Which island should we go to? Hawaii?
Luc asked:
My wife and I are contemplating a trip to Hawaii for our anniversary in November. She’s very afraid of flying so I want to choose one island to spend most or all of our time on while we’re there as she won’t want to fly from island to island.
My wife and I are contemplating a trip to Hawaii for our anniversary in November. She’s very afraid of flying so I want to choose one island to spend most or all of our time on while we’re there as she won’t want to fly from island to island.
That being said, here are some activities we want to do:
Kyaking
Hiking
Snorkeling (not deep sea, just in the clear shallows)
Driving a jeep across the island
Relaxing in a nice hotel near the ocean
Luau (sp?)
Possibly seeing a volcano
We don’t want anything too crowded or crazy, just relaxing and fun. I’ve been told to avoid Honolulu and I’ve been told various things about Kuai and Maui but still can’t make a determination. Where can we do as much of the list above without island hoping?
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November 30th, 2009 at 7:05 am
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I loved Maui! It was beautiful and relaxing. Honolulu is nice if you want the night life and hustle & bustle. Maui was nice for just relaxing and not being over-stimulated.
The hotel I stayed at in Maui (the town was Lahaina) was right on the beach, and we were able to snorkel there. I also took a snorkeling boat trip - beautiful!
My husband traveled all over Maui with his family. They rented a convertible, and drove on little back roads until they couldn’t go any further. They also did a lot of hiking/exploring.
I would definitely recommend Maui.
*Edit* I’ve added a link to the town info for the town we stayed near. We weren’t right in town, about 1 1/2 miles out, but there were buses from the hotel to the town.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:35 am
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You can do all of that in Maui. Kyaking is great as you have awesome views of Lanai and Molokai. You can get to Lanai for the day via boat from Maui. Great snorkeling-go out to Molokini to snorkel=200 ft visibility. There is great hiking all over Maui-especially on the Road to Hana which is a scenic drive from one side of maui to the other…perfect for a jeep! Stop at twin fall and hike! Make sure you see the “ultimate sunrise”. The Royal LaHaina luau is great. Get there early though! Enjoy:) Maui is so romantic.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:13 am
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I’ve been to Maui twice and Hawaii once. You can do all of what you want on either island. The only major difference is there is an active volcano on Hawaii and the one on Maui is dormant.
Don’t underestimate how cool the active volcano is.
Maui is more touristy of the two, but not crazy.
Go to the snorkelbob web site and buy their book on what to see etc.. it’s funny and full of lots of good info. It was our bible during our last visit.
December 1st, 2009 at 7:58 pm
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I’m about to get on a 9-seater propellor plane and hop from one small island to another in about an hour. Don’t reckon she’d much care for that experience at all!
The Hawaii Superferry seems to be up and running trips between Oahu and Maui again. And there are smaller ferries that take passengers from Lahaina, Maui to Kaunakakai, Molokai and Manele Bay, Lanai. Of those two, the cheapest (about $25 each way) and calmest ride is to Lanai. I can’t testify to the Superferry, but it sure messed up our barge schedule over here on Molokai. Thanks to the Superferry, we now get shipments of groceries and other goods only on Wednesday and Thursday.
November is the beginning of humpback whale season, so there’s a small chance you’ll actually spot some whales from a ferry. It’s also a time when surf tends to be flattish on south facing shores, good for snorkeling or snuba. For snorkeling, I would consider either a short boat trip out of Maalaea, Maui to the partially sunken cinder cone of Molokini, or better yet take the ferry and snorkel on Lanai. There are some fabulous snorkeling spots on Maui. I like to rent my equipment at Snorkel Bob’s and ask those guys, “If you weren’t working today, where would you go snorkeling?”
Unless you want to spend it sitting in traffic, you’d better try Maui for a jeep experience. Haleakala hasn’t erupted in oh, a couple of hundred years, but you can drive up to its 10,000 feet summit. Just remember to take warm clothes (it sometimes snows up there in the winter) and walk slowly. You can also coast a bike 38 miles from the summit to the coast, but it’s pretty scary.
If you book yourself the Plumeria Suite at the Makai Inn in Lahaina, you’ll be paying about $150/night for a kitschy apartment with kitchenette and a hula girl lamp, but the patio backs out onto the sea wall, and you’ll be lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean waves. You can watch the sunset over Lanai and various kinds of boats go into and out of the harbor down the shore. You’ll be within walking distance of the Cannery Mall (used to be a pineapple cannery) and the Old Lahaina Luau.
And of course, there’s plenty of hiking and kayaking. So yeah. Base yourself on Maui.
December 5th, 2009 at 4:08 am
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I live on ‘Oahu…born and raised!! I can tell you that every island has it’s own unique beauty and surroundings to offer you!! It will all depend on what you and your wife will want!! If you want to stay away from the crowds…then you ‘Oahu is not what you want…however, this is where you have the best Lu’au’s, Polynesian Culture Center, and of course the Arizona Memorial!! It’s really not that bad on ‘Oahu if you stick to a few rules!! You won’t need a car, most tours offer transportation!! For that day you want to drive that jeep, you would want to do it on Saturday or Sunday!!
With that being said…here’s a few pointers on the other 3 islands!!
Maui…is crowded too!! In our (the locals) opinion, Maui is becoming just like Honolulu, ‘Oahu!! They have the night life and the tours just like ‘Oahu!! It’s where everyone goes to avoid ‘Oahu!!
Kaua’i…is where you would want to go to just RELAX!! Only 20% of the island is accessible by car so this might not be the island for you!! And if this is your first time to the islands and you want to take in as much as you can…this is not the island!! It’s the most beautiful island…it’s been featured in Movies because of it’s beauty…but it’s where you want to go to just Relax and Unwind!!
Hawai’i (commonly known as THE BIG ISLAND)…is the biggest of them all!! There are two main parts of the island…Kona and Hilo!! Both are the same…I think with Hilo being more of the city…although you’ll go there and be like…this is the city?? Biggest part of this island is the volcanoes…which you can hike to a certain point of and enjoy, but this is something that you would want to see by air!! It’s spectacular!! This island has everything that you would want to do and you can drive for hours seeing different things a long the way and even off road in certain places!!
You might want to consider the Hawai’i boat cruise that will visit all 4 major islands if you want!! That way, you and your wife and experience a little of every island and she won’t have to fly!! And you can learn to dance the hula while you’re on the cruise!!
Have Fun and Enjoy yourselves!! I know that you’ll love it!! Happy Anniversary!!
Oh and by the way…November is the best time of year to visit!! It’s less congested and the weather is beautiful!! Not HOT HOT HOT!!