I have been to BI twice and each of the other islands once.

I barely saw Maui though, so still need some guidance. (Stayed at the Maui Prince near Kihei area for a wedding and did not get to the volcano, hana road, or Kaanapali areas at all....).

My DH and I are going for our last trip by ourselves! I will be 4-5 months pregnant, so not able to do my favorite rope swinging/kayaking on Kauai....

But DH has only been to Oahu and BI.

I want to relax, take scenic drives, and really enjoy the natural beauty. Hoping I can still snorkel....

Another factor is the whales. I was amazed in March by the whales at Maui...would Kauai also have a lot of whales?

Our trip would be late Feb. or early March probably 7-9 days.

Have you been to Lanai? You can include that island with Maui. Spend a couple days on Lanai by taking the Lahaina ferry over to it.

Hi and congratulations on the new addition to the family!

Clearly, nine (9) days are more conducive to splitting between Kauai and Maui than seven (7). Depending on which island appeals more to you, split the days accordingly. Each one is wonderful in its own way.

As far as flying from one island to the other, there are several direct Maui/Kauai flights per day on Aloha, which would not require landing/changing planes in Honolulu, so look for those which would be a little less of a waste of time.

End of February would be a great time to see the humpbacks on Kauai. This is the time that they actually breach more often instead of spy or do the tail thing. I envy you on this one!

With regard to Kauai, plan on staying on the South Shore, since the weather would be a little dryer there during winter months, and you should have no problems snorkeling at Poipu Beach Park. I would highly recommend Marriott Waiohai if you are looking for a condo or Hyatt if money is not a huge object. There are also many possibilities in between.

Anna Roz

Thank you for the tips. I think I will do the 9 days and maybe both islands....who knows when I will be back.

And if whales are friskier in FEB, I will try to go then....

Since we just returned from Maui, of course I will recommend going there. I have a very long trip report posted that you can read for ideas. You could stay in the Kaanapali area, snorkel at Black Rock, relax on the beach, walk around Whaler's Village, take a scenic drive up North to see Honolua Bay, the Blow Hole, etc.., go to the top of Haleakala for sunrise or sunset, and of course the Road to Hana and all it's beauty. The whales will be in full force while you are there!
Seeing as how you will be 4-5 months pregnant, I would just pick one island and stay there. This would let you do all the sight seeing you wanted, plus a few days in between to relax. That's just my opinion though, you may be one of those women who never seems to be tired when they're pregnant!

Have a wonderful trip and congrats on the new baby!

We just did two weeks on Kauai and 3 days on Maui. For us that was a perfect split. We actually saw more whales from shore on Kauai but loved the whale watches on Maui.
If shopping and lots of activities are important to you Maui is the place. If peace and quiet on nearly empty beaches sounds like what you want lean more to Kauai.

Didn't know that whales breached more at certain times of the year? Have not been to Hawaii, but in the early planning stages of 09 trip. I am considering spring break trip which would be mid-march or summer. My biggest concern would be not getting to see Napali Coast in March. How much warmer would the water be there in the summer. We are considering BI and Kauai.