My husband & I (both 50ish) would like ideas on where to go & stay. We have narrowed it down to Maui or Oahu. We want the beach, snorkeling, hiking, whale watching etc. MOST important.. where to stay? We would love to be on or near the beach but hopefully it doesn't break the bank. If anyone bought a package..would love info. Any help would be appreciated, Thanks in advance !

The first thing to bear in mind is that there are only whales during the winter months--November thru March. I think Maui has the best whale watching.

NapiliKaiBeachResort is a very special property.

What's your budget? How long are you staying? What time of year?

I haven't spent a lot of time on Oahu so I won't give it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

Maui, for me, offers the kind of variety and mostly laid-back atmosphere you might be looking for, with opportunities for snorkeling, hiking, etc. There are beachside and beachfront properties there, including hotels and rental condos. All depends on what you want to spend.

By "package" I assume you mean air, accommodations, car, meals?

Many like Costco packages (if you want a resort).
The Makena Surf on Maui is oceanfront, a bit down the road but close enough to restaurants, on a beautiful beach.
It's pricey compared to other condos in the area, but you might get an ok deal on VRBO.

I've never bought a package, but I've gone from Seattle to Oahu and stayed in Waikiki at budget hotels that are close to the beach quite a few times.

I also enjoyed staying near Lahaina on Maui once on a family reunion trip.

Beach, snorkeling, hiking is everywhere. Whales are by season.

What price do you mean by "not break the bank" and we can make more specific suggestions?

Hi again & thank you! My budget for lodging for 7 days is 2,500-$3,000. But if I can get something lower great. As long as it's clean & near the beach. I also have no idea how much to expect to pay for meals a day. Everyone just says it's expensive. We both are just basic American fare eaters. Besides the beach stuff what other things are there to do on Maui? Laid back atmosphere sounded great.

On the north shore of Oahu look a for a deal at Turtle Bay Resort. The Courtyard Marriott is very nice, too.

Waikiki/Honolulu and on the beach, your budget should easily cover the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, the Hyatt Regency Beach Resort or the Beachcomber (Holiday Inn).

The only place on Maui that we've stayed is the Noelani Condo Resort near Lahaina and it was a fabulous bargain, under 200 per night including parking and a sea turtle who greeted us just below the balcony each morning. Gorgeous sunsets...but you may be looking more for a full-service hotel experience than an apartment.

If you want beach, snorkeling, hiking, and have narrowed it to Maui or Oahu, sounds like Maui is a better choice. Lots of nice snorkeling on the west side, dependable weather on the southwest side, mix of affordable and pricey condos to pricey resorts, good accessibility to other parts of the island and restaurants and shopping.
(IMO Lahaina is not good for beach swimming or snorkeling, esp. in comparison to other places on Maui.)

Things to do on Maui:
Go up the Haleakala crater (it's spectacular), drive the road to Hana (if you are interested), check out the shops, galleries, restaurants, historic walk, art fair in Lahaina, go to the show called U'Lalena, go to either Old Lahaina Luau or Feast of Lele, take the ferry over to Molokai... that's in addition to the usual beaches, snorkeling, catamaran cruise, etc.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...ui_Hawaii.html

The ferry to Molokai went belly up.

for almost a year, unless you have an update?

http://www.mauinews.com/news/local-n...ce-this-month/

we loved out time on Molokai They are a resilient people who have fought tourism at a huge personal cost.

Thank you. I'm sorry. I looked online before I posted and saw it still listed.