<p>Well, if I had to decide between possibly having a potential unscheduled prolonged delay & having to stay indoors due to VOG in Europe or being able to enjoy more days of sunlight, great people, places & decent prices and know I can come & depart as scheduled, I know what I’d choose.</p>
<p>Our economy has suffered another blow recently–we have lost many of our local news stations due to the economy & just lost a newspaper so we’ll be a one newspaper city. This has affected a LOT of journalists throughout the state. Times are pretty tough & the food pantry is very busy.</p>
<p>The traffic can be quite heavy, but is fairly predictable, so if you schedule around the worst times & locations, it’s mostly OK.</p>
<p>Okay - I think I might have been harsher on Oahu than I meant to be. Oahu is more than just Honolulu and has some very nice areas and things to see. I suggested the OP skip it because they indicated they had only a short time and JMO it’s better spent on the other islands. </p>
<p>Honolulu itself, where many of the tourists end up (around Waikiki) is IMO just a city with little of the Hawaii charm many have visualized. Waikiki itself is not a great beach and is overcrowded. The rest of Oahu is nicer and is more appealing IMO. The problem is that I think a number of the visitors to Hi are envisioning an environment more like the rest of the islands (or outside of the Honolulu area of Oahu) yet might not realize that Waikiki isn’t like that and end up staying there for some days or their entire time and end up disappointed. If one decides to go to Oahu I suggest looking for a hotel outside of Honolulu or at least on an edge rather than Waikiki although given all the hotels in Waikiki and number of tourists there maybe I’m in the minority in this opinion.</p>
<p>HiMom: Which newspaper closed? I used to read the biggest one, the Chronicle (?). There was a columnist who wrote about daily life in the islands. I LOVED his writing even through I was a kid. He was a legend from what I understand. </p>
<p>I remember hearing the recordings of Hawaii Calls when I was a child. Whether they were live or recordings I don’t know…but I loved them.</p>
<p>I would definitely choose Kaua’i. H and I honeymooned there and on Maui in the 80’s. We’ve been back to Maui several times, but we LOVE Kaua’i and have been back many, many times. We have been taking our kids there since they were 9 and 13. The southern tip of the island, Po’ipu Beach, is much drier than the North Shore and is often sunny when the North Shore is cloudy or rainy.</p>
<p>We also like the Big Island, but not as much. The western side (Kona) has many areas covered in old lava fields – LOTS of black lava. The eastern side (Hilo), where Kilauea volcano is located, is a rain forest, which is amazing to hike through, but not as sunny and warm.</p>
<p>We avoid Honolulu if at all possible. We have spent time there twice, once to take the kids to Pearl Harbor. Now we only transfer at the airport if we go there at all.</p>
<p>We were in Kauai in the early summer, around June, and stayed in the Poipu area on the southern side. We like to snorkel a lot but in the summer the area right around where we were staying was too rough for snorkeling so we found ourselves driving to the northern end, up around Princeville, almost every day to snorkel. It’s a little bit of a hassle to drive there so often although a lot of people wouldn’t go snorkeling every day like I did and it’s not a major hassle - just somewhat of a hassle. I liked the Poipu area but if I were to do it again I’d consider staying at the north end although the Princeville resort is pretty expensive. I’ve heard the wave action is the opposite during the winter but I haven’t been to Kauai in the winter.</p>
<p>In deciding where you (general you) want to visit it really depends on what you want to do. Kauai would have KILLED my kids after 3 days: it is beautiful but not enough to do. I do not mean Luaus and magic shows btw. Oahu is Waikiki to some, others go to Diamond Head, North Shore, Kahala and other quieter areas. There are sites to see and never a crowded pool or the beach to walk on, if you are so inclined. Maui has some places to see, places to hike and gorgeous beaches. If you are into golf, Maui and Kauai have courses: Maui’s are world famous with several PGA and LPGA tournaments every year. Questions to ask yourself: Are you foodies? Are you scenery people? Are you the get up and go people? Are you interested in culture/history? Would it “ruin” your day if there were showers every afternoon for 20 minutes? All these are questions that you have to answer.</p>
<p>The Advertiser (which is the dominant paper) has gone under & only left the Star Bulletin, which used to be the afternoon paper. There are gorgeous places to see throughout the state but you have to decide what you all want to do best & match it up.</p>
<p>For us, when we try to see too much in too short a time, it’s not a pleasant experience, but some folks they like fitting in as much as they can. Only you individually & as a group can decide the pace & activities you want.</p>
<p>HIMom, the same thing happened in Seattle - we lost our PI, and now the (very skinny) Seattle Times is our only major local newspaper. The PI did not completely die - it still runs its web edition with very limited staff.</p>
<p>We snorkeled all over HI, and so far, we liked the Kaanapali North area of Maui the best - lots of colorful fishes and turtles, and not so many other snorkelers. In the winter you can hear the whales under water Of course, Molokini has the best snorkeling, but you can only get there by boat.</p>
<p>Of course!!! The Advertiser!!! I loved that paper. </p>
<p>Obviously, HImom knows more places to visit on Oahu and through the islands but I have never forgotten the Queen Emma’s house, the Bishop Museum, an art museum (on Oahu)…and so many other places on all the islands.</p>
<p>The only islands we haven’t been to are Niihau (spelling…and obviously), Molokai (when our kids were young we thought about it, until the 12 year old rule persuaded us otherwise), and Lanai…because while the main hotel is supposed to be magnificent, outside of golf not a lot to do there.</p>
<p>Another vote for Kauai or the Big Island for outdoors and hiking, and skipping Honolulu and Maui, the touristy destinations. I’d pick the Big Island for hiking the volcanic areas; totally fascinating. However, we had our most isolated, rural Hawaiian vacation in the northwest corner of Oahu, at the Mokulē’ia Beach Colony, but this would be a bit boring for teenagers (our kids were younger at the time).</p>
<p>The Road to Hana is on Maui. IMHO, it is overrated.</p>
<p>Oahu is definitely more than just Honolulu, but a lot of it <em>is</em> Honolulu. If you don’t like cities, skip Oahu. IMHO. YMMV.</p>
<p>I have been to Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. We had a condo on the Big Island for some years and I still go back every year. There is something for everyone on the Big Island, from exploring the volcano to some of the best beaches in the world. You can easily get resort-certified if you want to try SCUBA diving, and then there is shallow water (lots of great stuff at 25 feet or shorter) to explore. Not so true off Maui or Oahu. Snorkeling is better as well.</p>
<p>I am a water person, generally dislike cities, enjoy natural history (volcanoes, animals, rain forests, gardens). Hiking not so much… like my hot showers in the morning. I have been going to the Big Island since 1992, often four or five times a year. Never been bored. I have friends who live there year round and regular take four and five day hikes along the north coast, starting at Hawi. You can go into unbuilt wilderness.</p>
<p>I love Kauai and the big island, and think you would be fine in either place if you are interested in being outside and seeing exotic places - not shopping. Poipu on Kauai is a great place to learn to surf - several of the surf schools set up on the lawn of Kiahuna Plantation Village, where we like to stay (and highly recommend). But we’ve surfed in the winter, so what someone said about the currents or wave action being rough there is the summer would need to be investigated. Kauai also has great variety for hiking, and it’s fun to rent kayaks and go up the river. I thought the snorkeling on the big island’s Kona coast on the big island was better than on Kauai, and there are some great boogie boarding beaches there on the north part of the coast. </p>
<p>Sigh … this makes me want to get on a plane!</p>
<p>I guess 15-19 year old kids want more activities. So Honolulu and Big Island are good choice. I wonder when I can have time and money to hear summer birds singing on the Big Island in early morning and see Polynesian Culture Center and Pearl Harbor again.</p>
<p>I’ve been lurking on this thread, wishing that somehow we could visit Hawaii. And it seems it might actually be possible this August. College student son has a job in SF for the summer, we could visit him in early August when he gets done and DH has been flying internationally all winter and we seem to have a ton of miles for once.</p>
<p>So . . . I’m kind of thinking Kaui might fit us best. We LOVE to hike and DH and both kids LOVE to snorkel (while I sit on beach with binoculars watching for sharks). We are not into shopping while on vacation. Usually, we find renting a condo is most cost effective given four adult sized people in our family. Since airfare looks to be free we can kind of splurge a bit - have not taken an actual vacation in years and years.</p>
<p>Can anyone recommend a place?</p>
<p>(Sorry to horn in on OP’s thread but didn’t think it made sense to start my own)</p>
<p>We love Kaui, and really never liked Honolulu. We usually stayed around the Princeville area. We have stayed at the Princeville Hotel (Starwood property, could get half off with points), and rented condos around there. A few times at Princeville Hotel, we’ve spotted few celebrities. It’s great to have an evening drink at their lobby. They used to have the best seafood buffet (don’t remember which night). There are some nicest beaches around there. My kids learned how to surf there. I am not much of an outdoor person, but did do some hiking with the kids. </p>
<p>I like Maui too, but it is more commercial. We rented a Polynesian house on the north shore once. We had my parents and siblings there (all 15 of us). After everyone left, we went to Four Seasons for some R&R.</p>
<p>Kiahuna Plantation on Poipu is low key, reasonably priced and has the best beach on the island. Some units are managed by Castle Resorts, some by Outrigger, and you can also find them on direct-from-owner sites like vrbo. Most are only 1 BR, so that can mean 2 big kids sleeping on a pullout sofa - maybe not so good in your situation.</p>
This has affected a LOT of journalists throughout the state. Times are pretty tough & the food pantry is very busy.</p>
Of course, Molokini has the best snorkeling, but you can only get there by boat.</p>