going to Hawaii the first week of july (Kailua: rental car, rental)

[YoungTraveler2011]

what should I expect? is it gonna be hot as hell? first time going there.

also, i wanted to spend a couple of days in each of the bigger islands.

im going to be there for 8 nights so I was thinking:

2 days in the big island.
2 days in maui
2 days in o'ahu
2 days in kaua'i

should i be at hotels in each of these islands or should i have my "home hotel" where i go back to every time? (money is not an issue here)

should i NOT go to any of these and go to different islands? what do you guys recommend?

i like to go on adventures...such as deserted beaches/mountains, etc. might be going for hikes and i def. wanna hit up some deserted beaches if there are any (or any other cool remote places)...

thanks for the tips

[KonaKat]

No it won't be hot as hell, it doesn't get that hot here. If it hits 90 it's practically newsworthy. You are going to be spending more time at the airports and rental car agencies than you are anything else with that schedule. Pick 2 islands and spend a few days on both. Lots of hiking on all of the islands but be sure that you do not hike alone. We lose a few tourists every year that way.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by YoungTraveler2011

im going to be there for 8 nights so I was thinking:

2 days in the big island.
2 days in maui
2 days in o'ahu
2 days in kaua'i

That doesn't even look like fun - 2 islands max is what you should pick. Check out www.fodors.com for an overview of each island.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

That doesn't even look like fun - 2 islands max is what you should pick. Check out www.fodors.com for an overview of each island.

Agreed completely. The very idea of moving at that pace kind of eliminates the whole point of being in Hawaii...you'd have visited Hawaii but never "been" there if that makes any sense. Why not just do an Oahu visit for your first trip, with a day or two on the Big Island for volcano tours and maybe a trip up to the observatory?

[hotzcatz]

Aloha Young Traveler,

Instead of covering territory, you may get a richer experience by spending more time in one spot. When only being somewhere for two nights, you then have to repack (half hour to forty-five minutes), haul everything down to the airport (could be up to an hour or more to get to the airport), wait for the plane, get on the plane and fly to another island - likely another hour and a half or more. Then, once you get to the other island, another hour trip to the hotel, unpacking, etc. That's pretty much taken up an entire afternoon.

Pretty much anywhere in Hawaii can be pretty amazing and each island could keep you busy for quite some time.

For remote places, Hawaii island (aka "the Big Island") and Kaua'i are your best bets. Other than a hotel, you may find bed & breakfasts more interesting since some of them are in out of the way places so you'd start out in an amazing place and not have to get out of the hotel areas. Will you have a hiking buddy? You should at least let folks know where you are going and when you expect to be back so if you don't come back someone will go look for you.

It won't be really hot, it doesn't get all that hot in Hawaii.

[KauaiPono]

two Islands four days each, for sure:

Option one: Mauai/Kauai
Option two: Oahu/Maui
Option three: Maui/ BI
Option four: Oahu/BI

There are rarely direct flights from Kauai to Big Island.

[McFrostyJ]

The only two islands I would do together on an 8 day trip would be Molokaʻi & Lānaʻi. On the other islands, there is too much to see and do.

[MovingAloha]

WOW! I agree with the other posters, you won't get a great feel and appreciation hopping around like that. You might want to stick to one or maybe two islands.

[Kayekaye]

Agreed, and will push for one island for only 8 days. You don't want to be flying and packing and unpacking all the time. Get a nice place and enjoy one island for 8 days, kick back and relax, get a car and explore one island, circle the island. There's enough diversity and things to do on one island for 8 days.

I would recommend Oahu, staying in Kailua or North shore, driving in for a Waikiki day and then hike around and see all the beaches around the island, taking in some of the typical sights like The Arizona Memorial and Diamond Head stairway climb to the top.

Or Kauai or Maui, so much to do there if you like hiking and beaches.

But I don't recommend the Big Island Hawaii for only 8 days. It's just too big to cover in 8 days, it would take 2 weeks in my opinion, with at least 3 places to stay at in different parts of the island. If you stay in one place it takes a long ride to get to the other side and you will miss a lot of the island.

[YoungTraveler2011]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I decided to stick to 2 islands.

Oahu and probably the big island.