jetsetj

1st timers wondering which place would be the best. We want a very walkable town area that is laid back. We LOVE to shop and would like a place with alot of shops that you can get to on foot. Not american mall like places. More crafty shops, or outdoor markets.
Please suggest other places if you know a good place.
We are budget travelers and like more bohemian places.
We would be going in April.
We may rent a car but want to stay right in a town.

wbpiii

Lahaina is far more shopable and super food. Hanalei is far less touristy and far fewer shops. Hanalei is smaller. Hanalei is in a beautiful area. Lahaina not so much but it does have ocean views. There are no resorts in Hanalei but six miles away is Princeville. If you like bohemian, I'd go Hanalei, it's real Hawaii.

jamie99

Hanalei for me and you will need a car on either Kauai or Maui as public transport sucks.

suze

Lahaina is a very walkable town, it's a fairly good size with tons of restaurants, galleries, shops, theaters, etc. It's a bit honkey-tonk in feel. It used to the capitol of the islands when there was the monarchy and an old whaling town. Finding a 'budget' and 'bohemian' place to stay is going to be a trick. There are some B&B's but not really much in the way of cheap hotels. Actually the town there reminded me a little bit in atmosphere & energy of downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Don't know the other town so can't compare.

jetsetj

thanks all for replies.

i dont know if Hawaii will be too civilized and modern.
we love the Mexican sort of atmosphere.

Zihuatanejo is also an option for us. We have Alaska air voucher ($556) we want to use in April for our anniv.

After we are in PV in Dec. maybe that will help decide if we want more Mexico or are willing to try something else.

A friend was in Waikiki and said it was so beautiful.
More scenic than PV.

Isnt it fun to have this dilemma?
Hawaii or Mexico.
Life is good.

wbpiii

Well, fewer drug wars in Hawaii.

Otis_B_Driftwood

"i dont know if Hawaii will be too civilized and modern.
we love the Mexican sort of atmosphere."

Then, stick to Mexico or, better yet, consider Costa Rica. Shopping is much more interesting in Mexico or Costa Rica than Hawaii.

A friend once told us that Lahaina was a sewer after visiting it in the 70's. Well, it's been cleaned up quite a bit but, to steal from Peter Ustinov, it's still very much like a carbuncle on the backside of Maui. We love Maui but always try to avoid Lahaina if at all possible.

Hanalei, on the other hand, is a wonderful place but not, imo, for shopping. It's a place to get away from it all. Very quiet and very beautiful.

You might prefer Zihuatanejo. It's a beautiful town on a beautiful bay but, in season, it's overrun with cruise ship passengers. It's better in off-season.

Costa Rica is great because it's not overdeveloped like the beach towns of Mexico or places like Waikiki in Hawaii. It also has a great variety of natural environments and some extraordinary wildlife. Also, it seems like much of the crafts that are sold here are produced locally rather than imported.

bramsole

Kauai is less about shopping and more about being. Head to the North Shore and stay at the only condos on the beach. Hanalei Colony Resort. Half of the fun of Kauai for us is the driving and scenery. Park your happy selves on the north beaches and drive into Hanalei or south for a day. You will be so happy that you did. Hanalei has art, jewelry, neat stuff to see and then you can shop your way south to the airport on the last day. Either way it is paradise.

FrankS

Lahaina should work well for you. You will find everything from hi end crafts to Tshirts. Several nic eplaces to stay at in town, more just outside.

To be in walking distance, a nice place is Outrigger Aina Nalu

suze

You can't really generalize like that about all of "Hawaii" because it is so very diverse, on each island, and in different parts of each island. Some places are modern, some places untouched, most somewhere in between. Just depends where you base yourself. If you are looking for less 'civilization' I would be looking at Kauai instead of Maui.

I personally think Waikiki is very beautiful. but some people say it's "just a city with a beach".

I vacation in both Mexico (21x) and Hawaii (5x) regularly and will continue to return to both. I love them each for different reasons. Hawaii smells really good, you don't have to worry about getting sick, drinking the water, changing money, or language. In Mexico you can drink cocktails on the beach (which isn't the way in Hawaii) and the local people are more outgoing and welcoming.