Favorite Hawaiian Island?

[TigerBear]

My DHtb and I are trying to plan our honeymoon. The more I read the more confused I become about which island to pick. We have it narrowed down to Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. Has anyone been to all three? I'm beginning to think whichever we pick will not be a bad decision.

 

[monkeyboy]

The one I met Vincent Price at

 

[adamak]

Only been to Maui. But that has to be a great honeymoon island. I heard that Kauai and BI are a lot secluded. So depends on what your likes are. I love the restaurants and different towns in Maui. There are enough stuff to do other than the beach scene.

 

[beachbunny]

Congratulations on your wedding.

I've been to all of the Hawaiian islands. Of the three you mentioned, the Big Island of Hawaii is my favorite. But it is not your typical lie on the beach Hawaiian holiday. I'd spend a couple of days up in Volcano at the Kilauea Lodge (which is a beautiful B&B complete with fireplace in room and an amazing French restaurant) where I'd hike to see the lava flow and take long walks in the rainforest. There's also an artist colony up there with several galleries. Then I'd drive 3 hours to Kona to the Waikaloa Village Resort. This resort resembles a WDW resort complete with monrail, boats, fancy pools with dolphins, and nice restaurants. While in Kona, I'd visit the Kona coffee farms. You can do coffee tastings and purchase a bunch of premium coffee. There's also a lot of ocean sports activity going on in Kona.

In the alternative, the best beaches in Hawaii are on Kauai. If you just plan to lie on the beach and sip mai tai's, I suggest Kauai.

After Oahu, Maui is the most touristy. There is a beautiful resort area on Maui called Wailea. Any hotel you choose there will be exceptional - my favorite is the Grand Wailea. If you're going in the summer, I'd try to catch the film festival they have there every year. There are a bunch of movie screenings and you get to do a bit of celebrity star gazing.

 

[J.Cooper]

MAUI!!!!! LOVE MAUI .. Been fortunate enough to go it 3 times. Honolulu is more city. Never been to Kaui. I heard Kaui is very nice too. More laid back than Maui.

 

[TigerBear]

BB, you may have just planned our honeymoon for us! The Big Island sounds amazing. We are actually not beach bunnies.

 

[kasar]

We went to Maui and The Big Island just this past August. I loved both but if I ever get the chance to go back, I'd choose the Big Island. So much to do, so many different landscapes and environments (dry desert-like areas/rainforest/cool mountain areas/active volcano, even skiing!). It's awesome there. Maui is beautiful but it's more of a beach vacation.

 

[MinnieM3]

My favorite Hawaiian island..... anyone I could possibly be on! What a dream!

 

[Ava83]

We went to Maui and are not Beach Bunnies also-we would not go back. It is stunning and there is tons to do but it a lay out on the beach kinda place or lets drive around the island. We loved it but the way we know ourselves now we would not go back...we would go to the Big Island...if we would go.

I forgot I have been to Oahu. Its nice. pretty when you get out of the city.

I forgot again we spent the day on Lanai with a tour out of Maui. Very interesting island, but a lay on the beach and relax place

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

I've only been to Oahu, and even though Honolulu is crowded and a big city, the rest of the island is beautiful, there's lots to do.

If we ever get back to Hawaii, I'd love to visit the Big Island, and Maui as I've heard so much about them.

Congrats and enjoy your trip!

 

[edcrbnsoul]

We went to Kauai and the Big Island we arent big beach goers either, lots of Hiking thru Waimea Canyon http://www.kauai-hawaii.com/activities.php and to the volcano fields on the big islands http://www.gohawaii.com/bigisland/outdoor/Default.aspx

 

[Patty3]

I have been to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. In Wailea, we love the Four Seasons, which is right next to the Grand Wailea. We have also stayed at the Kilauea Lodge on the Big Island as well as the Four Seasons on the BI. If you want more of an adventurous honeymoon, I would go to the Big Island. When we were there two years ago, I was very disappointed because the lava was not flowing where you could see it. I understand this was not the norm. But the Four Seasons on the BI is one of the nicest hotels in the world. We are going back to Hawaii in January and we are staying 10 days on Maui at the Four Seasons. There is alot to do on Maui, if you want, or you can be lazy and spend the day on the beach watching the whales. We have also been to Oahu twice and I would recommend a stop there as well. Pearl Harbor is just such an amazing part of our history and so very moving. We also climbed Diamond Head, went to the North Shore, Poly lookout and there is a bay which is a crater that is great for snorkeling. The fares to island hop, if you have the time, are not too expensive. I just love Hawaii!

 

[Feralpeg]

Maui was by far my favorite. I also though Molakai was beautiful, but there is very little there to do. Most people never visit there.

 

[legs22]

Hi TB

I've been to Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.
I'd skip Oahu, Maui was nice but the Big Island was awesome!
We stayed in the Waikola Beach resort area on the Kohala Coast.
We went deep sea fishing (it was great seeing the island from the water), went to coffee plantations, hiked over old lava fields and saw lava flowing into the ocean, hiked through a rain forest. I think they say the Big Island has all but two of the climate zones.

 

[WDWLVR]

I've been to Oahu and Kauai. Oahu is a great first stop for the history, but I really loved the beauty of Kauai. DH and I hope to go in a couple of years. Maybe doing one of the new cruises that stop at different islands every day.

 

[Kahana-ri]

My vote if for Maui. Our family has property there and it is so amazing to visit. I could go every year is life afforded. Maui is more of a relaxation island, less touristy and busy compared to others. I have family on Oahu and the Big Island and would still chose Maui. What ever you chose, its Hawaii -there is no going wrong with any tropical island.

 

[DawnCt1]

My favorite Hawaiian island..... anyone I could possibly be on! What a dream!

I agree. When we were planning our third trip back to Hawaii, the hardest part was deciding which island to go back to. They are all beautiful and unique. We have been to Maui and The Big Island three times, Kauai once and Oahu twice. When we go back next summer, we will visit Oahu, Kauai and Maui once again. If I had to pick one to return to and one only, I probably would pick Maui. It has beautiful beaches, mountains, hills, rain forests, etc. For those that just go to sit on the beach, stay in the Caribbean and save Hawaii for the rest of us. We love the Big Island as much, Kauai is absolutely beautiful and Molokai, (we went on a day trip) is like going back to the 1950's. I would definately make sure any vacation I took was long enough to accommodate at least two islands.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

What's the name of the island opposite of castle? That's about as close as I'll get to going to Hawaii

 

[Dan Murphy]

Have been to Oahu, Maui and Hawaii, the big island, though all quite a number of years ago. At that time, Marie and I both enjoyed Hawaii much more than the other two, it seemed more like an 'untouched' paradise we imagined all of Hawaii to be. I still read it to be that today, when compared to the others. In any case, all the places we visited, on each of the islands, was beautiful, one of the prettiest places we ever visited. Enjoy, TB, and congratulations.

 

[Laura]

My DH has been to all three and likes Kauai the best, but I suspect that's because it's the first one he visited. He tells me he likes it because it's so lush and verdant, what one expects Hawaii to be like. It's also not very populated. I can't tell you much more than that because he's not terribly descriptive.

We went to Maui and the Big Island on our honeymoon, and I liked the Big Island better of the two (but not by a whole lot). The Big Island was less touristy, less developed, and had an interesting landscape with the lava fields, Kilauea and still had a fantastic tropical feel. The airport at Kona is wonderful; you deplane via stairs instead of a jetway, and the airport is right next to the ocean. So you immediately get transported to another world as you get off the plane. We took a helicopter tour of the whole island, and saw some of the beautiful lush rainforest in the north and east parts of the island, flying into Waimanu valley and looking at the waterfalls. We also flew over the active volcano Kilauea, which was amazing. It's such a diverse island with so many things to see.

When I was planning my honeymoon, http://www.gohawaii.com/ was a great starting point for me.