Hawaii expert advice needed!

[Andrea T]

My husband and I will celebrate are 20th anniversary in Dec. 2003. We will have 8 vacation days. Knowing very little about Hawaii I thought we would spend half the time at Kapalua Bay Hotel in Maui and half the time at Mauna Lani Bay. (I believe that's on the Big Island). I thought this would give me a better flavor of Hawaii then all the time on one island. Obviously I want to stay at a place where I can pay in points. The amount of points is not an issue since I have a lot banked that I want to use. Does this sound like a good plan or am I better off with one island? We like to sight see as much as lounging on the beach. Please help......thanks....Andrea

 

[RLevy29]

Congratulations on your anniversary. Hawaii will be a great place to spend it. We have been to both islands and they both have a lot to offer. Maui has Haleakula which is a dormant volcano that makes you feel like you are on the surface of the Moon. You can drive to Hana which is on the East side of the Island. There are many places to stop for scenic views. If you would like to snorkel, you can take a boat trip to Molikini Island. On the Big Island, you can visit Kilauea Crater and see the active volcano. Waipio Valley is beautiful and on the east side of the island. You can also visit a black sand beach and a green sand beach on the Big Island.
Sounds like a great use of points to me! If you have any questions, let me know. We have been to Maui 3 times and the Big Island 3 times. Happy Planning!

 

[Andrea T]

Thank you so much for the quick reply...I'm going to pick up a travel book tomorrow to start planning! If I have any more questions I know who to ask!!!! Thanks again...Andrea

 

[nicholas 25]

both resorts are excellent choices even if points were not an issue. We have been to both and loved them.

 

[paulmc80]

Great choice!

I was born and raised here in Hawaii, on Oahu and the Big Island. If you like peace and quiet with great accomodations, then you'll love it at Kapalua. Its a beautiful place for sure.

I haven't been to the resort at Mauna Lani, but have been on that side of Hawaii quite a lot. My brother who works for the State Wildlife department there would know much more about it than I do. I'll ask him. Did have a cousin that worked there, and probably still does. It is a great resort from all that I have heard. One thing about the the Big Island not to forget is the beautiful interior areas like Waimea, Kamuela, Honokaa and the Hamukua coast.

Got any questions? Just let me know, if I don't have the answer I'm sure someone I know will or I can find for you.

 

[Dean]

The best books are the Wizard books, Maui Revealed, etc. Frommers are pretty good also. If you only have 8 days, I wouldn't go to Maui plus another outlying island. I'd either just do Maui or add 2 or 3 days in Kauai. I think the break for the free day is reserve 4 and get the fifth free. For 8 days, I'd just consider staying on Maui.

 

[Andrea T]

Thanks for the additional advice.
Paulmc80...I'll read up on the areas you suggested. Since you're a Hawaii native you can be sure I'll ask you if I have a question.

Dean...thanks for the book references...I never heard of the wizard books so I will look into it. I was afraid if I did only 1 island I'd be cheating myself since I don't know when or if we'll get back (it's a big world you know!!!!). Maybe I can try to do 11 days. It's so hard stretching my husbands vacation time! I try to be as strategic as possible!

Andrea

 

[stlrod]

Andrea, I wouldn't worry about splitting your time. (No offense intended Dean.) People told us we were crazy for spending 5 nights in Maui, 3 nights in Kauai and 1 night in Ohau this past summer. It worked out well for us. Maui was by our favorite, but we were ready for a change after 5 nights. We did not care for Kauai as much (probably in a minority) and were ready to leave after 2 days. Ohau was much better than we expected because of all the negative reviews. Sorry can't help you on the Big Island. Changing really depends on your own personal travelling-style. For us, we like to try different hotels and locations. If you do choose one island, Dean is certainly correct about Maui--it is the best of those we visited. You migt consider 5 Maui/3 Big Island.

 

[TexasAggie]

I would do both islands. Maui is a great place to see the whales and on the big island, the volcano (at this time is very active and will be for a while) We will be leaveing Dec 24 for Maui for 4 days, then to the big island for 3 more. Then finish at Oahu for 2 nights to go to the Bishop Museum and the Poly. Culturel Center.

Just have fun and enjoy all the fresh fish.

 

[Andrea T]

I always said the people on this board are terrific. Thanks form all your input. To update, yesterday I bought a copy of Frommers Hawaii 2003 and spent practically the entire day/night reading it (what a social life we have...lol...actually, whenever I hit on something good I read it to dh and ds for input). So we figured we could do 11 days if we incorporate Thanksgiving weekend). After my reading I'm now thinking Oahu for 5 days(Diamond Head, Bishop Museum,USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Center,and Waikiki Aquarium) and Maui or Kauai for 6 days....at this point leaning toward Maui. We will use points in Maui and look for a hotel in Oahu. Does this sound ok? Are 5 days in Oahu too much? I know a lot of people don't give Oahu great reviews but there seems to be so much there. Thanks...Andrea

 

[dizneeluvr]

I'm sooo jealous!

We went to Maui five years (summer 1997) and I fell in love with that beautiful, peaceful island. I snorkled for the first time off a boat we took to Lanai (?) (spent the day on that island, kayaking, boating, etc...)

We weren't DVC members at the time, so we rented a 1 bedroom condo with a view of the water at Papakea Resort for $75 a night!!!!!!!!! The grounds of the resort were beautifully maintained. The biggest expense by far in a Hawaiian vacation is the airfare to get there...once you are there I don't believe it is any different (cost wise) than any other vacation destination.

One fun tip if it's still there...an open air restaurant overlooking the water called "cheeseburger in paradise". They had local musicians who played guitar and sang, the food was awesome and the whole place had a real "island" feel to it!

Have a great time...I'd stay 10 days in Maui alone if I could. Maybe for our 15 year anniversary in December 2004!

Happy planning,

Laura

 

[Andrea T]

Laura...Cheeseburger in Paradise is still there and talked about! I was reading the AOL travel boards and many recommended it. I was taking notes from those Hawaii boards all day! Thank you for your input...Andrea

 

[TexasAggie]

Andrea T,
Look at this web site. It might help you decide if you want to go to the big island.
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/main.html

 

[Andrea T]

Wow...what a report! Thaks for the site....Andrea

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by stlrod
Andrea, I wouldn't worry about splitting your time. (No offense intended Dean.)

LOL. I'm reminded of the quote "a bad day on vacation is better than a good day at work". Still, I feel the extra hassle and rushed time splitting 8 days makes it unreasonable to go to more than one island. The exception would be Oahu if one flies in or out of there to cut the interisland to one segment. Better yet, extending to the 11 days really helps the trip out a lot. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[travelbug]

I've done Hawaii both ways. Once we split our trip between Oahu and Kauai, in order to get the flavor of two islands that time around. The day we traveled between the two was pretty much all taken up by checking out, airport stuff, checking in, and not much else. But apart from that, we were happy to have two island experiences.

I know that a lot of people don't like Oahu. But for anyone who is going for the first and maybe only time, I'd recommend Oahu as one of the stops because it has some of the most famous Hawaiian attractions. We really enjoyed it, in spite of the congestion around Honolulu and Waikiki.

This year, we went for 8 nights and spent our whole time at the Mauna Lani on the Big Island. We loved the resort and found plenty to do all over the island. We enjoyed staying in one place and relaxing a little more.

By the way, I also recommend the books Dean was talking about. The ones called "Maui Revealed" and "The Big Island Revealed" are by an author named Doughty. They are excellent resources and have some great pictures too.

Haven't been to Maui yet, so that will hopefully be my next Hawaiian trip sometime.

Have a great time as you plan!

 

[CarolAnnC]

I hope to visit the Hawaiian Islands one day, myself. Long trip from the East Coast here, but truly worth it, I am sure!

 

[niks81]

Listen to Dean on this one!! He is the Hawaii pro!!

We will be in Kauai for our honeymoon in October of 2003. Good luck with with your plans....whatever choice you make I'm sure you'll have a great time.