Brett

Planning a trip to Hawaii March 15-22nd. My parents wife and sister are going to Honolulu for the first two days to see Pearl Harbour and will be staying on Waikiki. Anything else as a definite must for Oahu? We scuba and snorkel. Where are the best sites?

Then we are either going to Maui or Kuaui. I don't know anything about either place, but we want to be near a great beach and probably will want to do some "touristy hiking". Which Island should we go to and what are the best things to see? Any hotel recommendations for around $100-4150 a night?

Brett

Also what about the weather on each island.

Jolie

Kuaui is the old Hawaii. It is slow paced beautiful and I mean beautiful. They Hyatt on Kuaui is world renowed. We stayed at the Sheraton on a beach front room. It was great. We were treated like royality. On Kauai it tends to rain daily but when we were there it was only a slow rain that did not interfer with anything. We even saw double rainbows. Waikiki is a big big city. We stayed at the Hilton on Waikiki beach. It is huge and so much business like not the true Hawaii. Get out of Honolulu if you want to some of real Hawaii there. We went scuba diving in Honolulu and Poipu on Kauai. Honolulu you have to go early because the water gets muddy. Kauai was much much nicer.

The helicopter ride is something not to miss on Kauai. Also, Kauai is where all the movies are made.

Enjoy your trip.

susie

I concur with Jolie. Kauai is just beautiful. Have also been to Maui which to me is much more commercial. Of course nothing like Ohau. But if you do go to Maui be sure and take in the Warren and Annabelle magic show on Front Street. Fantastic.

maddie

On Oahu definitely go to the Iolani Palace...the home of the last King and Queen of Hawaii. As for Kauai or Maui ..it really is a matter of personal preference but having been to Kauai twice and Maui fourteen time, Maui is definitely my preference.

crys

I am in love with Kuaui, so that's of course my recommendation. It is stunningly beautiful, and not yet as overrun as other islands. But if you're into nightlife, you might think Maui instead. There's little by way of nightclubs, etc. on Kuaui. But there's so much to do during the day, that I'm usually too tired to boogie at night. I've tried 3 areas on Kuaui--Poipu, the south side of the island and the sunniest; the eastern end, where most of the populace lives; and the northern side in the Princeville area, which is the lushest (and usually most expensive). My preference is the eastern end for its liveliness and central location (it's easy to get to the south and north from there). I usually stay in a small condo development called Kapaa Sands. It's right on the ocean (get an oceanfront--as opposed to oceanview--room). It's a series of small 2-story buildings with studios and 2-bedrooms. The oceanfront studios are $117/night and 2 BRs $150. The staff is friendly and it's close to everything.

DAvid

Does Kappa Sands have a web site?
How are the accomodations? Is it dated and or rustic looking?

e

My 2 cents is Maui. Is it as beautiful as Kuaui??-NO But it IS beautiful and just seems to have more to offer overall(great beauty, better beaches, great vistas, better snorkeling, better restaurants,Lahaina, etc). And I just love the vibe.

Mae

Kauai is my pick--Liked the beaches better than Maui or Kauai. Great hikes. Waimaie (sp) Canyon is incredible....Gorgeous waterfalls , secret pools & coves.Can be as relaxing or busy as you want. Not alot of night life but some clubs in hotels.
Loved the North Shore

kal

Why anybody would want to go to Kauai is beyond me! (Let me clear the sarcasm off the screen.).

Touristy hiking=1st leg o the Napali, Sleeping Giant, Kokee, Alakai Swamp.

We did our 1st ATV tour of Kauai this Jan. Had ablast and will do it again this Dec...will do the waterfall tour this time.

Don-http://kapaasands.com/
We've had friends stay there and they liked it. Get an ocean view, tho.
Beach is mostly lava cap so you have to drive over to Lydgate or walk up towards Al & Don's restaurant where they surf.
Close to a lot of good, inexpensive eats, too.
Kal

freewoman

While I agree with the above posters that Kauai is very beautiful and I would never turn down a trip to return, I loved Maui.

We considered Maui true paradise. It was the first vacation destination that we all felt if we could have found a place to live and a way to make a living, we would have not even returned home to get our stuff!!

IMO it had everything a great vacation destination should have.