My parents (both over 70) have never been to Hawaii, so my sister and I have saved up some money to take them to Hawaii in May.To consider their age and health condition, this will be their first and last trip to Hawaii, so we want to make this trip as nice as possible.

Our current plan is staying Oahu/Waikiki for 5 -6 nights, but my friends recommend to trip to Maui, since it is more beautiful and relaxing than Oahu.

Do you think 5-6 nights are too short to visit two islands? Which island do you recommend for seniors, Oahu or Maui? Do you have any recommendations of hotel/place/activities in Hawaii for seniors? I appreciate your advice.

My wife and I, both seniors, prefer Oahu. There is so much to see by taking advantage of the many bus tours that are available. Maui is beautiful but seems to cater to the younger generation IMHO.

Is this trip a surprise, or can you involve your parents in the planning? Basically the Oahu/Waikiki area is lovely, but it's in the heart of a BIG city. (Think Chicago with palm trees.) You will find lots of things to see & do there in the immediate area including Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, the Bishop Museum, and Waikiki beach...all of which may be reached using public transportation, but it will be crowded. Maui is much more laid back, but you would need to budget in the cost of a rental car for road trips to Hana and to the top of Haleayala. If you're looking to give your folks the best 'feel' for the islands, I'd recommend going to the Big Island. This island has the most diversity and the active volcano, on Mt. Kilauea, is truly a sight to behold.

With a 5-6 night stay, I'd recommend locating on just one island or you will end up tiring your folks out by trying to do too much.... a tough choice to have to make, but you know your parents best. Whatever you choose, I'm sure that your parents will enjoy their time in 'paradise'.

I think you should stick to Oahu. It's is a good combination of natural beauty as well as historical sites like Pearl Harbor, the Missouri, Punchbowl Cemetery, the Bishop Museum, and the Polynesian Cultural Center. I know my parents, who were 70 and 67 when they visited me whenn I lived on Oahu, really liked Kailua Beach, too. The water is usually very calm, it's sandy instead of rocky like Waikiki, and it's usually not too crowded.

We took my parents (70ish) to Oahu last summer and had a wonderful time.
We rented a beach house in Kailua, as it was more affordable then renting 2 hotel rooms.
They loved having a house, eating breakfast and lunch at home, and taking side trips.
As seniors, they were not interested in hanging on the beach all day.
We did a little trip each day, and relaxed on the beach, too.

Here are some things we did:

1. Pearl Harbor / US bowfin tour -- they LOVED this.
2. Maitais and lunch at the terrace at the Moana Surfrider (did this right after the Pearl Harbor visit)--they LOVED this, too, but were SO happy we didn't stay in Waikiki. They thought it was too crowded and chaotic. In Kailua, we had the whole beach to ourselves right in front of our house!
3. Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay-- they didn't quite get the snorkeling thing, but LOVED the drive along the coast.
4. Trip to North Shore with horsbeback riding on the beach at the Turtle Bay Resort -- they LOVED this too.
5. Polynesian Cultural Center luah-- were disappointed with this. Definitely interesting and an experience, but not it worth unless you have a lot of time, a big budget, and not enough things to do.
6. Byodo-In Temple -- just beautiful and definitely worth a 30 minute stop!

Have a great time!!!

i think oahu is probably a good choice for this trip. lots of things easily accessible for people who may not want to walk too much. that age would probably be interested in pearl harbour.
i'd choose maui if they prefer to relax by a pool or beach but with only 5-6 days, you'll have plenty to keep you busy in oahu/waikiki.

Thank you very much for all very informative responses. Truly appreciate your kindness.

We already told our parents that we are taking them to Hawaii, and they are VERY excited.
They said trip to Hawaii was their life-long dream, but they just could not afford it when they were young, and too busy for raising 3 daughters.

I read all your responses, and will discuss with my parents what they want to do and decide which island we should stay. It seems we need to pick only one island due to limited time and our budget.

Since my father does not like crowd and cannot walk long time (we took him to Disneyland once- he does not like it at all), and he is more into a nature and historical site, we may choose stay in somewhere quiet place, if Oahu not in Waikiki (I am sure they will love Pearl Harbor, and Kailua Beach sounds very nice). Maui and Big Island are still very appealing, it is very hard to choose one island!!

BTW, does anybody know about JW Marriott at Ko Olina or Kahala Mandarin in Oahu? They are very expensive hotels and way beyond our budget, but these hotels seem very nice and more quiet than Waikiki. If it is worth to spend $400+ per night, we may look into it.

Again, Thank you very much for all your advice and comments!

Look into the Outrigger Waikiki, which has large, comfortable rooms and a location right on the beach. There are a good coffee shop and a buffet restaurant, plus one actually on the beach, and a laundry for use of hotel guests. Not far away is a little market for buying bread (our room had a toaster) and fruit for breakfast.

With only 5-6 nights I would stay with just one island.

I also recommend Oahu.

Lots of info:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34696831

Hello kurumibear,

Is your father retired from service in the military (any branch)? If so, you might check out the Hale Koa (halekoa.com) Great rates, beachfront, and a superb quiet location at the far end of Waikiki with a lovely park area.

Definitely Maui if he does not like crowds. My husband and I were so disappointed in Oahu-- it wasn't islandy at all. Very much a big, noisy city, great for young party people. Maui is much more peaceful. We went with our parents and they loved lounging at the water and going to Hana. But our best Hawaii experience was the Big Island. The volcano was amazing and most beaches were lovely and diverse.

It depends on what your parents like to do. If they just want to lounge around and not do much, then Maui is it. But I would disagree with the previous post and say that Maui is definitely crowded....just not quite as crowded as Waikiki. As mentioned earlier, Oahu has much more things to see. If they want activities and "touristy things" to see, then Oahu is it.

The Kahala Mandarin is a VERY nice, and expensive, hotel. It's away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki.

You should skip the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.
On my visit, 08/15/05, feeding of fish was no longer allowed and as a result there are no tropical fish near the waters edge. You will NOT see any fish at all in the shallow water!
To see fish at Hanauma Bay you now must be able to swim in deeper water and use snorkle equipment.

For their one and only trip, it should be Oahu--Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, Don Ho, Polynesian Cultural Center, a luau, and Sea Life Park. It can be a relaxing trip for them if planned right. Stay at a beachfront hotel that they can just walk out to the beach (say, Outrigger, Moana, etc.) The nice thing about staying in Waikiki is that there is something going on all hours of the day and night, so if they want sleep in late or take mid-day naps and then go out late, they can do that. If you go to Maui, there's nothing much after hours except for young ones, and you pretty much need a car to go places.

My parents enjoyed Oahu in their 60's, 70's and 80's. They stayed in Waikiki, at the following places: the Ilima, the Breakers and their favorite Hale Koa. I even stayed in a room at Hale Koa a few years ago as my dads guest (he was retired military). If you are retired military I would stay there, as it's a great place for the money.
I personally prefer Maui, and if you are active seniors renting a car, you may like Kihei or Kannapali.

Wow! Thank you very much for comments and advices! All are great information!

Thank you for giving me a lot of hotel information in Oahu. I also read a great review of Hale Koa., but unfortunately, we are not qualified to stay there… (my husband’s uncle was in Navy, but he was retired 30 years ago).

Also, thank you for information about Maui and Oahu beaches/activities. I read many travel guidebooks about Hawaii, but hearing real experience is always the best.

The more I read your posting, the more I like the each island (Oahu, Maui, Big Island), and
now, it is very, very hard to pick one island!! …But we are enjoying the process to decide the destination of our trip.

We will make a decision very soon, but all your comments are truly appreciated, and my family and parents are thanking you!

I don't think that older people who can't walk much would like the Big Island at all. Oahu is my favorite and represents what I think of when I envision Hawaii. It's Honolulu that is the big downtown city, not Waikiki, although I agree that there are tons of tourists at Waikiki. There is a reason for that--it's gorgeous.

I would suggest Ko'Olina if they want to be away from the large crowds of Wakiki. It is beautiful and the beach is open to the public but they have very limited parking so there usually aren't that many people. We just moved back to the mainland from Oahu last year and Ko'Olina was always one of my favorite places to go. The only problem you might have is it being so far out of the way. It is not close to downtown. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

Instead of the Ko Olina or Kahala, give Turtle Bay a try. Great quiet location and not too far from Pearl Harbor, PCC, and Matsumotos for shave ice. You guys are awesome for taking your parents. You might want to hit the Aloha Stadium Flea Market on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
However, you might want to reconsider the Big Island. Volcanos National Park is something to see! The beaches on the Kohala coast are magnificent. Heck, even walking the golf course at the Waikoloa is a kick. I would recommoned the Hilton Waikoloa, or Hapuna Beach. Good luck with a tough decision!