I am in the beginnning stages of planning a surprise trip for next July to Hawaii. My girls will be 14 and 17 at that time. We are very much nature lovers and not so much the "night life" kind of people. I'm thinking of the Big Island and Maui. We are planning on about 12-13 nights. Now, I need lots of help. Where to stay, what to do, etc. We are on a budget as I am a single mom who is a teacher. Thanks in advance for your advice!

Melanie

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

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

To make your dollars stretch I'd spend some time on www.vrbo.com. For rainforests and exotic sites you could try Big Island>Puna District>Volcano or Maui>East Maui>Hana. North Kauai would also be a beautiful area to visit. Given your 12-13 night plan I'd suggest splitting your trip to two different locations. Maybe you could spend the second half of the trip within walking distance of one of Hawaii's spectacular white sand beaches.

One thing your girls will probably love in Maui is hanging out at the beach. There are places that they can rent surf boards as well.
They would probably also love the shopping in the quaint town of Lahaina.
One splurge I would highly recommend is a luau. Although pricy, it would be one of the highlights of your trip.
We loved the Old Lahaina Luau.
The Napili area of Maui is nice, and has places for every budget.
One I'd recommend is Napili Sunset.
www.napilisunset.com
Have a great time. You and your girls will have memories to last a lifetime.

Please tell us what your daily budget is so that we can make some reasonable recommendations. You will need a rental car on both Maui and The Big Island.

On the Big Island, we loved Volcano National Park, Akaka Falls, and the Waipio Valley lookout, also snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay; Hapuna Beach is really nice. On Maui, the sunrise at Haleakala, Old Lahaina Luau, snorkeling at Molokini, and the Road to Hana. If you're big nature lovers, you should check out Kauai and see the Na Pali coast - possibly do a sunset sail and do the helicopter ride. I think 2 islands would be about right for the length of your trip.

ask the locals of the silver sword and the story that goes with it. dont go home without seeing it!!! linda

I recommend a couple of nights at the Kilaeau Lodge at VNP, Big Island.

Also, Kayak & surfing lessons through Kona Boys on the BI.

We stayed at Keauhou Resort on the BI. It was resonable very nice - with tide pools full of turtles & other sea life, and right next door to snorkeling at Kahalu'u Beach.

One of the best things we did was hike to Green Sand Beach (2 1/4 miles each way). It was a mystical atmosphere & SOoooo beautiful!

On Maui, Haleakala is a must do, so is the Old Lahaina Luau - sit at the tables, not on the ground - & make these reservations as soon as you have definite dates, as they usually book up early.

See the torch light ceremony at Black Rock ( at the Sheraton ). Maybe snorkel there earlier too. Lunch at Lelani's (right on the Beach board walk). I think they offer surfing lessons a few feet away at Dig Me Beach.

Spend 2-3 days in the Hana area.

Tool around Paia town - maybe have lunch at the Fish Market. See the wind surfers at Ho'okipa Beach

Tool around Paia town - maybe have lunch at the Fish Market.

We had lunch at the Fish Market in Paia last month. It was great (and jammed!)

On Maui you can find many reasonable places to stay in Napili. It is quiet area of low rise, older condos on a nice beach. Kihei, while a little more crowded also has reasonably priced condos on the beach or nearby.

There is a strectch of coastline north of Kaanapali and south of Napili that encompasses the areas of Honokawai and Kahana that also has several reasonable condos. The beaches in this area are not great, but most are oceanfront, which is nice.

The two most reasonable hotels that I can think of are the Kaanapali Beach Hotel and the Maui Prince. KBH is in the thick of things in Kaanapali and MP is south of Wailea on a gorgeous beach all by itself in Makena. I like both for different reasons.

My kids as teens were split on where on Maui to stay. My daughter loved staying in Lahaina. My son prefered Upcountry (Haiku, Paia, Makawao), and he's definately a nature lover. My daughter loves eating out and shopping!

I lived on Oahu for awhile and was able to visit all of the islands. If you are nature lovers, I would highly recommend Kaua'i. We went on a guided kayaking and hiking tour. We packed lunches and ate them right next to a beautiful waterfall...one of the best times of my life.

Maui is also very nice. I would recommend staying in Lahaina. There are a lot of tourists here, but it's a very charming town. While you're there, go kayaking and snorkeling in "turtle town"; this is not far from Lahaina. The Lahaina Shores Resort is an old plantation style hotel that's really beautiful, but reaonably priced. The back of the hotel overlooks the ocean and there are palm trees in the "back yard". It's very quiet and peaceful.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, just ask.

Sarah