Sheryl

My husband will be going on a business trip to Hawaii in June or July, and I will be accompanying him (I've been waiting for two years for him to go somewhere worthwhile!). He will be working for a couple more days by the time I join him. The company that he is doing business with is located in Honolulu, so we're debating between staying on Oahu for several more days once his business is finished, flying to Maui for a week, or splitting the time up evenly. I anticipate that we'll have approx. 10 days of vacation, so is it worth flying to another island? Could we cram three or four days' worth of activities into Oahu and spend the rest of the time in Maui? I know that the flights are approx. 30 minutes, but has airport security significantly increased the amount of time spent at the airport? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

shao_lin

I think you'll want to spend enough time on Oahu to appreciate the things unique to that island. Then go on to a second island.

nicknik

Depends on your level of activity, Maui offers more activities and Oahu is great for the Hawaiian experience you have known from movies and t.v. So to suggest a plan i would split it as to your level of activity. nick

stephaniew

If you are thinking of staying in honolulu, you will only need a couple of days to get your fill of Oahu. Honolulu is a typical city with crowds and lots of high end shopping, not exactly my idea of a tropical vacation. If you want to explore Oahu further then stay a couple more days. My husband and I went to Oahu for 1 day (visited Pearl Harbor and Waikiki) and that was enough of Oahu for us and we took an early flight to Maui. Maui is wonderful and you can easily fill a full week there. When in Maui don't miss the road to Hana, Warren and Annabelle's magic show in Lahaina, the Old Lahaina Luau, and the Four Winds Snorkel trip. Also try Nicks Fish Market in Wailea for dinner and get there for the sunset seating!!

JohnD

I agree with Stephaniew, spend most of your time on Maui, do the Road to Hana-eat dinner at Mama's Fish House, and also check out the sunrise at Haleakala.
We flew through Honolulu a few times in March and did not notice any longer delays than last year in terms of getting through the security. We did notice now that they used a dog to sniff everyone before they got on the plane from HNL to the mainland, presumably sniffing for explosives. Also, every bag that we checked as luggage was completely opened and searched by hand. Enjoy your stay in paradise!

TourGuide

You should enjoy both Oahu and a second island, Maui if you wish. To enjoy Oahu spend a little time at Waikiki and Diamond Head and then spend some time on the North Shore of Oahu. That part of Oahu is as unspoiled as any of the other islands. Also enjoy the historical aspects of Oahu (the Hawaiian Monarchy buildings, etc.).

My choice for a second island would be the BI or Kauai, instead of Maui. Maui is the island most like Oahu.

diane61

Sheryl,
I have been to Oahu, Big Island, Maui and Kauai. You do need to see more than one if you have that much time. The neighbor islands are a totally different experience than Honolulu. I highly recommend Kauai over Maui but you do need to see the great things of Oahu: Arizona Memorial, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hanuama Bay, and others.
Plan to spend about 2 hours at the HNL airport while changing islands.
Aloha!

aloha

Sheryl, if you decide to spend all 10 days on O'ahu, you will find there is plenty to do. Waikiki is busy and full of people. In Honolulu, there are museums, art galleries, lots of interesting restaurants, Chinatown, historical buildings to tour. On the rest of the island,, you can find small towns such as Haleiwa, and beaches that are not crowded. there are lots of places to hike and snorkel. If you stay on O'ahu, I'd suggest staying in Waikiki for part of the time, then staying on the North Shore or in the Kailua area. I personally enjoy spending a few days in Waikiki, but to really expereince the island, you need to get out of Honolulu. To get an idea of what the island has to offer, check out the photos in the guidebook, "Driving and Discovering O'ahu" by R Sullivan. Have great trip!

Loungin

Stay on Oahu for 3 or 4 days. There is a lot to see and do. Visit Pearl Harbor, visit the North Shore, Snorkel at Hanauma Bay(best snorkeling), visit Lanikai Beach, climb Diamond Head. Those are some of the things you can do while on Oahu. Everyone talks about how there are so many people in Honolulu, but keep in mind that when you drive out of the city, Oahu is just as beautiful as all the rest of the islands. When you leave Oahu, I would spend the rest of the time in either Maui or Kauai. You cannot go wrong with either. If you go to Maui stay somewhere on the West Coast, i.e. Wailea, Kanapali, Kapalua. Do the sunrise tour on Haleakala and do the Road to Hana, incredible experiences. Regardless of where you stay, have dinner at Nick's Fishmarket at the Fairmont Kea Lani. Food was excellent and the service was the best I've ever experienced. Many things to see and do on Kauai as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either island. Have fun and have a safe trip.

Sheryl

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone! They are very much appreciated. My husband is pretty frugal, and I think my initial hotel research has turned him off to going to Maui. If we ended up staying on Oahu the entire time, would we leave with a good feel for Hawaii? I think that this will be our one and only trip there, so I don't want to miss out.

JohnD

I think if you made it all the way to Oahu, the cost is not much more to visit another island or two. Maui is more similar to Oahu than the other islands, but Maui has a very beautiful accessible rainforest which you can experience while driving and stopping and exploring on the Road to Hana. The Big Island is also worth considering as it is very different from Oahu, or Maui in terms of terrain and the fact that you can get very up close and personal to an active lava producing volcano in Volacanoes Natl. Park. If you search for condo's I believe you can find better prices than what some hotels want. Good Luck!

Sheryl

My husband has finalized his business trip plans, so I'm back with more questions. We will have approx. 4 sightseeing days in Oahu, then fly to another island, which will most likely be Maui, for another 5 or 6 days. However, we are also researching Kauai.

Is it worth going up to the North Shore in Oahu since we will be there in July? I read that the water is very calm during the summer, and I was disappointed since I was looking forward to watching the surfers. I'm also hoping to get a lesson myself!

Also, what moderately-priced hotel in Maui's Lahaina/Kaanapali area would you recommend? I have been researching various places, but many hotels are out of our budget range. I am leaning towards the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, but have read mixed reviews about this place. My husband and I are used to typical chain-hotel amenities and cleanliness (we will be staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Oahu), so any advice is appreciated.

Lastly, between Maui and Kauai, which would you recommend? It seems that Maui has more activities, entertainment, and nightlife in comparison, and we'd like to have the option to take advantage of that if we want to. We'd like to have a moderate level of activity, so Maui appears to be a better choice for us, but I'm open to suggestions. Thanks!!!

freewoman

Have been to Maui, Kauai and the BI. I thought Maui was truly paradise and would definitely return there again and again. I thought Kauai was beautiful, lush and gorgeous, but I do not have any desire to return there. I was at the BI in November and loved it so much I am returning in two months. This island has so much to offer in diversity of climate and topography that it is amazing it is an island. I could move there in a heartbeat.

Rest assured that whichever of the Hawaiian islands you choose, you will love it and you will have a wonderful time. You can't make a wrong choice here.

islandmom

Yes, the airport is a huge pain now. Everything is checked from the car to my beauty bottles. A couple of weeks ago the security check line was two hours. Yesterday it was much shorter. It depends on the latest news with threats. I think 4 days on Oahu would be good.

islandmom

My parents love the beach hotel. I asked to be moved to the newer section because of the mold in the old section. So get in the larger tower. I prefer Aston Kanapali condos.

islandmom

Oh, and yes you still have to go to the North Shore to get the full Oahu experience.

Maybe hit Kauai on a future trip.

ellbee

I was on the North Shore of Oahu in June and there were NO waves. Dissapointing, but we still had a nice day at the beach. We took a day to drive around the perimeter of the island and really enjoyed it. It was interesting to see the pineaple fields. There is a Buddist temple I wish we would have had time to see. We spent 3 days on Oahu and could have used one more.

One thing we learned is to buy a cheap styrofoam cooler and keep cold drinks in the car. It was hot and humid in June and we always hot and thirsty. Having a cold drink on hand made a world of difference.

We were also on a budget and I went to the library and checked out Fodor's guide (and others). The books were a great help to find free local parks to hike in (there seemed to be a lot gardens with admission) and helped decide how to spend our time.

sail10

The kaanapali beach hotel is nice ,clean, free buffet breakfast each day, best beach area for safe calm water,good snorkleing,just a great area all arround the hotel. I recently looked at beach hotel on hotels.com or mabey the name was discounthotels.com at any rate the price was $167.50 a night (ocean view) .Maui is a great choice you will not be dissapointed , take the dinner cruise,and snorkle trip to molikini. nick

stevecat

The north shore will never have any waves during the summer. You need to head to the south shore for the occasional south swells that come in, but they aren't nearly as big as the winter north shore waves. The good thing to that, is you can actually ride these south shore waves in the summer, even an amateur. By contrast, even pros will gasp for air when they head into those huge winter waves. Nonetheless, you should certainly visit the north shore anyways, regardless of the year. It's a world of difference from Honolulu. You'll find it hard to believe that just 30-40 miles away is a large city.

Sheryl

It's me again. I just booked the Renaissance Wailea for $210/night using the Entertainment card, but am tempted to book at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel for a Garden View room at $169/night (Aloha special, no breakfast). The $30/night savings would be great, but the close proximity to Whalers Village and Lahaina is a plus. However, the Renaissance looks like a great place and is in the "center" of everything we'd want to do (Mt. Haleakala, Road to Hana, and Lahaina). Please help an indecisive woman! Thanks!