First Time Hawaii, with time for only one island

CaptainSerious

Which would you choose?

We only have 5 days and are flying in to Honolulu.  We are hoping to spend most of our time on another island, and to spend our last day back on Oahu at Peal Harbor.

We are not beach people, but love beautiful scenery, authentic cultural experiences/spending time with the locals, and things like hiking, scenic drives, and great food.  We may be interested in snorkeling, but neither of us have tried it before.

MrsH1027

It's been over a decade since I went to this particular island, but KAUA'I!  When we went, it was gorgeous and rural and just amazing.  Get a convertible and just drive!  You'll never get tired of looking at everything.  We ate at the same little local place just about everyday.  They say the island has become more touristy recently, which is disappointing, but I'd still recommend just because of our experience back then!

MrsLee04

Agree with PP, Kauai.  We did Kauai and Maui, and we liked Maui, but we loved Kauai for all the reasons you mentioned.  Of the 2 it was the most like what I envisioned Hawaii to be like.

palmettogirl924

I have been to Kauai and Maui and I would suggest Maui. Don't get me wrong, Kauai was beautiful, and much more lush and tropical. However, Maui was my favorite. It depends on what you're looking for. I loved Maui because of the shopping, resorts, beaches, etc. 

If you do Kauai, get a convirtable. You'll use it- trust me! 

MDGirl

What do you mean by spending time with locals and "authentic" experiences? In most cases that would probably be easiest on Oahu because the local community is obviously much larger so you'll have more options (and the food and hiking on Oahu are fantastic). Also in my experience locals on Kauai and Maui are very protective of their non-tourist time. They'll be nice, but probably still treat you like a tourist. Also on Maui, Kauai and the Kona/Kohala coast of the Big Island, you're generally in large resort areas and not really staying in neighborhoods where people live.

If you really want a nice local experience, stay in Hilo. Super cute town, beautiful area, no big hotels.

mckenzie915

I've stayed on Maui and Kauai. I loved them both. Kauai was much quieter and some good hiking. I probably would pick Maui again because I like things a little more active. The lavender fields on Maui were beautiful, if you want to go somewhere inland. I really don't think you can go wrong with either island. My inlaws just went to the big island and really liked it. You may want to check it out for a little less touristy environment. 

Pepper6

My favorite is the Big Island.  It's a lot more laid back and less touristy, plus there's a little bit of everything.  Also a great island to just drive since it has 8 out of the 13 climate zones.  

moonprincessd

I would suggest Kauai, we went there for a week for our honeymoon. You said you were more scenic than beach well then, Kauai, known as the garden island, is perfect for you!

We spent most of our times doing garden tours/walks. We took a trip up to Waimea Canyon (like the Grand Canyon). There are a lot of hiking trails up there (it was drizzly and foggy when we went, so we only walked a little bit). But it's definitely scenic, the drive is beautiful! Plenty of look out spots to stop at. 

We definitely want to go back!

MrsH1027

moonprincessd said:

I would suggest Kauai, we went there for a week for our honeymoon. You said you were more scenic than beach well then, Kauai, known as the garden island, is perfect for you!

We spent most of our times doing garden tours/walks. We took a trip up to Waimea Canyon (like the Grand Canyon). There are a lot of hiking trails up there (it was drizzly and foggy when we went, so we only walked a little bit). But it's definitely scenic, the drive is beautiful! Plenty of look out spots to stop at. 

We definitely want to go back!

We went up to Waimea Canyon, too!  I think the top of the island is supposed to be the wettest spot in the world or something... that's why it's always too foggy to see the bottom.  That's what we were told at least.  Made the drive up there a few times while we were there.  We never got to see the bottom, but it was still worth it!

jtmh2012

CaptainSerious said:

Which would you choose?

We only have 5 days and are flying in to Honolulu.  We are hoping to spend most of our time on another island, and to spend our last day back on Oahu at Peal Harbor.

 

I know you said you have five days.  Do you mean you're taking off five days?  NCL has a 7-day cruise that goes Saturday to Saturday that visits more than one island.  We did it for our honeymoon and loved it.  It allowed us to see multiple islands without spending a lot of time on airplanes or ferries.

Wimomma

Based on the fact that you are interested in amazing scenery I'd recommend going to Maui, renting a car, and driving the Road to Hana.  We did the 7 day cruise of Hawaii and the Road to Hana was the most amazing scenery.  I did however get a little car sick and although we are an adventurous couple, the drive was pretty intense at times!  There are places to stop along the way and see waterfalls, stop at roadside fruit stands, etc.  But the views of the coast are something I will remember forever.

Miclan88

My husband and I spent our honeymoon on the big island with a 2 day trip to Oahu. Just a word of warning, the weather in Hilo was extremely gloomy and rainy. We saw the nearby waterfalls and visited the volcano national park (which I highly recommend) but there aren't a lot of lodging options or really a whole lot else to do. Its worth going over to that side, but i'm very happy we stayed on the Kona side. We stayed in Keahou, which is about 15 minutes from the real hustle and bustle of kona which was nice because it felt less touristy. The Big Island is hard to do in such a short amount of time, but it definitely has all of the things you are interested in. If you decide to go, make sure you see South Point & Punaluu Beach (black sand), it sounds like you would enjoy these!

na41313

We spent our 9 day honeymoon on Maui. We stayed in Wailea at the Four Seasons. It was late September/early October and the weather was perfect. Our hotel was so gorgeous we didn't want to leave it, but the island itself is unbelievable.