Which Island is Right For Us?
 

A friend and I are planning a one-week trip someplace warm in late October/early November. We thought Hawaii was way out of our price range, but it looks like we'll be able to afford it. We're pretty lazy vacationers--our ideal vacation is spent as follows:
60% on a beach chair admiring the beauty around us (with occasional dips in the water to cool off)
20% exploring/shopping
20% eating
:)

We prefer less-crowded areas (as in, no high-rise hotels/casinos), and an ideal vacation area is one where we're able to walk or golf cart to a town to shop for some local flavor, souvenirs, and good food. We'd also like to snorkel, but neither of us are frequent-snorkelers (not a lot of snorkeling to be done here in Nebraska, LOL), so a fairly calm snorkeling area within walking or driving distance would be good.

Any suggestions? Thanks a million in advance!

Jess

I think you'd enjoy Kauai. It's ideal for relaxing and going to the beach and laying around. I prefer the North Shore, but it's such a small island you can travel around easily.

I often think Oahu gets a bad rap but they have the best beaches in my opinion. And the best place to snorkel I think is Hanauma Bay. Oahu has a lot of historical places to visit such as the Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, USS Arizona Memorial, Chinatown, the famous North Shore (Pipeline, Sunset Beach).

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/hanauma_bay_beach.html

Thanks so much for your suggestions! We were actually thinking of Kauai, because it would be less crowded than we suspect Oahu would be. Would Oahu be very crowded?

Any suggestions for places to stay on either of these islands? We'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks,
Jess

If you are snorkelers, beware that October and November are the months that the surf starts kicking up on the north shore of Kauai and makes the beaches a potentialy dangerous swimming/snorkeling desination due to waves and strong currents. If you get sucked out in the waters of Kauai, your next destination is Japan.

I think you'd like the beach town of Hanalei with its retaurants, and easy access to the lovely beach, but again being on the north shore of Kauai in November is a crap shoot as far as safe swimming goes.

If Kauai sounds appealing (I'd do some reading and not only the Ultimate Kauai book btw), perhaps a condo on the south shore would be more appealing and you could day trip up to the north shore. Kiahuna Plantation is on a lovely beach and there are many condos a short walk from Poipu Beach Park.

You could also stay in Kona at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, which is right next to one of the best snorkeling beaches. The beach is partly protected by a breakwater built centuries ago by the Hawaiians. There's a pool, and they serve a breakfast buffet. The rooms are large and not expensive. There's a shopping center just up the hill (1/2 mile) with some restaurants and a drug store and grocery and movie theater. You can also drive or bus along the main shore road, called Ali'i (alee-ee) Drive into central Kona where there are plenty of stores. I do think you would want to rent a car, though.

The hotel features a lot of Hawaiian cultural activities (lei making, ukulele, etc).

Kauai sounds like the place. Check out either poipu or princeville. Better beach on Kauai. Better snorkeling on the BI.

imaq makes a good point about the dangerous surf/rip tide conditions in the "winter" months. Make sure to only snorkel/swim at life guarded beaches (no matter how strong a swimmer you are), check with dive shops on surf & rip conditions before going out. The local dive & surf shops are very helpful about the safest places and what the safety of the beach locations you might be going to.

I agree that Kauai sounds like the best bet for what you're looking for. What it lacks in nightlife and development it more than makes up for in natural beauty and beaches. As the other posters mention, the surf on the North Shore will be picking up in the fall, but the island is small enough (unlike the Big Island) that if you want a snorkel day you can drive down to the South Shore (or stay there, in Poipu) for safer swimming.

If you're interested in water sports, I'd highly recommend stand-up paddling. You basically stand on a big surf board with an oar and paddle around the water. It's a lot of fun and easy to learn at all ages. When I tried it on the North Shore of Kauai, it was winter so the waves at Hanalei Bay were too large for me to paddle in the ocean. Instead, my instructor and I paddled up the Hanalei River, which was calm and beautiful, with those amazing green cliffs in the distance. I even saw 2 sea turtles swim under my board!

Also, if you're going to be going to Hawaii for longer than 1 week and are interested in experiencing two islands while you're there, check out our recent guide to choosing island pairings in Hawaii: http://www.fodors.com/travel-photogr...awaii-221.html