Favorite Island for Vacation - Hawaii

DaveCoolea · 08-24-2010, 10:41 AM

My wife and I have been doing research into going on a vacation in Hawaii next year.

Would love to get some feedback on what islands offer what and where to stay away from.

ZonaJeep · 08-30-2010, 11:03 AM

I would say only use Oahu as a jump-off point to see other islands. I highly recommend at least two days on the big island and a few days on Maui. Don't get sucked into staying around Oahu the whole trip.

havasu · 08-30-2010, 11:34 AM

We frequent Oahu a few times a year, but immediately go over to the North Shore, Haleiwa is the main city. We stay at Turtle Bay, and although a little pricy, it is still a great place to stay. Having family 5 miles away also helps.

Jake7 · 08-31-2010, 02:37 PM

Oahu'sa great island! I've lived here for a while, and there's everything you could want to go here! Skydiving, sailing, scuba, sailboat -- you can even rent pontoon boats and take them out on the water.

Also, island hopping through multiple airlines is really cheap, so as he said, Oahu is a great starting point.

I reside in the center of the island - a quick drive to all the shores. Let me know if you end up coming out, I'd be happy to point out some fun things for you to do!

surfnbrew · 09-04-2010, 02:24 AM

I lived on Oahu for 10 years so I think I can shed some light here.

I guess it all depends on what kind of vacation you're looking for. If you are looking for night life, shopping, movies or big city activities, I would say go to Oahu.
The thing is, is that you can probably do all that stuff where you live. If you want to get away from the rat race and do some great outdoor stuff, and get the island feel, I would go to Kauai or the Big Island. You can do all the things Jake7 mentioned, and more, without all those people on Oahu. And if you really want to get away from it all you can check out Molokai or Lanai, but for most people that's a little too secluded.

If you're not really the outdoor type and still want to go to Hawaii I would say stick with Oahu. I'm not saying you can't enjoy the outdoors on Oahu (because you can). I'm just saying you can enjoy the outdoors with a lot less people on the outer islands.If you do end up going just make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen

fixerupper · 09-23-2010, 09:58 PM

I recently went to Oahu and Maui this year. Honolulu is like any big city state-side. I took the family to see the Arizona memorial. We did more island touristy stuff in Maui.
I think each island probably deserves at least 5 days each to truly get a flavor of what they have to offer.

uplandhawaii · 10-05-2010, 04:18 AM

If you have the time and money take an island cruise, you'll stop off on the major islands and have a day or two on each to sight see and travel. Plus its a nice boat ride and you get to see some of the hard to access coast lines, something you won't get to enjoy by flying.

SeanMcGuireXJ · 10-05-2010, 10:27 AM

Kauai was pretty cool and pretty cheap. Lots of beautiful scenery, big waves, hiking, COFFEE. I wish we had more than a week to visit. My wife wants to move there! I'd like to check out Maui next time, and the big island. Oahu was meh at best - like home with high humidity.

Jake7 · 10-05-2010, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanMcGuireXJ

Oahu was meh at best - like home with high humidity.

I don't know where you went on Oahu, but it's certainly nothing like Arizona! I can drive 20 minutes in pretty much any direction and be at a beach, or hiking in the mountains in the fog!

Oh and upland I like your signature haha. I'm a Jeep guy, and just finished an XJ build. I swear I paid just as much for shipping as I did for parts!

uplandhawaii · 10-07-2010, 04:02 AM

Yep, most of my builds take a long time because I need to scour the net for deals on shipping!