Hawaii-Which Island?
 

My wife and I are interested in traveling to Hawaii but are overwhelmed with the number of island choices. We enjoy great beaches, snorkeling, good restaurants, and as few people as we can get away with. Which island best fits this description? If we can decide on an island then we can start worrying about where to stay. Thanks for any advice.

There are a ton of posts here that attempt to answer the question you are asking,but since you asked...Kauai in general and specifically the north shore sound like it would fit your needs. The weather and water conditions are better for swimming and snorkeling on the north shore in late spring to early fall. There are good restaurants all over the island. The pace is slow. There is an abundance of outdoor activity choices. It does not have a volcano, however if that is of interest to you. Have fun planning your trip!

For that list, Kauai, Maui or the Big Island would be your best bets. Kauai is the better "get away from it all" experience but it also gets a LOT of rain, and there's not much in the way of nightlife. The west sides of Maui and the Big Island are much drier and also have much better ranges of restaurants and nightlife.

Every island has quite a variety of environments. - You can practically drive from desert to jungle on every one in a very short time. Kauai has a VERY wet area - Mt. Waialeale, which averages 444 in. of rain per year - and a sunny south shore which averages about 35 in. per year. In the summer the lovely north shore is lush due to fairly frequent showers but is by no means deluged this time of year. All of the islands have their own unique flavor but Maui is a great "starter island" as it has a bit of almost everything. Kauai definitely has more of a get-away-from-it-all feel and is more lush (oldest, most evolutionarily-advanced island). Thus "the Garden Isle"!

My vote is for the Big Island. Great Beaches, Hot volcanic pools that you can snorkel in, Great scenery,volcanos, rain forest, but restaurants? not the best island for high end cuisine. Fresh fish is the thing, or eat Moco Locos with spam for a local feel. A GREAT guide book for the Big Island is called "The Big Island revealed" it will show you how to get to some UNBELIEVABLE spots. Enjoy