We are making our first trip to Hawaii in February and have no clue which island to visit. We don't like large cities or lots of traffic so that should narrow it down. Help!

If you really don't want to visit a big city with traffic, (although I think Waikiki/Oahu is terrific even with it's traffic, and of course, you could stay outside Waikiki), I'd go to the Big Island or Kauai (both if you'll be there ten days to two weeks.) You really can't go wrong wherever you visit in Hawaii!

How long are you planning to be there? If you're only going to one island, Kauai is less developed and has amazing natural beauty. You really have to figure out what you'd like to do - beach, volcano, hiking, snorkeling, shopping, fine dining, etc. Then it's easier to narrow down a specific area. We've been to Kauai, BI, and Maui and loved all of them, but they are very different from one another.

Actually the only thing that eliminates is going to Waikiki & Honolulu on Oahu! That still leaves plenty to choose between... Oahu the rest of the island, Maui, Kauai, Big Island.

I started with a guidebook, checked out from the library, that covered all the islands, to read about each one. There are specific sights unique to various places - such as if you want to see a live volcano you'll have to include Big Island, etc.

1. How long are you going to be there?

2. What age range are you?

3. What sorts of activities do you want to do?

4. What is your daily accomodation budget?

5. Will you/can you rent a car?

sorry to jump onto this post without an opinion, but i have a hawaii-related question for suze. i noticed on the "fantasy trip" thread that you would rather do a week in hawaii or mexico and you put a $2000 price tag on it. could you give some specifics? i'm thinking of doing a week in either locale in november and would love some particulars. thanks!

If you don't like lots of traffic then Kauai might not be to your taste. The prime tourist sites are evenly split between the north and south sides of the island and the only road between the two can be frightfully crowded.

Oahu is out. Maui can have traffic issues so for now lets count it out. That leaves the Big Island and Molokai. Molokai is the most rustic choice - if you enjoy roughing it the island has some spectacular scenery. But if that doesn't appeal then the Big Island would be a great choice. It is truly big - it has more surface area than all of the other islands combined. But you have your choice of hotels from small to massive, live volcanoes, beautiful beaches, exotic rainforests, etc. You might want to split your trip between the Kona coast (beautiful beaches and destination hotels) and the town of Volcano (rainforests, volcanos, smaller more intimate hotels or b&bs).

for jakes_girl~~~

Puerto Vallarta Mexico 7 days: $60/night hotel, $60/day meals and drinks, $25/day incidentals, $550 plane ticket = $1565.

Waikiki Oahu Hawaii 7 days: $125/night hotel, $50/day meals and drinks, $25/day incidentals, $375 plane ticket = $1775.

Let's start a new thread for cheap vacations, or go back to the fantasy thread, or you can email me direct at: [email protected]. Happy to chat but don't want to take over MJOB's thread with a very different question.

I went ahead and started a new post for your inquiry (jakesgirl).

Oahu has more things to see & do than any other island.

Outside of Honolulu, Oahu is as rural as the other islands.

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

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...hu_Hawaii.html

Also lots of great information on each island:
www.gohawaii.com

That website Melissa mentions is great. It even has a feature you can put in your dates and find out special events on each island for that time, pick the ones that interest you, and print out an itinerary.