Need Help First Trip To Hawaii
 

Hi, will be taking a trip to Hawaii in early June 2008, with 19 year old son & husband. This is our 1st time ever to Hawaii and would like advice on what islands are a must and what to do, how to get from island to island and for what length of time you need for such a vacation. Any advice & suggestions on what are "must-sees" in each island would be greatly appreciated as I feel I don't know where to start. By the way, I was thinking of doing the Big Island, Maui & Kauai. Thank You.

My suggestion as a good place to start is to get Fodor's or Frommer's book on Hawaii that covers the main tourist islands and read through as it will give you basic answers to all of your questions and get you oriented to the islands. Some of what you read will appeal to you and some won't. Zero in on what appeals to you.

How many days will be going for? With less than 2 weeks I'd stick to 2 islands.

Must sees depend on what your interests are What are your interests? Do you dive? Do you snorkel? Are you beach folks? Do you hike? Are you imagining lots of paid excursions or do you like to do things on your own more cheaply?

What is your budget?

Condo or Hotel? Do you want to stay in a beachfront resort with all the bells and whistles? Condos can save you some money as there are sometimes less expensive that hotels and you can cook in which can save some $$ too.

Since this is your first trip, please don't miss Oahu. Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head are tourist spots for a reason. Pearl Harbor with the Arizona Memorial, the Aloha Tower, Chinatown, Haunama Bay, Tantalus Drive and Punchbowl Cemetery, a drive around the island for the gorgeous scenery, and so much more . . . it's all good!

I also suggest Oahu as one of the islands. There is more to see & do on Oahu than any other island.

Rule of thumb:

7 nights - 1 island
8-10 nights - 1 or 2 islands
11-14 nights - 1, 2 or 3 islands
15+ nights - 1, 2, 3 or 4 islands

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564

Contrary to above, except for Pearl Harbor I would spend minimal time in Oahu. I found Waikiki too conjested and too touristy. We spent one day at Pearl Harbor and then left. JMHO.

Have you thought of a cruise? It takes you to all the islands you mentioned, you only unpack once and not only do you have fun on the islands, you can have fun on the ship. I agree with the Frommers/Foders Guide recommendation. We did a 7 day cruise and rented a car at each port and saw what we wanted. Good way to see which islands you like best and plan for longer next time. Went in to Honolulu 2 nights early and saw the sights there.

"I found Waikiki too congested and too touristy. We spent one day at Pearl Harbor and then left."

Perhaps if you had visited the rest of Oahu you would have seen the beauty of the island. Outside of Honolulu, Oahu is much like the other islands.

I would suggest going to at least two islands; they each have their own feel.

Kauai is unbelievably beautiful. If you are into hiking, there are tons of places to go. But, there are also many places to see that you don't need to hike. Don't miss Waimea Canyon and Poipu! There are wild chickens that run all over the place (including the parking lot of the KFC!).

Oahu is probably the most "American" of all the islands with Honolulu and Waikiki. Although they are fun, you need to leave the city and explore the rest of the island. There are beaches and green mountains like I have never seen. Pearl Harbor and the Punchbowl are both incredibly moving.

Maui is also a beautiful island; the beaches are amazing. Sunrise at Haleakala National Park is an experience that you will never forget. Also, the Road to Hana is spectacular.

The people in Hawaii are all very nice. You are always greeted with a genuine Aloha. I wish more of us would adopt the "Aloha spirit"!

Hawaii is a very special place. No matter where you go, you will be amazed by both the people and the scenery!

Wow, thanks so much for all your replies & advice. I was thinking of going for 10-12 days. We are traveling from Florida so I guess 2 days (to & from) will be spent traveling leaving us with 10 days there. It sounds like 2 islands would be all we could do with that amount of time. As far as things we like to do; we like to snorkel, hike, swim, sightseeing in general, nice dinners, etc. Would the Big Island & Kauai be good choices for 2 islands? I know that the Big Island is one island that we want to do for sure. I have also heard that Kauai is so beautiful; what is your input & opinions? Also my son says he wants to try surfing, I don't know if all the islands have nice beaches for that or not. Again, any advice & input is greatly appreciated. I will go purchase Fodors Guide for sure when my bookstore is open on Dec. 26th Thanks again.....

With 10 full days, I would spend 2-3 nights on Oahu (surfing, seeing Pearl Harbor, etc.), and then the rest of the time on the Big Island.

I love Kauai, too, but you can save that for another trip. Kauai and the Big Island are my two favorites, but I'm glad I've been to Oahu and seen Pearl Harbor. It's also a good place to learn to surf.

The Big Island is so BIG (hence the name!) that you could stay there for weeks and not see it all. You could spend a couple of nights near the volcano and then the rest of the time near Kona or the Kohala Coast.

Thanks again for the reply Samsaf, I'm sure Oahu is really great with Pearl Harbor, etc., but for some reason I feel the Big Island & Kauai is where we would really love to go. Big Island for the volcanos and other things and Kauai for what I hear is the incredible beauty. Can anyone give me some must-see things in each of those two islands? Again, any advice is greatly appreciated. Merry Christmas to all.....Thanks

josie- there are so many prior posts about things to do, and so many guidebooks out there, why not do some of the research yourself?

Ag3046, for one, if you would have read my prior post, that my bookstore is CLOSED currently (I mean it is the holidays after all ) and that I am going to go get some books when they reopen. I thought that I would get a jump start on this forum to combine with my reading.

The one thing I failed to post is that I am a big reader. I always read Fodors and Frommers from cover to cover. I thought that this forum was the place to receive other's travel experience on these islands. Up to your post everyone has been so helpful. So I am sorry if you feel that I have wasted your time.

josie, if you stay on Kauai, we like to stay on the south side, but I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions on that, too. On Kauai, we love Ke'e Beach (in the summer), Waimea Canyon, snorkeling, the water falls, and just seeing the natural beauty.

On the Big Island, we loved snorkeling, seeing the sites (driving the southern route and then the northern route), the Volcano National Park, and the beaches on the Kohala Coast.

I think that with the amount of time you have, it will be hard to see both Kauai and the Big Island. The last time we were on Kauai we spent 7 nights there, and we spent 10 nights just on the Big Island last year. But if you just want to see the highlights of these islands, I guess that would be enough time.

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed and Hawaii The Big Island Revealed are musts. You can pick them up very reasonably on Amazon. We found the Kauai and Oahu Revealed books to be excellent. We're going to the Big Island next year, and I will be purchasing it also. ((b))

Thanks again for your reply Samsaf. I am going to try to extend the amount of time to 14 days. I just hate to go all the way to Hawaii & only see one island; you never know when I'll be able to go again. Do you think the Big Island needs more days than Kauai? Budman, I just ordered the two books that you suggested, the "Kauai & Big Island Revealed" from Amazon. com. Thanks for all your advice.

I agree with getting the "Revealed" books, although local Hawaiians don't care much for them.

Even though I LOVE Kauai, I think the Big Island takes more time to see, one reason being is that it is SO big.

If you'll click on my name, you can find my Big Island trip report. I topped it a couple of days ago for somebody else.

I think if you're looking for natural beauty you've picked the two best islands. Once you go to Hawaii, though, it's hard not to go back. We've been four times, and I'd go again tomorrow if I could.

Dusty is so right when she says, "Perhaps if you had visited the rest of Oahu you would have seen the beauty of the island. Outside of Honolulu, Oahu is much like the other islands." I hate it when people propose to be experts on Oahu after spending all of one day there!

I agree with others who've said they'd do Oahu and one other island. In your case, I'd do Oahu because it has EVERYTHING you'd want plus Waikiki, and the Big Island (which takes much more time to see than Kauai, BTW.) But wherever you go, you won't go wrong! It's a wonderful place. Happy planning! :)

Kauai and the BI? 14 days? Sounds like you've got a good plan developing.

Unlike samsaf, I am a fan of staying on the north shore of Kauai. June is a great time up there. Water conditions can be calm, weather is wonderful and the infamous rain that the north shore is known for will most likely fall at night to keep those waterfalls flowing and the hillsides green. I love falling asleep to the sound of the rain.

If you end up staying elsewhere on the island, make sure you take at least a day or two to drive up to the north shore to explore. Taking a stroll along Hanalei Bay is not to be missed.

A favorite hike of mine in Waimea Canyon is the Pihea Trail. It skirts the edge of the Kalalau Valley is easily accessible from the Pu'u O Kila lookout at the end of the road that goes through the Canyon and Koke'e.

Another great area for hiking is Maha'ulepu area east of the Hyatt in Poipu. The coastline here is wild and unique and is a great place for walking and exploring.

Makua (Tunnels) Beach is my favorite beach on the island. Small parking lots mean that it never gets too crowded like Ke'e can get. If the currents permit, the snorkeling can be excellent. The view of Mt.Makana from the beach is sublime. Shelling around Haena point can be very good.

Other spots on the north shore worth seeing are the Kilauea Lighthouse, Limahuli Gardens, and sunset cocktails at the Living Room at the Princeville Hotel.

As only a suggestion like the above. NCL cruises offer a fantastic option for getting to 4 islands. Best part about it, it's CHEAP, since all meals are included, the ship is your transportation and lodging. By renting cars in each port you can do plenty.

I've gone twice this year, 7 day cruises were $600-700 per person-total (includes the $70pp service charges). I would then add the rest of your time for touring Oahu.

Especially with the lodging and food costs in Hawaii, this is a bargain. :)