Visiting from va - - - need advice :-) - - - kauai or big island?

[Galactastica]

honestly, if you only have nine days, research each island and pick only one to visit. i live on the big island, but kauai is my first choice for vacation, anytime. in 2 weeks on kauai (and we are very adventerous and pack tons of stuff in to every day) and we didn't see everything we wanted, not even in several trips.

kauai might be the smallest island, but honestly it seems the most jam packed with things to do. the great thing is that you can get to each of them in one day and back with time to spare for spur of the moment things. beaches galore, most of kauai's coast is beaches! hikes too. in my opinion, the best hike in the islands is there, the kalalau trail on the napali coast. even doing part of it is amazing! kauai is far wetter than the big island, smaller, and tropical for the most part. the best parts that are must see on kauai are waimea canyon, koke'e area, polihale beach, hanakapia'i beach (part of the kalalau trail only 2.5 miles in), ke'e beach..there is just so much there. best hikes are kalalau and awa'awapuhi in koke'e. the koke'e cabins were only 35$ a night last time i was there, camping on the coast is always on the beach and usually three to five dollars a night! if you want cheap, any hawaiian island can give you dirt cheap if you are willing. to me, camping is better. you see more, expirience more, and you are always RIGHT where you want to be, in your case, right on the beach! if camping isn't for you, there are hostels which are cheap, and even some hotel rentals. one time i found one in poipu for $105 a night, and it was a mini palace!

the big island...is big. very very big compared to the other islands. the big island is the sore thumb of the bunch, purley because it looks so different and is so large. most of the great beaches are on the kohala coast, so are the resorts. makalawena is my favorite beach on the island. there are great hikes all over the island, my favorites are in volcanoes national park and the valleys in on the kohala hamakua coast. camping is just as cheap here, there are some cabins as well. hostels here are $35-$60 dollars a night. i've stayed in the manago hotel in captain cook for $30 a night for some rooms. in hilo, i know some hotels like Dolphin Bay have 1 bdrm, nice apts to rent for around $140.

if you really want something right on "The Beach" you are always going to pay more. i say it's a much better plan to get something affordable and make a short drive to the beaches on either island. It surprises me that people say 3-4 days is all you'll need on kauai unless you want to repeat things...blasphemy!

my suggestion for anyone who doesn't know which island to go to is just think about what youw ant to see. picture it. now go to the book store, any barnes and nobles or borders will do, go to the hawaii travel section and find a series of blue guidebooks by Andrew Doughty. Scan through these, look at pictures, read a little about the stuff you are interested in, and buy the one/s you choose to go to. these books will be all you need on the island to plan for your trip and get you around to everything while your there. i don't even buy extra maps if i'm using these books, they are really well put together.

[Sweetbeet]

Originally Posted by KoaKine

I still thinking that 4 days on Kauai will be plenty unless you repeat your outings.

Huh???? Been here 9 months and haven't repeated an outing. Here are just some things to do that pop into my head:

- Go to Mahaulepu to see monk seals on the beach
- Go whale watching (depending on time of year)
- Go snorkeling at Tunnels or Ke'e (or both), or Po'ipu, or Lawai, or ???
- Go boogie-boarding somewhere (Kealia? if it's not too rough)
- Kayak the Wailua river, hike up to secret falls
- Hike to Ho'opi'i falls
- Hike up to the top of Sleeping Giant
- Drive up to Koke'e park (at least two weeks of good hikes up there, including the Alakai Swamp)
- Drive to Waimea Canyon, then continue to the Kalalau lookout, and the one past that (wow!)
- see the Kilauea Lighthouse and bird sanctuary
- The formal gardens (I forget the name)
- Go to Hideaways beach
- Take a helicopter ride
- Sail (or kayak) the na pali coast
- see Spouting Horn and old Koloa Town
- See the lithified cliffs
- Take a bike ride along the oceanside trail from Kapaa up to Anahola
- Learn to surf, parasail, or stand-up paddleboard
- See a slack-key concert up in Hanalei or down in Waimea
- Go to the Friday night art walk in Hanapepe
- Do a 4x4 tour of secluded movie locations

and I have barely begun!!!!

There's PLENTY to do on Kauai.

[nwcountrygal]

By the way -- just wanted to point out to us mainlanders - it does get confusing because all the islands have the same name towns and points some times called the same - or just look the same -- just trying to help.... when getting advice understand this........when Kapa'a or Wiamea make sure what island you are looking at...

[Hawaiian_boy]

Aloha friend,
You should plan on 1. If you are going to camp out or hotel. 2. Exact amount you can afford. 3. What you want to see. 4. Amount of time allotted.

If you want to see Beaches (white, black & green). Mountains with snow, Jungles, Valleys, Deserts, An Active Volcano, all on one island, Then The Big Island is your only choice. I also know of safe and not so safe places to visit. I'll check back here if you need more info. Aloha

[Wurzig]

Kauai is known as the Garden Isle......it's very green and tropical...nice beaches at the end....the helicopter rides take you over gorgeous waterfalls...... It also has the wettest spot on earth in the Fern Grotto.....it showers every 3 minutes or 30 seconds or something like that, (have been there and done that a few times but I just can't 100% remember)... The Princeville area is a good place to stay..... Kauai is a kick back island....no worries and no rush... Lots of movies have been filmed on the beaches on Kauai....

The Big Island has all kinds of climates, including snow...there is plenty to see and do, cowboys, macadamia nut orchards, snorkeling in protected areas, orchid farms, touring the volcano, (it's a national park, if I remember correctly). It does have a lot of lava areas on the dry side...(very few inches of rain on the dry side) but swimming with turtles near the Mauna Lani is fun.... It's pretty wet and green on the Hilo side.....wet enough to walk through jungle areas with wild orchids and violets and see rainbows through falls......

One of these islands has a black sand beach......maybe both, I can't remember.....

Buy a 'I survived the road to Hana' if you do make Maui a choice.....the drive is pure hell, but the end is very pretty....take mosquito stuff.....

Lanai is a very restful place......if you want solitude, that's the place to go......rent a 4-wheel drive and go see the shipwreck, watch the horses in the green pastures, write a book.... One tiny town, no sidewalks or stop lights.... There are just 2 hotels.....they compliment one another....one is inland and one is at the beach...not an inexpensive place to stay though.....

Don't disregard Oahu.......yep, it is touristy around Honolulu, but there is still a lot to do off the beaten path there and they have nice beaches.....but if you do go to a beach there, leave your valuables in your safe in your hotel room......just take the minimal stuff needed to get you to the beach.... Food and lodging will be cheaper on Oahu....

Hawaii is truly 'paradise'......anywhere you go will be nice....I am sure you will have a great time! Stop along the way and refresh with 'shave ice' or Lappert's ice cream.... Also, get some guava juice at McDonald's.....it's refreshing.

Before you go, go to a health food store and buy a little vial of lavendar oil....it's good for mosquito bites.... As long as it is breezy, they won't bite, but when breezes die down, they come after you...and certain mosquitos will leave scars on your legs....this pertains to all islands.

[Galactastica]

sorry to seem nitpicky, but the wettest place on earth is Waiale'ale on Kauai, it's not in the fern grotto.

the big island has multiple black sand beaches, more than any other island, but there are a few on the other islands.

i have never had the expirience that lodging is cheapest on O'ahu, certainly the opposite! But it also depends on what kind of accomidations you want.

it's true, you can go anywhere here and have fun. but, if you know what you are more interested in seeing, you will certainly have a more amazing, mouth watering time if you go to the right place for you!

if you want a quick idea of what each island looks like and what they offer, go to Hawaii's Official Tourism Site -- Travel info for your Hawaii vacation this website has a real basic selection of what's on each island, pictures and stuff included. it's not in dept enough to plan a trip off of in my opinion, but from looking at it you will probably see one island that catches your eye.

[Wurzig]

Okay, nitpicky Galactastica, I stand corrected. I see that the area you mentioned gets almost 500 inches, so that is definitely more than the area I knew about. Kauai is definitely green and wet.

It has always been my experience that Oahu has quite a few inclusive package deals and is competetive with pricing because of the abundance of hotels.....some deals include air, certain meals, a night out on the town, car rental for a day or two, etc.....and as you wrote, it depends on what you want....obviously a room with an ocean view is going to be more expensive, etc. Compared to an island such as Lanai where you are a captive audience, Oahu is a lot cheaper.

I haven't been to Oahu in quite a few years, but I still see ads in the paper for the island.... There used to be quite a few freebies on Oahu, too, such as the Kodak Hula Show....but maybe that is kaput now...