razberrysmom

I have read and read SO many posts...it just confuses me more. I have never been to the islands & want to go this November. I'm leaning towards Kauai or Maui. The hotel rates are ridiculous...I would rather save the $$ to be able to eat out. So if I stayed in a condo...is it easy to set up our own adventures prior to arriving? I'm sure I can plan our own itinerary with everyone's advise on Fodor's. I want a nice beach area. Are you able to go to a resort's beach even though you are not a guest? Help...any advise would be great. What's the best place for R&R plus adventure?

martym

To answer some of your questions. It is easy to set up "adventures" prior to arriving. Most-if not all-of the companies supplying the various activities--like snorkeling cruises, helicopter rides, whale watching cruises (though Nov. may be a little early for that) have websites for easy booking.
It is cheaper to stay in a condo and there are lots of choices. I much prefer staying in a condo or a rental house so we don't have to eat out for every meal and can then enjoy some of the top restaurants on our budget.
It will be easier for other Fodorites to advise you on places to stay once you decide which island you want to visit.
You will need to rent a car to take advantage of all either Maui or Kauai has to offer. My husband and I have always gotten good rates from Discount Hawaii Car Rental http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/

All beaches in Hawaii are public so a resort cannot restrict access though they might restrict parking on their property.

We have been to both Kauai and Maui (and the BI) and I don't think you will be disappointed with whichever one you choose.

bobludlow

If you think that hotel prices are expensive wait until you get a load of the restaurant prices. The nicer restaurants usually charge around $25 for a main course...and unfortunately so do the not so nice restaurants in the tourist areas.

The beaches are all public but sometimes you need to do a little bit of research to find out where you can park for free.

Kauai and Maui both have great beaches and "adventure"-type activities. But Maui (or at least Lahaina) has more of a nightlife than can be found in Kauai, which is much more of a laid-back honeymoon sort of scene. Either island would be great, though I would recommend sticking to the south shore during November, because the north shores of the islands will likely have high surf that time of year which will make it more difficult to enjoy the ocean safely.

olesouthernbelle

This may take more time than you want to commit, but the way I chose was to read a travel book on each island so I had a pretty good picture of what each one offered.

I was only able to do two the first time and I chose Maui. Oahu was a given, because my DH had a conference schduled there. I loved both islands.

...But I wasn't satisfied, as I wanted to experience the other two main islands. So my DS and myself did the BI & Kauai this year. Loved them too!

You really can't go wrong.

dusty56438

There are about 10 good sites on this list for all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

Also:

www.visitmaui.com Free brochure

www.mauihawaii.org

www.bigisland.org Free brochure

www.kauaidiscovery.com Free brochure

www.kauai-hawaii.com

suze

Actually you can get a guidebook that covers all the islands, and read that for an overview. I checked out anything my library had available to research my first trip. I find using a guidebook less confusing than researching online when I have a broad question (like yours).

Hawaii does not have to be horribly expensive. You can rent a more simple place to stay instead of a mega-resort, eat at casual places and shop at the grocery store. I vacation in Waikiki as cheaply as I do in Mexico.

hulajake

As far as hotels Oahu has more affordable choices so I would look at condos or rental cottages b&b's or a possibilty. You also don't mention how many days you want to go for. If more than a week you could easily do both.

elsiemoo

razberrysmom, if you're a big nature-lover (hiking, etc.), do Kauai or the Big Island or both. If you want more nightlife, go for Oahu or Maui or both. You can find reasonable accommodations on all ... for instance, either a hotel that gives the Entertainment rate (entertainment.com), or a B&B. You really can't go wrong; you will love wherever you go, I'm betting. I couldn't choose a favorite myself ... just depends what you're wanting to do. November is low season so I wouldn't worry about setting up activities ahead of time.

trippinkpj

When my husband and I decided we wanted to go to Hawaii in the mid 90's, he had never been to the islands and I had been just to Oahu 16 years prior. So I got a guidebook on all the islands (like Suze mentioned), and reviewed my findings with my husband. Maui was our first choice, partially because my husband had a friend who moved there. We chose Kauai for our 2nd island from our research, and the fact one of our fave movies South Pacific was filmed there.

Ag3046

I assume you are going for one week. No matter where you go, it will be lovely. I would suggest getting a package for a first-time visit. It just makes it all easier. I would also recommend Maui, as it is very relaxing and has lots of nice beaches. You should check for packages at Costco (they sell travel packages), Aloha Airlines (www.alohahairlines.com), Hawaiian airlines, American Airlines, United also sell packages. Also check on Expedia.com, kayak.com, orbitz.com for packages.

As for activities, you can certainly have a great time on a budget. No need to book activities beforehand. Except for some of the snorekling tours, I think the zipline/ATV/etc are overpriced gimmicks. I'm not big on the helicoper trips, but maybe that's something you feel the need to splurge on. You can have great adventures just with your rental car and your legs. If you get ahold of even one of the travel guides, you will find plenty of suggestions.

One of the very most expensive things in Hawaii is eating out. Fancy restaurants can be astronimical, but there are so many places that have really good food for more reasonable prices. Just look around for other posts on Maui to get some ideas.

Just find a package in your budget and go. The fun will follow.

Postal

If you want to stay on the north shore of Kauai, I can recommend a very nice 2 bedroom/2 bath I found on vrbo.com It's the Hale Maile cottage two blocks from Hanalei Beach and I think it was about $150 per night.

razberrysmom

Postal...I'd love to have the condo recommendation!

suze

As far as "adventures", just depends what you want to do. I've been 4 times so far and have always planned my own activities. Sure I guess some things you'd need help with like a helicopter ride or whatever!

martym

Check out the the Hanalei Bay rentals on this website--We stayed in the cottage perfect for 2--can't beat the locatiom
http://www.aloha.net/~seek/other-hou...ml#The%20rates

Here are some other choices from vrbo in the same area.
http://www.vrbo.com/49105

http://www.vrbo.com/55476

http://www.vrbo.com/57858

hax

Be sure to get the Maui Revealed and Ultimate Kauai Guidebooks (same series.)
They offer really good advice on adventures, scenic drives, hikes to waterfalls, etc.

We stayed on both Kauai and Maui two years ago-they are both beautiful but very different. I thought the food on Maui was much better (though expensive), so if food matters that's where I would pick. But we loved the hiking on Kauai. We stayed in hotels but planned all our own adventures and hikes while we were there. If you go to Maui, don't miss the Blue Pool on the the road to Hana!

dmlove

We saved almost 30% over the next cheapest deal we found by booking our Maui car on hotwire.

debbieb1964

I would suggest buying the Revealed books: Kauai Revealed, etc. They were very helpful to us as we planned out trip. I thought the food prices were high. There were three of us and hamburgers were a $50 meal almost everywhere, except McDonalds. There's a resort on Lanai that's only about $100 a night. Don't remember the name, but you could research and find it. Asking friends who had been there was helpful to us also.