Better for us - Maui or The Big Island? (Honolulu: transplants, real estate)

[HisDudeness]

Aloha. HisDudeness here. I posted a thread not too long ago and it was very general and basic asking about Maui living (like several other threads), and I can just find out what I'm wanting to know by looking over the forums. So I decided to do this thread instead. I think it works better. I'm new to this forum stuff so bear with me. What I'm going to do is describe my family and I's way of living, and you can tell me which island would suit us better between Maui and the Big Island. Nothing against the other islands, we've just found homes that we like on these two islands and are basically trying to determine which would work best for us. If you all would be so kind to help out, it would be very very appreciated.

Here's the dealio - First of all we are caucasian. I'm not too concerned about racism that seems so abundantly talked about in these forums, but it is what it is. My wife and I (and our children) are very laid back. Like, VERY laid back. We rarely take ourselves seriously and we're extremely sarcastic. People describe our sense of humor as "sarcastic and dry." My wife and I are very friendly and genuinely care about others and are very easy to get along with. We rarely have issues with neighbors, co-workers, family members, etc. We just generally have a good outlook on life and we always want whats best for everyone. We're not selfish people. If you're cool to us, we're cool to you. Plain and simple.

We are not the party, "night-life" type of people at all. We enjoy friendly get togethers with neighbors, friends and family. We enjoy doing family activities such as camping, going to waterparks/amusement parks, going to the movies, going to parks/beaches, dining out at family restaurants (Olive Garden, Chilis, etc.) and that sort of thing. Pretty low key kind of stuff. We enjoy our privacy, but we also enjoy the company of others as long as it isn't like EVERY single day or overbearing. We enjoy our family time together. Generally speaking we're just easy going, quiet, and friendly people.

For the most part I work from home, but I will have an office in Honolulu which I'll have to go to perhaps 1-2 times a week. I really don't mind the commute from either Maui or the Big Island, but I thought I'd throw that in there just in case one island is easier to commute from than the other. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, and a great one at that. She really enjoys getting involved in the community as well as participating a lot with our children's schools. Generally speaking she does most of the shopping and we cut costs where we can by buying things on sale, using coupons, and that sort of thing. We do occasional shopping from time to time, but I wouldn't classify us as being shopoholics by any means.

That should give you all a basic idea. I think you get the picture. So based on this, which island do you feel would be better suited for us? Maui or The Big Island? Thanks so much for your time and we're truly grateful for all responses. God bless.

With love -- HisDudeness

[whynot?]

Aloha again, Droll Dude. Here's my thought in a nutshell: the very things you were concerned about on Maui are three or four times as spread out on the Big Island.

Big Island: Population = 146,000 (2000 census), Area = 4,028 sq mi, Pop Density = 37/sq mi
Maui: Population - 117,644 (200 census), Area = 727.2 sq mi, Pop Density = 162/sq mi

That's a gross over simplification, but not a ridiculous one. Things like shopping, restaurants, recreational destinations, POST OFFICES -- point-to-point -- are much more spread out on the Big Island than on Maui. You have not exactly said you were looking for wide open spaces. The things you've actually listed are more readily available on Maui. Except -- and we apologize for this -- no Chili's and no Olive Garden. Either place.

The other thing your new thread pointed up is that you may want to live close to an airport. Big Island has two: Kona and Hilo; Maui has two: Kahului and Kapalua. (Hana doesn't really count.) Wailea is not extremely close to either. (20-minute drive, no traffic. 30+ with traffic.)

Keep going, Dude! We'll figure this out!

[SurfinUSA]

Aloha!

We moved to Hawaii from Colorado about 4 years ago, and we faced a similar decision that you are. My job was on Oahu, but we knew we didn't want to live on Oahu, so we looked at Maui, and the Big Island similar to what you are doing.

We ultimately ended up choosing Maui, and we LOVE it. We travel to the other islands quite frequently, but Maui is definitely where we'll always call home. I know you mentioned you have children, and we do as well, and Maui is a great place to raise them. The schools are good, it's very low crime, the people are so friendly and laid back (much like we are, and you too it sounds like) and we couldn't have made a better decision.

The biggest reason we didn't choose the Big Island was primarily because of everything in your third paragraph, LOL. We're the same way (not big partiers, wife and I are laid back, etc) and we love Maui because of that.

Your post was great by the way. It reminded me of such a similar situation my wife and I were in.

Hope this helps!

[KoaHawaii]

if you dont mind me asking, where are you looking in both maui and the big island? this might help you decide. for instance some areas on the big island are much slower than others. naturally overall though the big island is very slow paced like the other islands; comparable to maui in my opinion. kona and hilo on bi have more 'stuff' and kona especially is more touristy while there are also very small towns along the hamakua coast left from the days of sugar plantation. i know flights from kona on bi are usually cheaper to the other islands vs hilo; in maui kahului offer cheaper flights as well when compared to kapalua. though when going to honolulu they are realitively the same from bi vs maui. personally if feel maui has more mainland people choosing to move there either as a second home or retirement etc. vs the big island; if that matters to you. maui will have better beaches as well. there are some good sandy beaches here on bi but as it is the youngest island and still growing there are more lava rock beaches, which are still wonderful to swim and snorkel at but if youre looking for that postcard sand maui might be better.
hope that helps a bit good luck. if you tell us where say on the bi (as that is where i am) i might be able to help a bit more. let me know if you have any other questions

[Heiwos]

FWIW as a mainlander: I like the Big Island better than Maui (and also Oahu and Kauai). I like Hawaii for its nature primarily, and greatly prefer local stuff rather than touristy/Generica stuff. It seems to me that the Big Island is better suited for that, esp. outside of Kona. I like the Hilo side of the island the best. I like the "bigness" and less population density of the Big Island. I like Maui mostly for its beaches, although I agree that the Big Island has some good ones.

[HisDudeness]

Originally Posted by KoaHawaii

if you dont mind me asking, where are you looking in both maui and the big island? this might help you decide. for instance some areas on the big island are much slower than others. naturally overall though the big island is very slow paced like the other islands; comparable to maui in my opinion. kona and hilo on bi have more 'stuff' and kona especially is more touristy while there are also very small towns along the hamakua coast left from the days of sugar plantation. i know flights from kona on bi are usually cheaper to the other islands vs hilo; in maui kahului offer cheaper flights as well when compared to kapalua. though when going to honolulu they are realitively the same from bi vs maui. personally if feel maui has more mainland people choosing to move there either as a second home or retirement etc. vs the big island; if that matters to you. maui will have better beaches as well. there are some good sandy beaches here on bi but as it is the youngest island and still growing there are more lava rock beaches, which are still wonderful to swim and snorkel at but if youre looking for that postcard sand maui might be better.
hope that helps a bit good luck. if you tell us where say on the bi (as that is where i am) i might be able to help a bit more. let me know if you have any other questions

Aloha KoaHawaii. HisDudeness. Its a pleasure. As I drove home last night I realized I probably should have been a bit more specific when talking about these two islands. So, the area we are considering on Maui is Wailea-Makena, and the area we are considering on the Big Island is Kailua-Kona.

A quick thank you to those that have responded to this thread. It helps more than you know and my family and I really appreciate it. You all are a tremendous help. Its nice to hear from those of you that have gone through the same sort of experience. Keep the fantastic information coming. I look forward to your responses and I hope you all have a great weekend.

Much love -- HisDudeness

[Heiwos]

I like Wailea-Makena a lot better than Kailua-Kona. Haven't lived in either though. Isn't the former $$$$$ compared to $$$ for the latter?

[KoaHawaii]

Originally Posted by HisDudeness

Aloha KoaHawaii. HisDudeness. Its a pleasure. As I drove home last night I realized I probably should have been a bit more specific when talking about these two islands. So, the area we are considering on Maui is Wailea-Makena, and the area we are considering on the Big Island is Kailua-Kona.

A quick thank you to those that have responded to this thread. It helps more than you know and my family and I really appreciate it. You all are a tremendous help. Its nice to hear from those of you that have gone through the same sort of experience. Keep the fantastic information coming. I look forward to your responses and I hope you all have a great weekend.

Much love -- HisDudeness

first off i know i responded again to your post about kailua-kona but for some reason right now it isn't appearing. i don't want to repost if it is just a glitch and it does appear but i will just give a summary of what i said earlier if i can remember it all. if it does show up sorry for the long repeat.
im not from maui nor am i very familiar with wailea, so i will not really comment about that rather i will focus on kona.
first off some pros, there is a lot of 'stuff' to do and see as it is geared towards tourists and a lot of people now call kona home. this, along with waikola village will be among the areas that have a higher percentage of haole or white people, many transplants/retirees from the mainland and some are also the wealthy who simply have second homes there. even though hawaii is expensive there is a costco and walmart in kona which will help you save some money on certain items. the big island does not have a nightlife as far as going out to clubs etc. however there are many restaraunts and such along alii drive popular with tourists as well as movie theaters etc. so outside of snorkeling or picnicing on the beach you can also do those sort of things. the good part about kona is that since it is a tourist destination there are many activities and water sports you can enjoy. if you get tired and want some adventure you can always drive to volcano, waipio valley, hilo or waimea to see the paniolos. though fyi the bi is called such for a reason, it is roughly twice as big as all the other islands combined so dont expect to be able to drive around the entire island in a couple hours. though it is nice that one moment you can be up on mauna kea playing in the snow and a couple hours later lay out on the beach. as you may already know kona is on the drier side of the island so there's lots of sun and not much rain like hilo or hamakua coast. another pro if you plan on working in tourism industry is that kona coast is home to major resorts so you might (as many places arent hiring due to poor economy and poor numbers in tourism) find a job.

some cons to consider, vog or volcanic smog. this is probably the biggest concern as with Pele constantly displaying her presence many with pre existing respiratory problems find that on bad days (sometimes even not so bad days) they have difficult times breathing. this can also have long term health issues for someone even who does not already have problems. another con is that kona is a tourist destination so expect to have influxes during ironman triatholon and having to share your new home. another huge issue is kona traffic. as mentioned it is home to resorts and the tourist industry so many commute from around the island to their jobs and the infrastructure of the kona roads is not the best. morning and afternoon rush hour are terrible and it can take to hours to get from point a to point b when during any other time it could take only 20min.

each island has it's own unique beauty that you will simply have to discover for yourself to see which best suites your needs. i'd highly recommend visiting both areas first to see which you prefer. try to really get a feel for each that isnt as touristy because it is very different living vs visiting. this is all i can think of for now but again let me know if there is anything else you may have concerns about.
mahalo

[usaken3]

Hello Hisdudeness,
My wife and I are also looking to move to Maui. Have you found a good real estate professional to help you? If so please let me know who that is?????

Thanks...........usaken3