Have gotten invaluable help here. Planning on a pre-college trip this summer with family including 17 and 13 year old boys. They have never been to Hawaii. We loved our trip last year to London and Paris but I think we need more fo a low key yet interesting and adventurous vacation. Husband loves the beach. Can anyone help with an ideal island (or two) for an 11 to 12 day stay. Younger son loves nature, animals, natural wonders etc. and I think we'd all love snorkeling. WOuld likely rent a condo as that seems to be the most economical way to house 4 in fairly high end accomodations. Am hoping to use FF miles so would like to book soon. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

We are frequent travelers to both Maui and Kauai and we have a 15 year old son. Our last trip was Christmas '06. We like Poipu Beach on Kauai, Kiahuna Plantation condos; and Napili Bay on Maui, Napili Kai Beach Club. There are other condo options on or near both beaches, however, and TripAdvisor is a good resource for that. Napili is slightly better for snorkeling off-shore but also good for boogie/skim boarding, and it has another great snorkeling beach within walking distance. Poipu is great for skim or boogie boarding, and there is good snorkeling at the Poipu public park within walking distance of Kiahuna. You will want to rent skim or boogie boards on either island because your sons can spend hours just doing that. Maui is busier, more traffic, but also nice shopping and people watching if your kids like that. Kauai is still more laid-back, at least it was 2 1/2 years ago, and Poipu area has more of the traditional Hawaiian feel. Both are great islands. You'll need a lot of sunscreen, or preferably water shirts for the boys. If you have more specific questions, I'm happy to answer them. We've also been to the Big Island, Kona area, but only once.

Thank you so much-- so would you recommend those two islands as opposed to say, the Big Island and Maui? I have to confess I am a Hawaii novice having only been to Honolulu once (and LOVED it). I keep hearing about volcanos, black beaches etc that sound amazing but am somewhat clueless as to where they are. Maui I would say is a must do and I assume 11 days would be enough for two islands??
Thanks again for any and all help.

With 11 days two islands will be fine.

There is more to see & do on Oahu than any other island.

Maui would be my second island.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

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

teenagers will enjoy Oahu, definitely more to do.

second maui

The four main islands of Hawaii are Oahu (Honolulu), Hawaii (The Big Island), Maui and Kauai. Molokai and Lanai are smaller, more difficult to get to and probably not good choices for teenagers anyway. Napili Bay is on Maui. Poipu is on Kauai. The Kona Coast is on The Big Island of Hawaii and definitely has some of that black rock, but our trip there was many years ago so I can't speak knowledgeably about that area. Maui, at least Lahaina/Napili area, is usually hotter than Kauai. But these are all places with ocean breezes, so still very comfortable most of the time.

I haven't spent time on Oahu (other than in the airport), but it will definitely be busier/more urban than any of them, especially if you stay in Waikiki. There are other beaches on Oahu, so ask Fodorites for recommendations outside of Waikiki if you don't want to be in the city. Kauai is considered the most beautiful as far as unspoilt nature (at least by some people), but Maui is also beautiful and probably has better beaches.

We usually try to stay on a beach with a sunset view and no high-rises, which is why Napili and Poipu are our favorites. There are some direct flights to Maui and Kauai, but depending on where you're coming from, you may end up going through Honolulu anyway...you could always spend time there at the beginning or end of the trip but book a condo on Maui or Kauai for the majority of the trip. Keep in mind that in doing two islands, you will spend an extra day of your vacation in the airport. And if you're doing condos, you may not want to buy groceries (very expensive on all the islands) on one island and then have to leave them and buy the same things again on another island, but that depends on your budget. On the other hand, if you think this is your one and only trip to the Hawaiian Islands, maybe two islands is important to you. If it were me, I'd spend the majority of the trip in a condo on either Maui or Kauai, and then plan for a 2-3 nights in a hotel on Oahu at the beginning or end.

I have been to the the BI and Oahu, so I can speak for only those islands. The prettiest beach we saw was on Oahu at Kailua Beach. There are no hotel there, but there are apartment rentals. Its reef enclosed with very calm waters, and there are kayak rentals to see sea turtles on two little islands nearby. Lanikai Beach is also adjacent, is lovely and there are apartment rentals. On Oahu, the snorkeling is pretty great at Hanauma Bay. Also, Oahu had more sights than we could possibly see in 5 days. You might consider sights like the Bishop Museum, the Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor and the Aquarium. Also, the southeast coast is a beautiful drive, and you might want to visit the Na Pali Cliffs, Byodi-In Temple, and the pipeline surfers on the North Shore.

On the BI, we stayed at a more luxurious resort called the Kona Village. They had terrific snorkelling and black sand beaches. The famous black sand beach on the BI has mostly washed away primarily because it is near the volcano and subject to changes. But, there is excellent snorkelling by the Place of Refuge, which in itself is also worth a visit. Of course, the BI has the volcanoes, waterfalls, gardens, etc.

I don't mean to confuse you, but my choice would be to see Oahu and the Big Island. Oahu has more to see & do than any other island, with natural beauty just minutes away from the urban jungle.

The Big Island has the volcanos, Mauna Kea observatories (you should take your kids on a stargazing tour), hiking, all kinds of good stuff. The two islands are different enough that you'll get a nice contrast. It's funny--whenever I come back from the Big Island (I live in Honolulu), everything looks so small.

Our family of four travels to Kauai every March. Before visiting the Garden Island, we always spend a few nights on another island. We have two girls, ages 11 & 17. On Kauai, we stay in a condo at Poipu Kai - great location and an easy walk to Poipu Beach. Some units have views of the ocean across beautifully landscaped grounds. This March we also stayed at The Kaanapali Beach Club on Maui - we liked it a lot. Our girls had not been to Maui in years and didn't remember it. They fell in love! They liked the excitement of Lahaina and the number of kids they met at the beach. I have to say, we never seem to have much luck with that on Kauai. I love the Big Island but the girls aren't quite as impressed. We also really like Oahu. We stay along the eastern shore and have to agree with FlyingMaltese re: Kailua Beach. Combined with Lanikai Beach, they make a spectacular one-two punch. Many advertisements for Hawaii are shot there. There is much to see and do on this island. But at the end of the day, there is much to see and do on all of the islands. We ride horses and kayak on Kauai. We snorkel everywhere. Restaurants are good everywhere - it's hard to make a bad choice. Have fun!!!

The only active volcano is on the Big Island, which also has black [and green, among other colors] sand beaches. It also has a mind numbing number of waterfalls, hiking trails and other natural wonders.

I suggest you also investigate Maui, and look at condos in the Ka`anapali area. Not a favorite area of ours, but if your teens like hanging out at the mall, Ka`anapali offers that option and numerous condos for rent along an extensive span of beach. There are zillions of other rental condos in the Kihei and Wailea areas in south Maui, though your teens would need to make their own fun in Wailea, which is less densely developed than Ka`anapali. You can also find a large black sand beach, with lava tubes and blow holes, Waianapanapa, near Hana, Maui. There is great just off shore snorkeling in the waters of Maui.

If my primary search criterion was natural beauty, I'd choose Kauai, north shore.