It's my first time to Hawaii and it'll be at the beginning of October. What is the best island or what side of the island is the best this time a year? We are looking for a nice beach to swim, calm waters, relaxation, natural beauty.

Lots of info including sites where you can get free brochures fro all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

How long will be be in Hawaii? The length of time you will be there will help you decide--one island or more. There is not one island that is best. They all have nice beaches, places to relax and are naturally beautiful. You need to do some additional thinking about what else you would like to do and see and also about how much you would like to spend, for lodging especially. I suggest you get a guide book covering all the islands and get a feel for what each offers and then make your decision. If at that point, you want specific advice about hotels/condos/cottages, restaurants, activities, etc I know my fellow Fodorites will be happy to help.

I am going to be in Hawaii for a week, so I thought staying on one island. I read in other posts that different islands(or different parts of the same island) may have different weather during the same season hence the question - what island to pick at the beginning of October to avoid rain. That's the main question now. From there I'll look into lodging options. So, my priorities are: weather, good beach, luxury hotel/resort.

Although it may rain, most of the rain is during the night or morning showers.

Most of the resort areas do not get much rain.

It rains mostly in the mountains & the windward (east) side of the islands.

You can see the areas that get most of the rain:

http://www.climatesource.com/hi/fact...s/hippt_xl.jpg

http://www.climatesource.com/hi/fact...oahuppt_xl.jpg

http://www.lindasplacehawaii.com/AnnualRainfall.htm

One of the things that makes Hawaii so nice is the rainfall. When it rains, everything is nice & green & the waterfalls are much better.

Look into the Hapuna Prince on the Kohala Coast of the BI. It almost never rains there-Hapuna Beach is considered one of the nicest beaches on the BI. http://tinyurl.com/2mv478

I think at this point we are flying to Honolulu. I want to get a non-stop flight between San Diego-Hawaii-San Francisco and the only island where we can get non-stop is Honolulu. But when I looked at the hotels I found they are all urban looking, Las Vegas-style. And I had something different in mind. I wanted more nature and serenity. Which I guess means Waikiki beach is not for us. Can someone recommend luxury resort/condo/hotel that is not a high-rise and doesn't look so commercial?

We were in Hawaii in 2005 at the very end of September, and spent a week in Kauai at the Hyatt in Poipu and a week at the Four Seasons in Wailea (Maui). With the exception of one very hot day in Maui, the weather was perfect. It rained for a short time (always evening or overnight) every day that we were in Kauai, but it didn't rain once in Maui. If you're looking for something more relaxing and less high-rise type, we absolutely loved the Hyatt in Poipu.

If you decide to stay on Oahu, Waikiki is not your only option for lodging. You can stay in Kailua or Lanikai on the Windward side, or at Ko Olina on the west side.

We stayed at the Ko Olina Resort last time we were on Oahu and loved it! It is serene, the water is calm, and totally relaxing. We called Marriott directly and booked a one bedroom unit. Sometimes they only have the hotel type rooms available, but this time we lucked out with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, master suite and living area. Two lanais also with a partial ocean view. It isn't very far from the airport if I remember correctly, and they did not charge us for parking.

We also stayed for two nights at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort, but I really preferred the Ko Olina property.

Another favorite, but very pricey is the Kahala Hotel and Resort, formerly the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Rooms start about $350 per night, but the beach there is very quiet. It is about a 10 minute drive to Waikiki, also borders a beautiful golf course.

I particularly enjoy Oahu in October because it isn't so hot. Like Dusty wrote, showers usually in the morning and at night. It cools everything off!