Hawaii travel advice...?

you only want to go to one luau, trust me . . it's just a big tourist thing to do once. They're fun . . but not something you'd care to do twice. Maui, kauai, and Oahu all have very nice sights to see . . so you will enjoy all three. Kauai is of course a small Island and does not have as much night life, and accouterments as Oahu. Kauai is a great Island if you like to do primarily outdoorsy stuff. It's very tropical and gets LOTS of rain . . so pay close attention to the season you are traveling. It could be a soggy stay All Islands have beautiful scenic attributes . . and they all have good snorkeling places. Oahu of course has a large city Honolulu . . so it's busy . . lots of shops, restaurants, activity I really enjoy all three islands about the same. If you are using a travel agent, may I suggest you speak with them and have them work up an itinerary for you. They know the best places to go, stay, and list of sights. They really do earn their money. They arrange all flights and accommodations so you are not surprised by getting into a dump by mistake. The travel agent industry has been decimated by the internet. I have a guy I have used for years . . . It doesn't save me a nickle by going online as opposed to using him. Costs are about the same. But when you use the agent . .the hotels, airlines, and rental places will be paying him the commission they would have pocketed by you booking it yourself. Trust me . . they make planning sooo much easier . . especially with coordinating flights. Best of Luck Have a wonderful Trip

My 2 cents... Both of my parents are from Hawaii (Oahu and Maui), been there many times with both family and friends, and actually booked accommodations for a group of 7 friends. 2 weeks is an ideal amount of time but generally, you're going to burn a day at the start and at the end of the trip getting there and leaving. Plus every day you change islands, you're basically burning a day "moving". Getting to a hotel/condo early might work if you can get an early check in at your new accomadation, but maybe not. One thing I try to do to maximize my time in Hawaii is to take a red-eye flight to return to the mainland. So given what I said above, is the three island hopping a must do, or would two islands be okay? The pluses of doing three islands is that you can see three islands, but are you really going to have enough time to see the sights on each island and still have time to relax? In my opinion, I'd suggest only doing two OR at least give yourself an extra day or two on the last island to kick back. Any particular reason to do Oahu last? It does have things to see and lots of nightlife if that's your thing, but in my opinion, if you want to relax, Maui has the best mix of things to do and lots of beaches, but then again I'm biased as I've spent most of my Hawaii vacations there. Getting back to your question: Assuming that the first and third saturday are travel days, and you have two island hopping days, you have 11 "free" days to luau, dive, sightsee, etc. My suggestion would be 4 "free" days on Maui, 4 free days on Kauai, and 3 free days on Oahu. I've scuba dove on both Maui and Kauai. Both offer excellent diving opportunities - best if do a boat dive - expect that to take at least 1/2 day or more. Recommend you do a morning boat dive as the trades can kick up and make the ocean choppy. I've never dove or snorkeled on Oahu. There are a luaus everywhere and basically you're going for the entertainment. You're more likely to get better "hawaiian" style food at a "plate lunch" place than at a luau. I can't make a recommendation because I'm like a "local" and wouldn't go. Things to do: Get the Hawaii Visitor's guide for the State and I think the different islands may have them. If you have time, you can send away for the guide(s) and they'll mail them to you. The Fodor's guidebook to Hawaii has been valuable to me on past trips. Kauai: See the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" (I don't recall it's real name), you can do the "Fern Grotto" boat tour if you want. I think they have kayak trips up the river/stream on Kauai. Be advised that it rains a LOT on Kauai but that's why it's so green and lush there. Maui: Iao Valley, Road to Hana (I personally don't recommend it as the roads are narrow and lots of curve - not for someone who gets car sick and it's an all day drive there and back), Tedichi (sp?) winery, boat trip to snorkel in Molokini crater. Oahu: I did the pearl harbor thing when I was a kid and took a boot out to the battleship memorial. I'd recommend that if you're a history/war buff. My suggestion would be that you do a web search for "Maui Attractions" or similar and if something strikes your fancy on the various islands, you could post here with specific questions on stuff to see if people would recommend them or not. A parting comment - you might get better hotel/condo/car rental rates if you book for 5 days or a week in a single location. Just something to think about in regards to a 2 island versus 3 island trip.

If you spend thousand of dollars to your honeymoon get the Hawaii revealed books for the islands you want to go,(Maui revealed,Kauai revealed)because they got every information you ever need.(places to see,restaurants,things to do). We were on every island and i think it was the best spent $15. It saves you time and you can choose what to do on your vacation. Good luck and congratulation !

I spent 2 weeks in Hawaii and saved a ton of money by purchasing the "Entertainment book". Lots of great activities are buy one get one free and the same with the places to eat. You will save 100's :O) As far as where to go, it depends on your likes and dislikes.

Well, the good news is, what you don't get to do on one island, you can probably make up for it on another. There are a few exceptions and that's what I'll focus on. Maui...Haleakala National Park, summit 10,000' and you can arrange a sunrise viewing and bicycle ride back down from the 7500' level. Road to Hana is a 50 mile, 600 curves...53 bridges (mostly single lane) that will bring you to the lush tropical settings that you probably envision when you think of Hawaii. Scuba...give Molokini crater/island a try, great visibility, although it can get a bit crowded. If you're into such things, Maui also offers wineries, a lavendar farm, and a pretty decent aquarium called the Maui Ocean Center. You might enjoy spending time in Lahaina, an old whaling town that has transformed itself into a more artsy, though fun place to go. Kauai...Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and if you didn't get a chance to bike down Haleakala, you can also arrange to bike down from Kokee Park at Waimea Canyon. If you're going to take a helicopter tour of any of the islands, this is the one I would recommend. You can a bird's eye view of the Canyon, plus a great view of the 1300' Na Pali sea cliffs along the northwestern coast. Oahu...lots of nightlife, great restaurants, more cosmopolitan than you probably envision. Consider its the 11th largest metropolitan area in the US and probably offers more per square mile than most other cities. One luau, I would suggest either Germaine's or Paradise Cove. You might also enjoy visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center, which gives you a taste of a number of Pacific island nations in one locale. They offer a pretty good luau experience, too, and if you don't mind that they only serve non-alcoholic beverages, an outstanding dinner show to go with it. All have great beaches and snorkeling opportunities. Maui and Kauai offer zip-lining, although Maui offers the most and the longest and fastest in the state. You could probably take in much of the high points of Maui in 4-5 days, Kauai in 3-4 days, and Honolulu in the remaining 5-7. If you're looking for some quiet time to just relax and enjoy one another, plan a little longer stay on Kauai. Honolulu will be a good place to start getting you ready to head back to the real world. Check out the website below and get more info to help you with your decision.