My wife and I plan on visiting the Hawaiian Islands in Aug. '16 a and are in need of some advice. This is our first visit there and will likely be our only visit there, so we don't want to miss any of the highlights. We are planning a 10 day stay. Aside from seeing Pearl Harbor and experiencing an authentic luau, we would like to drive the road to Hana. We aren't much for water sports, i.e., swimming,sailing, fishing, snorkeling. We do however love nature's beauty. How many islands can we realistically see in 10 days? Is it economically feasible to fly from island to island? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.

Oahu has a typical city look and feel, just on an island. If I were you I would spend very little time there. Pearl Harbor and the memorial are a very nice even moving experience, but in my opinion there is little else to recommend it compared to the other islands.

We spent a week last October on the Big Island, Hawaii. Our family really enjoyed it, but we wanted to see Volcano National Park. The Big Island is largely volcanic looking on the west side, but that is also where most of the hotels are because it tends to get less rain.

Kauai tends to be the Island most people gush about due to the sheer lush beauty of it.
What do the two of you enjoy doing? Take a peak at some guide books and see which ones call to you. You could probably visit 2 islands comfortably in that time frame. You can always take a day trip to Oahu for Pearl Harbor.
Also try searching fodors forum for Hawaii, Kauai, Maui etc. to get info.
Inter island flights aren't dirt cheap; then again we flew from Hawaii to Oahu, opposite ends of the chain.

I have to strongly disagree with Cjar's opinion of Oahu! Yes, Waikiki is like a mini city on a beach, but still fun, other parts of Oahu are gorgeous - the north shore beaches and the little town of Haleiwa, the beaches of Lanikai and Kailua to the east, the Pali lookout, Diamond Head. The drive across the middle of the island on the H3 is spectacular.

Each island is very different from the others. My favorite is Kauai for lush beauty and beautiful beaches and spectacular topography. After that, in order, Oahu, parts of Maui, Big Island.

With 10 days, I wouldn't do more than two islands. It takes a half a day to go island to island (packing up, getting to the airport, flying, getting a car, getting from the airport).

Note that except on Oahu, you definitely need a car. Only Oahu has adequate public transportation.

As for flying between islands, well, it's the only way to go, but I wouldn't exactly call it economical. You can probably fly from one island to another for about $100. Note when planning that some flights are direct, others go through Honolulu (which takes more time).

<Oahu has a typical city look and feel, just on an island.>

Oh so totally wrong! That might describe Honolulu proper, but Oahu is an entire island of immense beautty, which certainly does not ALL have a "typical city look".

Since you specifically want to go to Pearl Harbor and you want to drive Road to Hana, your two island picks would be Oahu and Maui. I'd split them 5 days each.

With 10 days you do have time for two of the smaller islands, Oahu and either Maui or Kauai. You don't have time for the Big Island this trip unless you only spent 3 days or less on Oahu.
Yes you have to fly between those two islands, book your inter island fares when you book your rt air, they almost never go down since Hawaiian Air has a near monopoly.

I agree, with 10 days you should limit yourselves to two islands, and from your described preferences, IMO, Oahu and Kauai make the most sense. You'll miss the Road to Hana, but as Cjar mentioned, Kauai's scenery is equally or more beautiful. And you won't have to spend an entire day in-and-out of the car to enjoy it. Going in August, you'll want to be sure to book accommodations on the particularly spectacular north shore.

Any luau you're likely to attend is programmed for tourists, so I'm not sure what you have in mind by "authentic." We've been to several luau on different islands, and the one that's felt most authentic/sincere(?) to us has been the one at Mediterranean Gourmet on Kauai's northwest shore. It's a small, intimate, literally family affair, without the production values of more popular luau, but still entertaining, and it felt "right" to us.

The only way you'll see a truly authentic luau is if you know people who live there, get invited, or happen upon perhaps a church fundraiser or something like that.

That said, our family really enjoyed Old Lahaina Luau. We also very much liked going up Haleakala (the volcanic crater). I'd pick Oahu & Maui to best tick off the items on your wish list.

Yes, suze is right. If your objective is just to tick off the items on your wish list, Oahu and Maui would be the best option. But if natural beauty and scenery are the reasons for Road to Hana being on your wish list, and you want to experience something closer to the "authentic" luau suze describes, consider Kauai.

I agree with Face - I think you can get the beauty of the Road to Hana without actually having to drive the Road to Hana!

Everyone has a different opinion but that's why you asked us, right....different opinions.
For me, I felt like Waikiki was like "Atlanta with a beach". It's beautiful but I didn't go to Hawaii to be in the city. We did the "Circle Island Tour" and included Pearl Harbor - I would HIGHLY recommend that. We saw an overview of the entire island as well as Pearl Harbor in one day and loved it. In my opinion, 2 nights is enough: fly in one day, eat and sleep, do the Circle Island Tour with Pearl Harbor the next day, eat and sleep.....then, on to the next island that is less crowded.
We've been to all the Hawaiian islands and they definitely have a different feel based on your tastes. Kauai is beautiful but Maui is gorgeous! It's my personal favorite - but the Big Island has a beauty all it's own, and it's less expensive than the others, from our experience.

If I could only pick 2 islands, which is enough for 10 days, I'd pick Oahu for 2 nights simply for Pearl Harbor and spend the other days on Maui. Be sure and give yourself some "down-time relaxing" days.

We are headed back in a few months and taking an older couple with us who've never been. I'm choosing to take them to the Big Island, mainly because it's more different than anything you'll ever see. It's Hawaii.....you can't go wrong with any island choice. Just remember to take your time and enjoy. Now, IF you decide to lengthen your trip a little bit, throw the Big Island in for diversity! ALOHA!

Kauai is beautiful but Maui is gorgeous!

You're right we all have different opinions. I don't think Maui is even mostly pretty, let along gorgeous!

Thanks everyone for all the great input. It's helping me to narrow my thoughts down somewhat.
jcn, you mention the "Circle Island Tour". Could you tell me more about that? Is it a formal tour through a company, or is that something you do on your own?

Hello, from your wish of visiting Pearl Harbor & driving the Road to Hana: definitely OAHU & MAUI for your Hawaii trip. We have been to Hawaii twice: once in Oahu for a week-stay, and once in Maui for an 8-day stay.

Yes, arriving to Oahu at the airport..a bit disappointed...looks like a city...not like in the movies...But there are other pretty parts of Oahu, like the North side. There are plenty of things to experience in Oahu, stay on the beach, go snorkeling at Diamond Head, do the luau - we had a great time!

Suggest stay at Oahu 4 days then Maui 6 days.

Maui is beautiful and we would go back there in a heartbeat! We were there for 8 days and there are so many things to do. We would visit the island one day, and the next day just to hang out on the beach. We went in mid-March, and started the drive to Road to Hana twice...but never made to top..got sidetracked by beautiful stops along the way & was told by the locals that it was too foggy to see anything from the top!

Maui has the West (Kanapali Beach) & the East (mountain- road to Hana) & the South (Wailalea Beach). Stay on Kanapali Beach oceanfront! We stayed at the Marriotts and saw the beautiful sunset out of our kitchen preparing dinner! In the morning, we sipped our coffee right on the beach.
We were in Maui in 2009, and even back then everything was so expensive, especially food. We decided to rent a nice condo with kitchen, cook simple meals & only went out a few dinners, where there were beautiful views! Mama's Fish House in Paiea (not sure of spelling) is worth a stop and it is a cute little artist town to roam about. Breathtaking view!

Oh, we also did a day trip on catamaran to the Dole plantation island and the crew prepared a delicious lunch for you...
Go snorkeling at the very north tip of Kanapali Beach...
Go to Wailalea Beach...

Oh, bring plenty of sunblock! The sun is strong.

Have a Great Trip!

Hello, I just looked up the Maui folder that we kept:

Snorkel beach: Kapalua Bay (on Kaanapeli Beach side) - rent snorkel stuff at Snorkel Bob's place (a few blocks before getting there)

Trilogy: the company that we did the catamaran cruise to Lanai island - strongly recommended. It is a day trip.

We stayed at Marriott's Ocean Club. There are a few hotels along the Kaanapeli Beach.

Fly into Kahului Airport (in the middle). We flew around 11 pm and it was difficult to see the road signs driving to Kaanapeli Beach - 45 min drive at night. Also, not sure where you fly from but we flew from DC area, so we stopped by LA overnight on our way to Maui, breaking the long trip & saw some friends. There is no extra charge on the flight when just stopped overnight.

Since just you two, you could stay on Kaanapeli Beach for a few days, then go to the East (Hana) mountain side and stay for 2 days.

It takes a few hours to drive from West to East, since the roads are curvy.

"...started the drive to Road to Hana twice...but never made to top..got sidetracked by beautiful stops along the way & was told by the locals that it was too foggy to see anything from the top!"

It's not an uphill drive; it mostly skirts the coast near sea level. There are uphills and downhills, but not really a "top" viewpoint.

I too am wondering if you are thinking about the drive up to Haleakala/Upcountry and not the road to Hana. Fog would be more prevalent there in regards to views.

Maybe I'm wrong. That said, I always promote staying in Hana a couple of nights rather then rushing the drive Chevy Chase style.

I want to clarify something I said earlier - I do think upcountry Maui is beautiful, but at "beach level", I think Kauai beats Maui hands down.

Several years ago, we had about the same amount of time allowed (exception: January instead of August). You will inevitably wish you had seen this or more time for that, since there is so much to see & do. We spent the arrival night, next day & night at Honolulu. We booked the Circle Tour thru our hotel concierge for the day to quickly hit the highlights of Oahu & Pearl Harbor. We spent 4 nights each on Kauai & Maui. (Came back later to visit Big Island). Although you can't go wrong anywhere you choose, we enjoyed Kauai most for the lush scenery, which can be enjoyed by driving yourself, helicopter tours (worth the $$),kayaking, rafts, etc. On Maui we enjoyed the whale-watching tours (seasonal?),strolling around Lahina's shops & restaurants, Haleakala. The road to Hana, although enjoyable, was twisty-turny, narrow & not anymore scenic than other areas we'd seen.
I'd agree to check into if there are direct flights to an island you're interested in. You could end in Honolulu, see Pearl Harbor for the day & head home from there. If spending four nights on each, I'd recommend:

Oahu: Pearl Harbor, Bishop Museum, Circle Island Tour (North Shore, pineapple fields, etc)
Kauai: Waimea Canyon, drive around island, helicopter tour, gentle river kayaking, enjoying beach walks.
Maui: Shop/eat Lahaina, take whale cruise, sunrise at Haleakala dormant volcano, road to Hana.
Big Island: Be prepared to drive a lot! City of Refuge ancient site, Volcano/lava fields, Parker Ranch, Hilo/museum, charter boat fishing, Kona small shops.

You'll make great memories whatever you choose, and there are no bad choices. Have fun!