Ok guys, here's the lowdown: We've never been to Hawaii before...so: 1. Which Island do you recommend visiting? 2. What time of year do you recommend visiting? 3. Any fun things that we should definitely check out? 4. Any food we must sample? 5. And do you guys have any traveling tips? Like I said, this will be our first time, so any tips whether general or specific will be appreciated. Thanks!
I've only been to Kauai, but it was great. You can kayak up a river to visit the waterfall from Jurrasic Park. It is the same river that was in the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Brennecke's Beach has some nice body surking/boogie boarding waves and was pretty much deserted around Thanksgiving. Roy's Poipu Bar and Grill was a nice restaurant. We had breakfast at the Grand Hyatt Kauai which was BEAUTIFUL. Having only about a weeks experience in Hawaii, I'm not an expert or anything, but my experiences in the above were nothing but positive.
My favorite is the big island of Hawaii. Check out the black sand beach (I think that's on the big island), Volcano national park, and the observatory. It was the best place I've ever been.
Maui is very cool, with lots to do. I went in mid January. The water was a tad chilly, but very swim-able. Lots of snorkeling / schuba diving. In January, the whales are in Hawaii as the waters there are warm for winter. The Road to Hana is decent, but takes much longer than expected. Lots of cool little towns and shopping. In the center of the island is a place called Iao Valley - very cool hiking if you are interested. Then of course there is Haleakala, which many people arrive at early morning and then ride a bike down. We were there 5 or 6 days.
I would suggest the Big Island if you can only go to one. You get the rain forests, the beaches (snorkal Kealakekua Bay) and Volcanoes national park. If you like hiking there are tons of places to go. Pearl Harbor is on Oahu and you should visit the memorial if you get the chance (it's free). Since most airlines fly into and out of Oahu (Honolulu) you could probably get there even if you don't actually stay on Oahu. My wife and I had a 6 hour wait at the Honilulu airport and we took a city bus.
Thanks for the tips so far, it's been pretty informative and helpful. The Rain Forests on the Big Island sound very interesting, and Kuai seems really interesting too with the river. Thanks again for the tips and keep them coming if possible.
Since the suggestions so far point to other islands, you should be aware that most tourists go to Oahu because it has more stuffs to see and do. You might want to do some research yourself. Check out this link: http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/index.html From the homepage, click on Island Profiles. Select an island, Select its Travel guide and Map ... If you want to see a Luau, on Oahu check out the one at Polynesian Cultural Center.
The zodiac boat tour to the spires at Na Pali on the north shore of Kuai is possibly the most surreal place I have ever been. The north shore has no coral reefs so the sea has eroded right up to the mountains. The 4000' spires stick right up out of the ocean next to your boat. (I understand they may have stopped the zodiac boats now for environmental reasons)
Thanks for the link ragingFire, I'll have to check it out later (I'm a bit busy at work right now). From the input I received so far, it really seems like you can't go wrong choosing which Island to go to. We've decided to head their around March, so now we have to choose the Island...God I need this vacation.
Just looking at that picture you posted and reading your description, Dubious, I got to tell ya, I got chills...it seems like such a beautiful place...now I have to say I leaning a towards Kuai just to see those mountains.
my sis went to Kuai for their honeymoon and it looked great! i think they did the kayaking and hiking, etc. not sure what else. i'm jealous though!!
On the other side of the NaPali Mountians is the Waimea canyon too. (Although they did have a sightseeing helicopter crash there last week) I haven't been to the Big Island or Maui but you could see all of Kuaii in a week. If you are a hard corps hiker you can hike a couple of days along the Na Pali trail hanging 800" above the ocean. Half way across is a very private nude beach...we just passed by it in the zodiac, I'm not the camping type.
went to Kauai and Maui for our honeymoon. And then to Oahu on a subsequent trip. You'll have a blast on any of those. Tons to see/hike/swim/relax/eat. My only recommendation is to rent a car if you plan to spend several days on Oahu. Waikiki is nice, but you'll want to get out of there to see/ do anything worthwhile. There are a series of books published by Wizard publications (wizardpub.com), which we found to be extremely helpful. Stop by Barnes and Nobles and check them out.
