How does this potental Hawaii plan sound?
 

1. Fly to Oahu for one night to see Pearl Harbor and maybe hike Diamond Head. We will probably stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or one of the Sheratons.
2. Fly to Maui and drive the Road to Hana, spend two nights at Hotel Hana Maui
3. Take ferry over to Lanai and stay at Manele Bay for two nights.
4. Fly to Kauai and stay in a Princeville vacation rental (We have stayed in this house before and loved it)for a week.

We have been to Hawaii four times before staying in Maui three times but never Hana, Kauai twice (our fav. island, especially the north area), and BI once. We love the laid back areas and enjoy hiking and snorkeling the most. Our family includes two dds, 10 and 13. Would these choices be good???

Why not spend more time on Oahu since you've been to all of the other islands? There is so much to see and explore on Oahu outside of Waikiki.

Plus, the day we went to Pearl Harbor, it was a FULL day and very exhausting if you do everything including the Missouri. I would suggest one day for Pearl Harbor and one day to hike Diamond Head and check out Waikiki.

Also, checking in and out of three hotels in the first five days sounds exhausting to me!

I think the Oahu day is also abit full. Everyone seems to recommend you do Diamond Head early and the same with Pearl Harbor, so there you go.

Okay two days in Oahu, two in Hana, two in Lani, and 7 in Kauai. Is that more doable? I am basing the two nights on Lanai and Hana on what I have read from other's experiences. Most people just drive to Hana for the day so I thought two nights was "taking it easy." Two nights in Lanai is also based on the size of the island and amount of things to do/see. If we find out we love Lanai, then we will spend more time there on another trip.

I think your new plan sounds good considering your experience and your kids ages. You've been before and know the ropes so to speak. With two nights on Oahu you can also fit in some snorkeling at Hanauma bay and hike to the waterfall as well as Diamond Head.

It sounds really fun, and diverse, but it also sounds like A LOT of moving around, especially in the beginning.

Where are you flying from? Or, more specifically, will you be jet-lagged on your first day in Oahu? And how early are you flying out to Maui on day 3?

Maybe go for something like this:
Day 1: Drive to North Shore or Kailua and relax on a beach. Any beach. :)
Day 2: Diamond Head (early), followed by snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Relax in the evening.
Day 3: Pearl Harbor (early) on the way to the airport for flight to Maui.

Not sure if I have the logistics of your flights right, but would that work? That'd let you see a good portion of Oahu (outside of Waikiki) without jam-packing your schedule.
((R))

Karemeli,
That sounds perfect to me!

We are flying from Detroit to California, spending the night, and then continuing on the next morning. How long does the drive to the north shore generally take? What times are best to avoid due to traffic? So you think it would be fine to make that drive on the same day we arrive?
Thanks!

Hi Ashley,

Sorry I disappeared for a couple days!Eek! Anyway, since you're staying over in CA for a night, you'll probably have the energy to go to the North Shore and lounge on a beach. The trip can take anywhere from 45-60 minutes from Waikiki, depending on which direction you go and how leisurely you drive. :) We drove there via the Kamehameha highway and back to Waikiki down the middle of the island (H-3, maybe?). We didn't hit much traffic in either direction, although we're from New Jersey, so our perception of traffic is skewed!!

Glad you liked my suggestions :-D Hope you have a fab trip! ((R))