Information Overload (Princeville, Hana, Hanalei: hotel, live, restaurants)

[JJingle]

Where is the best place in Hawaii to visit? I've been searching but I'm a little overloaded with all the information on the internet. We are looking to visit for about a week. Not so interested in really touristy stuff but would like to get out and hike, bike, and swim. It's a honeymoon trip; so a spa close by would be nice too.

Any and all information is appreciated....

[mdand3boys]

Just my opinion, but Maui may be the best honeymoon island, although Kauai may be a toss-up for some people.

[whynot?]

All of the islands have beautiful beaches and great trails (and other adventures), but here is my ranking for nature v. crowds/touristy stuff. (All of them have some of that, too.)

1. Big Island - Great beaches, drives, hikes, and the only one with an active volcano AND nice resorts.
2. Kaua`i - Great beaches, drives, hikes, and a very "outdoorsy" feel in general, but with nice resorts. Smaller than BI, but plenty to do.
3. Lana`i - Less to do, limited number of resorts (but VERY nice ones), not very many restaurants, great snorkeling and diving, reasonably good hiking. (Kind of remote and "boring" for some people, but we love it there.)
4. Maui - More developed, plenty of good resorts (big price range), lots of great beaches, hikes and drives, but lots more people everywhere. And more traffic than you might expect.
5. Oahu - LOTS of people, high-rises, traffic, but great resorts and shopping. Plenty of nature, but you have to drive to find it.

I left out Moloka`i, which is beautiful, but lost its only resort-type hotel this past year. I'd also recommend different islands -- or areas of islands -- depending upon when you're coming. For instance, I'd probably not pick Kona coast (Big Island) in the summer or Hanalei/Princeville (Kaua`i) in the winter. And recommending a specific destination would probably depend a little on where you're coming from on the mainland, what kind of landscape and atmosphere you're used to at home.

Hope this helps.

[Winter Hater]

Wow, I accidentally clicked "enter" and it posted a comment, so now I have to edit it and give my two cents. Hmm, what to say? (throws all the possible choices in a hat, and randomly picks one) Go to Maui! My opinion is obviously rather biased, considering the only island I've been to is Maui (several times I might add) but the sacred pools, the waterfalls, the road to hana, the beaches, i'd have to say you can't really pick a better location for a honeymoon.

Google is your friend, and so are these kind hearted pidgin speakin folk... I'm sure you'll figure it out, and enjoy every penny spent; whatever island you choose.

[hotzcatz]

For a week's visit, pick just one island. I'd suggest starting looking on the Big Island, Maui and Kauai first.

The other nice thing about a honeymoon in Hawaii is you don't have to explain your choice afterwards. Everyone knows it was a glorious choice. We live here, so a Hawaiian honeymoon just didn't seem like much of a getaway although why my DH thought six weeks in Connecticut was a better choice, I'm not sure.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by JJingle

Where is the best place in Hawaii to visit? I've been searching but I'm a little overloaded with all the information on the internet. We are looking to visit for about a week. Not so interested in really touristy stuff but would like to get out and hike, bike, and swim. It's a honeymoon trip; so a spa close by would be nice too.

Any and all information is appreciated....

It is really a very personal decision, and depends a lot on the kinds of things that are important to you.

Here is a survey you can take which will evaluate your "must have"s, and "not so important"s in reference to the special characteristics of each of the islands, and then rank them in order of YOUR preferences:

Best Hawaiian Island - Choosing an Island for your Hawaii vacation

Hank

[JJingle]

Originally Posted by HankDfrmSD

It is really a very personal decision, and depends a lot on the kinds of things that are important to you.

Here is a survey you can take which will evaluate your "must have"s, and "not so important"s in reference to the special characteristics of each of the islands, and then rank them in order of YOUR preferences:

Best Hawaiian Island - Choosing an Island for your Hawaii vacation

Hank

Great link!