karameli

Hopefully this posted under Hawaii -- my medieval office computer tends to ignore scroll-down lists!

My husband and I are going to Hawaii in August. Our original plans was to do three nights on the Big Island and four nights on Oahu.

Now we're feeling peer-pressured to add in Maui. We can easily add a few days to our trip -- we were thinking maybe three nights each on Big Island and Oahu, and three or four nights on Maui.

Any thoughts? Will we feel too rushed trying to do three islands in ten days? Will we regret missing Maui? We just want to do a lot of exploring and have a nice beach to sit on when we need a break. We are definitely sold on Big Island (to hike Kilauea), and Kona only offers direct flights to Oahu, not the other islands, so Oahu had seemed like the least best second-island choice.

Input is appreciated!

MerryTravel

The next time someone tells you that you have to go to Maui, ask them if they went to the Big Island and Oahu and why Maui is better. If they can't give you a good reason, it might help relieve some of that peer pressure!

Personally, I don't think you're going to be missing anything by leaving out Maui, and that's coming from someone who lived on Oahu and visited Kauai, Maui and the BI. It's a great island and perfect for people who only want to do one, but I just don't think it's going to offer you anything the BI and Oahu can't. Actually, I think the Big Island and Oahu are the perfect combination for a wonderful Hawaii trip. Just another opinion, though.

Cerlaurie

Last year, my husband and I spent 5 nights on the BI and 5 nights on Maui. We were glad we got to experience both islands and loved them both. However, we wished we had more time on both. I think doing 3 islands in 10 nights would be alot. I am not sure what you mean by "Kona only offers direct flights to Oahu, not the other islands". We took a flight from Kona to Kahului on Maui.

karameli

Merrytravel, thanks for the info! Maybe we'll stick to our plan of BI and Oahu. They were the most interesting to us, but we were worried there was something about Maui that we were missing. Would you recommend sticking to two islands over 9-10 days? And since you lived on Oahu, wwhich area would you recommend -- the beach area in Waikiki or a cottage in Kailua?

Cerlaurie, my mistake -- I'd read somewhere that KOA was serviced by LAX, SFO, and HNL. My first attempts to price tix between KOA and OGG were unsuccessful so I assumed that info meant serviced ONLY by those three airports. Obviously not! I changed dates and did find a flight to Maui. Still, not sure I want to skip Oahu...

bobludlow

The Big Island is really big - larger than all of the other inhabited islands combined. If I were planning a three-hotel itinerary I would pick one in Waikiki (Oahu) and two on the Big Island - a big beach resort on the Kona coast and then a more intimate hotel or B&B in the small town of Volcano. Those would be three very different experiences. Maui wouldn't add much to that.

suze

That must-go-to-Maui thing is a myth. It's a beautiful island, but I wouldn't rush my vacation to squeeze it in. Personally I prefer only 1 island per trip, but that's just me.

carolyn

Oahu is my favorite of all the islands. Don't miss it on your first trip. Just seeing Diamond Head in the distance is worth the trip, not to mention Pearl Harbor.

Have you done a search on this forum about things to do? There is a ton of advice (and differing opinions) on each of the islands and long lists of activities.

MerryTravel

Kailua is a really nice area with great beaches, but I really like the convenience of Waikiki. It also has great energy -- I used to walk down to Waikiki just to wander around and people watch once every other week or so.

Lilikaela

Definitely do what you will feel comfortable with. Understand that 3 days or 4 in one place is realy not that many so if you add time do it to the two you already have planned. Maui is romantic but caters to younger people. Oahu is terrific and you will have loads of fun. Very touristy....do not go on any all day excursions though very boring. As for Big Island...where are you going to West or East. Kona is just fabulous get a volcano tour for sure If you go to Hilo it is more subdued.

karameli

Thanks for all the advice so far. We have done loads of research on things to do -- that's how we narrowed it down to BI and Oahu. The original plan was to stay in Kailua-Kona area on Big Island and drive over to Volcanoes National Park for a day. The remaining days would be spent exploring the beaches, botanical gardens, and so on. In Oahu, we want to see Diamond Head, a luau, Hanauma Bay, Mokoli'i, and (ahem) a mini-tour of the Lost filming locations. On Maui, we were most interested in the Road to Hana and kayaking, but I feel like kayaking and fabulous scenery will both be readily available on the other two islands.

Thanks again -- this has been helpful. There's so much info about Hawaii and so much to do there...it's hard to prioritize for a 10-day trip!

dusty56438

I'm also an Oahu fam. More to do there than any other island.

Lots of info:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34696831

www.mauihawaii.org Great Maui site

www.visitmaui.com They will send a free brochure

www.bigisland.org They will send a free brochure

www.kauaidiscovery.com They will send a free brochure

www.kauai-hawaii.com

BTW - There is only one U.S. forum, not a Hawaii forum. When you initiate a message and highlite Hawaii, it makes the message easier to find by using the search function.

JC98

How many days do you have? I'd recommend you stay longer on each island to cut down transit time between islands. We spent a whole week on BI, and it wasn't enough!

karameli

Thanks for the liniks, Dusty...now I have more ways to dream about this trip when I *should* be working! And I know how the forums are sorted -- but sometimes, even if I highlight Hawaii in the scroll-down, my geriatric computer doesn't recognize it and my post winds up in the catch-all forum for the U.S. (ie, doesn't come up when you highlight Hawaii in the search box). Then I get posts explaining to me how to post it in the Hawaii area. I noticed the post successfully made it into the Hawaii section this time, though...woohooo!

travelina

I think all the islands can be "very touristy" afterall they are tourist destinations! Oahu is the most diverse and has alot of alternatives to touristy Waikiki. Personally, I was not thrilled with the Big Island. The volcano is hit or miss so dont be disappointed if you dont see much. I think it was more the weather on the Big Island (cloudy/drizzly rain) and the starkness of it that was a let down. As for Maui, I think it is the most touristy of all the islands.

krueger

I'm going to throw something different into the mix. My wife & I visited Hawaii for the first time last fall: we spend 4 days on BI, 4 on Maui, 3 on Kauai & 4 on Oahu. We had a marvelous experience on all 4. Personally, I loved the Hilo side of the BI more than the Kona, probably because it is less touristy. I hated Waikiki! My only regret on our tour was not going to Molokai. If I get to go back, I will include Molokai. You can ferry over to Molokai from Lahaina. Overall, we would recommend Maui as the prime island to visit.

bonniebroad

Karameli, some thoughts here from someone who's visited Hawaii (four majors in various combos) several times over the years, usually for two weeks at a throw: I would never stay in Hilo (neither my sister nor I have ever been through there that it wasn't gray and rainy) ... and I prefer the Kohala coast of the Kona area, rather than further South on BI, for the nicest beaches. Have you looked at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott on A-Bay? It's a great resort, for the money, on a beautiful beach. You can buy the Entertainment Book for about $25, and stay there for half price during August, assuming they haven't fully booked those rates yet. We stayed in an oceanfront room there, on a couple of trips, for half the rack rate by using the E Book.

If I had ten nights, I would hold it to two islands, and I think Oahu and Big Island are a perfect split ... 5 nights each island, making sure to visit the North Shore of Oahu, while actually staying in Waikiki. I would spend one night at Volcano Village (Kilauea Lodge is wonderful) on BI traveling via the Northern route (it is gorgeous!), the rest on the Kona/Kohala coast.

Maui IS nice, but so are all the others! You can't go wrong visiting any island there, but I would stick to my plan if I were you, and not be pressured into trying to do too much in too little time. Have a wonderful trip!

karameli

Thanks so much everyone! We've decided to stick with two islands on this trip, and to our original plan of Oahu and Big Island. All the input is much appreciated!!

Bonniebroad -- we had actually looked at the Waikoloa Marriott, so I will definitely order the E-Book for the discount. Thanks for the tip.

bonniebroad

Karameli, please see this link:

http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/KOAMC

Note that there is construction going on at the hotel through this summer which I hadn't realized, when I mentioned it to you above. Also, if you already have an E book for your home area, you can use that card to book the hotel in Hawaii (you don't need a Hawaii-specific book if the hotel is the only Hawaii discount you're looking for.)

We loved this hotel; have stayed there twice for about a week each time. It's not as luxurious as the other hotels on the Kohala Coast, but very nice, has a really Hawaiian feel, and is a fantastic value if you can get it half-price on the E Card. And of course, A-Bay is like a postcard .... wonderful place to play!

Whatever you decide, have a great trip!