I'm planning again - this time for a trip to Hawaii. This will be our first visit. As some of you know, the four of us have varied interests: big cities, history, culture, nature, wildlife, hiking. We are not interested in water activities or beach time other than a couple of walks along the shore. Right now we are aiming for 9-10 nights divided between two islands and are leaning towards Oahu and Kauai.

Are we making the correct choice of islands given our interests?

We are thinking early July or early August - is one better than the other?

On Oahu, we hope to stay on or near Waikiki. On Kauai, is there a recommended part of the island to stay?

I will probably have more questions as I continue my research, but this is it for now. Thank you, as always, for your help.

I don't think July or August would make any difference. They should both be great times to visit.

With your interests, Oahu and Kauai are the two islands I'd recommend. They would have good contrast. I'd suggest staying on Kauai's North Shore. The hiking and natural beauty are awesome.

I'll start my reply by telling you we are Big Island people...and enthusiastically recommend it as part of any trip to Hawaii if you have time.

It's primary draw for many is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. But, because of it's sheer size, it offers so much more than many other islands. 300,000 acres with several days of things to see and do for those who wish to do more than a drive by visit.

There are few other places in the world where you can be on a snow covered mountaintop and a surfing beach in the same day.

Outdoor activities? Too many to choose from.
Hiking? Do you feel like rain forest hiking or are you more in the Arizona or Utah desert feeling that day?

Do you want to visit America's rainiest city? America's southern most point? How about a rare green sand beach hike? Black sand beach?

Science? An astronomy center, the world's most advanced telescopes. The terrain on the Big Island was selected for Mars mission training.

Have you ever visited Texas cattle country? Parker Ranch - over 200,000 acres - is like visiting just that.

Cultural interests? Check. Ancient Hawaiian civilization started here.

The terrain alone is amazing and so varied. Vast fields of black lava, lush groves of tropical trees, coffee farms, rows and rows of macadamia nuts...even cacao...and more.

I could go on and on! It will depend on your amount of time for the visit...if you only have a couple of days for your neighbor island visit, you'd be smart to stick with Kauai...it's small and easy to see in a couple of days. If you have more time, though, consider Hawaii Island. It's awesome!

Each island has its own personality. I think the choice of Oahu and Kauai is perfect, but then unlike TJM, we are NOT Big Island people (like parts, especially north of the Kohala Coast), but dislike parts (I’m more a fan of a traditional tropical look and feel, the lava fields are interesting to me, but when I go to Hawaii, I want palm trees and gorgeous sandand). Overall, can never get over the sheer lushness and beauty of Kauai.

as for where to stay on Kauai, the north shore is unbelieveably beautiful, but we always stay on the south shore because most accommodations on the north shore are in the Princeville development, which isn’t at all to our taste - too suburban and manicured, plus everything is high on a cliff, and we like to be “at” the ocean. The south shore is also beautiful, just not quite as stunningly so as the north shore.

On Oahu, for a first trip, probably best to stay in Waikiki, but do rent a car and drive west to Pearl Harbor and northeast to Kailua-Lanikai (great kayaking) and then northwest across the H3 to Haleiwa and the north shore beaches. The H3, in parts, is a visually amazing highway.

Songdoc and SF7307, thank you for your feedback and suggestions.

TJM_70, thank you too. A lot of what you describe appeals to me although I feel I would need at least 10 days for the Big Island. Next time!

Sounds like a good choice, on Kauai I also vote for the North Shore, there are some nice condos in Princeville, my personal pick would be Hanalei Bay Resort.

I feel the exact way about the Big Island as sf7307, but I know people who love it.

But I disagree on Princeville. I love Princeville so much I moved there! Yes, Princeville is on a cliff, but I don't mind that and the views are stunning. There is also a (newly expanded) walking path alongside the golf course with breathtaking mountain views.

The South Shore/Poipu feels more like generic beach resort than "Hawaii" to me. Some people feel Princeville is too pristine or manicured, but It's not as if Poipu is set in the jungle or has the feel of old Hawaii. The places to stay in Poipu are either modern, manicured condo complexes or resorts and it feels less Hawaiian to me than the North Shore, but there are certainly some pretty places all over the island and you can drive to them.

Only Kauai's North Shore matches my fantasy of how Hawaii is supposed to look.
But there are people on this forum who prefer Maui, BI, Oahu, and Kauai--and different parts of each island. Different strokes for different folks.

Friends of mind stayed at the Hanalei Bay Resort and loved it. It looked fantastic when I visited--and you can walk to the beach from there. If budget is an issue, there are lower priced options such as Sealodge and Alii Kai, and even lower prices if you forego the ocean views.

Jamie99 and Songdoc, thanks for both of your suggestion of the Hanalei Bay Resort. I will take a look.

I should also add that we will rely on a combination of walking, public transport, and tours, hopefully of the smaller group variety, given that we don't drive.

So far, for Oahu, we have on our sightseeing agenda, Waikiki, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, Downtown Honolulu, the North Shore, and what guidebooks describe as the southeast. For the latter two, we are looking at both public transport as well as small group tour options. If there are any operators that you know and trust, please recommend.

On Kauai, we hope to experience Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast, which I understand we would need to visit on tour given the lack of public transport options. Here are some options we're considering if you have first-hand experience with them:

http://www.kauainaturetours.com/hiking-tours/

https://kauaihikingadventures.com/it...-destinations/

https://www.tombarefoot.com/things-t...king-tours/16/

We also hope to do a helicopter tour on one of the islands, and partake in a luau.

Thanks again.

I'm crazy about Honolulu/Waikiki and it is where I have spent most of my total Hawaii time (5-6 trips to date).

I love the city meets ocean, spectacular DiamondHead and mountain views, plus all the cultural opportunities (museums, historic sites, music and dance, art, food, etc.) and normal tourist amenities (restaurants, cafes, bakeries, shopping, tours, etc.).

I travel solo and it's easy to get around without a car on foot and The Bus.

While I have never been to Kauai myself I do think those two islands are a perfect fit for your wishlist and time frame and group's interests.

Suze, thank you. It is good to know that someone else has visited Oahu without a car.

IMO you can do without a car on Oahu for most of your stay (But do get a car for a day or 2 and drive around Oahu) The BUS is great! On the outer islands I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend renting a car from arrival to departure.

Accommodations on Kauai. While Princeville is lovely and many like Poipu, I prefer Kapaa, It is not far from Lihue and you could go north or south on any given day.

Hpeabody, thank you for your advice. I wish we could heed it; unfortunately we don't have driver's licenses.

I have been to all the islands (except Molokai) and I love Oahu and Kauai the best. I agree about the North Shore of Kauai but it is a small island and easy to get from the North to South Shore quickly.

You definitely can do Oahu without a car rental. If you want to get beyond Honolulu/Waikiki (which The Bus works for beautifully) you can sign up for a day tour with a company like Robert's. There's no shortage of companies or drivers offering a "circle tour" if you have time to see more of Oahu. I'm always too busy in Waikiki, and honestly have zero personal experience with that part.

Oh and if you can't drive/rent a car, I might rethink the Kauai idea. That would be trickier to figure out because they don't have the public transportation network like Oahu does.

<but it is a small island and easy to get from the North to South Shore quickly>

Even without a car, nanabee?? These folks don't drive.

It isn't how I'd want to do it, but Robert's operates on Kauai too.

I have been on a Roberts Tour my first visit to Kauai in 1991 for a work reward trip. They are on a big bus and only stop at the main lookout and do not visit Koke'e State Park, the Kalalau lookout, etc. They did stop at Spouting Horn (worth maybe 10 minutes) and the usual obligatory shopping stop.
Unless they have added some small vans to their fleet they would not be able to travel much past Princeville due to the many one lane bridges.

Nanabee, Suze, SF7307, and Jamie99, thank you for the additional information. Looks like we will likely be okay on Oahu, even with the North Shore, using public transport. On Kauai, we will likely use day tours, but aim for the ones that offer active hiking and in smaller groups; we're definitely not interested in the big bus variety which mostly consist of photo stops and shopping.

We are looking for a full-service hotel on Kauai that is walking distance to shops and restaurants. Somewhere with beautiful views would be welcome but not required and we don't need to be on a beach or have easy access. Some suggested Hanalei Bay Resort, which looks lovely, although I'm hoping for some of the hotel service and a location that allows us to walk in the surrounding areas given that we won't have a car. Suggestions? Thank you.