Hi

I've been to Hawaii twice and stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (using my points) and loved it. I also visited the Hilton on Kona and didn't like it as much as the HHV in Oahu.
For shopping, Oahu is very cosmopolitan and has all the major stores. For souvenoirs I highly recommend going to the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium. It's huge and you can get great deals. You can get 10 t-shirts for $20, numerous beach towels for $20, etc. It's held every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. If you can go on Wednesdays as it's not as crowded and there's less traffic on the road so you get there a lot faster. The HHV has a shuttle which takes you there and picks you up. Check with your hotel to see if they offer free shuttle service. Aside from the Swap Meet, prices are very high on the resort properties which is to be expected.
You'll love Hawaii!!!
Enjoy

thanks everyone for all the advice. I can't wait to go to Hawaii, I've talked about going for 10 years now and the plane trips have always been too expensive from Australia. Does anyone think 10 nights is too long in Oahu?

Nope, not too long.......you'll be crying when you leave after 10 nights.

Hi Suki Lane:
Ya - not only will you be crying when you leave Oahu like I do, but you may end up like my sister. She and two girlfriends went to Honolulu for spring break (from the mainland). She fell in love with Hawaii and a "cute guy" and never came back! She's happily married to him and still in Honolulu twenty five years later.

I would suggest you also go to Maui for a few days. It has better beaches with great snorkeling in my opinion, gorgeous volcano and other state parks to explore, and great shopping. Waikiki is so crowded and after a day at the Ala Moana, that's about all the shopping I want to do.

If you have 10 days, I think you should definitely try 2 islands. There is so much to see and do in Hawaii, and the islands are so different from one another. My husband and I went to Maui for our honeymoon and loved it.

Last year, we went to the big island and to Kauai. For us, Kauai was the most beautiful; we did the helicopter tour of the coast, and it's probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen. On the big island, we hiked out to the volcano at night and watched the lava flow into the sea - amazing. Oahu is much more developed than the other islands, but it does have a lot to offer. All depends on what you're looking for.

Hi suki-lane

Have just finished unpacking after 6 nights in Hawaii at the end of a month long USA adventure.

We stayed at the Aqua Ocean Tower which is no more than 100 metres from the beach. An older hotel with rooms a little tired but very clean. The hotel is undergoing refurbishment (you don't see the work though) but the service and personal care (home baked cakes delivered to your room, champagne, fresh leis etc) is unmatched and if you could book one of the newly refurbished rooms you would be thrilled as they are lovely. Not as flash as a lot of the other hotels but with a sense of Aloha and welcome that is unique.

Next door is the Waikiki Resortquest with Tiki's bar and Grill. Entertainment each night by torchlight.

This end of Waikiki is near Diamond Head. Close enough to all the shops and the trolleys stop right outside, but far enough away from the hustle and bustle.

We hired a convertible,spent the morning at Pearl Harbour and then left at 1pm to drive round the island. Stopped along the way and were back in Waikiki by 7pm. Visited Dole Pineapple plantation but it's nothing like the one in Queensland.

Spent a few hours at Huanama Bay snorkelling. Not coral like we expect in Australia, more like a grey rock, but quite a large variety of fish. A little difficult to snorkel as water is shallow and subject to swell.

I hope you enjoy Hawaii as much as we did....take plenty of sunscreen as it was hot enough in May!

Aloha Annie

I lived in Hawaii back in the 1960's and have been back several times since.

I would agree that with ten days you could do a second island and everyone has their preferences.

However, do not rule out the other beaches on Oahu besides those on the "north shore" and these would include Sandy (or Sandy's as some call it) Beach as well as Makapu'u; some folks also like Waimanalo.

As to which, if any, other island to visit..hard choice to make.

I am sure you'll enjoy yourself whatever you decide.

Volcano girl would you recommend Kaui over Maui?

suki, you're going to love Hawaii! I've been to the four main islands. Oahu is my least favorite, but I never went to the northshore, and we're not much into nightlife, so that may be the reason. We also prefer places that don't have a big-city feel.

Maui has lots to do, and is the second most-crowded island (after Oahu). There are lots of hotels, condos, restaurants, etc. It has lots of beautiful beaches and sights.

Kauai, I think, is the most beautiful of the islands. If you like snorkeling, hiking, beautiful scenery, you would like Kauai, but there's not much in the way of nightlife.

We returned a few months ago from a 10-night trip to the Big Island, and it was fantastic! We split our 10 nights at 3 different places (Kona 3 nights, Volcano area 2 nights, Kohala Coast 5 nights) and loved our time there. This island has the active volcano and lots of sights. But it really is big (hence the name!!), and to see all the sights you have to drive a little more.

Right now, the Big Island and Kauai are my favorites, although the list changes occasionally. Maybe you could go to the library and check out some books on all the islands, and you can get a better idea of which one suits you best.

Have a great time planning!

It is such a difficult decision. Samsaf, do you prefer the big island to Kuaui? I've read so many reviews today, and everyone seems to rave about BI. I also spoke to a travel agent today who said it was his favourite island. I definitely want to spend about 6 nights in Oahu, and would like a few nights on a picturesque island with beautiful beaches. I think I will need a few nights to relax.

Suki, if I just had four days, I would go to Kauai. It's smaller, and you can go to both the north and south shore in that amount of time.

I like the Poipu area, but a lot of people like the north shore area better. The north shore area is more lush and, I guess, more beautiful. The south side (Poipu area) is more tropical-looking.

But remember, there's not a lot of shopping in either Kauai or on the Big Island. If you click on my name, you can read my trip report from Oct/Nov 2006 to the Big Island. I don't think I have posted a trip on Kauai (we have been to Kauai twice).

Please let me know if you have any more questions. I love talking about Hawaii!

Hi, Suki-lane, Yes, our own personal preference would be for Kauai over Maui. We loved Maui, but then we went to Kauai and were so amazed at the Na Pali Coast. I will never forget the helicopter ride. We also found Kauai to have the best snorkeling of all the islands. We had good snorkeling in Maui, but AMAZING in Kauai.

It may just be our perception, but Maui seemed more expensive than the other islands as well and more developed than Kauai. Have a wonderful trip!

Maui is most definitely more developed than Kauai and has been a popular golfing destination for folks from the Far East and that alone has added considerable "visitor" infrastructure and visitor volume.

If I had to choose between those two I would definitely pick Kauai since I suspect it will be less crowded.

suki_lane, I'm with the others on this one. Definitely Kauai for the extra 4 days. It's just so beautiful and laid back. We have only stayed on the Coconut Coast which is near the middle of the island. We like that since we can drive north or south for the day once we check the weather conditions.

You are going to love whichever island(s) you go to so don't fret and stress a lot over which island.

Happy planning.

thanks everyone. I think I'll go to Kauai, after reading so many good things about it. I've booked the Moana Surfrider in Oahu. My travel agent got us a good deal there. Can anyone recommend a nice hotel in Kauai? I would like to stay in a hotel with a nice pool and nice rooms.

We stayed at the Kauai Marriott Resort in Lihue. The rooms were comfortable, but we were amazed by the pool. It's the biggest one in Hawaii, or at least it was when we were there, It's gorgeous with lots of bridges and columns and hot tubs. We stayed there because my husband travels a lot for business, and we had enough points to stay for free, but we'd stay there again. I believe the North side of the island is more luxurious if that's important to you - great beaches up there. I think Tunnels and Ke'e were the ones we went to.

We liked the Poipu area too; it had the best snorkelling when we were there. Literally just waded in off the beach and saw a huge variety of beautiful, colorful fish. I don't know if it's always that way - some of the locals were commenting on how good the snorkeling was that day, but we loved it. Spouting Horn is fun to see too; it's a geyser on the beach where water sprays up through the rocks.

You will LOVE the Moana Surfrider...it's like going back in time. Sit on one of the rocking chairs on the front porch and watch the world go by.

suki_lane:

you asked why the prices went up so drastically for july 6, unfortunately you have your tickets already, but july 4 is kind of the largest national celebration all year and you would have had a shot at fireworks displays in oahu, for sure.

therefore, july 6 is part of a rare holiday period and therefore hotel prices go up as people tend to take extra days surrounding the official holiday to make a vacation.

the shopping is best on oahu with maui a close second, but you've done really well to have chosen kauai for scenery.

just sad that you won;t get a look at volcanic rock, as that is something you won't see in oz. you can find lava fields on maui and big island, but i have not ever seen one on kauai.

definitely plan on swimming in hanalei bay - it will be like a giant lake in july - and a drink in the lobby of the priceville (or just a gawk in the lobby of the princeville) on the north shore.

you will find souvenir shops on all the islands, but for serious american-style shoping, the ala moana will make you dizzy. less congested and much more interesting are the shops just about 3 blocks away in the ward center (also less expensive discounters such as nordstrom rack for shoes).

if you have a car definitely hit the outlets- ask anyone they are about 20 minutes out of town towards kapaloei.

kerikeri

thanks Kerikeri, I will definitely be hitting the shops in Hawaii. I would have loved to go to 3 islands but my husband doesn't like to move around too much on holiday. I just looked at the Princeville website today. That hotel looks amazing. My travel agent recommended I stay there and then when she gave me their rates I almost fell off my chair - way too expensive for me! I will visit there though.