Hawaii vacation?

[snoopy two]

Would love some suggestions for our first and probably only trip to Hawaii. Which island and hotel? Would love to be ocean front.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Cherbear013]

Been to Maui twice and stayed at the Whaler both times. Absolutely loved it!! Perfect location and right on the ocean.

 

[ems_mom]

On our first trip we went for two full weeks; we were coming from the east coast and it was going to be our one and only too. I did lots of research, online and in the library. Our trip of a lifetime (we did go back and plan to return again) visited three islands.

We flew into Oahu and spent four nights in an oceanfront room in Waikiki. Our next stop was at a B&B on Kauai. From there we moved into a condo on an ocean front golf course on Maui.

I loved every minute of that trip, perhaps more so because I thought it was my one and only. But I do think we planned well. We island-hopped to three islands because I didn't know if we would get back, and I would tell anyone else on the east coast to do the same.

Just like a WDW trip, do lots of planning. Things may change your plans, but at least you'll have a back-up plan. Hawaii is awesome!

 

[Pakey]

I've been to Oahu, Hawaii and making our 4th trip to Maui in March. Obviously I like Maui the best. We are staying ocean view, club level at the Ritz Carlton again. We prefer west Maui over Wailea (stayed at the Grand Wailea there).

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

I booked my honeymoon this week and we chose Oahu. I wanted to see Pearl Harbor, the ocean, luau etc. I also had to factor in cost and its cheap to fly into Honolulu. Another thing was I really wanted to go to the Dole Plantation and see the Diamondhead!

We are staying in a condo with an ocean view and lanai (balcony) at the junction of Kuhio and waikiki beach

If you want to see touristy stuff I say Oahu. If you want more scenery and nature Maui , if you want quiet and relaxation Molokai

 

[Metro West]

I went to Maui in 2000 and stayed at the Hyatt Regency...very nice.

I wish I could go back.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

One of these days I will get there I hope. UNfortunately I did not win Powerball last night so the trip is off.

OP, what do you want to do? If I go I have to see Oahu. I think I would do it Em's style because I am into "touring" right now.

I would think it is like WDW. You have to make a list of your "must sees" and then go from there.

For example my short list is...

Pearl Harbor
Dole Plantation
Volcano Nat. Park

Happy Planning!!!

 

[snoopy two]

Thank you so much everyone! I appreciate your advice and expertise. Now I just need to take the plunge and book it.

 

[Green Tea]

I love Kauai....so green and lush. Fantastic beaches and so different on the northern and southern coasts. Like visiting 2 different islands.

This is a great website and they send great air deals as well. The blog is about the various islands and what is good and special about each one:

http://beatofhawaii.com/choosing-the-right-hawaiian-island/

 

[abdmom]

I love the Big Island the best, but everyone is different. You can use this link: Hawaii Vacation Planner to see which island is best for YOU.

 

[Donnainnj]

The "Revealed" books are wonderful to tell you what is on each island. (Maui Revealed, The Big Island Revealed, Oahu Revealed, Kauai Revealed) You may be able to find them at your library, I know ours has some of them. After you decide which island or islands to see you might want to get the current version for that island/s. We had a wonderful trip in 2004. We went to Maui, The Big Island and Oahu, loved it all but if I had to leave something off it would be Oahu. Really want to go back and enjoy Kauai to, but money and a younger child is keeping us away. Maybe when the little guy is 4 or 5, will just have to find the money.
Donna
PS. forgot to mention we stayed at Condos in Maui and on the Big Island, through vrbo.com and at Oahu we stayed at The Hawaii Prince through Priceline.

 

[traviesojmt]

We spent Christmas on Oahu. If you are interested in scuba diving. I strongly recommend Oahu Diving. My DH and DS13 had an amazing time. They specifically have tours for beginner divers. This was their first time and they got to do 2 dives of about 25 to 40 feet.

I also recommend Tropical Farms. It is a macadamia nut farm. At the little store, they have tons of samples. The best part is a tour of the farms. It was somewhere around $20 per person, but it was way better than the Dole Plantation. During the tour, the Samoan tour guide stops the bus frequently to try different fruits right off the trees. There is also demonstrations on fire making, opening coconuts and a few other things. Here are the reviews on trip advisor that got us there: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...ut_Farm_and_Farm_Tour-Kaaawa_Oahu_Hawaii.html

 

[bonoriffic]

I've been to Hawaii several times. I strongly suggest splitting your time between two islands, especially if you don't think you will be heading back any time soon. Island hop flights are cheap, quick, and always on time.

On Oahu I've stayed at:
Hilton Hawaiian Village - Loved it. The beach is great, so much bigger and nicer than the "busier" part of Waikiki. You are still within walking distance of everything, but less busy.

Outrigger - Middle of the road, but not bad. Great location. Noisy. The bar facing the ocean is amazing.

Sheraton - They have a super cheap annex room, as opposed to the main building. No ocean view so you save a lot, but it is like a college dorm room. Pay a bit more and avoid this room.

Turtle Bay Resort - North Shore. Very nice. Watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall to see the resort as it was filmed there. Not much to do outside the resort though. If just staying on Oahu, it is a good 2 day destination and the Dole plantation is halfway from Honolulu on the way to Turtle Bay.

Big Island:

Hapuna Beach Prince - Amazing beach. Amazing pool, although bath water temperature which annoys some. A great hotel, a great view, and the beach is perfect with snorkel and body surfing opportunities right there. But the island is boring, Volcano NP is far away from this hotel.

Hilton Waikoloa - Huge. Disney like. Have monorail and boats to get around the resort. The pools are very nice, but super cold. Crazy cold. No real beach to speak of.

Maui:

Best overall island in my opinion. Stayed at Hyatt and thought it was pretty good. The pool is nice, but no real beach. A short 5 minute walk gets you a good beach. Very active and busy.

Four Seasons - Great hotel. Great pool. Great food, and next to great hotels and food options too. Beach is nice, only shared with 1 other hotel. Service is amazing. Deals can be found, not as expensive as you would think.

Kauai:

Hyatt - loved the beach. In winter it gets serious 10' waves, and is actually slightly dangerous. Made body boarding tough but awesome. In winter time the waves will knock people over, not North Shore big, but the rocky coast makes it dangerous. Hotel was great and the pool was awesome. Lazy river was nice too.

 

[snoopy two]

Thanks again everyone. My husband loves to body surf. Where do you think the best surfing beach would be?

 

[bonoriffic]

Thanks again everyone. My husband loves to body surf. Where do you think the best surfing beach would be?

What time of year are you going? That changes everything, as a calm beach in the summer is raging during the winter.

 

[snoopy two]

I am considering March or September.

 

[Kahana-ri]

Been both to Oahu and Maui, South Kehei area. My favorite is Maui, less tourist, beautiful areas and no 'big city' effect like Oahu. My brother just went to Kauai and he loves it more than Maui, even less touristy. Honestly, its Hawaii, can't really go wrong anywhere you visit : ) Good Luck!

 

[daughtersrus]

We were on Oahu this past summer for DD's Make A Wish trip. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency on Waikiki Beach. It was very nice and right across the street from the main beach. The pool/bar are on the 3 level overlooking the beach.

If money is no object, check out the Kahala Resort. It is BEAUTIFUL! We went there for DD's dolphin encounter. It is on the other side of Diamond head so it's away from the hustle/bustle of Waikiki. They have a private beach, swimming pool right off the beach and fabulous restaurants. Of course, they also have the price to go with it.

The other thing that I would suggest is snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It was probably the best thing that we did on the trip and it was the cheapest. You can rent snorkel gear right there (I think it was about $18 a set) or you can get it cheaper at some places in town. The cost to get in was only about $7 each. If you go, get there early. Once the parking lots fills up, they close it. Also, we were told not to leave anything in our car. We got there as soon as it opened. You have to watch a short film on conservation before you're allowed to go down. We got right in but when we left (it was around noon. we wanted to stay later but it was our last day and we still had to get to the Laniakea Beach on the North Shore to see the sea turtles) there was a line with at least a couple of hunderd people in it. The film area is pretty small so they had quite a wait to just get in.

Edited to add...

If you decide on Oahu, there are two web cams set on the beach. One in front of the statue of Duke Kahanamoku and one on Kuhio Beach.

http://www1.honolulu.gov/multimed/waikiki.asp

http://www1.honolulu.gov/multimed/wme.asp

I wish that we had known about them before our trip because it would have been fun to set a time for us to wave to family and friends back at home.

 

[bonoriffic]

The other thing that I would suggest is snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It was probably the best thing that we did on the trip and it was the cheapest.

If going to Oahu this is a great place to snorkel. It is close, cheap, with decent fish to see for all swim levels. There are obviously better places with excursions, but for the time/effort this is a great place. We do it every trip.

If you rent at a place like Snorkel Bob's, you can keep the gear for the week and get good quality stuff that can be returned to any location on any island. They also usually throw in a boogie board for the week. We always rent here as they have corrected vision goggles.

 

[beachbunny]

In order to get good recommendations, you should include what you enjoy doing while traveling (outdoor activities, spa treatments, visiting historic sites, great meals, etc.), and your budget.

For example, I'll soon be doing a weekend at the Mauna Lani on the Big Island for the Celebrity Chef Tour (for you foodies, dinner will be prepared by Iron Chef Michael Symon and Chef Jonathan Waxman). Hotel starts at $600 per night and dinner will cost $300 per person. By the way, I don't like Kona at all. I'm much more of a Hilo girl. We're just going to Kona for the dinner. I'm sure there will be lots of people extolling the virtues of Kona, but it's all a matter of personal taste. That's why it would help to know your budget and what you like to do.