Which Hawaiian island for our first visit to Hawaii?

[GLC1968]

This will be our first real vacation (outside of local hiking/kayaking or trips to see my parents in FL) since our honeymoon, 10 years ago. We have the opportunity to go to Hawaii in mid-June for about a week.

Which island should we choose? I don't know that we'll want to do a bunch of island hopping, and as we've never been at all, I expect that which ever one we choose, there will be plenty to see and do. We like adventure and will not spend more than an hour or two actually relaxing by a pool or on the beach. We'd rather explore - tide pools, hiking trips, sea kayaking, snorkeling, etc. We are also not into nightlife or big cities and my H is not a fan of the Bed and Breakfast set up. Neither of us dive or surf, if that's a consideration.

Any suggestions?

[indysteel]

We just returned from nine nights on the Big Island, and it fits the bill. Kauai was tempting to us, too, but the snorkeling there can be a bit iffier, and that was important to me. I'm so glad we were able to snorkel as much as we did. It was the highlight of the trip for me.

The Big Island IS big, and you sort of have to accept that you will not see/do everything you'd like. It's a really cool place. We spent our last morning sitting on a beach. Otherwise, we were in motion.

[indysteel]

I'd add, GLC, that we did not stay in any hotels. We rented a house in the Puna district (northeast coast) through VRBO for five nights and a guest cottage of sorts on the Kona coast for four. We just like having a bit more room and the ability to make a few meals. It worked out well for us.

While we saw a lot of cool things on the east coast, the town of Hilo left us a little meh. The farmers market is great and we had some good sushi one night, the town overall is kind of worn. I'm glad we stayed just outside of it.

In some ways, I like that the east coast doesn't feel very touristy, but if you're looking for a vacation-y feel, you might not like it.

[Veronica]

We've been to the Big Island 4 times since 2003 and Kauai once. The Big Island just seems to offer more of what we want in a trip - snorkeling, biking, hiking...

I'm trying to figure out when we can go back!

Veronica

[TrekDianna]

I used to live in Hawaii. I would stay as far away as you can from Oahu. The big island has a lot of varied things to do and Kauai has gorgeous hiking!

[thekarens]

I also lived in Hawaii and second what TrekDiana said. It's been many many years since I lived there, but even then I would have said avoid Oahu.

[GLC1968]

Yeah, I'm not keen on Oahu.

Indy - I read your whole thread and immediately started considering the big island more seriously. Though Kauai is appealing to me too.

The big island has come up as our recommendation on a lot of our research but it is overwhelming. I really, really don't want to plan out a huge vacation even though I'm the planner in the family. I find the range of things to do and places to stay a bit overwhelming! Maybe I should find a travel agent? I've never used one, so I'm a bit hesitant.

And I'm torn really torn on the kind of lodging we want outside of it not being a B and B. A condo would be fine - my DH just doesn't like the feel of being a guest in someone's home if we don't know them.

Too many choices!!! At least the flights are easy. Hawaiian air from Portland is the cheapest, so we'll do that. Phew, one choice out of the way!

[shootingstar]

Went to both Big Hawai'i Island and Kauai. I enjoyed both. Big Island offers a lot. Kauai has some stunning scenery, etc.

I actually don't mind if things look abit worn..it's ok if people live there and there is activity/commerce, etc. It's real.

I loved Hawai'i for what mainland U.S. is not: a very different (long) cultural and history base. We met people who had never visited mainland U.S. Probably either not interested or they couldn't afford it.

To appreciate Hawaii deeply in my opinion is to appreciate the South Pacific first and fusion of people/cultures there. It is most prominent there (yes, I know. But I come from Vancouver, Toronto where fusion happens, but it's quite different, um more bland..)

We went to Maui where on south shore in early January, the whales have their babies. Shortly thereafter are international outrigger boat races that draw upon competitors from South Pacific, etc. We missed the latter, which we didn't know until got there.

[indysteel]

I had those same misgivings, GLC. And, in truth, I ended up doing less planning because I felt overwhelmed. It wasn't quite as intimidating once we were there. I think with a little prioritization, it's manageable. We traveled nearly 1000 miles on the island, but the hightlights for me were Volcanoes NP and snorkeling. The hikes to the green sand beach and Waipi'o were neat, but I could have skipped them w/o too much regret. The drives to and from were interesting. I liked the Botanical Gardens in Hilo, too. I wish we had ridden bikes on at least some part of the island. We just didn't feel like schlepping all of our bike gear.

But I'm not going to lie. At times, the breadth of the island and the logistics of it got to me. My husband can be maddening in this regard as he leaves most of that to me, although the fact that he did all the driving bears emphasizing. But I'm really glad we went and saw all that we saw. It's a place, I suspect, like no other. Where else can you (as we did) hike across a lava lake in the morning, snorkel in tidepools in the afternoon and then have Thai food in a town full of hippies?

[tangentgirl]

Big Island <3. x1,000,000.

Kauai is beautiful too. Maui has it's charm.

Oahu has some real beauty too. Sure, stay out of Waikiki unless you like hookers and malls, but even there, the beach is wonderful. Well, the waves. If you surf, it's a long, gentle wave that you can ride forever and ever. And if you don't surf, you can see happy people, riding that long, gentle wave, and maybe for $10 or $20 you can get a lesson, try it yourself and fall in love. While you see Diamondhead to your right. And sunset in Kailua. And the North Shore, with its big waves (sometimes) and the yummy shrimp trucks (don't think just eat) and shave ice. Or hike to a waterfall or two (ask a local or google). And the drive over the mountains, alternating mist and sunlight, and looking out onto the basin on the east...all better than anything you'll find on the mainland. If you got a great deal on a place to stay on Oahu, then go there! And find the cool stuff, there's plenty. </defenseofoahu>

But, really, go to the Big Island.

[Veronica]

AM - shot - early, early hike out to get this




Later that afternoon



There is so much to see, it can be overwhelming... but you won't be bored!

Veronica

[GLC1968]

But I'm not going to lie. At times, the breadth of the island and the logistics of it got to me. My husband can be maddening in this regard as he leaves most of that to me, although the fact that he did all the driving bears emphasizing. But I'm really glad we went and saw all that we saw. It's a place, I suspect, like no other. Where else can you (as we did) hike across a lava lake in the morning, snorkel in tidepools in the afternoon and then have Thai food in a town full of hippies?

OK, you just described me and my husband, so I suspect that your recommendations would be valid for us, too. ;-)

I'm not 100% sold on snorkeling. I've done it in Tahiti/Bora Bora and in Key West, so I don't know that it would be my first choice of activities on Hawaii. I'll have to check with my H on it though as his experience is significantly less. I'm also not sure how I feel about lava - though V's photo makes me reconsider!

And get this, Mr "I don't like B and B's so stop booking them for us" actually listed a B and B as his first choice of hotel type for Hawaii!! What is up with that?

Really, what we need to do it sit down and talk about our priorities together as I suspect that we may have different visions about what our Hawaiian vacation will look like. How much of what we do will need to be reserved in advance? Or can we wait until we get there and then just choose stuff as it strikes our fancy (which kind of freaks me out just thinking about it!!).

[Veronica]

Well, now I have to tell you - this post got me thinking about going back to Kauai. We were there in Feb. and couldn't kayak the NaPali coast. Winter is the wrong time of year. We hiked some sections and flew over it in a helicopter and I definitely want to kayak it.

Veronica

[indysteel]

OK, you just described me and my husband, so I suspect that your recommendations would be valid for us, too. ;-)

I'm not 100% sold on snorkeling. I've done it in Tahiti/Bora Bora and in Key West, so I don't know that it would be my first choice of activities on Hawaii. I'll have to check with my H on it though as his experience is significantly less. I'm also not sure how I feel about lava - though V's photo makes me reconsider!

And get this, Mr "I don't like B and B's so stop booking them for us" actually listed a B and B as his first choice of hotel type for Hawaii!! What is up with that?

Really, what we need to do it sit down and talk about our priorities together as I suspect that we may have different visions about what our Hawaiian vacation will look like. How much of what we do will need to be reserved in advance? Or can we wait until we get there and then just choose stuff as it strikes our fancy (which kind of freaks me out just thinking about it!!).

The only thing we reserved in advance were our accommodations. We reserved our space on the boat a few days in advance--once we were already on the island. June might be a busier time than late April/early May, so keep that in mind, however.

I don't know what snorkeling in Bora Bora/Tahiti is like, but Key West has nothing on the snorkeling off the Big Island. They just don't compare. But if it's an activity you just don't particularly enjoy, then take it off the list. We did see some kayakers off the coast in Kona if that helps.

But if hiking and kayaking are really your primary priorities, then I'd honestly still keep Kauai in mind. We did some cool hikes on the Big Island, but with the exception of the national park, I can't say they were a highlight for me. But it's also entirely possible that we missed some cool hikes, too. There were a couple we wanted to do north of Kona, but the parking situation made me apprehensive. The Big Island Revealed let me down in this regard. A couple of the places they mentioned as being prime targets for theft--Green Sand Beach and Waipi'o--struck me as far too crowded for that. The book described some hikes, with no mentions of theft--where theft struck me as a much more legitimate concern because your car might be the only one parked at the trailhead. We planned one hike north of Kona and the only place to park was covered in broken glass. We opted to go to Hapuna beach instead, and I was kind of bummed. I don't want to make it sound like the Big Island is a crime ridde place, but it was something we kept in mind when chosing what to do.

[GLC1968]

See, I think we'd really enjoy the kayaking and hiking is one of the tops on my list of priorities. But again, I need to see what my DH has in mind. He may want to snorkel, see active volcanos and such. I wouldn't dislike that stuff, so I can be flexible.

Snorkeling in Tahiti/Bora Bora blows Key West out of the water, too. It was spectacular - like a mind-blowing, multi-color 3D painting that you could swim in! We saw sharks, touched an octopus, got bitten by a big gorgeous rainbow colored fish and were flat out in over-stimulation mode/awe the entire time. It was my first snorkeling experience and it's kind of ruined me for all other destinations. I'd like to do the Great Barrier Reef someday, but other than that, I've not been inspired.

I also snorkeled in Cabo, but that was only OK. Without a reef, there just wasn't the variety and concentration of sea life like there was in Bora Bora.