We're starting to plan our 15yr [2025] anniversary [and my wife's 40th birthday is a within a week of our anniversary] & Hawaii may be the leading contender, to just go & veg/relax on the beach for a week+.

I think the leading idea is to fly into Lihue & stay on Kauai the majority of the time.
Told my wife, if we're there, I want to take a day trip to Honolulu & see Pearl Harbor & the Arizona Memorial.
Possibly also get over to Maui, rent a Jeep & do some/all of the Road to Hana

Any Hawaii tips?
How are the inter-island flights? Hawaiian air the best option there?

When I was in Maui 12 years ago we drove a jeep to Hana the back way.
Road was pretty rough in places.
I did enjoy the scenery.

Kauai is my favorite. Very laid back and less “touristy” when we were there.

Unless you are going the back road, regular car can handle the trip to Hana. If you are going to Maui, sunrise at Haleakala is pretty impressive.

If you haven’t been, I consider Pearl Harbor a “must” do”. USS Arizona memorial, get reservations. The USS Missouri, the submarine museum and a trip to National Cemetery of the Pacific (The Punchbowl). Amazing set of mosaic maps outlining the course of WWII in the Pacific.

It'll be first time for me, 2nd for my wife.
We don't surf, scuba or anything like that. Content to just enjoy the beach & see the sights.
She said the same about Kauai, less touristy & we just want a week or so to just do nothing.
Pearl & Arizona are must-do for me, for sure.

All depends on what you want to do. Touristy type stuff (Haole stuff) or get away from most people and do something on your own. Road to Hana isn’t something I would do personally. That’s all of a day, a long day, and you could be in the water instead of a vehicle. Locals would rather you not, and most of the rental vehicle places say no to it (in the rental policy) so get a flat or run into issues over on that side, good luck calling the rental agency for help. Back in the day sure, but in the tourist summer? Well you could count me out. You’d have a better time renting something sporty and driving up to Haleakala and down. On a clear day at Haleakala you can see Big Island. Last time I did it I rented a John Cooper Works Mini and I could see the ice/snow on Big Island. You’re 10,000 feet up at that observation point and you can see the joint NASA telescope building up there (one of two world class observatories in the state, the other being on Big Island, https://space-geodesy.nasa.gov...kala/Haleakala.html). If you don’t preplan some exact day (cloud cover will ruin it), and wait for a clear day, on a week day, it’s not that busy if you go midday. The drive up/down is like a track, hairpin after hairpin, the drive is absolutely epic. Busy time is dusk/dawn and it’s bricked. Tourists will school zone it the entire way and ruin a perfectly good drive.

Kauai definitely stay in Princeville vs. Poipu. And get a room with a kitchen. Costco will save you hundreds if not a thousand(s). Hanalei Bay is magnificent, and a gem. I could spend the whole week right there in Princeville it’s that nice. Hanalei Bay is my favorite place in the entire state. Half to 3/4 day trip to the west side of the island. Waimea canyon is definitely worth the drive (Hawaii’s Grand Canyon, it is a sight to behold with 10 or more stops/observation points) and you can see Ni’ihau from the observation point as well as Lehua. Getting a clear view of the Forbidden Island is truly something as it’s the only way you’ll ever see it. I was mesmerized, absolutely, seeing that island, as well as Lehua. Lehua was like a carbon copy of Molokini next to Maui. Then you could stop to eat at Poipu at one of the restaurants on the way back. Sunset eating there from Ocean View is surreal.

2 most important things to me in the state (and I do not go to Oahu, too many people), Costco being one. They have most anything there. Locally caught fish, so many choices. They have purple sweet potatoes, should have Apple Bananas, papaya, an assortment of local food. And the eggs and coffee there are unreal. The quality. If the place you rent has grills, well you can minimize dining out and save that for special dinners and such. This will save you a lot of money.

The other important thing is when there, make sure 1/2 the time you do nothing. Many people go and are a like a spanked ass the entire time, spending much of their entire time in a vehicle driving around. Instead, stay some place nice, with a kitchen, and just relax. Sure pick and choose days to go sight seeing and such but make sure 1/2 the time you chill out. When I go, and I go often, I spend most of the week in the water, surfing, snorkeling, or on a body board. On Maui I try to budget a morning or evening to body board at Malu’aka, also known as Turtle Beach. The Honu (Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles) are everywhere. On a body board, they’ll Jaws you, swimming towards you from the rear as they make for the beach to sun tan. At the last second they’ll dive under you. But they’ll be all around. Current gets strong there so a board is better than snorkel gear. But you can do both.

Hawaiian Air is the way to go inter-island. Flights will be $110 each way. OGG to LIH is great as you fly right over Oahu and can see Pearl from the plane, quit visibly. American has direct flights from DFW to OGG, which is what I’ve always done. 8 hours 15 minutes direct so having to stop off is a no go for me. Kauai is definitely the recommended spot for a honeymoon or an anniversary. That and a couple of different spots on Big Island. North end of Kauai offers so much one could stay there the entire week and never be bored as it’s a gem of a place. The breaks on Hanalei Bay are extreme left and right and definitely take a surf lesson or SUP. The absolute northern most spot of the entire state that you can access. Lastly, pre-planning things, well I don’t do it anymore. Weather can come in and ruin that. You get much better rates, getting on the island first, then calling around for activities and going stand by. I’ve gotten on a chopper while on Maui for $100, which flew to Molokai and back, because I didn’t preplan it, etc. Being on the island you can call around, go on standby for things and you’d be amazed at the price difference.

Thanks Pre, was hoping you'd chime in, as I'd thought you'd mentioned HI a few times.

Definitely will be doing research & planning over the next few months, but that's some good points.

We'll be flying United, so out of IAH is most likely. We have about miles to do it round trip 1st class [1st time for me], most of the stuff I was seeing had a layover in either Denver or LAX.

We definitely are planning on not having much of a schedule & just enjoy the downtime, with a few 'must-do' items on the list.

I lived in AK and Canada 7 winters and it's not a coincidence I went to Hawaii 7x during that time. I've been to 4 Hawaiian Islands and here is how I rate the Islands:
#1 - Big Island
#2 - Maui
#3 - Oahu
Distant 4th - Kauai

General:
Buy the revealed book for whichever island you visit. Unlike most reviewers, the authors live undercover so they get treated like every day travelers and your experience is more likely to be like theirs.

Hawaii has had a rental market longer than other vacation destinations so an older website such as VRBO tends to have more condos/homes for rent than AirBNB.

I wouldn't spend money on one of those lunch or dinner whale seeing cruises. For the same money, I saw just as many whale and dolphin on a snorkeling or fishing vessel and then got to do something fun on top of seeing the whale and dolphin.

Costco has the best gas prices by a wide margin for refilling rental car but they have lines.

I've done the inter island trips on Hawaiian Airlines. Piece of shit planes and fucking thieves. One inter-island flight, I was seated next to an elderly couple and I'm pretty sure the husband farted 30 minutes straight. The worst part is that was my best Hawaiian Airlines experience...

Kauai
I went to Kauai 1x, and it's my least favorite island. YMMV.

Not many views from Kauai's limited road system and it's the only island I took a helicopter tour. The helicopter ride was excellent and got to see the Jurassic Park waterfall, the beach from 6 Nights 7 Days, the Na Pali coast, etc.

King Kamehameha conquered the main Hawaiian islands with the exception of Kauai. First try, the current and waves drowned a good portion of his army and they turned around. Second try never occurred as his army got ravaged by an epidemic, but he had been building a completely different boat style in hopes to overcome the waves and tides for attempt #2. Why am I writing all of this? The currents, riptides, and long pauses between big waves made the water the least safe out of all of the 4 islands I've visited. My hotel was just up the coast from beautiful Poipu Beach, but the currents were miserable that week I stayed there so I never ventured in the water past my knees. I had to drive to the north side of the island to actually swim in the ocean.

I used to love the mai tai mix from the rum distillery on Kauai since it was real fruit (not high fructose corn syrup). It was better than the hotel's and the nearby restaurant's mixes so I kept some in the fridge in the hotel on subsequent Hawaii trips. WARNING! Prior to my last trip, they had reformulated and it was the fake nasty high fructose corn syrup crap everyone else sold. If you see recommendations for it, they're for the original formulation not the reformulation.

Big Island
It is larger than the other 3 islands combined so it has the most coast line which means it has the most opportunity for something amazing to form that is awesome to snorkel. Since it has the most land, the costs tend to be a little lower since land isn't at such a premium (e.g. my first trip was 1/2 Maui and 1/2 Big Island. I stayed at Marriott on both islands and it was 30% less on Big Island. I used the same rental company on both islands and on Big Island got a convertible Camaro for less money than a Chevy Impala on Maui.). I've stayed at the Marriott, Marriott Courtyard, and a 1 bedroom condo I found on VRBO.

One thing to note that is unique to Big Island is that if you're a scuba diver there is enough elevation change on the island where you need to plan your trip carefully. For example, you cannot go to Volcano National Park, Mauna Loa, etc. within 24 hours of scuba diving or you could die. Also, helicopter tours need to be planned 24 hours after diving since they likely include flying over VNP.

Maui
I haven't been since the fire so no idea what still exists.

On Maui, I really enjoyed the catamaran over to Molokini for snorkeling. Maui Revealed recommended a tour that was only a few more dollars, but it was a smaller boat and normally sailed half-full. They called the competitors cattlemarans since people were packed in there like cattle at the stockyards or humans in line at Disney. The difference became apparent once we set sail and there were two male gray whales chasing a female (awesome breaches) and then got into a school of dolphins. I was able to walk over to whichever side of the boat and see the sea-life. I looked over at the cattlemarans and they were so full you could only see if it happened on your quadrant of the boat. Also, getting on/off the boat to snorkel was less hassle with much fewer people, and eating was much less hassle with fewer people.

Fishing in Maui. While living in Alaska, I got to know a charter fishing captain who earned a lot of his hours as a deckhand and captain on fishing charters out of Lahaina, Maui. He said the 95% of the photos on websites are from their 8 or 12 hour charter, and that they know the 4 and 6 hour charters it's a fluke to catch a fish. The good fishing grounds are not in front of Lahaina harbor (i.e. where the 4 and 6 hour charters "fish"), and you need the hours to go where the fish currently are hot. I wish I would've met him before I booked a 6 hour charter out of Lahaina where the whole charter got skunked, but at least we had a nurse shark swim up to the swim deck for a photo.

Road to Hana. Did it once wouldn't do it a 2nd time. If it weren't for other tourists it'd be a great drive.

Oahu:
EVERY American should visit Pearl Harbor once. While you're there, strongly suggest the small group "Battle Stations" tour of the Missouri as you see much more of the ship than the self-guided tour with headsets

Waikiki isn’t relaxing enough for me as there is too much hustle and bustle from downtown on the beach. However, North Shore is relaxing and beautiful like the rest of Hawaii. I really enjoyed my stay at Turtle Bay, and you can easily visit Pearl Harbor 1 day and have a nice dinner in Waikiki.

There isn’t much to do in Hawaii when it rains - boring shopping or movies. The Pacific Aviation Musuem on Ford Island (part of Pearl Harbor area) is a fantastic way to spend a rainy day or at least 1/2 a rainy day. Way better than going to the mall.

^^^ A few years back, I posed a question to this Forum about a first-time trip to Oahu, and Turtle Bay Resort was mentioned more than once. Our stay there was fantastic.

I understand that the Ritz-Carlton chain now owns the resort (a fairly recent development according to social media); hopefully this only means good things for an already great venue.

Ditto the comments also about visiting Pearl Harbor. It was both sobering and quite informative. We wish we’d spent more time there during our trip.

Far from an expert here, but I can speak to my experience…

Only been to Hawaii once, earlier this year. My wife and I spent a week on Kauai and we based out of the Hanalei Colony Resort, nearly at the end of the road on the north shore. We didn’t have our kids and we were looking for kickback and relaxed accommodations, not a busy locale with lots to do. For that purpose, we hit a home run. It was an amazing place to stay. I spring for the Premium waterfront room and it was 20 yards off the water, small patio out the back door to sit and watch the day come in and such. The surf was pretty rough as it was winter on the north shore, but that was to be expected.

The peace and tranquility was fantastic and I don’t regret it for a moment. That being said, I probably wouldn’t stay there with the kids just because of the travel time and hassle to get nearly anywhere else on the island. It was easily more then hour to get to major locations on the other end of the island. Not a big deal for my wife and I, but would have been more of an issue with kids.

Thanks for the info, guys, I'm learning a lot from this thread! My wife and I are coming up on our 20th next year, and I've been to every state but Hawaii (she's still missing AK, too), so it's gotta happen at some point. I shared an office with a guy at my last job who grew up on Oahu, so I picked his brain pretty good about the islands, but he didn't have a lot of info on the touristy stuff, because he actually lived there and wasn't doing that.

We really only have two "touristy" things that we feel we need to do...Pearl Harbor, and see a live volcano. Beyond that, just relaxing and enjoying the water sounds awesome. The recommendation to find a place with a kitchen or grill and shop at Costco is brilliant. We're not rich people, and I have some pretty stringent dietary requirements due to my diabetes, so feeding ourselves is much cheaper and easier than eating out, and I don't have to worry about the restaurant putting sugar/carbs in everything.

Has anybody ever camped in Hawaii? We're pretty outdoorsy and up for an adventure, and we've saved a lot of money other places by camping instead of staying in hotels. We have all the gear, and our backpacking kit is small enough to bring it on a plane...just not sure what kind of infrastructure they have in place there to support that. We'd definitely opt to stay in an established park or campground, as I know there are a lot of homeless and I really don't want to have to worry about getting murdered wherever we stay. If this is a crazy idea, tell me...it may just be one of those places that's better experienced from a VRBO or a hotel.

Never thought about the camping idea.
Not sure my wife would go for it, but it's an interesting idea, for sure.

thumper's experience is just about exactly what we're looking for. No kids, toes in the sand & relax.
Looked up that resort, might be a bit over our planned budget, but good to have options.
Odds are we'll go the BnB or VRBO route & plan on doing our own food apart from a couple nights out.

Went to Hawaii 3 times while in the Navy. Got treated like s#it there. Y’all can have that shit hole. Islands,when they catch fire…..where ya gonna go.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
We're starting to plan our 15yr [2025] anniversary [and my wife's 40th birthday is a within a week of our anniversary] & Hawaii may be the leading contender, to just go & veg/relax on the beach for a week+.

I think the leading idea is to fly into Lihue & stay on Kauai the majority of the time.
Told my wife, if we're there, I want to take a day trip to Honolulu & see Pearl Harbor & the Arizona Memorial.
Possibly also get over to Maui, rent a Jeep & do some/all of the Road to Hana

Any Hawaii tips?
How are the inter-island flights? Hawaiian air the best option there?

Hawaiian or Southwest for the flight.

I Lived on Kauai for a little while, it's eye wateringly expensive but there's no where else I'd rather be. I'd stay in Poipu but have a rental and explore around the island, keep one thing front of mind, you're there to relax and you should "Try slow".

quote:

The recommendation to find a place with a kitchen or grill and shop at Costco is brilliant. We're not rich people, and I have some pretty stringent dietary requirements due to my diabetes, so feeding ourselves is much cheaper and easier than eating out, and I don't have to worry about the restaurant putting sugar/carbs in everything.

Last time we stayed in Maui I rented a two bedroom condo at the Kaanapalli Alii complex down from the Hyatt in Lahaina...
Link

We had our own kitchen as well as outdoor grills for the facility, pool, beach access, etc.

My father and I bought fresh seafood, steaks, etc for dinner each night and cooked out. Only went out a few times, the local grocery carried all kinds of fresh food so we weren't eating out 3 times a day.

Several people walking back from very expensive meals down the beach remarked that our dinners smelled great and they wish they'd stayed at our place so they could cook.

Nothing like BBQ'n a few steaks and veggies while you're pouring your own vodka drink or having a few ice cold beers.

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
, sunrise at Haleakala is pretty impressive.

.

Wear more then a tank top & shorts like I did.
A LOT more!
Cold up there.

We took a 12 day, 4 island land tour last May. Visited Oahu, Kauai, Hawaii and Maui. Hated Waikiki - nothing but 1,000s of tourists and tourist traps. Traffic is terrible. I agree - see the Arizona memorial, the USS Missouri and the aviation museum. Then, get the heck out. I got sick and tired of the constant talk about the history of the mean white man kicking out Hawaiian royalty in Oahu. No mention is made of how many natives (1,000s) were killed by Kamehameha in his effort to unite the islands. All of our inter-island flights were on Hawaiian Air Boeing 717s. Longest flight was one hour.

We enjoyed the other three islands much better; less crowded. Trips to the volcanos were fascinating. Unless you are addicted to Kona coffee, skip it – tourist prices for 100% Kona were $100/pound on the big island. Allerton Gardens on Kauai was nice – some of Jurassic Park was filmed there. A helicopter tour from Maui to Molokai and back was great – wife’s first helo ride. Unfortunately, they had doors. ☹

Great food. Don’t pass by breadfruit. We had a superb cheddar-breadfruit mash at one restaurant - to die for. The tempura-fried spiny lobsters from Australia we had were excellent.

Chickens are everywhere on Kauai. No natural predators. COL Sanders would be pleased.

Enjoy your visit. Great place to visit (except Oahu) but I wouldn’t want to live there.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:


Last time we stayed in Maui I rented a two bedroom condo at the Kaanapalli Alii complex down from the Hyatt in Lahaina...
Link

We had our own kitchen as well as outdoor grills for the facility, pool, beach access, etc.

My father and I bought fresh seafood, steaks, etc for dinner each night and cooked out. Only went out a few times, the local grocery carried all kinds of fresh food so we weren't eating out 3 times a day.

Several people walking back from very expensive meals down the beach remarked that our dinners smelled great and they wish they'd stayed at our place so they could cook.

Nothing like BBQ'n a few steaks and veggies while you're pouring your own vodka drink or having a few ice cold beers.

Every time I go to Maui I stay in Kaanapali for a week (a friend usually gives me a week of timeshare per year) , then stay at my friend’s place in Kihei for a week (and maybe my other friend’s place in Lahaina for 2 nights). It’s king style, walking down to the grills in Kaanapali with a big plate of fresh local fish and some chicken/steak, purple sweet potatoes and maybe some pineapple (dessert) to grill. The Super Haoles walk by, stare and must be thinking “We’ve been doing this wrong”. It’s quite entertaining because I have grilled 2-3 times a day, sometimes using the grills morning/lunch/dinner. Happens every time I go as you said. Even some have walked by multiple times a day and say “Man you are on that grill all day” I’ve seen big family groups of 6, 8, 10, 12, etc, do the same thing and have stopped so many, so many times, and said “That’s how you f’in do it right there!” Many a patriarch have said back to me “We have to, cost too much to go out to eat here”. Actually it doesn’t if you know where all the food trucks are on the West side. $10 meals are pretty easy and outstanding chefs in those trucks. If you are feeding a full family, yeah, making your own food is best. But like him, I prefer to cook my own food and I know where to get the outstanding fish you can’t get on the mainland. Honestly I go every year and I don’t spend any more on food there than I do at home. I don’t pay for flights or a place to stay and I know where to rent a busted up hooptie type vehicle that rents to locals only. It’ll be 10-15 years old, a headlight might be out, and the TPMS is always on, but the thing always runs and gets me around. That’s the great thing about the West Side, I won’t leave that entire side of the island for a week unless it’s to surf Kihei with my friend. I’ll surf Guard Rails by myself, drive 10 minutes to Napili Bay to SUP or snorkel, and definitely go up to Kapalua. All those trees are a thing to behold up there, damn forest. And the Kapalua Bay is great too. All the tourists flock to Lahaina (or did) and it’s easy to shed them. I’ve been on a SUP many times in Napili Bay where we had the whole area to ourselves.

The fish, ham, eggs, fruit, and coffee in Hawaii are outstanding. And so is the cold beer (Maui Brewing at Costco is $7.99 a 6 pack and Costco has it on Maui, Big Island, and Kauai). I couldn’t imagine paying for breakfast there if you have access to a kitchen or grill. My Filipino friend makes local fried eggs (I’ve never asked but his whole neighborhood has chickens), breaded fried spam, and fresh steam rice for breakfast and some papaya. Normal breakfast for him and every time I call it the King’s breakfast and he laughs.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
The recommendation to find a place with a kitchen or grill and shop at Costco is brilliant. We're not rich people, and I have some pretty stringent dietary requirements due to my diabetes, so feeding ourselves is much cheaper and easier than eating out, and I don't have to worry about the restaurant putting sugar/carbs in everything.

Has anybody ever camped in Hawaii? We're pretty outdoorsy and up for an adventure, and we've saved a lot of money other places by camping instead of staying in hotels. We have all the gear, and our backpacking kit is small enough to bring it on a plane...just not sure what kind of infrastructure they have in place there to support that.

Budget some time for Costco. It’s not near as busy as mine at home. The gas lines can be busy at times but I’ve never had a gas line too long on Kauai or Maui. I say budget some time for Costco so you can take your time inside. The areas you want to dime out are the veggies, fruit, and fresh meat/fish areas. You can skip the frozen sections. They’ll have so many fish you can’t get on the mainland, as well as fruit. But people will have fruit stands in various places around each island. Locals are very appreciative buying produce from them, and it’s locally grown. Just bring cash. Another tip is if you really want to do it, pack Tupperware and seasonings in your check in bag. I bring my soft igloo every time and borrow some of those square re-freeze ice things from my friends that live there. I’ve been on the road many times after breakfast somewhere else on the island and I’ll pop in a gas station, buy a drink, and microwave my lunch in there. I have my stations where they know me and as long as you buy something from them, like Gatorade, they’ll let you hit the microwave and even grab plastic cutlery. I spend money there every time so it’s not me being some miser. I’d just rather my $ go into board rentals (surf and SUP), Molokini crater (most of the places will rob you and take you to Coral Gardens, which sucks), and I’ll rent something fast to go to Haleakala or do the MTB ride down from it.

I’ll ask my friend about camping there. I know he has one friend who has money but does the Van life. He’s lived there for a few years now, like 5. But I do know he has to move every night. Can’t camp/van it in the same place every night. Should be doable. You won’t have a kitchen but you could probably dime out the food trucks for your diet.

None of this applies to when kids are out for school. I do not go during those times as I loathe most of the tourists that go. They treat the place like they treat any place they vacation and it’s not how it works there. You have to respect the place. I’ve been days cleaning up trash for asshole tourists. Best time for me is in the winter. Because that’s when the swells come in and the best surfing all year. But also because late November through March is Humpback season. They all migrate from Alaska to Hawaii to have sex, and deliver babies. I’ve seen breaches from the beach, from the air, on watercraft, and even while in the water on a board. Big fucker breached on a Kihei break one time not 50 yards from me. My friends said “Bet you don’t see that in TX”. It was enough for me and I took the next set and paddled in. No thanks They stayed out for 30 minutes. But they are used to it and they surf almost every day. Big Island if you want to see a real Volcano. The others are dormant on the other islands.

When you're on Kauai, don't forget to spend some time at the Kilauea Lighthouse bird sanctuary. Tropicbirds, frigate birds, blue-footed boobies--it's grand if you like birds. Most memorable thing we did there.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:

Thanks again...more good info! Our annual schedule is pretty flexible, so we will shoot to go in the winter. Seeing whale activity like you described would be a real treat, and I'm all for avoiding the crowds. How cold does it get during that Nov-March window?