I am interested in going to Hawaii for two weeks as a family of four with two active teens. (girls ages 14 and 16) We hike, snorkel, swim, and anything active. Last year we did a two week tour of Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Page and never slowed down. Planes, helicopters, hiking, you name it. Shopping is NOT a priority, and we want to see as much that Mother Nature has to offer as possible without stressing over changing islands constantly. (Maybe two island total) Suggestions on what parts of which Islands to stay on would be helpful as well as any "extra special" excursions available. May not have the chance to go there again as a family and want to do the best possible trip.

I would go to Kauai and maybe Maui, lots of outdoors things to do on Kauai as far as good hiking and snorkeling, Maui also has good beaches for snorkeling. What time of year and are you looking for a hotel or condo?

You might want to add the Big Island of Hawaii into your considerations. Volcano National Park is on the east side. http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm Good hiking opportunities (the Kilauea Iki hike is a good one) there plus there are rain forests and snorkeling in the tide pools around Kapoho (great coral!). You can also take a helicopter ride over the volcano--http://www.bluehawaiian.com/bigisland/tours/

The west side has really good snorkeling in south Kona at Kealakekua Bay and Honounou Bay ('Two Step'). The best beaches are along the Kohala Coast--(Hapuna, Mauna Kea, A Bay, Kekaha Kai [Kona Coast State Park]).

The Hamakua and North Kohala districts have the beautiful green valleys--Pololu and Waipio--good for hiking and other activities. Example http://www.ridetherim.com/ http://www.paaniranch.com/big_island_ziplines.html http://tinyurl.com/2cm5dan


Parker Ranch at Waimea offers lots of activities centered around the Hawaiian paniolo (cowboy) culture. http://www.parkerranch.com/hawaii-to...ck-riding-tour

Have fun choosing!

I loved the Big Island, Kauai, Oahu. But find that Maui doesn't have the island charm. It reminds me a lot of southern California and is primarily big hotels and too touristy. Oahu, is of course dependent on tourism but it's also got the history (the former Iolani Palace, the Bishop Museum, the Pearl Harbor WWII museum), wonderful little beach towns particularly along the west side up to the north shore.

I have an active teen, too (high performance athlete, age 14) and your comment about last year's vacation ("we never slowed down") made me cringe. Wherever you end up going in Hawaii, please consider taking a day or two of down time together, to really focus on each other (rather than the activity du jour) and enjoy each other as a family. If your teens are like mine, when you're not on vacation it is one constant busy dash from school to sports practice to tournaments, very few family mealtimes, etc.

Tons of outdoorsy things to do on Oahu - surfing/bodyboarding at Waikiki Beach, kayaking at Kailua Beach Park, exploring the beautiful beaches on the North Shore and the eastern side of the island. Three quick, yet challenging AND beautiful hikes are Diamond Head, Koko Head, and the trail at Makapu'u Beach. Olomana is a longer, but GORGEOUS hike near Kailua. Oahu is really the best of all worlds as you can leave town to cavort in nature during the day and then return to eat at some amazing restaurants in the evening. You can also throw some historical/educational sights in along the way, as the other post mentioned - Pearl Harbor and Iolani Palace. Traveling to any of the other "outer" islands, would allow to see the other side of Hawaii - the big, serene, isolated resorts. Tough to choose among them!

Thank you for the replies. I wasn't even considering Oahu, but will look more closely at that. I am planning on going in either July or August for about 16-18 days. I thought two islands would be enough, three might be jumping around too much. I'll need to choose, it isn't easy! Is it impossible to get good accomodations at this time for this summer? AmI crazy trying to book now, or should I think more of summer 2012?

Don't think you're crazy to try for this summer. You can always try!

If you do decide on Oahu, almost all of the hotels are in Waikiki. You can do a VRBO on the Kailua side if you want to get away from the city. Again, I don't find Waikiki too bad for the evenings. You can stroll around the streets after dinner, lots of great people watching. I would suggest the Marriott Waikiki or something nearby. It is on the edge of Waikiki so you don't sit around in traffic trying to get in and out of the city. One caveat - avoid Waikiki during 4th of July weekend - it is too crowded!!! (We used to live there and visited just last summer with our 2 teens!)

Also, you probably already know this, but you should book a ticket that flies to one island and out another with 1 inter island flight. For example Mainland to Honolulu, Honolulu to Kauai, Kauai to the Mainland. (Don't book a ticket in and out of Honolulu and do a roundtrip inter island flight from there - more $$$ especially for a family of 4!)

Let me know if you decide on Oahu. I have some great restaurant suggestions, too!

With your time frame, I would visit 3 islands. They all have individual charms and activities. Oahu, Kauai and the big island would give you a good feel for Hawaii. When we travel with our teens we rent condos through vrbo. (On Oahu, rent in Kailua....not far from waikiki)

Maui or Big Island for great sceenery, hiking, snorkeling and "outdoors" activities? Not into shopping or night life.

Yes, they're all great for that.

You could still include Oahu. Doesn't mean you have to go shopping or do nightlife just because it is available in the Honolulu/Waikiki area. It also offers great scenery, hiking, snorkeling, outdoor activities just like all the other islands.