<p>Hi everyone,
Still planning my hawaiian trip for this August and I am having a terrible time deciding where to go and how long to stay. I would appreciate some input. Traveling with 2 teenagers age 16 and 19 and my husband. We will be there 12 days but arrive on day 1 in Honolulu in late am and leave on day 12 out of honolulu in early evening. So I never count those two travel days.<br>
We are going to Oahu and Maui and I would really like to go to the Big Island and see the volcanoes among other things. So for those of you who have been I have a few questions. We are going to Oahu and Maui for sure. Kauai is not going to be this trip. So it is the Big Island I am unsure of. My husband and I have both been before many moons ago, so this is a trip tailored for my teenagers (who like activity, swimming and being entertained). </p>
<p>I was thinking about flying onto Kona from Honolulu on day 1. Then staying in Hawaii for 3 nights. I think they would enjoy seeing the volcanoes and the black sand beaches. Is this doable from Kona without feeling like you spent all day in the car. A friend recommended Big Island Excapes tour of the volcanoes but I believe that starts near Hilo so we would have to drive to get there. Want to minimize moving in and out of hotels. Is this a long drive? Obviously, this would be an all day event. Something else recommended was a zip line in the North Kohala Forest. Not sure about that though. Thoughts?</p>
<p>On day 4 we would fly from Hawaii to Maui and spend 4 nights. Suggestions for Maui activities? Please no road to Hana, not happening. My son and I (but mostly me) get very car sick and we are not interested and the other 2 don’t care. Snorkeling etc. is a must and we are staying in Kanapali (sorry if I butcher the spelling!). </p>
<p>On day 8 we would leave Maui for Oahu where we would spend 4 nights but the last day we travel. Want to go to the North Shore and Pearl Harbor. Staying in Waikiki. They will enjoy Honolulu (these are kids who like Florida and even Vegas!). </p>
<p>Am I pushing it with the thought of going to 3 islands? Should I just do 6 nights in Maui and 6 nights in Oahu and forget about the Big Island? I don’t want to run, run, run all the time but a few days of sitting at the beach or pool is not really my thing either (more so because I get burned to a crisp!). I need to make a decision and I am really unsure if this will be too much in too little time. So your wise input is welcomed. I would appreciate any must sees that you believe shouldn’t be missed. We are going to do the bike ride down Haleakala after a great recommendation from a cc poster. </p>
<p>Thanks and I look forward to your comments!</p>
<p>Why not fly into Hilo early AM on day 2 and drive from there to the volcanoes? That’s about a 2 hour drive. You could stay up-mountain in Volcano, Hawaii (yes, there is a town there), do the evening walk of the lava (spectacular) and then drive to Kona the next day.</p>
<p>I agree that you should fly into Hilo if you want to visit the volcano. We went to the Big Island a year ago, flew into Kono, drove to the volcano area south of Hilo where we rented a house, and it was a surprisingly long and tiring drive. Much longer than it looks on the map because most of it is a winding two-lane highway. </p>
<p>The area around Hilo and south is very interesting, VERY different from anything else we have seen on other islands. More like old Hawaii. There is an absolutely amazing world-class garden near Hilo–do not miss this if you go there. It’s one of my favorite places I have visited anywhere in the world. It is 40 acres of amazing tropical plants, like a jungle but all in bloom.</p>
<p>You could just go to the Hilo side of the island, do the volcano sights and this garden, and then go on to another island. The Gold Coast side of the island (Kona) is also lovely if you had time to stay there a few nights.</p>
<p>I think it is too much to do Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island all in one trip. My stepson and his wife (age 26) were stationed on Oahu for several years with the Navy, and they loved the Big Island so much that they visited there twice. They did the helicopter tour out of Kona (there is also one from Hilo) and the zipline.</p>
<p>I have been to both Oahu and The Big Island -separate trips. Although I like Oahu and Honolulu, six days there might be more than what you need if trying to maximize your time. The big island is big… it is an island the size of Connecticut, and there is a good deal of time needed to drive from Kona to the volcanoes whether or not you self-drive or someone else drives. I would recommed the Hawaian botanical gardens just outside of Hilo as well as the coastal drive which is a big of Old Hawaii… The Big Island is really interesting and offers beautiful vistas and some interesting quaint historic towns beyond both Hilo and Kona… the town of Kona itself is not especially interesting but is the jumping off point to head north or south. The resort hotels are all just north of Kona, and there isn’t a true coastal road that would run along there. It is also interesting to go through Waimea which has cattle ranches and cowboys, not what you think of Hawaii at all, but Waimea is the crossroads of The Big Island…</p>
<p>Also on the bike tour, be sure to pay careful attention to the guide. Me and five other ladies (all moms I think) took off prematurely down the volcano (he said “go ahead” lol). We went down five full miles before we realized we were alone and stopped. When the tour guide caught up, he was SOOO mad…yelled at us like we were in 6th grade! One of the ladies kept going another 10 miles…all by herself! Teenage DS…sitting on top of volcano with DH and the rest of the tour group and van was VERY embarrassed…lol.</p>
<p>We went on a scuba trip to maui in 2003. It is so beautiful there. Our motel was in Lahaina, so after we were done diving we would walk to the down town. There are some amazing art galleries here (Wyland) and cool places to eat like Cheeseburger in Paradise, Bubba Gumps, and our favorite, Moose McGuilicuttys (sorry about the spelling). We also went to the Old Lahaina Luau, which was rated very high on the Travel Channel, lots of food and dancing. For snorkeling, you may want to check out the Pacific Whale Foundation, they were doing snorkel/swim with dolphins kinds of things when we were there and many fish can be found no where else. Also, don’t miss the Banyan Tree in downtown Lahaina. Sorry you will be missing the humpback whales, hearing their songs underwater was amazing. The Maui aquarium is also worth a look and just a short drive from Lahaina. There are stands with people trying to sell you activities on nearly every corner, so do your research before you go and have a great trip!</p>
<p>I find that getting the more challenging activities into the early part of the trip works well. After a few days, there is a Hawaiian kick back factor that makes everyone head for the beach and stay there. ;)</p>
<p>I like the idea of flying from Honolulu to Hilo on your arrival day (it’s a very short flight) and staying the first night in Volcano or Hilo. You’ll want one full day to see Volcanoes Park and I would also recommend the stretch of old highway and small botanic garden along the coast; it is a half hour from the airport, has beautiful views and is very “old Hawaii” in feeling. You could do this on the day you fly out. [Hawaii</a> Tropical Botanical Garden](<a href=“http://www.hawaiigarden.com/]Hawaii”>http://www.hawaiigarden.com/) The beaches on the Hilo side are nothing special, so make the hiking and Hawaiiana your focus. The Kona side is much drier, more crowded and resort-like (some would say sterile). I think you could miss it for this trip.</p>
<p>Also remember that you and your family will be waking very early for the first few days. Keep this in mind when planning.</p>
<p>On the Big Isalnd, Punaluu Black Sand beach is a very spectacular place! No swimming is allowed (and it is rocky), but there are plenty of turtles to watch.</p>
<p>Oahu has historical sites. You could spend as little as one day (rushed) to see them. Or you could go at your leisure and see them in two/three days. Maui has the Haleakala, Iao valley, golf, tennis, Lahaina town…and yes, 23 trips later we have never been to Hana. Lots of snorkeling and general unwinding. The Big Island has the volcanos, sport fishing (if you do such things, we don’t, I just know that its there), golf and tennis. All the islands have beaches, wind surfing (in addition to regular surfing) and beautiful scenery.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your ideas and suggestions. At first, I thought I would cut out the Big Island because the logistics seemed a bit of a nightmare and concentrate on Maui and Oahu. After speaking with my teenagers, they really want to go to Hawaii so I think we are going to Maui first, spend 4 nights near Lahaina, then fly to Hilo, spend one night where we will visit the gardens (on arrival day) and volcanoes (next day) and then drive to Kona for two additional nights. Then onto Honolulu for 4 nights and then home. Alot for 12 days but it will be fun. Thank you for your suggestions about activities. Had no idea about the botanical gardens, but I would love to go. Any other ideas for fun activities is welcomed!</p>
<p>Sounds like a wonderful trip! We went to the 3 islands you are considering on our honeymoon, and I hope to go back with the kids for our 25th anniversary. The islands all have different things to offer, so I understand why you want to do three. We’re not lay-around-on-the-beach people, so we spent several days on each seeing sites, snorkeling, hiking. Spent the most beach time on Maui, most time on Hawaii seeing volcanoes and hiking, and did the touristy/WW II things on Oahu.</p>
<p>We stay in a beachfront condo in Kona for two weeks and just chill. Not much sight-seeing–couple of days out of the 2 weeks at most. We go to relax-not run all over the area.</p>
<p>Wow, we were on both Oahu and the Big Island, and never saw a mosquito. In fact, while on the Big Island, we’d go out at night and lay on the fairway of the golf course and look at the stars… never got a mosquito bite. Our kids slept in a separate room, with the sliding door open… no screen, and never got a bite. I guess we were lucky!</p>