Croqui frogs were introduced in 1988, and are a big problem in Hawaii; a danger to the unique spider population, and their appetites for other insects take a food source away from native species.
To link them to dengue is not informed.

> To link them to dengue is not informed.

Huh? Disagree at any cost I suppose.

If you're not aware that dengue is a mosquito-transmitted disease, and that frogs eat mosquitos, please crack a book and stop advertising your stupidity.

Please educate yourself on the current situation in Hawaii, the infestation of croqui frogs, and the history of dengue in the state. The links are easily available.

The Big Island requires a lot of driving over areas of volcanic rock without much to see. We landed in Hilo and drove the almost two hours via highway to Waikoloa where we had a time share. Every place we wanted to see was a long distance to get there.

It doesn't matter if you stay in Kona, Kohola, Hilo. Unless you land lets say in Kona then drive to Hilo and stay there for the night. Then continue up to the Parker Ranch area to see the North end of the island and stay on the Northern shore area. That requires staying in different places every couple of days in order to have one base and long drive times every day to see the sights.

That's just one reason I would recommend Kauai or Oahu. They are much smaller island and easier to get around. Plus they are prettier.

But again they all are different and you'll have a wonderful time no matter what :) Aloha!

sylvia3, the simple truth is that the state settled on concentrated citric acid as their main control method, and it's taken out not only coqui frogs but many other species of frogs, lizards, geckos and other natural insect predators. For pete's sake would you please stop embarrassing yourself.

As someone mentioned, from an economical point of view, it may be a good idea to just do BI and Oahu. Would I be satisfied if I skip Maui and Kauai? Is there a better place to base oneself on Oahu instead of Waikiki? If I do 4 days Kauai, is that enough time?

BI:

I can get a good hotel at a reasonable price in Kona, so I'm thinking to stay 6 nights 5 days there, and skip Hilo.

BI Activities:

1. Take day trip and hike Kilauea'iki and Mauna Loa lookout (part way), can this be done in one day??
2. Take day trip and hike in Waipio Valley and or Pololu Valley.
3. See some Kona coast beaches, do some snorkeling at Kahaluu.
4. Spend a day relaxing at hotel.
5. Go to coffee plantation?? Do another hike? Kohala Coast, north of Kailua-Kona snorkeling?


Oahu:

So far I've been mostly researching BI.

Oahu Activities:

1. Pearl Harbor, the Bishop Museum, the Iolani Palace, Chinatown, etc.
2. HanaUma Bay, Kailua
3. Sunset Beach, Pipeline, Waimea Bay, Haleiwa.
4. Waikiki Beach, Diamondhead
5. Hiking, snorkeling, where??
6. Relaxing where??

Fdec, please stop distracting readers with your misconceptions; your off-topic coqui/dengue connections have been made by you before, and you obviously have not kept abreast of the facts or situation.
I suggest following links from West Hawaii Today, or College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources: this is not the political topic you seem to think it is (only a few are in the "save the croquies" camp).
Last word on the subject by me here. Btw, insulting people is not a very adult form of communication; I am neither stupid nor embarrassed, quite the contrary.

As is ALWAYS the case, without exception, the personal insults started with you:

"To link them to dengue is not informed."

First of all, who are you exactly, God? And second, I never claimed it as a fact, I simply said it's either an amazing coincidence, or not. Apparently even that much was enough to activate your must-disagree-with-anything-and-everything-I-post gene.

IMO any intelligent person should be able to see a possible link between an increase and spread of mosquito-transmitted diseases, including dengue, and control of the animals that are supposed to keep mosquito numbers in balance. What part of that is controversial? It's common sense.

Spoke to my wife, she's happy that we won't have to pack and fly to a third island.

I just booked 7 nights at Sheraton Kona Resort And Spa At Keauhou Bay. Using PL I got a nice discount $106/nt, $156/nt including resort fees and taxes.

Now I need a plan and hotels for 8 nights on Oahu.

Any recommendations on hotels? Locations?

What to see aside from Honolulu/Waikiki and the North Shore?

We're into beautiful natural scenery, primarily.

Great. Sounds wonderful. I would drive up the coast from Honolulu/Waikiki along the west coast to Haleiwa, Waimea Bay, Sunset, Turtle Bay for one day. Find out when traffic is light. Another day might be on the east side to HanaUma Bay for exceptional snorkeling in a shallow, protected reef. (go very, VERY Early and see about reservations. Check the state park website). Also,

...check out the Byodo-In Temple (Japanese). It's in a lovely, quiet area of Oahu along the the west/ central/ north (sorta) area. It's off Kahekili Hwy in Kaneohe.

In Kona, I highly recommend the beach called, variously, Disappearing Sands, White Sands and Magic Sands. The sand is thick and soft and the water is wonderful. The beach does get very crowded on weekends.

On Oahu, I recommend kayaking in the Kailua-Lanikai area (we went with Kailua Sailboards). You can cut across the island to the north shore from there, driving across the spectacular H3 highway (really, it's stunning).

I just booked 8 nights at Park Shore Waikiki. Using PL Express I got a nice discount $130/nt, $173/nt including resort fees and taxes.

Average price per night for 15 nights BI and Oahu, including resort fees and taxes comes to $165/nt for a 4* and a 3 1/2 * hotel.

Not too far over budget. I could have come closer to $125/nt if I used PL express and chose 2* hotels.

I highly recommend using PL express, in both cases I was able to figure out the hotel before I committed to it by comparing to the PL regular booking price. Saved myself a bunch of money. I'll have to take out trip insurance as it's all non-refundable.

Now I have to decide if I want to keep a rental car in Waikiki and pay for 8 nights parking or just rent by day, for day trips.