Two fiftyish couples are going to visit Hawaii in April - We plan on spending 5 days on Oahu and 5 days in Maui. We need help in determining where to stay on each island. We are either looking for a 2 bedroom condo or moderately priced hotel. We plan on spending some time snorkeling and visit to Pearl Harbour, Drive Hana Highway, Catamaran trip, etc.

Would it be better to stay in Waikiki or other area of Oahu & what area is best to stay in Maui? Would probably like to stay on or very near beach, but we are open to any suggestions.

We need help from someone who is familiar with the islands and accommodations. Also, where will we find the best airfare/hotel/condo.

Aloha cak01,

On O'ahu we enjoyed the Aston Waikiki Beach Tower... just across Kuhio Beach Park and Kalakaua Ave. from Waikiki Beach.

Great views and the condo is spacious & clean with a very large lanai. 2 BR condos are available... free parking.

We used the Entertainment Book for a very good rate. Check it out on Aston Hotels website...

I like to price airfare myself through Expedia.

Happy planning.

On Maui you could look into the Whaler condo on Kaanapali Beach. For a moderately priced hotel you could check out the Kaaanapali Beach Hotel right next door. Have a great trip.
-Bill

We stayed in the most wonderful condo in Maui - just north of Lahaina. It is called the Hale Kai and it only have 40 or so units. The staff was friendly and the price was very reasonable. There is a salt water pool and you're right up against the ocean. We couldn't have been happier. You'll be there in time to watch the whales - that's my dream for another trip.

I want to recommend the most fantastic spot for snorkeling: Honolua Bay in Maui. It is north of Lahaina and is a marine preserve so there are lots of fish who are not too worried about people. We saw turtles, eels, and even squid/octopi (I don't know the difference). It is a cove so there was not a strong current when we were there (June 2004). My guidebook says the snorkeling is best in the morning and calm spring, summer, & fall. The snorkeling was easy enough for my children, as well as my 60-ish mother and in-laws. My family all agreed that it was like being in a National Geographic special. Take hwy 30 north of Lahaina past D.T. Fleming Beach Park. You'll see a Mokuleia-Honolua Marine Reserve sign near a parking area. Go past this just a little ways and watch for a tiny dirt side road on the left. There will probably be other cars parked there. Park by the road and take the trail/dirt road in. The trail is an easy walk and absolutely lovely. The Snorkel Bob shops may even have a free print out map. We felt so pleased with ourselves for droving there and walked in for free when we saw one of those snorkel tour catamarans.

We bought the Hawaii Entertainment Book and it definately paid for itself. www.entertainmentbook.com

Also, if you are thinking of doing one of the Atlantis Submarine tours, the Maui tour has more sealife than the Oahu submarine tour.

We stayed at the Ocean Resort Hotel in Waikiki. It was not ocean front but we had ocean view rooms at a fantastic rate. If you go to there website: www.oceanresort.com and click on "Specials" (along the top) - they have 40% off the first room and 50% off the second when you rent two rooms on one reservation. They also have a discount for anyone 55 or older.

You can check out the Activities & Attractions Association website: www.aoagoldcard.com - to see if their discount card will be worth the cost for the activities you are interested in.

Hope this helps.

Kapalua Bay hotel in Maui is low-rise, as "connected" to the sea as you can get in Hawaii, and has wade-in snorkeling at their beach which is nearly always calm because of an offshore reef protecting the bay.

We usually go through www.hawaii4less for great condo/car packages. We usually stay in Kahana/Honokowai area with an oceanfront condo. It's a 5 minute drive north to great snorkeling at Honolua Bay and it's just 10 minutes or so back to Lahaina or Kaanapali Beach. If you use the website for Maui Revealed, you can get aerial photos of the resorts and you can can use their links to get to all the websites for activities.

Book your luau ASAP. On Maui the Old Lahaina luau is booked months in advance. Highly recommend the afternoon tradewind sail with America II.

We were very happy with the trip that we took several years ago with Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays.

In the Wailea area, I'd recommend the Grand Champions Villas. We stayed in a 1 BR this fall and we're very happy with the location. All of the nice Wailea beaches were within a 5 minute drive or so. I would check vrbo.com for listings.