Which Island to stay at?
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From: Manassas
Which Island to stay at?
Hey guys, want some ideas on which Island to stay at for my planned delayed honeymoon in Hawaii.
Maria and I have never been there and are not sure which island we should make our destination.
Thanks in advance for the input.
John
Maria and I have never been there and are not sure which island we should make our destination.
Thanks in advance for the input.
John
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From: Alexandria
You should do maybe two, three islands if you have the time.
Each island is different and has its own character.
1. Oahu -- I'd avoid. It would be awesome if the other islands didn't exist, but they do, and this one is too urban and crowded, and developed in a cheese style in large part. Not saying it isn't great, but not worth it when you can go to one of the others.
2. Maui -- has a bit of everything. Second most populated but far less developed than Oahu. Lahaina is a tourist trap, don't spend too much time there. The "road to Hana" through the rain forest part of the island is a MUST do, take it real slow and stop frequently to swim in the waterfalls along the way. Hana itself is a dot on the map. Pa'ia is a cool little hippie town. Wailea is the ritzier, nicer developed $$$ area as is kapalua north of lahaina.
3. Kauai -- the most rural and greenest, lushest island IMO. A zodiac boat ride along the na pali coast is a must. I haven't been there in a long time but it's the quietest/most relaxing, which isn't to say the others aren't. JMO.
4. Hawaii -- the big island is the most volcanic, a little less developed than Maui. Also beautiful.
Traveling between the islands is very fast, usually a 20 minute jet ride from island to island. If you have two weeks, spend maybe 2-3 days each on Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. Then you'll have an easier time planning your future Hawaiian vacations. Unless there's something wrong with you, you're going to want to go back bad.
Each island is different and has its own character.
1. Oahu -- I'd avoid. It would be awesome if the other islands didn't exist, but they do, and this one is too urban and crowded, and developed in a cheese style in large part. Not saying it isn't great, but not worth it when you can go to one of the others.
2. Maui -- has a bit of everything. Second most populated but far less developed than Oahu. Lahaina is a tourist trap, don't spend too much time there. The "road to Hana" through the rain forest part of the island is a MUST do, take it real slow and stop frequently to swim in the waterfalls along the way. Hana itself is a dot on the map. Pa'ia is a cool little hippie town. Wailea is the ritzier, nicer developed $$$ area as is kapalua north of lahaina.
3. Kauai -- the most rural and greenest, lushest island IMO. A zodiac boat ride along the na pali coast is a must. I haven't been there in a long time but it's the quietest/most relaxing, which isn't to say the others aren't. JMO.
4. Hawaii -- the big island is the most volcanic, a little less developed than Maui. Also beautiful.
Traveling between the islands is very fast, usually a 20 minute jet ride from island to island. If you have two weeks, spend maybe 2-3 days each on Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. Then you'll have an easier time planning your future Hawaiian vacations. Unless there's something wrong with you, you're going to want to go back bad.
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From: MoCo
Maui is my favorite and Kauai is nice if you don't want to do anything. Some of this depends on the time of year you go as well. Maui is the breeding grounds for the whales December to March which is an awesome sight. You must get a night time visit to the big island as the lava flow is spectacular then. The big island also has 6 of the 7 climate zones in the world along with black, red and green sand beaches. Oahu is at most a day trip for something like pearl harbor tour and Waikiki is a concrete jungle. I always end up spendng at least a week on Oahu just because I have more relatives there then Maui. The north shore of Oahu is alright as well because it is the home of the big wave if you time it right.
Mark
Mark
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From: The HS that is NoVA
Mann, Hawaii... I really want to go there, and hell, I want to live there... lol
I don't have real experience, but I've researched it and read lots of stuff about it, and waht I as going to say is pretty much what Chug-A-Bug said, but I wasn't going to be as detailed, lol.
Good luck with this man. If you end up deciding to go to Hawaii I'm sure you'll really enjoy it. Make sure to take lots of pics... I have to live vicariously through others
LoL
I don't have real experience, but I've researched it and read lots of stuff about it, and waht I as going to say is pretty much what Chug-A-Bug said, but I wasn't going to be as detailed, lol.
Good luck with this man. If you end up deciding to go to Hawaii I'm sure you'll really enjoy it. Make sure to take lots of pics... I have to live vicariously through others
LoL
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From: Dealsville
Originally Posted by Chug-A-Bug,Apr 19 2005, 11:31 AM
You should do maybe two, three islands if you have the time.
Each island is different and has its own character.
1. Oahu -- I'd avoid. It would be awesome if the other islands didn't exist, but they do, and this one is too urban and crowded, and developed in a cheese style in large part. Not saying it isn't great, but not worth it when you can go to one of the others.
2. Maui -- has a bit of everything. Second most populated but far less developed than Oahu. Lahaina is a tourist trap, don't spend too much time there. The "road to Hana" through the rain forest part of the island is a MUST do, take it real slow and stop frequently to swim in the waterfalls along the way. Hana itself is a dot on the map. Pa'ia is a cool little hippie town. Wailea is the ritzier, nicer developed $$$ area as is kapalua north of lahaina.
3. Kauai -- the most rural and greenest, lushest island IMO. A zodiac boat ride along the na pali coast is a must. I haven't been there in a long time but it's the quietest/most relaxing, which isn't to say the others aren't. JMO.
4. Hawaii -- the big island is the most volcanic, a little less developed than Maui. Also beautiful.
Traveling between the islands is very fast, usually a 20 minute jet ride from island to island. If you have two weeks, spend maybe 2-3 days each on Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. Then you'll have an easier time planning your future Hawaiian vacations. Unless there's something wrong with you, you're going to want to go back bad.
Each island is different and has its own character.
1. Oahu -- I'd avoid. It would be awesome if the other islands didn't exist, but they do, and this one is too urban and crowded, and developed in a cheese style in large part. Not saying it isn't great, but not worth it when you can go to one of the others.
2. Maui -- has a bit of everything. Second most populated but far less developed than Oahu. Lahaina is a tourist trap, don't spend too much time there. The "road to Hana" through the rain forest part of the island is a MUST do, take it real slow and stop frequently to swim in the waterfalls along the way. Hana itself is a dot on the map. Pa'ia is a cool little hippie town. Wailea is the ritzier, nicer developed $$$ area as is kapalua north of lahaina.
3. Kauai -- the most rural and greenest, lushest island IMO. A zodiac boat ride along the na pali coast is a must. I haven't been there in a long time but it's the quietest/most relaxing, which isn't to say the others aren't. JMO.
4. Hawaii -- the big island is the most volcanic, a little less developed than Maui. Also beautiful.
Traveling between the islands is very fast, usually a 20 minute jet ride from island to island. If you have two weeks, spend maybe 2-3 days each on Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. Then you'll have an easier time planning your future Hawaiian vacations. Unless there's something wrong with you, you're going to want to go back bad.
I spent about 3 days on Oahu, and I feel like we saw almost everything worthwhile. If I go back, I hope to not spend any time on that island and just explore the 3 Chug-A-Bug mentioned. Oh, and Kauai has one spot on it that is literally the rainiest place on Earth. Pretty interesting. - Jeremy (jnn4v)
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From: MoCo
How long is the trip? You should also check in the Hawaii forum although they might be sick of the question but maybe one of them can get you some Kama'aina (local) rates. I grew up not far from Pearl Harbor (I watched them film Tora Tora Tora from my house and on base) but a lot has changed in 30+ years.
Mark
Mark
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From: Manassas
Thanks guys for the suggestions, we are not sure yet how long we will be staying, at least a week, maybe longer. Have to consider the kids staying at home by themselves and the S and the bikes parked in the garage unattended 
The owner of Maria's company gave us the airline tickets as a wedding gift.
John
The owner of Maria's company gave us the airline tickets as a wedding gift.
John
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Arlington, VA
Wow...nice, John!! I have stayed on Waikiki (Oahu) alot since my ex bf used to travel there on business. But I'd have to agree with the posters above and avoid it in favor of Kauai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. I took a helicopter tour of Kauai and it was absolutely spectacular!! The only way to see the N'a Pali Coast, IMO. Kauai is also the island of red dirt. Congratulations on your nuptials! Have a mango daiquiri for me please!