Hawaii, y'all.

tpwkalyn

Okay so I know I've posted like twice already on the HM board, but I literally can't make up my mind. I guess I'll XP this on the HM board too.

FI & I have been looking at Costco's vacation packages (can't remember who suggested this to me but, props) and they have a lot of awesome options.

Originally, I REALLY wanted us to go to Ireland but then I researched a little more and found that the weather in November over there isn't really ideal. I wouldn't mind the cold really, just the rain.

So now I'm looking into Hawaii bc they almost never have bad weather and it's absolutely beautiful over there. FI isn't too fond of the "beach" per say, but we both know Hawaii has so much more to it than beaches. I went with my family to Oahu in 2009 and loved it. We did lots of hiking, "snorkeling" (I say it like that bc we literally went to K Mart & bought masks/snorkels and went to some little cove - it was super fun tho), Pearl Harbor, a luau, you know, the works.

But I'm a little torn on which island to go to. Part of me wants to go to Oahu again because I'm familiar with it, and I had so much fun there. The other part of me wants to go to Maui because it seems a little more "honeymoon-y" AND it'll be a new place for both of us to travel. 

I guess budget-wise, I'd like to stay around $5k if we use one of these packages. They have a Maui package that includes 7 nights in a hotel, round trip airfare, AND a full size car for about $4K (which is amazing considering that's about how much it is JUST to fly from Alabama). 

So, what are your opinions on Oahu/Maui? Where'd you stay, what'd you do?

southernbelle0915

If your FI isn't much of a beach person, I would say the Big Island. There is a ton of hiking and a really diverse landscape. You can do rainforest-y hikes, volcano stuff, waterfall hikes, etc.

The other island that has a lot of hiking and non beach stuff is Kauai.

Both obviously have great beaches but other stuff your FI would like.

floridabride44

I haven't been to both, so I'm not much of a help with deciding between the two, but I'll throw in a vote for Oahu just because that's the island I've been to out of your choices (that and the Big Island) and I really enjoyed it. I went there for a week this past August and there was SO MUCH to do on Oahu. 

If you go there, I highly recommend a snorkel boat trip. Just cruising around the island on a catamaran was so fun, and we saw hundreds of dolphins. It was incredible. Also, the Lanikai Pillboxes hike - it takes you up the side of a mountain to these bunkers that the military used to use as lookouts and it seriously has the most breathtaking views. 

But, you make a good point that it would be fun to go to Maui see a new island - could be a fun adventure for you and your H to explore a new place together. Either way, it sounds like your honeymoon is going to be a blast. I'm jealous, I want to go back!!

abl13

If you don't like the beach I highly recommend Kauai. We spent a week there and there is so much other stuff to do we didn't miss the beach at all.  We also went to Maui and didn't like it there as much. It felt really crowded and touristy and there were kids everywhere. We did the road to Hana and the volcano sunrise but other than that you are probably looking at more beach time there.

daria24

The Big Island is my favorite, so much stuff to do that is not beach-related. The snorkeling is the best-their water is the clearest. The volcano is awesome, I could have spent a week just exploring it. The Kona side is mostly lava fields so people may find it ugly but I have a weird love if it. And the Hilo side is so lush (and rainy). 

I personally did not like Maui, though there were some parts of it I liked. I just felt it was the most overpriced, most tourist-y of the three islands I've been to. And the least beautiful. But I really liked the Road to Hana and Haleakala. 

Kauai is the easiest to get around, since it's the smallest of the major islands. It's the most beautiful, IMO. And the Napaali coast, both hiking it and seeing it from a boat is just stunning. 

I haven't been to Oahu, I had no desire to see Honolulu, deal with the traffic, etc. But if you choose Oahu, spend some time on the North Shore, away from it all.

decembergrl2014

I've never been to Hawaii, but I'm going in August. Have you considered a Hawaiian cruise?

tpwkalyn

decembergrl2014 said:

I've never been to Hawaii, but I'm going in August. Have you considered a Hawaiian cruise?

SIB
I would LOVE to do a Hawaiian cruise. I've never been on a cruise & it all seems so nice and relaxing, but FI doesn't want to do a cruise bc he's been on 2 before *rolls eyes*. 

levioosa

I personally love Kauai.  My second favorite island is Maui.  I'm not really into crowds, and the Big Island can be really busy, but there is a lot to do there.  Could you island hop?  Or would you prefer to go to one place and relax?

plainjane0415

You can always island hop!

FI and I have been to Maui, and we really enjoyed it, we wanted to island hop when we were there but there wasn't enough time.

We have talked about going back someday and doing a Hawaiian cruise so we can see all of the islands. 

audubonbride2013

We went to both Maui and Oahu for our HM, and we booked through Costco.  We picked the Hyatt Regency package and both hotels were really nice!  We really liked both islands.  For non-beach stuff on Maui, we liked walking through Lahaina, driving the Road to Hana, and watching the sunrise at Haleakala.  We also really liked how you could walk off of Kaanapali beach and snorkel with turtles.

For Oahu, we felt like there was so much to do that we hardly spent any time on the beach.

We really enjoyed both islands, but I feel like Maui is more geared towards the beach. 

kaos16

DH and I would not be considered beach people by any stretch of the imagination.  We spent 10 days in Hawaii and went to the beach exactly 0 times.  I prefer Maui over Oahu without a doubt.  I would love to Maui if I could make a living there.  I recommend spending some time in Upcountry, not just the beach areas.  As for Oahu, I would be fine with never going back.  It was really just a city, albeit one with good weather.  nothing wowed me about it.  

OliveOilsMom

Between your two options I would choose Maui.  Oahu pales in comparison to all the other islands!  We just did 2 weeks in Hawaii last month (and it being 14 degrees outside right now, seems like a lifetime ago!).  We did 3 islands and since I have now been to the Big Island, I have hit up all 4 majors islands.

I LOVED the BI, H & I are already saying that upon our return trip, we will be devoting a whole week there. I think my ranking of islands is as follows: Kauai, BI, Maui, and Oahu.  Oahu is just so busy, its not relaxing IMO and if I'm flying that far, I want to be able to relax on vacation.  Maui is a good mix of Oahu and Kauai.  It's busy, but not as crazy as Oahu and it also has some really cool adventures to do, like Kauai.

If your looking for non-beach adventures, I think Kauai would have all that you are looking for.  They have such a diverse terrain there and it being the smallest island, its easiest to see most of it in 7 days.  The Napali Coast is probably one of the greatest things I have ever seen!

teddygirl9

Kauai is my favourite, but of your choices I'd pick maui. Maui is great the first time (I wouldnt go back), but you can do the road to hana. We did a hike there and checked out the black and red beaches there which were cool. We didnt really hang out on the beach, it was more exploring the area. 

dolewhipper

I've been to Oahu and Kauai and Fi and I are going to BI for our HM. Any reason why you didn't choose BI? It seems right up your alley unless you enjoy high tourism areas and shopping.

Fi and I aren't big beach people either and there is just SO MUCH to do there I don't think a week will be enough 

JoanE2012

We just went to Hawaii last November using a Costco package!  We spent 2 nights in Oahu and 6 nights in Maui.  We only went to Oahu for Pearl Harbor......we wouldn't go back again.  I just felt like I was in a big city, not the island feel I was looking for.  I LOVED Maui though!  We stayed at the Sheraton in Kaanapali.  We were a 5 minute walk to Whaler's Village where we ate a coupe dinners and walked around the shops and about a 5 minute drive to Lahaina, which had more restaurants and shops.  Highly recommend!