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Hawaii first time traveler
We're planning to go to Hawaii as our big trip next year (did New Zealand this year) and I like to start doing research early. LOL. 
So a few questions:
1.) What island would you recommend for a first timer to Hawaii? (we are looking for a relaxing lazy beach vacation, snorkeling, lounging around - nothing too crazy)
2): What time of year is best to go?
3) What kind of budget for 6-7 nights (not including airfare) - we plan to rent a house/condo and cook some meals and eat out some?
Also, we are TTC and may be pregnant or have a little one by next year so somewhere doable with a child or while pregnant would be great.
Re: Hawaii first time traveler
Just went there for the first time.
Time of year - really depends on what you want to do. We went around the Pro Bowl (utter waste of time). I'm really glad we went during whale watching season as that was incredible. I was worried about the water/air being too cold but not bad at all.
We did Big Island, Oahu and Maui. The BI was nice but volcano wasn't active and seeing the black sand beaches, etc was nice but nothing that was a MUST SEE. Oahu was nice - stay on Waikiki beach and Turtle Bay. TB is great (especially if you're golfers) and has that laid back, chill vibe. Great snorkeling, swimming, food, near the North Shore so you can watch the serious surfers, there's a heli tour company onsite, etc. W. Beach was nice but probably more busy than you'd like.
Fav island by far was Maui. Did the road to Hana (possibly not a hit if you're preg), Jaws, sunrise thing, Lavender farm, whale watching, snorkeling trips, etc. Great food, laid back, fun shopping, wonderful beaches, etc.
For 6-7 days I'd really think about doing just one island - two at the absolute most. You really do waste at least a half day messing with 30 minute flights between islands.
Others here gave me great ideas and will probably have more detailed tips and info on other islands. Have fun!
We did Maui and Kauai, and we went in January. Weather was amazing, whales were out in huge numbers, and we had a great time!
Maui was much more quiet and relaxed for us, while Kauai was a much more active island. We got out and hiked and saw more of the island itself.
I would agree that with 6-7 days you should do one island especially if you have a little one with you.
Our fave island is Maui (been to Maui, Oahu and BI so far, however we were only on the Big Island for one day so I can't give too much info on it).
Anyway, I know some people would disagree with this, but for your first trip, to get the most bang for your buck, I would probably do Oahu. You can experience absolutely everything on Oahu. There's the city side, the beautiful beaches (some busy, some very secluded), and the North Shore is awesome, it's so laid back and our fave part of the island. Yes, it is the most populated island, but there is also a ton to do and see. There's so much history there as well. There's Pearl Harbor, which I personally think everyone should visit at least once if you go to Hawaii, there's Iolani palace, which was the palace of the kings and queens of Hawaii, there's the cemetary of the pacific plus a ton more places. There's plenty of places to hike and explore if that's what you're looking for.
If you want more seclusion, you don't have to stay anywhere near Honolulu or the Waikiki area. On our first trip, we stayed over on the Western side near Makaha, it was much less populated and quiet then Waikiki, we really enjoyed it. However, we did drive into Waikiki for the day to explore that area as well. We stayed in Waikiki on our second trip, and won't ever do it again, it was just too busy for our likes.
I agree that I would only do one island, two at most if you only have 6 or 7 days.
ETA: Oh, and we were there at the end of May/early June, and end of November/early December. Both trips the weather was fantastic.
I agree with everything that Shorty said about Oahu. I think it's perfect for a first trip because you get a little bit of everything there -- beaches, rain forests, city, water sports, etc. Our first trip to Hawaii was in 2008. We went for six nights. It was about $3300 total from Michigan. We have since been to the Big Island and Maui, as well. Oahu is still our favorite island, though because you get everything.
The Big Island is my second favorite island. I loved it there! It doesn't sound like what you're looking for, though. In order to really enjoy the Big Island, I think you need to be more active.
Maui was my least favorite. But if you just want to relax on the beach, then it would be a good choice.
Both of our trips were in the fall (September and October). This is a nice time to visit because there are less crowds and it's generally dry. You miss out on whale watching season, though.
I've been to maui, Kauai, and Oahu and you can't go wrong with ANY of those choices, but I'd probably pick Maui.
Time of the year - I've been in both March and April and both were great. March in Maui gives you whale-watching.
You can rent a condo for about $1000 per week, $1200 if you want something beachfront. I'd budget about 2x what you spend at home for food and eating out, as food is quite expensive on all the islands.
1.) What island would you recommend for a first timer to Hawaii? (we are looking for a relaxing lazy beach vacation, snorkeling, lounging around - nothing too crazy)
DH and I went to Hawaii for the first time last year and decided on Maui since it seemed like a great spot for newbies. Although I was bummed about missing Pearl Harbor, I didn't want to stay in the heavily developed Waikiki area. Maui was the perfect blend of relaxing & activities (snorkeling, Road to Hana, driving up Haleakala, lavender farm were some of my favorites).
2): What time of year is best to go?
We went at the end of November which is technically their rainy season but during the week we were there, it only lightly rained two times and for no more than 30 minutes each time. It got darker much earlier than in the summer obviously but it was a nice time as it didn't feel overly crowded and being able to escape the cold northeast was great.
3) What kind of budget for 6-7 nights (not including airfare) - we plan to rent a house/condo and cook some meals and eat out some?
We did a hotel (we actually stayed in a condo)/airfare/rental car package through United Vacations and paid $3k for two people (coming from the East Coast). With meals, gas and other miscellaneous costs we probably ended up spending about $1k more. The only meals we ate in the condo were a couple of breakfasts and some quick lunches, you can still find some "steals" by eating out.
I have tons of reviews and pictures in my blog (link in siggy).
Good luck deciding
Maui, November 2011
Oahu is my favorite for a first-timer but only if you rent car to get out of the Waikiki area. There are SO many things to do on the island: swimming with live dolphins in electric bay (see Wild Side Specialty Tours), snorkeling all over, checking out surfers on North Shore and taking stand-up paddle lessons with Rainbow Water Sports in Haleiwa, horseback riding on the beach at Turtle Bay Resort (take the sunset ride), Kualoa Ranch activities, driving along the eastern side of the island to see gorgeous beaches in Waimanalo and Kailua, take a fun tour at Tropical Farm, etc.
Yearround I think it's nice to be honest. We've gone in October (when DD was 2) and January (when DD was 1) and they were both nice. I probably preferred October.
I've been to Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. The last one was my favorite. But I would love to go to Kauai for our next Hawaii vacation and I think that would really suit you as well.
Oahu: first trip with DH for about 5 days. We stayed in Waikiki which I didn't really like as much. We drove all over the island but when we were there (in December) the weather wasn't really good enough for snorkeling. We swam in the ocean once. We did do some nice hikes in the forest and I love the fact that Lost was filmed there but when we went they didn't have tours yet.
Maui: We went last year with DD. I was pg with #2. We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach hotel in Kaanapali. We went in January and dealt with heavy rain and choppy water so we didn't swim much again. DD loved it though. We hiked a bit, drove up to Haleakala, went to a goat farm that produced goat cheese. I really didn't enjoy the restaurant scene in Maui that much though. I felt it was so pretentious and expensive. Sometimes the cheapest meal for DD was $10 and it wasn't even a normal kid's meal. We did go to Bubba Gump's a few times and she loved that.
BI: We went when I was expecting DD. I was about 20 weeks pregnant. We went in February and loved it. We went snorkeling every day. We had some rain in the afternoon but nothing too bad. We saw a ton of whales and drove all over the island. We didn't see flowing lava while hiking but we took a plane tour around the island on our last day and saw it then. That was super cool!
I think BI or Kauai are your best bet. And both would be fine either pregnant or with a little one. Ask me more offline if you want more info
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Interesting. I totally felt this way too about dining in Maui. It was one of the things that really turned me off to Maui. I thought that maybe I was the only one!