blow through them so quickly. And doing so much packing and unpacking and airporting and turning in rental cars-ing sucks when you're trying to enjoy a tropical vacation.

I think you should keep it down to no more than three--a few days on Oahu and the rest between the Big Island and either Maui or Kauai. Maybe do Maui with a few nights at the end in Hana to really enjoy some peace and quiet and explore the waterfalls and bamboo.

And yes, that post is pretty dense, it may help to break it up a little and include Hawaii in the titles. Also, do a search of old posts here, there's TONS of information. This is what we did last July on Maui: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34436140

love
roxy

Also, this: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34490945

love
roxy

Roxy, just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading your Maui trip report. We were just there 2 weeks ago, staying in the same area.

Marshall:
Shouldn't let anecdotes about weather cloud your perception about climate of the islands. Individual experiences, by definition normally very small samples, can be misleading. For instance, while March can be wetter than average in parts of Maui, it is one of the sunnier months-at least at Kahului. And, Kihei/Wailea and Lahaina are normally bone dry, despite the fact that you can (and will) find someone whose vacation there was washed out during that span. See Weather.com (averages and records) and Hawaiiweathertoday.com (trip planning-at least for Maui), useful reference tools. Another useful tidbit: if it's raining where you are, get in the car and drive to find the sun. Last, you can find very pleasant, if not world class, accommodations within your budget

marshall: I've never subscribed to the "shotgun" approach to visiting the islands that you are thinking of. With two weeks to use I would think that one week on an island would be ideal. I would also withhold judgement on whether you will ever go back to Hawaii for the plane trip home from this trip. My experience has been that I am planning my next trip before my current trip has ended! FS Maui mountainview rooms can be had for around $350.00 a night I think. Have fun planning!

We got Sheraton for $150.00 per night through Priceline. Go to www.biddingfortravel.com to research what others have gotten in all the areas you are looking for. Keep in mind, if it matters to you, spring break is in March. Have you thought about renting a condo? I know you can rent one for $300.00 per night and save money on meals. Just a thought. I realize you don't want to miss anything because you may not be back for a while but think of all you are gonna miss because of all the traveling between islands. At any rate, you will love it and probably will return sooner than you think. Good luck with your planning.

Thanks Marilyn!

love
roxy

Thankyou all for the help. I am now beginning to think that four islands is too much. My thoughts are to give up Kaui and spend three nights in oahu and spend five nights on the big island and 6 nights in Maui. What do you all think. Give up Kaui or something else. I know that everyones opinion is different but I would be curious to see how many of you give up which island. can't wait to hear back. thanks. Bruce

I think you've got a good plan. I love Kauai, but that's the one I'd give up on a first trip.

I agree with Marilyn. Kauai is one to go back and savor someday... After you've seen the volcanoes and other things you really feel you MUST experience. I've done the four islands in 10-14 days thing a couple of times (when I was a teenager). I call them turbo overview trips. Now I enjoy my week at a time research (a la Kal) trips! This summer - Kauai! I've already explored Maui and Big Island.

I'd suggest that if you want a sampling of what the state has to offer, try to visit Kauai, the Big Island and either Maui or Oahu.
Kauai is the prettiest of the islands and has the most dramatic photo opportunities. But it's very quiet also, so if you're not into hiking and swimming and you need shops and such to keep you occupied, you may have your fill within 3+ days.

The Big Island is the other extreme and should be a priority IMO. Lots to see, but again a quiet island with regard to nightlife and such.

Maui and Oahu share a lot more characteristics than the other islands. I think three islands in 14 days is very doable (I've done 3 in 8 days, but that was a lot to pack in. Not much R&R on that trip).