What Islands are best to visit in Hawaii?

Temperature and weather in Hawaii often vary more from one side of the island to the other than it does between winter and summer. Well, the rainy season really isn't all that rainy, and is also the time that the humpback whales are visiting the islands (December-March, essentially). That makes it the best time to visit Hawaii in my mind. If you do come during that time, you should know that the humpbacks seem to prefer hanging out, competing for mates, giving birth, and nurturing their young in the relatively shallow waters between the islands of Maui County (Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and Molokai). Unlike the whale watch cruises that leave from busy Honolulu Harbor, the whale watch cruises on Maui leave from the relatively small and peaceful harbors of Maalaea and Lahaina. Our tanker and barge traffic feeds into Kahului Harbor, near the main airport (OGG). Speaking of traffic, it's almost like the traffic jams and slowdowns on Oahu are scheduled. All of the 900,000 residents on Oahu (also known as the City and County of Honolulu) know when and where they are going to happen. Traffic jams do happen on Maui, but they still surprise us when they do happen. I'm not aware of any major traffic problems on Hawaii or Maui, but I do hear that Kailua-Kona is getting more crowded and congested than it used to be. And as far as your smaller islands, Molokai and Lanai goes, a traffic jam may be eight cars lined up behind the driver's ed car. Neither island has any traffic lights. It's getting tougher to get there. Jets quit flying to those islands several years ago. You can still take a prop plane, or take a ferry from Lahaina (or also from Maalaea to Lanai). There are only three or four hotels still operating between the two islands, and their beaches may not have lifeguards. Now, the island of Hawaii does have the active volcano, which may mean you get to see hot lava flowing downhill and into the sea. Or it may mean that you can't because the hot lava just destroyed the county viewing area. You should be aware, though, that areas near the volcano have been affected in recent years by the particles and sulfuric fumes coming out of the volcano (the new eruption out of Halemaumau is emitting more sulfur than the other vent usually does). If you have asthma, you may find it particularly obnoxious, but the rest of us get itchy eyes and headaches when winds are light or from the southeast. Personally, I would say Kauai or Maui.

The Big Island of Hawaii, because you have a lot of option for the best beaches and beautiful beaches.