Vatican - the best time to visit?

What is the best island in Hawaii to visit for first time?

• I am planning to visit Hawaii for the first time during March of next year. Me and my wife have never been to Hawaii and this will be our first visit. I plan to stay for 4 full days apart from all the travel. Earlier I thought we'll go to Maui and posted a question here about Maui. Some of you responded and suggested that Oahu is also a good place for first time visitors. Now I am a bit confused on which island to visit. (1) Which island do you recommend for first time visitors? I am sure all islands are good, but I want to make sure I visit the island that offers the best experience for first time visitors. (2) I might visit sometime during the last 2 weeks of March. Will there be any rain during that time? (3) Also is there any festival or something during that time that one should be aware of to avoid large crowds. (4) When it comes to Maui, many people suggest staying on the kanapali when visiting first time. Is there a similar suggestion for Oahu on which side one should stay for best experience?

• Answer:

  Oahu has a bit of all the other islands (except an active volcano!) and is the most "representative island", plus it has the urban environment of Waikiki and Honolulu. Although 80% of the population is on this island, you CAN get away from the crowds in North Shore (Turtle Bay Resort or a small B&B) as well as the windward (wet, tropical) side near Kaneohe and Kailua. Oahu has most of the history, art and museums in Hawaii. There are great nature hikes into the jungle, lonely tropical beaches, and a lot of water activities. That said, if you don't care about cultural activities, restaurants, shopping, historical sites, and experiencing the hustle-and-bustle of Waikiki, and you are coming specifically to sit at a quiet and serene tropical beach resort plus a few natural attractions, then Maui may be a better choice. It is not that the resorts on Oahu outside of Waikiki are not nice, they just don't compare to Maui's beachside resorts. The rains really doesn't start to dramatically decrease until April. http://www.hawaiitips.com/When_To_Go.html Hawaii ALWAYS has a lot of festivals, except for perhaps August, but no enormous festival that books up all the hotels, except perhaps the Merrie Monarch Festival (the main hula contest) on the Big Island in April. The Turtle Bay Resort is the only large resort outside of Honolulu I would recommend. Others may suggest the Ko'Olina area (there is a Marriott there) but that planned community is next to the only oil refinery in the islands and the beaches are man-made....I just don't think it is what you are looking for. Otherwise, except for the Turtle Bay, you may want to consider a Bed & Breakfast on the beach in North Shore, or near Lanikai and Kailua beaches. http://www.turtlebayresort.com http://www.santasbythesea.com/Home_Page.html Ka'anapali is the oldest planned resort community on Maui, and is the largest with the most resorts and most people stay here. BUT if you can afford it, the Wailea / Makena area has the lion's share of upscale resorts (Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, Fairmont, Prince, etc.) and is a bit quieter than Ka'anapali. And, if you are going for "quiet" you may even want to consider staying overnight in Hana on the windward side if you are driving over there on the famous "highway to Hana" which hugs the sea cliffs through the rain forest. This is truly secluded and remote, so you would only want to do a night or so to experience it. http://www.hanakaimaui.com/ http://hotelhanamaui.com/ EDIT ===== I should add there are two hotels that in a more "quiet" area adjacent to Waikiki if you plan to take advantage for the restaurants and shopping in this area. That is the Kahala Resort, 10 minutes (by car) in the wealthy area of Honolulu, and the New Otani Kaimana Beach Resort (not that expensive), on the quieter Sans Souci Beach and 10 minutes (by foot) to central Waikiki from the residential Gold Coast area at the foot of Diamond Head. http://www.kahalaresort.com/ http://kaimana.com/