Hawaii in July
 

Hi,
I'm going on a trip with a friend (or two) to Hawaii in about a month and had a few questions. Any help is greatly appreciated-thank you!

1. I am definitely planning on staying in both Maui and Kauai. I've gotten mixed responses about also including the Big Island (either as a day trip or stay). Should I stick to the first two, or is the big island worth the stay/visit?
2. Advice on staying in north shore vs. south shore on Kauai?
3. I've been doing my research but would love any input on "must sees" from you travel experts :)

Thanks for the advice!
Daniella

How much time do you have? If you have just two weeks, I would stick with Kauai and Maui. If you have another week, add in the Big Island.

Not sure what a day trip to the Big Island will get you. Is the goal to see Volcano National Park? If so, you really would want more than a day as the only lava to see right now is the glow from the crater at night. You wouldn't be able to see that on a day trip. You would, however, be able to do a couple of the great hikes in the park, drive Chain of Craters, etc. If you do that, fly into and out of Hilo.

A week in each place would be very nice.

You don't mention whether you prefer a hotel , condo or house rental. We have stayed in Hanalei at rental houses or smaller cottages in July many times and love it. There are lots of condos and hotel options in Princeville. Many like it. I do not, but being on the north shore of Kauai in the summer is the way to go, whether it be in Hanalei, Haena, Princeville, Kilauea, or Anini.

I am partial to Wailea on Maui, but in July I would also think about the Napili area. Great beach and lots of low - key places to stay.

In summer I'd stay North Shore for sure. Book your car NOW, I have used www.discounthawaiicarrental.com in the past, they are wholesalers who rent only from the major firms. Last time I had a nice car from Avis.
For sure, visit many of the North Shore beaches, spend one day driving up to Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Park and the Kalalau lookout. If you can, take a boat tour of the Na Pali coast.

One week = One island. Ten nights = Two islands. Two weeks = Three islands -- unless one is Big Island and you want both sides. In general visitors stay north in summer; south in winter except for Big Island where the beaches are NW and the volcano is SE.

Summer draws a lot of families whose kids are on vacation from school. You need a rental car everywhere outside of Honolulu; when they're gone...they're gone.

How much time do you have for Hawaii? Do you have time (and money) to spend half a day in transit between islands? What's the lodging budget? How will you get to and from Hawaii?

Hi all thank you so much for your responses! We decided on 7 or 8 days and two islands-Maui and Kauai (which I know is tight based on your feedback). We prefer hotel/resort type of places for this trip. Based on your responses and my research we'll do the north shore in Kauai . I'm thinking about wailea in Maui

How many interisland flights will this entail? Each one will eat half a day, door-to-door. I'd choose *either* north shore Kauai OR Maui. Do you want to flop at a resort and enjoy the luxury you're paying for, or will you be off-property most days, sightseeing? The top resorts on Maui are mostly in Wailea: Four Seasons, Fairmont Kea Lani, Hyatt Andaz, Grand Wailea. The Ritz in Kapalua is the exception at #2 ranking -- and is inconvenienly located far north for the major attractions on the opposite side of the island.

Prefer the Lahaina area north v. the south end of Maui/Wailea - and in particular - Kapaluah and Napili. :)

And no idea where this trite formula above ever came from. You can easily spend three or four days on one island and three or four on another and have a very good time.

From the Honolulu airport to Kauai is only 20 minutes - and it's only about 30 minutes flying to Maui. And the smaller inter-island airport - next to the big Int'l one at Honolulu -is easy to navigate - as are the smaller - outer island airports.

And for North Shore Kauai- check out condos at our timeshare place - Cliffs Club Princeville - or the nearby Hanalei Bay resort. For truly upscale - the St. Regis Princeville resort is beautiful.

Pick one island and enjoy it.

Thank you Tomsd-I figured 3-4 days on each would be nice too :) I will check out the north of Maui. I'm definitely more oriented as far as where to stay and traveling etc. Thank you all for the car rental advice as well. Jamie99 thanks for the sightseeing tips! I will likely have more logistical questions once everything is booked. Thanks guys!

Don't do a day trip to the Big Island. It deserves a LOT more time than just a day!! :)

IMO the only sane way to visit more than one island in a week is to take the NCL cruise. You'd see highlights of Kauai, Maui and Big Island without the airport drill. Many people rent cars at some ports for DIY touring.

With seven or eight days, I'd prefer one island. I definitely wouldn't try to do more than two islands in that time for a few reasons: (1) waiting for your flight isn't that much fun; (2) renting and returning rental cars is also not that much fun; (3) I prefer staying in condos or cottages and there are often minimum stays and/or discounts for staying a certain number of days; (4) I don't want to grocery shop on each island and I like to eat breakfast at the condo and grill most evenings at the condo; and (5) I also like to drive around and check out the whole island, but I don't like being rushed between beach time and sight-seeing time.

To each their own, but if you're switching islands a lot, it can feel like a lot of packing, unpacking, airport, rental car, gas station, etc. time.

Consider Waikoloa and Mauana Lani in your list too. One of the best place to see in Hawaii.

I have to mention the reality of the average HA airport; wait times, esp. security wait times, boarding for departure, arrival deplaning, it all adds up; a "20 minute" drive turns into a much longer proposition.

What sylvia said. Spend your time enjoying the islands by spending minimal time in its airports!

Good advice from the last five posters.

Here is the least of what do to prepare for an interisland flight:

Spend at least an hour packing.

If it is a morning flight, we usually get up earlier than we would have had we not been traveling.

Check out of where we are staying.

Spend at least 30 minutes driving to the airport. Don't forget to fill up your tank with gas.

Deal with car rental return, which will eat up another 20 minutes.

All of this to arrive at the airport at least 60 minutes before the flight.

Fly to the other destination is usually 20 to 30 minutes.

Now do most of the preceding steps in reverse once at the new destination.

Doing this every three or four days and then having to do it again when you leave to go home 3 or 4 days later is royal pain the okole and will as others have said eat up most of a day of your vacation.

Thanks all for the advice! I'm sticking to two islands :) We'll be staying on Maui and Kaui (Four Seasons and St Regis). Now working on plans for each island.

Since seems you've decided on two islands I encourage you to try for at least 8 (instead of 7) days. If you can squeeze out 9-10 days would be more ideal. Because you "lose" a day changing islands, with your current plan that only leaves you 3 actual days on Maui and 3 days on Kauai.