Hawaii trip- one or two islands?

[princesspiglet]

I am in the beginning phase of planning our trip to Hawaii. We are going in June 2016 for 16 nights for our 20th wedding anniversary. Me, DH and DD will be 13 at the time. My DH and DD are leaving the planning up to me and want to be suprised!

I am trying to decide if we should stick to Aulani only, or if we should branch out and try another island. I was thinking of maybe doing 8 nights at Aulani, and then 8 nights on Maui somewhere. I am just not sure if 8 nights at Aulani is enough, or will I wish we were island hopping?

This is will probably be our one and only trip to Hawaii (DH can't handle the long flights with his back problems) and I want to make sure I do it right. So would you recommend staying strictly at Aulani and just exploring Oahu, or should we branch out and island hop to Maui?

 

[jekjones1558]

Absolutely do another island. They all have different vibes and scenery. Either Maui or Big Island would be my choice for the second island. I would rent a condo on the other island, which will allow you to experience Hawaii at another pace. We have had good luck with VRBO.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

We are planning a trip in Sept 2015 and our plan is to arrive mid week and stay at Aulani until Saturday, then board the Pride of America cruise. This is a 7 day cruise to multiple islands. The ship ports every day and I believe for 2 islands they are there 2 days - Maui being one of those islands.

We will then get back on a Saturday and then stay at Aulani until mid week and head home. If you would like to visit multiple islands and enjoy cruising, it's a win win!!

 

[Anal Annie]

No question - even for only a 10 day trip I wouldn't dream of not visiting more than 1 island. Most we have done in 1 trip is 3 islands. With 16 days I would recommend 7 or 8 nights at Aulani then split your remaining time between 2 other islands. Maui is our favorite followed by the Big Island. You could easily plan 8 nights at Aulani and 4 nights each on 2 other islands. Each island is very different and has their own personality. It's too far to go and too expensive to get there to not devote time to more than 1 island. IMHO it would be a big mistake to not branch out & explore the other islands with that much time to spend there.

 

[DVC Doctor]

I personally would recommend 7 nights in Aulani, 4 nights in Kauai, and 5 nights in Maui.

 

[princesspiglet]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I am definitely going to do the island hopping. Now to decide which islands to do! I am going to check into the cruise and I also like the 4 nights in Kauai, 5 nights in Maui and 7 nights at Aulani idea.

 

[glamdring269]

Maui at the Aina Nalu in Lahaina town. We try to go once per summer and find that having a condo with a sweet pool rather than a beach view is much more valuable to us in Hawaii. It's so much cheaper too. Being able to walk to Front Street is icing on the cake.

 

[georgiasmom]

I just got back today from 12 nights on Oahu at Aulani and there are still things we didn't get to!

 

[amym2]

We did 5 nights on Oahu and 5 nights on Kauai last October and loved it! We hit a few sites on Oahu and also spent time at the resort. I think 8 nights is plenty of time, and I might even cut it short a night to see more of the other islands. We did Aulani first and then rented a house on Kauai, and were I to do it over again, I would finish with being pampered at Aulani.

While on Kauai, highlights included the Jungle Valley Adventure at Princeville Ranch (DS12 and DD10 loved this!) and a boat tour of the Napali Coast.

We didn't do the Big Island this trip, but it's definitely worth a few days to do the volcanoes, Hilo, and of course coffee in Kona. We stayed in a B&B in Volcano and it was perfect (although very different than Aulani!).

 

[benji2012]

Definitely do two islands! My favorite island is the Big Island (8 visits) but to do it justice, I think you need a full week or more.

Kauai is a nice complement, because it is so different from Oahu, and small so you can see alot in a short period of time. (I've only been once, but I feel a draw to go back.)

Maui is also amazing...I actually didn't love it my first trip...but fell in love on my second trip.

If you ever win the lottery, spend some time on Lanai...a friend gifted us a night at the Four Seasons there...definitely a different world!

 

[Pixie_Dust]

We are planning a trip in Sept 2015 and our plan is to arrive mid week and stay at Aulani until Saturday, then board the Pride of America cruise. This is a 7 day cruise to multiple islands. The ship ports every day and I believe for 2 islands they are there 2 days - Maui being one of those islands.

We will then get back on a Saturday and then stay at Aulani until mid week and head home. If you would like to visit multiple islands and enjoy cruising, it's a win win!!

That is what I am thinking of doing for Sept 2014! May be the only time we get to Hawaii, might as well see all the islands

 

[Dean]

I am in the beginning phase of planning our trip to Hawaii. We are going in June 2016 for 16 nights for our 20th wedding anniversary. Me, DH and DD will be 13 at the time. My DH and DD are leaving the planning up to me and want to be suprised!

I am trying to decide if we should stick to Aulani only, or if we should branch out and try another island. I was thinking of maybe doing 8 nights at Aulani, and then 8 nights on Maui somewhere. I am just not sure if 8 nights at Aulani is enough, or will I wish we were island hopping?

This is will probably be our one and only trip to Hawaii (DH can't handle the long flights with his back problems) and I want to make sure I do it right. So would you recommend staying strictly at Aulani and just exploring Oahu, or should we branch out and island hop to Maui?

In part it depends on where you're traveling from. Overall in this situation I'd do 3 islands with 7 Maui, 6 Aulani and 3 Kaui. Alternatively would be 2 islands around 8 nights each. I'd fly into one island and out of another if possible to decrease inter island. I'd reserve a formal Luau for non Oahu but do the PCC on Oahu. Of course you could let the exchange gods determine part of your trip if you were planning on trying got exchange for part of it.

 

[abdgeek]

I am in the beginning phase of planning our trip to Hawaii. We are going in June 2016 for 16 nights for our 20th wedding anniversary. Me, DH and DD will be 13 at the time. My DH and DD are leaving the planning up to me and want to be suprised!

I am trying to decide if we should stick to Aulani only, or if we should branch out and try another island. I was thinking of maybe doing 8 nights at Aulani, and then 8 nights on Maui somewhere. I am just not sure if 8 nights at Aulani is enough, or will I wish we were island hopping?

This is will probably be our one and only trip to Hawaii (DH can't handle the long flights with his back problems) and I want to make sure I do it right. So would you recommend staying strictly at Aulani and just exploring Oahu, or should we branch out and island hop to Maui?

I agree with the OP, do two or three islands since you have 18 days. I went to Aulani two years ago for 8 nights and had a great time. I did Oahu on my own for 3-4 days and laid out by the pool for the rest of the time. The only thing I didn't do that I regretted was a luau. I'm correcting that this trip.

This trip I'm doing 19 days in Hawaii and island hopping. I fly directly to the Big Island and stay there for 7 nights, then to Aulani for 4 nights, then to Maui for 7 nights. I fly home from Maui. As Dean said, try to fly directly to whatever island you are going to first. If you book early enough, the Hawaiian Airlines flights between islands can be as cheap as $79. If you're DVC, check now to see what DVC RCI resorts are showing availability for the dates you want. I got Kona Coast Resort and Maui Lea at Maui Hill.

I would suggest looking at Tripadvisor and Frommer's to get an idea of what types of things there are to do on each island and which area you want to stay in(Frommer's has great island maps). That will help you determine the amount of time you need to spend on whichever islands you choose. You will definitely need to rent a car, so keep you eyes out for deals. IMO weekly car rentals in Hawaii are expensive.

As Dean said, you might want to go to a luau. Don't go for the food; most people don't think it's that great. Aulani has the Starlit Hui which is a luau without the food. They also offer an excursion to Polynesian Cultural Center(PCC) which I really enjoyed. I had the prime rib dinner, but I think they are offering the luau dinner now as part of the package. You can drive yourself, but it's an hour both ways and I liked having someone else do the driving at 9:30 at night after the Ha, Breathe of Life Show. Paradise Cove Luau is next door to Aulani. On Maui, the Old Lahaina Luau gets good reviews. There are a ton more, but those are the one's I've researched.

 

[CailinFig]

I personally would recommend 7 nights in Aulani, 4 nights in Kauai, and 5 nights in Maui.

I second this. If this is your only Hawaii trip you need to see the differences between the islands! But I would start with Kauai, go to Maui, and end with Aulani.

Maui is our favorite island but we own at and love Aulani!

 

[LindaBabe]

I second this. If this is your only Hawaii trip you need to see the differences between the islands! But I would start with Kauai, go to Maui, and end with Aulani.

Maui is our favorite island but we own at and love Aulani!

THIS! Oahu was my least favorite.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Good advice here on this thread.

We have done 4-5 trips to Hawaii, and I would NEVER go to Hawaii for less than 2-3 weeks at a time or travel to less than 2-3-4 islands.

We too consider Oahu our least favorite island, and never again will spend more than a couple of days there each trip. We favor The Big Island of Hawaii and Kauai, but everyone should see Maui at least once. If I were going for a "once in a lifetime" trip to Hawaii, I would spend about 4 days on Oahu, 5 each on The Big Island, and Maui, and if you have time, a couple of days more on Kauai (North side).

Our absolute favorite is the Big island, and you haven't really been to Hawaii if you don't go see the active volcano there.

 

[WDW_Diane]

Good advice here on this thread. We have done 4-5 trips to Hawaii, and I would NEVER go to Hawaii for less than 2-3 weeks at a time or travel to less than 2-3-4 islands. We too consider Oahu our least favorite island, and never again will spend more than a couple of days there each trip. We favor The Big Island of Hawaii and Kauai, but everyone should see Maui at least once. If I were going for a "once in a lifetime" trip to Hawaii, I would spend about 4 days on Oahu, 5 each on The Big Island, and Maui, and if you have time, a couple of days more on Kauai (North side). Our absolute favorite is the Big island, and you haven't really been to Hawaii if you don't go see the active volcano there.

Sounds like we need to go back, still haven't made it to the Big Island. That and Kauai are the next trip....with a couple of nights at Aulani to kick it off, or maybe at the end.
Would you recommend where you stayed on the Big Island?

 

[WDW_Diane]

We did 5 nights on Oahu and 5 nights on Kauai last October and loved it! We hit a few sites on Oahu and also spent time at the resort. I think 8 nights is plenty of time, and I might even cut it short a night to see more of the other islands. We did Aulani first and then rented a house on Kauai, and were I to do it over again, I would finish with being pampered at Aulani. While on Kauai, highlights included the Jungle Valley Adventure at Princeville Ranch (DS12 and DD10 loved this!) and a boat tour of the Napali Coast. We didn't do the Big Island this trip, but it's definitely worth a few days to do the volcanoes, Hilo, and of course coffee in Kona. We stayed in a B&B in Volcano and it was perfect (although very different than Aulani!).

Would you recommend the house you rented on Kauai? Was it beachfront? Already doing some planning for 2017 after going to Hawaii last summer.

 

[WDW_Diane]

In part it depends on where you're traveling from. Overall in this situation I'd do 3 islands with 7 Maui, 6 Aulani and 3 Kaui. Alternatively would be 2 islands around 8 nights each. I'd fly into one island and out of another if possible to decrease inter island. I'd reserve a formal Luau for non Oahu but do the PCC on Oahu. Of course you could let the exchange gods determine part of your trip if you were planning on trying got exchange for part of it.

I agree about the PCC and luaus. If you go to Maui, the Old Lahaina Luau is the best.

 

[amym2]

Would you recommend the house you rented on Kauai? Was it beachfront? Already doing some planning for 2017 after going to Hawaii last summer.

The house was nice, beds were comfy, and it had everything we needed. It was a 3 bedroom house for $200 per night, so I certainly can't complain, although it was a bit of a challenge going from Aulani to a house. Only downside to Kauai is there are roosters everywhere, and they do make noise early. We learned to sleep through it, but it took a couple of nights. The house is called "Honu Hale Kai" if you want to look it up. The owners/property manager were easy to work with.

Oh, and it was one house back from the beach, but the beach wasn't very swimmable (I'm sure people swim there but it was Oct and the tides were starting to pick up, so we stuck to beaches with lifeguards). It was right off the walking trail on the east side of Kauai. Only thing about staying in Kapaa is the traffic is a nightmare.