We're travelling to Hawaii in Jan. 2002 and are trying to decide on our 2nd island. We're defintely going to Maui and can't decide between Oahu and BI. For background, we're looking for beauty and stuff to do at night. We've been to Kauai twice, and although it is beautiful, feel like "been there, done that". Are there any beautiful hikes with waterfalls in Oahu? Is there anything to do on the North Shore, other than watch the surfers? Will we spend the whole time in the car on the BI? Our trip will be 10 days, and would probably split the time between two islands. Thanks for your advice!

dear undecided,
maybe I can help. Just returned from a 2 week trip to the BI. We stayed at the Hilton on the Kohala Coast. We were on our honeymoon and had a fabulous time. The big Island is beautiful with many different landscapes, however night life was very quitet. We did drive around the entire island in a day and saw much of what we needed to do. The rest of the days we spent on our side of the island and there was tons to still do and see. We didn't feel that driving was all we did! We loved it and I would definitely recommend it.
Oahu on the other I wouldn't recommend. We spent the last day of our trip there( Waikiki) and I found it to be very touristy and not pretty.
Hope this helps... if you have any other questions.. please feel free to ask!

Had your dilemma this summer. It depends on what your travel needs are. For outdoor beauty the volcano at night is no to be missed. I strongly recommend that you go to Hawaiiweb.com and explore photos of the islands. Over the summer I chose Oahu over the big island because I wanted to introduce my guests to the many different cultural activities on Oahu. I was sorry I made this choice. I love Oahu but my guest just wanted to hike, swim, and surf. We actually took a picture of Iolani Palace from the car. I was almost in tears (embellishment), the guides on this tour are so talented their story will take you to tears.

I think the volcano at night is a very special life experience. I can't imagine someone going a second time and not making their way to this place. I would look at Andrew Doughety book on Big Island. I have not used but I loved his book on Kauai.

As for the north shore, Oahu. You have plenty to do but largely in the way of outdoor activities. You have an important Heiau (Sp) that is about 2 hundred years old and has a very majestic overlook onto the pacific, Sharks cove (great to snorkel some say it is Hanama bay without the tourist), along the way to sharks cove there is a beach, forget the name, but we were told on any given day you can see 20 turtles peering up out of the water, Horseback riding at Turtle Bay (On the beach and on the cheap $35 for 11/2 hours, Waimeia bay beach, jump from the 40ft. rock, if you are game. Waimeia falls Adventure Park (a nature reserve of sorts with added outdoor activities, i.e. horseback riding and the like. If you do choose Oahu I would break up my time 1 week North Shore 3-4 days Lanikai or Kailua. The windward side is just a 20 minute hop over the Pali. The pali lookout, Diamond head drive leading to the coastal drive are also beautiful areas. Not sure you want to stay in Waikiki. Lived on Oahu couple of years and make regular trips back. Each island has a special charm and all are worthy of your time. I would like to forewarn you though that you have already visited the crown jewel if you have visited the North Shore of Kauai. So expect special and different but don’t expect Kauai.

The windward side is a hop over the Pali to Waikiki and China town. Also you have many highly regarded (nationally) restaurants in Honolulu. Such an big piece of my heart in Hawaii. Have a great trip just base your trip on your needs. I have made a few threads here on cultural activities on Oahu but of course go to the hawaii visitors bureau web site and check out calendar events for each island. Oh forgot to mention my favorite hike is the light house at makapuu. And you don't want to miss the windsurfers in the morning on Diamond head drive.

Although I love the Big Island, if you've been to Kauai twice, you might as well take a look at Oahu. It's different from the other islands and while Waikiki is, yes, touristy, not all of the island is. You can get a real in-depth look at the history & culture of Hawaii by visiting the Bishop Museum and Iolani Palace, for starters. I have lived here all my life and probably took the Iolani Palace tour when I was a kid, but a couple of years ago my mom & I went on the tour....it was quite interesting!

There are lots of nice hikes, depends on your level of fitness and skill. You can probably check with the local Sierra Club on that. If you go to church, there is one particular church called New Hope that has a very active hiking group. My friend invited me along once and it was a lovely hike, but hard!

On the North Shore, you can stop in Haleiwa town and shop. It's not a shopping mecca by any means, it's a quaint little surf town and the people there are charming. Order a burger at Kua Aina and take it to Alii Beach Park for a picnic. Waimea Falls is also great for a variety of activities.

There is a lot more to see and do on Oahu, as Sarah lists. Not all of it is touristy, either.

for more ideas on Hawaii vacation planning, try:
www.gohawaii.com
www.hawaii.com
www.thisweek.com
www.besthawaii.com