Oahu or Big Island
 

We are going to Hawaii for the first time (mom and a 13 years old girl) for 10 days in March. We'd like to hit Oahu and Big Island. On what island should we spend more time? I have a feeling that we would need more time in Oahu doing water park, zoo etc. Say a week in Oahu and 3 days in BI. Does it sound right? Any sugestions are welcome.

What are your 13 year old's interests? That would kind of depend on where you spend your time. I'm not sure that you need to hit the zoo (although my cousin just did this a few weeks ago and said it was kind of neat) or the water park....these are things you can do anywhere! On the Big Island, you have some fantastic hikes, you can go up to the observatory and look for the stars, visit the volcano, check out the ancient historic sites. On Oahu, you can visit Pearl Harbor, check out the North Shore, Bishop Museum, Aloha Tower Marketplace :D , the aquarium, hike Diamond Head.....there's a lot to do on both islands. You could do 5 and 5 or 6 and 4.

5 days on each.

The waterpark & zoo on Oahu are both nice. But they are no better than any other waterpark or zoo around the country. The zoo is convenient if you stay in Waikiki. Waterpark is almost an hour away from Waikiki.

Lots to do on Oahu:

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

www.bigisland.org They will send a free brochure

www.visit-oahu.com They will send a free brochure. They have over 400 websites for lodging, restaurants & attractions on their website & in the brochure.

Many hotels or condos in Hawaii offer 5th night free. Others have better deals if you stay an entire week.

Take advantage of low interisland airfare. As low as $39 each way right now.

I'd definitely add more days on the BI. It is very unique because the southeast side is gorgeous with the lava rock but if you drive 30 minutes or so north or northeast it is very lush with beautiful colors of green.

4 on Oahu and 6 on the BI. Or 5 and 5 as Dusty suggested. No less than 5 on the BI, as it's so big and there's a lot of driving getting from place to place.

Thank you so much for your ideas. I think that we will go with 5 and 5. I will go ahead and book the airfare today and will have to do research on the hotel/ condo rentals.
Since everyone mentions how big the Big island is, what area would you recommend to make a base to be close to nice, not rocky beaches and at the same time central to major attractions? also how bad is the traffic and the roads? Will a small car do it or I have to have an SUV?

We rented a Waikiki condo for a month then spent two weeks on Hawaii. I loved BI much more. Snorkelling at the Place of Refuge is good. Having said that the bus service on Oahu is great and you can travel to all the sights cheaply on the bus. The waves on the North Shore aren't to be missed. We were there in February and watched a couple of surfing competitions. Hike up Diamond Head, Pearl harbour etc. all by bus. On BI if you want to tour the island you definitely need a car.

I'd recommend the Hilton Waikoloa -- so much to do on the grounds -- your daughter will love it. No beach, but a manmade beach on the property and a very short )5-minutes tops) walk to A-Bay, the prettiest beach area on the BI IMHO :)

We LOVED the Hapuna Prince. It's very reasonable and the nicest hotel on the whole island we could find for the money. They also have a killer beach.

Steve R

I have to agree with the Hilton. As a matter of fact, we stayed at the Hiltons on both islands. Both large resort hotels with everything! They were very nice.
We just went to Hawaii last spring and spent time on Oahu and Big Island.
Our favorite thing to do on Big Island was snorkel. There are giant turtles that swim right by you. The Hilton's lagoon even has the giant turtles. There is also a beach about ten min away that has the best boogie boarding waves.
On a Oahu,
I would not go to the zoo or the water park with a 13 year old and I have a 12 year old and she lives for animals. These are things you can see in any city.
I would go to Haunama Bay to swim for a day, hike Diamond Head, enjoy watching the surfers on Waikiki, visit Pearl Harbor (she will most likely be studying that soon anyway in history class), and go to a luau. We did not have as much time on oahu as we would have liked. There was a big sewage spill a few days prior, so we spent more time on big island. Big island was great and lots of fun.
Enjoy!

Like girlonthego, we stayed at the Hiltons on both islands and loved them both. I can only imagine how amazed I would have been with them when I was 13!

And I second the idea of seeing wildlife in the wild instead of at the zoo or aquarium. (P.S. the Hilton on Oahu has penguins!)

On the Big Island, definitely go see the volcano, no matter how far away it is from your hotel It's incredible. If you do the Kilauea Iki hike (4 miles, fairly easy except for a steep area at the end) you can walk across the bottom of the crater.

On Oahu, Hanauma Bay is fantastic -- the fish swim right up to you. Go as early as possible, before the water gets churned up. (Jet lag helps here!) We also loved Kailua Bay -- so relaxing and fun.

Thank you everyone for your recommendations. More ideas are always welcome:-)
Still waiting to hear about the traffic on both islands. And one more thing. How long is the daytime in the second half of March?

I stayed in a condo a 1/2 mile from the Waikaloa Hilton. The Hilton is great, though I personally liked the Kailua-Kona area and south of there in Captain Cook better than the Waikaloa resort area. I don't recall major traffic on the BI, although I think it varies (peak season vs. non-peak).

I just got back from Oahu yesterday (working on my trip report), and all I can say is, the traffic is awful! I got stuck in more than one traffic jam. It's worst around Honolulu/Waikiki of course but it still gets tiresome driving in it.

I'll recommend staying in Volcano Village at least one night. The drive from the major hotels (near Kona) to VNP can be 2-4 hours depending on traffic. It makes for a very long day if you plan on doing any hiking, etc.

You didn't mention why you'd need an SUV, but for typical sightseeing, you will be fine with renting a small, economy-sized car.

I'd personally skip the waterpark and the zoo while on Oahu, since you can do that in Anytown, USA. See the wonderful unique Hawaiian landscape, beaches, etc. instead.

We have been to the Big Island many times and love it. It's got so much to do, and is less hectic than the smaller islands. Hapuna Beach is a great one, and if SteveR recommends it, I'd look into it.

We stayed at the Hilton Waikaloa a couple of times with our kids. It's fine if you want to hang at a resort for most of the days, with both pools and the other amenities (and pay lots for food). But it can be full of kids and not very relaxing. Mostly a family destination, if that's what you want.

The condo we like best on the Big Island is Sea Village. It's very low-key and nicely done. It's a tad south of Kona, with beautiful oceanview condos for a reasonable price. They are individually owned, so Google it and see what you find. We've rented them through Donita's Vacations. The Sea Village complex has free tennis, a nice little pool, a pretty central garden area with barbeque pits, free parking, complimentary receptions, etc.. We've always stayed on the third floor, facing the water. (No elevators, though.) It is on a rocky beach area, but the Disappearing Sands beach nearby is nice for snorkeling.

Have fun!
:)>-

The area Maureen mentioned where Sea Village is located, is in the south of Kona area I really like. My son and daughter (10 and 15 at the time), really enjoyed snorkeling in that region (turtles and colorful fish!).

Andrew,
have you finished your trip report yet? can't wait to read it.

needsun,

As far as traffic goes, where are you coming from? We live in NJ, so to us, the traffic wasn't bad at all.

On Oahu: A few pockets of congestion on H-1, but on H-3, the Pali Highway and the K Highway to the North Shore (not even going to try to spell it) we had the road almost to ourselves.

On BI: We hit two spots of traffic. Driving north from Waikoloa through Waimea, we hit a line of heavy traffic in the morning because school was starting and there was a holdup with people waiting to make a left turn into the school. And during rush hour, traffic in Kona can get wicked because it's a two-lane road. But no problems in Waikoloa or on the eastern side of the island, even around Hilo.

Of course, that can change anytime, but that's what we found.

Hope that helps!

Aloha needsun:

I live here on the Big Island so I'll tell you what I know.

We do NOT have traffic like how I've experience on Oahu and in the mainland. On the east side of the island, Hilo, most places have 2 lanes going each way. The only traffic you might experience, and it is very minimal, is if you are going from Hilo to the Puna side morning (work) hours from 7am to 8:30am and after work hours, anywhere from 4:30pm until 6:00pm. You do NOT need to rent an SUV, a car will do just fine.

I would recommend you explore the Volcano area and check in at the National Parks Visitor Center. There you will find info and brochures about the area and can take on some hikes, which range anywhere from very easy to challenging. Just this past weekend, I took the Kilauea Iki hike, about 10-15 minutes, with views, and walked through the Lava Tube (another 10-15 min). If your teenager enjoys the outdoors and nature, you must do this:) Honestly, there is not much other attractions on the East side as much as on the West side (Kona).

On the west side, you can experience our beautiful white sand beaches and snorkel in crystal clear waters. There are so many tours or little kisok type shacks with tons of information regarding this.

Being from Hawaii, I would spend more time on Oahu then the Big Island, as Oahu has much more things to see and do. I think like 6 days on Oahu and 4 on the Big Island would be good.

If you have any more ?'s, feel free to ask:)

HDV,
thank you so much for your suggestions!Sorry for not responding right away, had some problems with the wireless connection.
Following yours and other fodorites advice, I have decided to focus on one island for my first trip to hawaii. I have just booked tickets and hotel in Oahu.
I guess I will have to come back some time in the future( my second trip?)to explore the BI. My daughter is a water freak, you cannot pull her on the shore even after being in the water for a few hours. Our trips to Florida and california have proved it. You cannot do much swimming here in Alaska, so have to venture out to warm places from time to time to thaw! thank you once again.