Okay, needing some help. My wife and I went to Oahu/Maui 2 years ago for our honeymoon. We loved it and have always been wanting to return. When we went we did it somewhat on a budget and weren't able to stay in the nicest hotels and do all of the things we wanted to. (Which at the time didn't matter to us, we just enjoyed the sights and sounds for what they were.) Well, we have luckily come into some money recently and are planning a trip to the same 2 islands and are taking 8 of our friends w/ us. We are staying 2 weeks. One week on Oahu and one week on Maui. We would like some "spare no expense" tips. We want to stay at great hotels and do some of the once in a lifetime things. What would Hawaii lovers do if they had an unlimited budget for 2 weeks? Thanks in advance.

First of all, I wouldn't spend a week in Oahu - too touristy and tacky. Go for a day or two. Make sure you visit the Arizona Memorial (early in the day is best to avoid the crowds). If you really want to spend a whole week there, don't stay in Waikikki. Think about Kauai. It's my my favorite island. For no budget folks like you, The Princeville is a good bet. In Maui, avoid the Kaanapali area, very touristy as well. Wailea is a good bet. Don't leave out Lanai or the BI as options. Very nice hotels there as well. Have a great time. Your friends are lucky to count you as friends.

Me again. I wanted to add a couple more things. First, unlike a lot of people here, we really loved Oahu so returning there is a must for us. Loved Waikiki but much more loved the North Shore area, could spend a lot of time up there. Also loved Hanauma Bay. We felt the same for Maui, but for different reasons. I was thinking about maybe scheduling a helicopter tour to other islands?? or maybe daytrips?

Can I be your friend?

A helicopter tour of Kauai would be memorable. You'd probably have to fly into Lihue (Kauai) and then do the helicoptering. Several of the companies fly from the Lihue airport. Your group would have to use two or maybe three helicopters. You could then rent a car (cars?) and drive up to the north coast for the afternoon. The flight from Oahu is only about 30 minutes, I think, and would be even less from Maui.

Just got back from our honeymoon and stayed 5 days in Maui. We stayed at the Kea Lani which was in Wailea and we thought was amazing! I would recommend staying there with a top view - we could only afford to book Garden View but got bumped to Ocean View!!! They also have premier oceanfront suites. All the rooms are suites and they have an adult pool as well as kids pools.

The other top one would be Grand Wailea but I think you'd need to have kids or be a big kid at heart there - it seemed kind of crowded. Kind of like a mini-Disneyland.

I think the same about Oahu-it gets a bad rap because of Waikiki, but the island itself is just as beautiful as any of the others with its own highlights. You can check into the Kahala Mandarin Oriental about 15 mins from Waikiki, true blue ribbon hotel. However, I have been to Oahu so many times that I do tend to now head straight to the other islands. For Christmas two years ago, we went to the Hyatt in Kauai, the other side of the island from Princeville(which I find quite stuffy) The pool is incredible at the Hyatt, the hotel itself is understated elegance but the beach is not great for swimming (walk to Poipu). Also, in Maui, the Ritz Cartlon at Kapalua is beautiful. Kapalua is beautiful! Grand Wailea is also top notch. My husband and I were married at sunset on the Big Island Of Hawaii so of course, this is my favorite island and I strongly reccommend thinking about a visit-there are so many upscale
private hotels that people bypass. The Orchid at Mauna Lani (Waikoloa area) is gorgeous, decadent and very quiet. You can check most of these out on line. Also, we did do a helicopter tour of the Big Island and it was an incredible experience. What I thought was amazing was our pilot circled over a lava flow that was pouring into the ocean. I mean this is the earth growing and changing itself, the orangey-red lava cooling and hardening when it hit the water! How many chances do you get in you life to see this kind of thing? Even if you choose not to stay on the Big Island, do try to take a helitour over it. Have a great time!!!

We were in the Hawaiian Islands in the May timeframe. We stayed at the Renaissance in Wailea (Maui) - which was really nice (they upgraded us to an Ocean View corner room). The Grand Wailea was next door and was beautiful. If you're golfers - the golfing there is quite good. I had been to Maui many years ago, but was dismayed at the heavy traffic on the West Coast - but the Wailea area was nice. We had a family emergency and had to cut our trip short - which meant we didn't get to Oahu - but we're going there in December - so I'm no help at all for Oahu. In Maui, we took a helicopter ride to Haleakeala - it was raining up there - but it was still nice. My favorite place in Maui was the Eye of the Needle - which unfortunately we missed due to rain (it rained most of the time we were in Maui). We went diving - if you're going to do that, go to Molokini - it has both diving and snorkeling. That was really nice. Have a great time - it'll be a blast with friends!!

Oahu's best hotels are the Mandarin Oriental and Halekulani.
Maui's are the Four Seasons, Kea Lani, Grand Wailea, Ritz Carlton (in that order).
Get nice suites at any of those and that'll get you started.

Did you know that the majority of lottery winners file bankruptcy within 5 years afer hitting it big? Most people who inherit money (and don't work for it the hard way) also tend to go through it quickly and wind up in debt since they don't have any respect for money. Take your friends, have a good time on an unlimted budget

PJ

Go to this link

http://hawaii-vacation-homes.com/luxury.html

and choose a nice estate or two to rent with your friends. It will be much more fun than any of the hotels

Agree with W. Rent one of those amazing villas on the beach on Lanikai on Oahu. The most beautiful beach, fairly secluded, but close enough to drive into Waikiki for dinner.

Have a look at beourguesthawaii.com.

If you want a hotel on Oahu, I'll second the suggestion of the Kahala Mandarin. It is absolutely wonderful.