I put together a tentative itinerary for my upcoming (first) trip to Hawaii in May and it ended up including four islands in two weeks which I realize is probably insane but I am having trouble narrowing down the list. (going to a wedding on Lanai so that one is definately in)

Day 1: fly into Honolulu, fly to Lanai
Day 2 – 4: beach, explore island with jeep
Day 5: Wedding
Day 6: breakfast at hotel, afternoon flight
to Hilo, BI, drive to Volcano
Day 7: Volcano park, evening hike to lava
Day 8: Volcano park cont., trip to Punalu’u
black sand beach
Day 9: drive to Hilo and fly to Kaui, stay
somewhere on south
Day 10: Interisland helicopter tour in
morning, afternoon drive to north
shore to stay
Day 11: north shore beaches, maybe hike part
of Kalalau trail
Day 12: north shore cont. catamaran tour?
Day 13: afternoon fly to Honolulu
Day 14: Honolulu/ Waikiki
Day 15: fly home afternoon or evening

I am afraid that this will be too much or that I can't really afford it (I'm a college student) but I am having trouble giving up either Kauai or the Big Island. So...

Is Kauai's beauty really unmissable? Or is the north shore of Oahu or somewhere else comparable?

Is the Volcano worth visiting if there is no lava to see?

BTW,have pretty much ruled out Maui because it sounds like all the towns along the coast (except Hana) are condos or resorts. I really like B&Bs and towns with character.

Thanks so much for all the advice! I promise a trip report when I get back!

I know you'll get lots of advice from many Fodorites way more qualified than me to answer your questions. For me, the joy of traveling to the islands, is leaving plenty of time to stop and smell the roses... or rather plumeria! Every time you change islands you're talking about losing more than 1/2 a day packing up, traveling to and from the airports, waiting around in them, car rentals, possibly driving in traffic, checking in, unpacking... This means you're missing valuable time relaxing around the pool, snorkeling in the ocean, gasping over an incredible view... I'd choose two islands and save the others for another trip. Good luck!

HvnScent took most of the words right out of my mouth, er, fingers. Especially on a first-time trip to Hawaii, if you try and see too much you might wind up exhausted.

Since you appear to be locked into spending five days on Lanai, my advice would be to pick one or at most two other islands for the remaining nine days. Five days on Kauai and four on the BI would be a good choice, especially since you didn't mention exploring the west side of the BI. One can easily see the Volcano, Hilo and the north side attractions on the BI in four days. As to whether the volcano is "worth it", that's a judgment call. Some people find it to be a highlight of their trip, while others come back disappointed. If you go expecting to see majestic 1000' fountains of molten lava you'll certainly fall into the latter category.

My other strong recommendation is to *not* end your trip with two days in Waikiki. After experiencing the beauty of Kauai, the BI etc, being stuck in traffic surrounded by highrises is definitely not the best way to end a Hawaiian vacation. The north shore of Oahu is beautiful though, so another option would be to split your time between Kauai and Oahu, on the north shores. Lots of B&B's to choose from on both islands.

Firefly9, don't know the ins and outs of your plans so I will just pose a couple of questions and suggestions ... Are you locked into Lanai all five days, or could you spend your first two nights on Oahu, see Pearl Harbor and North Shore one day, "do Waikiki" one day, then go to Lanai for three nights? (I wouldn't go to Lanai for more than that unless I was locked into wedding preps.)

Then do four nights on the Big Island, two on Volcano side...I think that's enough to see the Park for most people, two on the Kona/Kohala coast side, then fly to Kauai for three nights staying on the North Shore (May is summer season there ... )

There are plenty of B&Bs all over Hawaii, but I wouldn't try to do Maui on this trip. There are many ways to "do Hawaii" and there's always the struggle between seeing as much as you can, and finding time to just relax. At your age, I might go for the former, and do four islands. However you slice it up, you will have a wonderful time! It's a magical place ...

Firefly9, I'm up and typing too early in the morning, I think! I chopped two days off your trip, I believe!!! I meant to say I'd do five nights Big Island, four nights Kauai. I would do three nights on the Kona/Kohala side of B.I. and two at VNP there; then stay on Kauai for four nights. If you must go on to Lanai right away for the wedding, then I'd chop those extra nights off Kauai and Big Island, and do TWO nights on Oahu at the end. (I'm a big Oahu fan; so much history there!)

I've visited four islands in two weeks twice and it was a blast. Now days I do enjoy spending about 5-7 days on an island, so prefer to see two in that time period. I feel that you are buying in to stereotypes with regard to Maui, though. The beauty of the Iao Valley, Haleakala, the beaches, the drive up the west shore, ahhhh.... Waikoloa and Kahului are real towns. It's also the closest large island to Lanai. You can get there by boat! So it would be the easiest to include on your itinerary. I love all the islands but it's my favorite.

My problem with your plan is you will spend WAY too much time and money checking in and out of hotels, going to and from airports, taking flights... when you could be hiking, snorkeling, on the beach, etc. Have you priced all the interisland flights you'll need (they aren't cheap).

Quite honestly since this trip is for a wedding in Lanai, I would pair it with Maui (which has direct flights in from many places). Maui is a stunningly gorgeous island and if you choose the right locations has plenty of B&B's, camping, alternative places to stay. Do Haleakala, the road to Hana, etc. Amazing.

I am also a fan of Waikiki/Honolulu but realize it is a BIG CITY with freeways, traffic jams, etc. So if you do go to Oahu, unless you are interested in the historic tours, shopping, etc. you might better like north shore.

To comfort yourself (LOL) i would simply start planning your *next* trip to the islands right now, and save both Big Island and Kauai for another time.

If I were a young, healty college student with lots of energy, I would go for your itinerary!

Who knows, you may never get to Hawaii again..and if you are fortunate enough to get back, then you will already have found a favorite island and KNOW you want to go back to it again.

Have fun....aloha...

The first time we went to Hawaii we visited Maui, Oahu, Lanai, and Kauai in 15 days. It was a blast! We had no kids and we on the go the whole time. No regrets.

On a later visit we stayed put in Maui for a week with our kids which was relaxing since they never even wanted to leave the resort to sightsee.

Then we moved to Kauai and lived there for 6 years during which time I visited every island scads of times, even Niihau. Each has its charms. Your itinerary sounds do-able especially becuase you are young and wont have kids with you.

Sounds fine to me. I visited four islands in two weeks once, and I wasn't all that tired from it. I was in my mid-20s. In fact, it was a great trip. I haven't returned yet, so I am glad I saw as much as I did. If I were to do it again now, I would cut it to 2-3 islands, 2 if with the kids. If your goal is to relax and lie on the beach, you are cramming too much into the trip. If your goal is to see the islands, go for it!!

hi
are you old enough to rent a car? that will certainly be a factor in how much of the islands you can see.

instead of immediately flying to lanai, i would start with honlulu and explore THAT island for a day with a car. you can 'explore" lanai in an afternoon- there are not too many roads there and not too much to see.

so
1- arrive and hit the ground running
2- drive around oahu
3-more oahu
4- fly in for wedding
5- wedding
6- fly to bi (can you get a flight to bi, have you checked? volcano is only a short drive from hilo. you can visit the volcano by night and do your hike this night.
7- morning at volcano/ punalu'u (i'd add a drive/horseride in waipio canyon
8- i think bi to kauai flights are from kona, so you may need to look into the costs of that one way rental.
9- new, extra day in bi
10- fly to kauai
(4 days in kauai)

really doable.

look into car rental costs and flight possibilities before getting too attached to this [plan.

worst case scenario- you can fly into maui and take a ferry to lanai (a very rough scary ferry)...

While i voted above for a Maui/Lanai itinerary, i want to reconsider with a "go for it" opinion BUT before you get too set on this I would price out both rental cars on each island, and flights between the islands. I'm guessing this alone might be more expensive than you think.

Oops, I meant Wailuki not Waikoloa when I mentioned "real towns".

WAILUKU - I just can't get it right...

Aloha! I just got back from a 2 week 25th anniversary trip to Hawaii with my husband. We stayed on 3 different islands. 1 week in Maui, 4 days in Kauai, & 3 days on the Big Island.(visiting 3 islands in 2 weeks was crazy) Realize that you need to pack up everything(we ended up mailing a box of dirty clothes home), and arrive at airports early. Flights don't always leave on time & the lines were long. If using Aloha Airlines for inter-island air,it's a weird set-up.It's open seating!(a free- for all). So sit near the beginning of your loading zone. They overbooked every flight & the people near the end had to go on the next flight.(1-2hrs later). We loved visiting the Volcano & seeing the Black Sand beach.One day was not enough for us to explore the park. We stayed in Kauai on the north shore.It is true , the beauty of the island is unreal! The Princeville Resort was the acsolutely most impressive place we ever stayed. We enjoyed the AM Helicopter ride with Heli USA on the North Shore(a tip before boarding can help to get a front seat).It tends to rains after 3pm, so try not to schedule copter ride in pm)(although daily rainbows were beautiful). We skipped the catamaran ride because the 45 minute Circle Island Helicopter ride showed us the coast too.The north shore has lots of beautiful beaches, a dry & wet cave, Hanalei. It was wonderful. When we return ,it will definitely be beack to Kauai! Enjoy your trip.

Thanks so much for the advice!

I am leaning towards doing as several people suggested and moving Honolulu to the beginning of the trip and cutting some days from Lanai to spend more time on the BI and Kauai. I don’t have to be there that long before the wedding.

Still not sure if I can afford all the flying though as it seems to add up to over $300…and I haven’t even looked into rental cars yet! I am hoping I won’t have to choose between the Big Island and Kauai as these sound the most interesting to me.

Another question about airfare – what is generally the best time to buy flights for May? With the gas prices going up I should buy as soon as possible? I don’t want to wait too long since I have to be there for the 10th.

Thanks!!

If you end up having to choose between Kaui and the Big Island (which hopefully you won't have to choose), I'd recommend Kaui as it represented the Hawaii of my imagination the first time I visited(lush and green) - particularly the north shore and hiking the Kalalau trail are not to be missed! Plus I did the inter-island helicopter tour and it was awesome (but it may be a budget concern for you). The Big Island is neat in its own way - dry and unusual volcanic terrain in the south, rolling hills/pastures in the middle/north, rain forests to the east/hilo area, and dry and sunny to the west/Kona areas. The Big Island was "interesting" to me but Kaui was amazing! Good luck.

I copied and pasted the replies from your first message.

Author: dusty56438
Date: 08/17/2005, 11:43 pm

I have some alternative suggestions to save you some $$ as you mentioned that you probably cannot afford it.

I like Oahu the best because it has the most to offer. It is also the least expensive.

Maui does have what you want in towns with character. There are many B&Bs on all of the islands.

Try: www.vrbo.com for lots of options.

Also try a search for B&Bs:

B&B Oahu
B&B Kauai
B&B Maui
B&B Hawaii or B&B Big Island

If you were to stay on Maui, the ferry to Lanai is much cheaper to Lanai.

You could do four islands in two weeks with no problem. But, why? As a college student, you must be fairly young. Why not do Oahu and Maui with the side trip to Lanai for the several days you want?

Or just do Maui and Lanai?
There are flights that go directly to Maui from the mainland that would probably save you lots of $$.

The lava has been flowing constantly on Big Island for the past 20 years. It doesn't always flow into the ocean. Nor is it always visible even if you hike to the lava flow. The glow is always visible if you hike to it at night.

Also your flight itinerary may not be possible. I don't think there are direct flights to Hilo from Lanai or from Hilo to Kauai. Kona is the busy airport on the Big Island.

You have a lifetime of chances to travel ahead of you. Don't jam everything into two weeks.

Author: iamq
Date: 08/18/2005, 12:08 am

It might help you if you take the long view and realize that this will probably be the first of many trips you will take in your life. I've been going for the past 30 years.

Extend your time on the Big Island and drop Kaua`i or drop the Big Island and extend your time on Kaua'i.

-Bill

Author: JBHapgood
Date: 08/18/2005, 01:42 am

In planning such a "crazy itinerary" you're forgetting that you're going to Hawaii. Hawaii, you see, isn't about schedules, checklists, and maniacal rushing to see everything. Leave that for the herd-tourists on motorcoach tours of Europe who think they're getting their money's worth "seeing" 12 countries in 15 days.

You can certainly try to rush through such an itinerary, but in the process you'll miss Hawaii entirely. Think "laid back," "relax," and "Aloha." That's more like it.

Author: CaliNurse
Date: 08/18/2005, 03:08 am

Agree with all previous posts. First went to Hawaii 8 yrs ago, in my late 40s. I've been lucky and blessed to have gone 8 times. The point of sharing this with you is not to brag about my experience, but to humbly say that there's STILL loads more to see, places I look forward to. The first trip, I spent ten days on two islands (Oahu and Maui ) -- it was sort of an overview trip--where would i want to return, what would i want to skip?In retrospect, I wish I'd have stayed longer on either one or both islands. I didn't start to fall in LOVE them for a few days, after just feeling overwhelmed by that first sense of how much there is to do. This is what YOU should try to avoid--that feelng!
You have your whole life to see the islands. Don't try to do it all now!!!
I LOVE Oahu, for it has sooo much . Re: your question about comparing N Shore Kauai to another place, realize that all the islands have mountains, and a dry leeward side and a wet windward lush green side. It's the way the mountains seem to rise from the white sand beaches on Kauia that to me, makes the area so spectacularly beautiful and unique side (Rent "Body H" with Kathleen Turner, fast forwad to the end if you like, and you'lllsee her on Tunnels Beach on the No Shore).
on Lanai then divide the remainder between two, or even "just " one, island, to get a Personally, my suggestions would be Oahu and Kauai, but ANYWHERE would be lovely. Aloha, and good luck figuring it all out.
ps looking forward to trip report oin Lanai--that's one I've yet to get to!

Thanks Dusty, I forgot that I messed up and posted twice! I definitely don’t want to spend the whole time running around, so I am thinking maybe just doing a day of Honolulu at the beginning or end so that I will be left with 3 islands and one day of Honolulu.

Thanks again!

My husband and I did a cruise. We flew into Oahu, rented a car and saw Pearl Harbor, pineapple plantation. After that we embarked on the cruise. We never had to worry about packing and unpacking, intra flights. Everyday we were at a different island. Depending on cruise lines, you have different number of days on different islands. We got to see Kaui, Maui, Kona, Hilo. Had a blast. Our original plan had been to island hop by plane, and someone suggeted doing the cruise. It was a wonderful alternative. Think about it!