Planning to go to Hawaii

kkbooth01

My FI and I are planning to go to Hawaii for our HM.  We are stomped on which island to stay on and hotel.  Wondering if anyone can give us some advice?

fallbride1109

We chose Maui.  We thought it offered the best combination of relaxation and activities.  My review and pics are in my bio.

kaesha

We've been to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island and the latter two are my favourites. I think it really depends on what you want to do! The Big Island is really an adventurer's paradise. There's so much amazing outdoorsy stuff to tackle! Maui has better beaches though.

tam728

We went to Kaui for 5 days and then did the cruise on NCL that visits Maui, Kuai and the Big Island. It was fabulous- of all the islands Kaui was our favorite.

eshaufle

Kaesha - do you mind elaborating on why Oahu was your least favorite?  My FI and I are planning on Hawaii too, and, like OP, haven't decided on an island.  My friend who lives in Hawaii actually suggested it so I wouldn't mind hearing another opinion since I've never been to any of them!  :-)  Sorry to slightly threadjack...but maybe this will help OP too!

KerriCornell

I agree with Kaesha... the Big Island is my favorite just because there is so much to do.  Beaches, Volcanos, Rainforest, Waterfalls, Coffee Plantations, snorkeling, etc etc etc...     Maui has beautiful beaches as well.   Oahu seems to be a great starter island for first time Hawaii vistors.  I liked Oahu but not as much as the Big Island.

topchef33

I would love to go to Maui, but I was pricing out some packages and Oahu seems to be a little cheaper. I've been once and enjoyed it, so we are hoping to go there.

benmel31

We went to Oahu for 5 days and the Big Island for 7.  We loved both, although they were different.  Oahu is more touristy, but we knew we wanted to go to Pearl Harbor.  We did not stay in Waikiki much, we had a Jeep and drove all over the island and had a blast.  The Big Island was amazing!  We stayed 3 nights in Volcano near the park and 4 nights in Kona.  Again we explored a ton.  

It was quick and easy to fly between the islands.  A one way flight is about $60-80 per person.  

kaesha

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_planning-hawaii?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:6b1ce4cb-efd8-49f7-9cff-f940d06442b3Post:5974ca08-ae5c-4b96-8520-d53e2a02ae8e">Re: Planning to go to Hawaii</a>:
[QUOTE]Kaesha - do you mind elaborating on why Oahu was your least favorite?  My FI and I are planning on Hawaii too, and, like OP, haven't decided on an island.  My friend who lives in Hawaii actually suggested it so I wouldn't mind hearing another opinion since I've never been to any of them!  :-)  Sorry to slightly threadjack...but maybe this will help OP too!
Posted by eshaufle[/QUOTE]

I'm really not into crowds and tourist traps. So, my first experience of Oahu was really limited to Waikiki... which is something I will NEVER repeat. I find hoardes frustrating! Even on Maui and the Big Island, I tend to stay out of the tourist hot zones.

For me, it comes down to priorities. I go to Hawaii because it's beautiful, because there's tons of amazing outdoorsy stuff to do, and because there's just something  really wonderful about cooking on your grill in paradise. I know, it's a little thing, but spending time on my lanai with my husband or family - watching whales in the distance, or the sunset descend over Molokai - that's what being on the islands is all about for me. It's about slowing down and relaxing. But, if partying is how you want to go, Oahu is a great option.

[Deleted User]

We took this test when we were trying to figure it out:  http://gohawaii.about.com/od/hawaiivacationplanner/a/island_scores.htm

It was really helpful and gave us an idea of what each island was like.  We scored the highest for Kauai with Maui a close second so that's where we're going   We're doing 5 or 6 nights on each island.