Hawaii Virgin - need help !!!
 

OK, a few years ago when I was planning 25th anniversary trip to Alaska, this board was unbelievably helpful.

Now its time to plan a 50th suprise B-day gift for my wife and I'm thinking Hawaii. I've never been there so I've got questions I'm sure the people here can answer.

1. How much should I expect to pay for inter-island flight from Kauai to Oahu?

2. I am assuming Kauai would be best if we prefer fewer crowds, pristine beaches, more of a nature setting - right?

3. Any suggestions for condos with ocean views for a reasonable nightly rate (130 - 170/ nt)?

4. What sort of weather should we expect the last week of Dec?

5. My thoughts are to fly Chicago to Kauai for 4 nts and then inter- island to Oahu for 2 nts and then home to Chicago. Comments ?

I'm sure your answers will rasie more questions.

Thanks in advance
Jfmkem

1. It looks like right now one-way Lihue to Honolulu for your time frame is about $60.

3. check vrbo for condos--or google Kauai condos for lots of choices. Here is a helpful website http://www.wizardpub.com/kauai/kauaerials.html It shows the locations of the various complexes (so you can see if it's oceanfront) and a description of the units in each one and also includes a link to each complex's website

4. on average, cloudy on the North shore and sunny at Poipu (on the south)- though impossible to say what the weather would be on your specific days there. We spent time on the north shore one winter--and the weather was lovely.

The last week of December is the busiest travel week to Hawaii, but since travel is down due to the economy--you might still be able to get some deals.

1. You might want to sign up at the airline websites for the exclusive fare sale emails. Those fares can get really low!

2. Probably.

4. December tends to be our rainy season in Hawaii. That's not to say that it will rain the whole time you are here. Weather is pretty unpredictable, especially nowadays with global warming mucking things up.

5. Depends what you plan to do with those 2 days on Oahu. I often tell people coming from large metropolitan cities to do Oahu first, then go to the next island. That way the "decompression" is a little more gradual. I mean, I live on Oahu and I often get culture shock when I go to the other islands!

Then again, the "decompression" thing might simply work in reverse for you so you can go back to Chicago without feeling super depressed upon leaving paradise. (You'll still be depressed, but not AS depressed, I think! ;) )

I just got back from Kauai. It is indeed gorgeous and uncrowded due to the current recession in travel. The helicopter tour of the island is spectacular. If you want to take in all the beautiful sights and still have time to enjoy relaxation at beaches and pools, I would recommend skipping Oahu and spending 6 nites in Kauai.

What a great surprise you are planning for the two of you! I think Kauai is a nice choice. We stayed in both the south area (Poipu area) and the north area. We preferred the north area because it's greener and more lush. I think ours was a summer trip (June).

One thing you might keep in mind is that if you are looking directly on hotel's web-sites, sometimes they offer a deal such as book 4 nights and get the 5th night free. Before you are locked into your schedule, you might want to consider this.

I recommend spending the whole time in Kauai if you can. It's more relaxing to stay on one island, especially if you only have a week. This also gives you more time to see the main sites and yet still get off the beaten track and explore in more depth. It also gives you more time for activities such as snorkeling, as you spend less time traveling.

We also had a very romantic trip to Maui, but it was more pricey than Kauai. We liked the Maui Prince Resort and the Hotel Hana Maui. Sorry but it's been a few years since I was in beautiful Kauai so I don't recall the names of our accommodations, just their locations. Enjoy!

Oh yes...for Kauai, the reason we split our stay between the north and south ends is that the north end is more green and lush, but the south end has access to the beautiful park or canyon area where you can drive up for the day...can't recall the name but someone else here will. It's a protected canyon area with interesting nature, including a swampy area which my husband the biologist insisted on hiking into...the swampy walk was icky and eerie but interesting...the non-swampy parts of the park were nice and a change from the beach areas. We took a picnic.

Our experience in places with tropical climates is that when it rains it's usually not a big problem. Our luck has been that the rain hasn't deterred our activities for more than an hour or two in tropical climates. It's what keeps everything so green.

Agree with the others. In that time frame, I would only stay on one island. Waste too much vacation time waiting in airports. :)

So if you do just decide on Kauai, also agree w/splitting the time between North & South. It is kind of like going to two different places, but only takes about hour and a half to get there. :)

We prefer condos on our trips, simply because we save money having a full kitchen to use. But if you like having all the amenities a resort offers, maybe a condo is not for you. Not sure for price range in December but can recommend these two condos - for south shore, we really like Makahuena. Can walk to Poipu Beach and the Hyatt. Great walk along the waterfront rocks to the Hyatt. For North shore, we love Pali Ke Kua in a unit that faces Bali Hai. Unfortunately the price for that will probably be out of your price range at that time of year. But with the economy, who knows. :)

If you decide to do Oahu anyway, keep in mind for checking cheap airfare try the reverse itinerary - fly into Oahu and home from Kauai.

Whatever you decide, have a great time. Great 50th gift!

What an amazing surprise it will be! We just retured from Kaua'i this past week and I'm already planning our return trip (if only in my imagination). We rented a one bedroom condo at Kuhio Shores in the Poipu area. I couldn't recommend this complex enough. Nothing compares to sitting on your own lanai, watching turtles, whales, pods of dolphins, surfers, and then a gorgeous sunset! The little beach next to the condos provided excellent snorkeling, also. We loved the South Shore and it tended to be more sunny as I had read. We explored the North Shore and it was gorgeous and I regret not seeing more of it! However, I would only be inclined to stay there in the summer months.
The only thing I would do differently next time would be to cook more dinners at the condo. We ate out almost every night (I was excited to try all the places I had read about!), and while the food was always decent and the service always friendly, it was very costly and not always memorable. Hope this helps! Good luck planning!

Agree with other posters - stay 6 nights on Kauai, south shore in December. Try vrbo.com for some condo rentals in the Poipu area. Might want to look at the Beach House for a special dinner.

Jeeez... when I read your title, I thought we were going to have to warn some young virgin to stay away from open volcanoes!!! have fun!!!