Has anyone every been to Hawaii? I am looking at the Big Island or Kauai. They are about the same price for 6 days, 5 nights. I want it to be romatic and not hectic but we would like to do some shopping. Maybe do some fishing and mostly drive around taking in beautiful scenery and great food. I know that the food will be expensive but I don't have a lot of money to spend on guided trips etc. Any one have a preference, The Big Island or Kauai, thanks for the help! Vicky
Trip to Hawaii -- advice
- Thread starter VickyWI
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From what you want to do and for your first trip to Hawaii, I would recommend just staying on Oahu. There is tons to do and many more choices for eating for all budgets. There is a lot of shopping. The other two islands you mention have very little shopping and just less choice of activities, IMO. Obviously, anywhere in Hawaii is great, but starting in Oahu (make sure you stay on Wakiki--you'll find great packages) will let you get a flavor for what you like most about it and let you plan for future trips from there. HTH.
Hi Vicky,
I'm so jealous!! I lived in Honolulu for a while after I finished college and probably will forever be dreaming about going back (I've been back only once since I moved away).
I haven't been to Kauai, but I have been to the Big Island. A cool thing about the Big Island is that it's where Volcanoes National Park is, and you can see lava flows and walk on the hardened lava by the ocean. The contrast of the black lava against the amazing blue of the ocean is stunning. The Big Island has great shopping, great resorts and beautiful scenery. It also has black sand beaches, lava tubes, the Kona coffee plants, etc. From what I know, Kauai is less developed but is becoming more popular with tourists.
Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the islands. I didn't know it was possible for any place to be as beautiful in real life as Hawaii is. There's something unique about each of the islands, so you just have to figure out what activities are most important to you. Kauai may be more laid back, just because it's not as developed as the Big Island, which has a couple of big cities.
Hope that helps! Have a great time
Ellen
I'm so jealous!! I lived in Honolulu for a while after I finished college and probably will forever be dreaming about going back (I've been back only once since I moved away).
I haven't been to Kauai, but I have been to the Big Island. A cool thing about the Big Island is that it's where Volcanoes National Park is, and you can see lava flows and walk on the hardened lava by the ocean. The contrast of the black lava against the amazing blue of the ocean is stunning. The Big Island has great shopping, great resorts and beautiful scenery. It also has black sand beaches, lava tubes, the Kona coffee plants, etc. From what I know, Kauai is less developed but is becoming more popular with tourists.
Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the islands. I didn't know it was possible for any place to be as beautiful in real life as Hawaii is. There's something unique about each of the islands, so you just have to figure out what activities are most important to you. Kauai may be more laid back, just because it's not as developed as the Big Island, which has a couple of big cities.
Hope that helps! Have a great time
Ellen
Hi Vicky!
We lived in Hawaii for about a year when my husband was stationed at Pearl Harbor. I just love it there! You will have a great vacation! We lived on Oahu, but took short hops to the other islands. To me, each island is unique and beautiful in it own way. We visited the Big Island more than once because we were fascinated with the volcano. It was erupting at the time and we took a tour that flew over the lava flows. We took the small engine plane tour and not the helicoptor tour...it was much more personal and enjoyable. Flying over the volcano was absolutely breathtaking and we love to watch the video we took as we flew over.
If you go to the Big Island I recommend staying in Kona. It's just beautiful. Also on the Big Island are the macadamia nut farms and you can visit the Mauna Loa plantation. Volacanoes national park is there (kinda obvious!) and you can see the old lava flows and calderas of the past...great history if you enjoy that.
Kauai is like a garden...I think they call it the garden island if I remember correctly. Very green and lush. I didn't get to visit there but some friends did and they said it was the most beautiful island of all. Very quiet, not hectic and lots of beautiful scenery.
Good food can be found everywhere. That was never a problem in Hawaii no matter where we went. We spent alot of our free time just driving around any island we visited because we too were on a budget. It is so beautiful there that you won't be disappointed. Don't think you have to take a guided tour. The whole time were were there the only "tour" we took was the flight over the volcano. You could also look into parasailing which is a blast! Or, you can just relax and enjoy all that the islands have to offer. Undoubtedly the most relaxing place I've ever been.
Not sure if I helped at all...but
I hope you have a great vacation! I wish I was going!
Nicole
We lived in Hawaii for about a year when my husband was stationed at Pearl Harbor. I just love it there! You will have a great vacation! We lived on Oahu, but took short hops to the other islands. To me, each island is unique and beautiful in it own way. We visited the Big Island more than once because we were fascinated with the volcano. It was erupting at the time and we took a tour that flew over the lava flows. We took the small engine plane tour and not the helicoptor tour...it was much more personal and enjoyable. Flying over the volcano was absolutely breathtaking and we love to watch the video we took as we flew over.
If you go to the Big Island I recommend staying in Kona. It's just beautiful. Also on the Big Island are the macadamia nut farms and you can visit the Mauna Loa plantation. Volacanoes national park is there (kinda obvious!) and you can see the old lava flows and calderas of the past...great history if you enjoy that.
Kauai is like a garden...I think they call it the garden island if I remember correctly. Very green and lush. I didn't get to visit there but some friends did and they said it was the most beautiful island of all. Very quiet, not hectic and lots of beautiful scenery.
Good food can be found everywhere. That was never a problem in Hawaii no matter where we went. We spent alot of our free time just driving around any island we visited because we too were on a budget. It is so beautiful there that you won't be disappointed. Don't think you have to take a guided tour. The whole time were were there the only "tour" we took was the flight over the volcano. You could also look into parasailing which is a blast! Or, you can just relax and enjoy all that the islands have to offer. Undoubtedly the most relaxing place I've ever been.
Not sure if I helped at all...but
I hope you have a great vacation! I wish I was going!
Nicoleivorygorgon
Cathlete
I think Kauai is probably the best. Great hiking and you can do that without having to pay a lot. It is however more remote, not as crowded, and there are fewer dining and shopping options.
Oahu is ok. You can hike diamond head, snorkel in Haunama bay, visit Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation etc. Waikiki is really about sitting on the beach, so if you like to do that, that would be great for you. I thought it was kinda boring though.
I haven't been to the Big Island, but I really want to see the volcano. There are active lava floes. There is a trip you can take where they drive you to the top, give you a bicycle and you bike down. How fun does that seem? My understanding is the hiking isn't as good as Kauai, and if you like beaches, they don't have the soft white sand beaches there. It is black sand.
Sorry if my review sounds luke warm, but I live a bit east of San Diego, and I just don't find Hawaii that great or interesting.
Oahu is ok. You can hike diamond head, snorkel in Haunama bay, visit Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation etc. Waikiki is really about sitting on the beach, so if you like to do that, that would be great for you. I thought it was kinda boring though.
I haven't been to the Big Island, but I really want to see the volcano. There are active lava floes. There is a trip you can take where they drive you to the top, give you a bicycle and you bike down. How fun does that seem? My understanding is the hiking isn't as good as Kauai, and if you like beaches, they don't have the soft white sand beaches there. It is black sand.
Sorry if my review sounds luke warm, but I live a bit east of San Diego, and I just don't find Hawaii that great or interesting.
Dani53
Cathlete
I agree with both posts here. You can't go wrong with any island, but I have to say there is something simple about Oahu for the first trip. There is a ton of stuff to do and you can get as urban (Honolulu) or as rural (North Shore) as you want to get. The other thing I have found is that the further away from Oahu/Honolulu you go, the more expensive it gets.
Personally, I love the North Shore tremendously! I can't wait to be there again!!;-)
Personally, I love the North Shore tremendously! I can't wait to be there again!!;-)
I've been to both Maui and Kauai. We spent 5 nights on Maui and 8 nights on Kauai. We liked both islands but Maui was definitely our favorite of the two. We stayed at The Maui Prince which was reasonably priced and had the most beautiful, private beach of any of the other resorts we visited. Plus it was right down the road from great shopping and restaurants.
The thing with Kauai is that it is soooo quiet, it's beautiful but there is little in the way of restaurants and shopping (if you do go though be sure to go to The Beach House - we still talk about the meal we had there).
As far as food prices go, we found that they weren't any worse than what we spend here at home - surprisingly. Rental cars are ridiculuous though.
I highly recommend the series written by Andrew Doughty & Harriett Friedman (The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook and Maui Revealed). They are residents of Hawaii and they wrote guide books for all of the islands. They give you the most honest opinions on everything from restaurants to guide companies - they even tell you where to find private waterfalls and beaches. We used our books everyday, they really helped us find some great stuff.
Have fun planning your trip! I'm jealous!! x(
~Shannon
The thing with Kauai is that it is soooo quiet, it's beautiful but there is little in the way of restaurants and shopping (if you do go though be sure to go to The Beach House - we still talk about the meal we had there).
As far as food prices go, we found that they weren't any worse than what we spend here at home - surprisingly. Rental cars are ridiculuous though.
I highly recommend the series written by Andrew Doughty & Harriett Friedman (The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook and Maui Revealed). They are residents of Hawaii and they wrote guide books for all of the islands. They give you the most honest opinions on everything from restaurants to guide companies - they even tell you where to find private waterfalls and beaches. We used our books everyday, they really helped us find some great stuff.
Have fun planning your trip! I'm jealous!! x(
~Shannon
I am very partial to Hawaii. DH and I were married there! We typically go every other year and sometimes make it out there every year.
Oahu is fun. Plenty of shopping - there is a huge mall there in Honolulu called the Ala Moana Center - www.alamoana.com
As mentioned by otbers there is Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve which has some awesome snorkeling.
http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/hanauma.html
The North Shore is really awesome and has some insane surfers when the trade winds are blowing!
There are also hiking trails tucked away all over the island.
Kauai is much more remote than Oahu. It is beautiful. Hiking the Napali coast is an amazing experience. Not much shopping or entertainment there though.
I have been to San Diego and it is a really nice city. I can see why someone from that area might not be too excited about Hawaii. As for me, I love Hawaii!!
Oahu is fun. Plenty of shopping - there is a huge mall there in Honolulu called the Ala Moana Center - www.alamoana.com
As mentioned by otbers there is Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve which has some awesome snorkeling.
http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/hanauma.html
The North Shore is really awesome and has some insane surfers when the trade winds are blowing!
There are also hiking trails tucked away all over the island.
Kauai is much more remote than Oahu. It is beautiful. Hiking the Napali coast is an amazing experience. Not much shopping or entertainment there though.
I have been to San Diego and it is a really nice city. I can see why someone from that area might not be too excited about Hawaii. As for me, I love Hawaii!!
Conni
Cathlete
I have been to Hawaii also, and used to be a travel agent, here is my take.
Maui - The best all around destination, especially if you are going for a shorter ( less than 2 wk ) time period. You can experience everything on this one island ( except the volcano ), but it is a great destination in itself.
Kauai - The most tropical of the islands, much quieter, less developed. ( The majority of Jurassic Park was filmed here ).
Hawaii - Getting better all the time. This used to be one of the least desirable islands to visit, not so anymore. Great beachs, natural beauty, and it's size lends itself to a variety of things to experience. The choice of resort is key here.
Oahu - Most touristy, overdevelopped by Hawaiian standards, almost urban. Some individual great spots ( Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor Memorial ) though.
That is what I have learned ( in a nutshell ).
My favorite place in the US to travel, exotic, yet the people are the most friendly I have ever met, and the food is to die for.
Everything is pretty expensive, so be prepared, but this paradise is worth it, IMO!
Maui - The best all around destination, especially if you are going for a shorter ( less than 2 wk ) time period. You can experience everything on this one island ( except the volcano ), but it is a great destination in itself.
Kauai - The most tropical of the islands, much quieter, less developed. ( The majority of Jurassic Park was filmed here ).
Hawaii - Getting better all the time. This used to be one of the least desirable islands to visit, not so anymore. Great beachs, natural beauty, and it's size lends itself to a variety of things to experience. The choice of resort is key here.
Oahu - Most touristy, overdevelopped by Hawaiian standards, almost urban. Some individual great spots ( Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor Memorial ) though.
That is what I have learned ( in a nutshell ).
My favorite place in the US to travel, exotic, yet the people are the most friendly I have ever met, and the food is to die for.
Everything is pretty expensive, so be prepared, but this paradise is worth it, IMO!
lorrayne
Cathlete
>I have been to San Diego and it is a really nice city. I can
>see why someone from that area might not be too excited about
>Hawaii. As for me, I love Hawaii!!
I'm from San Diego and am going to Maui next week for vacation!
Personally, I'm not too keen on Oahu because it's too developed. I prefer Maui because it offers so many things to see and do.
Lorrayne
>see why someone from that area might not be too excited about
>Hawaii. As for me, I love Hawaii!!
I'm from San Diego and am going to Maui next week for vacation!
Personally, I'm not too keen on Oahu because it's too developed. I prefer Maui because it offers so many things to see and do.
Lorrayne
allwildgirl
Cathlete
Okay, the only thing I really know is what I learned from a Brady Bunch episode. Do NOT leave your bag open on the beach or a tarantula will crawl into it. And if you find any funky statues lying around in the undergrowth, don't take them back to your room or strange things will start happening.
I have been to Oahu and Maui and they were both nice. I think that you should not expect too much from any shopping you do in the Hawaiian Islands...I did not find anything that I couldn't get anywhere else, that wasn't chintzy or waaaay overpriced. I bought a t-shirt, and that was it. Both times. So basing your choice on the best shopping might not be productive.....JMHO!!! I guess with the internet etc and the global marketplace it is just so it is getting that we all can get or have access to the same stuff....
Jen
Jen
