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Hawaii...which island is a must?
This summer we are going to Hawaii so far we have accommodations in O'ahu and Kauai. We are undecided if we should spend the remaining time on the big island or Maui, we won't have time for both. Which would you choose and why?
Also any suggestions of what to do in Hawaii would be greatly appreciated!
Re: Hawaii...which island is a must?
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
Mark Twain
My Travel Blog
Agreed!
How long are you in each island? I would have a minimum of 7 days for Kauai or Maui and 4 days for Oahu.
And I will disagree with the PP who said Oahu sucks - maybe, if you only stay in Honolulu but the rest of the island has lots to offer including Pearl Harbour, the Dole Plantation (fun to check out), surfing on the north shore, Diamond Head, Haunama Bay, Polynesian Cultural centre. Plus its still fun to spend a day in Waikiki being a tourist.
I think every island is a 'must' in their own way, because they are quite different, but I will agree with people who said probably the Big Island. Thats my next stop having spent time in Maui, Kauai and Oahu.
Ditto this. I've been to Oahu over five times and I will never grow sick of it. Perhaps someone wouldn't like it if they never took the time to leave the Waikiki area, but the island has so much to offer including rainforests, empty beaches, etc.
The only way it might not suck is if you completely stay out of the waikiki area. Do not stay anywhere near there. The traffic to get around that area is insane.... stay out of the area with a 10 mile radius.
Yeah, Waikiki totally sucks. I just hate living here! It's miserable to walk to the beach for a swim in the afternoon, to see the ocean every day.
OK, I wouldn't travel to Waikiki as a tourist b/c I prefer my vacations to be to more remote and quiet areas, but I kind of get bristly when people say my home sucks.
OP, I don't know how long you are spending, but 3 islands is probably a lot. Depending on your interests, I'd pick the big island with either kauai or maui. If you want to see the historical sites, include oahu.
Depending on how much time you have, I'd recommend just sticking to 2 islands. We did Oahu for 5 days and Kauai for 7, and that worked out well. I could have used a few more days on Oahu, but I wouldn't have wanted to sacrifice any of those days to go to another island. We'll just make our next trip Maui/Big Island.
I have to disagree with anyone who thinks Oahu sucks. We stayed right in the middle of Waikiki, and loved it. It was nice to be within walking distance of so many things. We also spent a good amount of time exploring the rest of the island, and really enjoyed every part of it. There is a great amount of history and culture in Oahu, and I definitely wouldn't miss it.
I have only visited Oahu and Hawaii. I loved both but I can't compare it to Maui.
I would return to Oahu in a heartbeat. I liked Honolulu a lot, if you're a foodie at all (from the must-see dives to the sublime), you will seriously love Honolulu's international cuisine. Also, the North Shore is beautiful, rent a car and have yourself a leisurely drive around the island. Be sure to stop off and try the various shrimp shacks that dot along the shoreline. They are really amazing.
I saw no less than 10 rainbows all over Oahu in one day. To me, that's really special and made me feel like a kid again.
Blog: Call Me Imelda
I just have to say I'm totally jealous of your location
I love living where I do in FL, but Waikiki is definitely on my short list of destinations that I would move to in a heartbeat if ever given the opportunity 
I'm always surprised that most people don't mention any of this.
When we were there, I kept saying...we don't have enough time to eat everything I want to eat! There was such an amazing variety of food. I was in heaven. For the most part, we ate very cheaply in Oahu as well, at dives and food stands.
We had banana lumpia at a road side stand that I still dream about today.
I actually liked Oahu better than Kauai. The variety is more my style.
If you haven't booked yet, I would seriously consider just doing two islands. I dont think 4 days in Kauai is nearly enough if you are remotely outdoorsy. We plan on returning for 10 days for just Kauai.
Honestly, they are all great! It really just depends on what you're looking for. Kauai is more green and lush and has a lot of rainforest. Thus you may experience more tropical rain than you would on Maui. You may also see a lot of rainbows! We did. We took a helicopter ride over Kauai, it was amazing! Kauai is a little quieter than Oahu and Maui but it is absolutely beautiful! Great if you like to relax and maybe do some hiking, or relax.
Maui is beautiful too..there is something for everyone. I find it to be a nice balance between Oahu and Kauai. It can be quiet if you want to be on a romantic trip, or if you want to find activities or things to do at night, it's definitely there too
Maui is a little busier than Kauai.
You can't go wrong with either. Try googling the two and see what speaks to you
Happy Travels!!
This, this, this.
If you are deadset on going to 3 islands (which I think is a huge mistake...give yourself some time to learn your way around and relax), I'd flip-flop the number of nights you'll be spending on Oahu and the BI. Treat the BI like 2 islands and do not underestimate it's size and the travel time necessary to do the things you want. Also, there is a lot of history on the BI, as well, with reconstructed heiaus and other things to see. Kauai has a nice museum, too, and it's own share of historical sights.
Kopelei is near Ewa Beach, right? TONS of traffic over there, especially rush hour traffic. Just brace yourselves. We have friends that live over there and it was worse than dealing with traffic around DH's family's house in Manoa Valley (Honolulu).
I honestly don't get the Oahu hate. Yes, it is the most populated, but there is so much to do and see. DH and I are not city people at all, but we enjoyed going to Honolulu and Waikiki. I wouldn't want to stay there, but it was fun to drive in for the day and visit. It's like any city, there is going to be traffic and congestion, but there are also the things that make cities great like museums, shops, restaurants, history, culture etc. Plus Waikiki beach is beautiful. The North Shore is definitely our fave part of the island, so laid back and gorgeous. We like to just drive around the whole perimeter of the island, such stunning views.
Anyway, as to your question, we've only been to Oahu and Maui, so my pick would be the Big Island just because we haven't been there (well, technically we were there for one day, but that wasn't enough time to see very much so I won't count it). That being said though, we loved Maui too, so I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Each island is unique in it's own right.
You will definitely need more than 4 days on Kauai! You should decrease your time on Oahu by 2 or 3 days and add them on to Kauai, trust me, once you get there, you'll see why
Sorry, my response was for another oahu post. Ignore.
This.
I also live on Oahu and, while Kapolei is a beautiful area, if you are wanting to see Waikiki and all the action in that area, you are going to be miserable with that drive every day, especially with traffic (rush hour congestion can sometimes start as early as 2PM).
8 days in Oahu is plenty, and I agree with the suggestion to add more time to Kauai. But, I guess it depends on what your vacation style is like (if you're a busy body or like to just go with the flow and take it easy). I haven't visited Kauai yet but I've heard amazing things about it.