I love Kauai. It’s quiet. It’s not overly touristy. Has amazing beaches. Great diversity in landscape from the jungle covered pali to the depths of Waimea Canyon. Breathtaking. It’s a small island. You feel it’s (lack of) size when you’re there. It’s got fewer towns. I prefer Kapa’a. It’s a small town. Pretty salt of the earth. Has a nice beach or three. If you want to drop a little more money and play golf or what not I’d recommend the town of Poipu. Really cute little walkable historic area. Nice selection of restaurants. A golf course or two too.
Maui is more touristy. Great beaches. Not as diverse as far as terrain. There’s more options on the island as it has bigger towns. More of them. It plays more to tourists. Easy snorkeling trips to Molokini Crater. Great whale watching if your there at the right time of year. I stay just outside of Kihei. It’s a great little beach town. Another is Lahaina.
Look around for rental condos. Much cheaper if you can cook a few of your own meals. The islands are expensive. Eating out can dig into a budget quickly. Though groceries are scary costly too. Don’t look at the price if milk or bacon... you’ll stroke out.
My time on Kauai was spent camping on beaches, staying in hostels, and a couple ‘cheap’ hotels. (Nothing is cheap.) I have a buddy with a vacation condo on Maui. So the cost of housing is covered when I go there. I tend to go there more. Imagine that.
I honestly prefer the vibe of Kauai much more. As does my buddy with the condo. The difference is it’s a straight 5 hour flight Portland to Maui. You have to puddle jump to get to Kauai. Hence he bought the Maui condo for its added convenience.
You can’t go wrong. The islands are beautiful. Treat the locals with respect. Don’t be surprised if a local gives you a sideways look. We are haole. I can’t blame them.
The sun will get you. It’s no joke. Watch out for tiger sharks. Aloha!
We always stayed in Oahu at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki beach.
Super nice hotel. Great tiki bars, and on the beach so if you just feel like laying / walking on the beach you can.
If you know anyone who lives in Hawaii, get them to book your hotel. Because there is the tourist rate and the cheaper local rate.
Oahu is very touristy. If you get a nice hotel, they often have free shuttles to the touristy things. Luau, shows, etc
There is a bar / club scene in Waikiki that is in walking distance of the major hotels. But I would guess that is not your thing.
If you want off the beaten path, then rent a car and drive around the island. North Shore is pretty cool, but I think that fall is off-peak surfing season. Or at least, when we visited there weren't any surfers.
Once we took a day trip to the Big Island via small jet and did the bus tour thing, Which was nice because it goes to all the major sight seeing places, and you don't have to worry about planning or driving, and I seem to remember the tour guide telling all the facts about the various places we stopped at.
Here’s some of my recollections and thoughts of the trip.
Native Hawiians hate tourists. Especially caucasian males from mainland U.S.
Except for your tourist dollar.
There were parts of the islands that you better not go to. You risked being robbed and beaten.
You can find those locations (beaches) listed in an AAA tour book.
The food sucked. (fresh pineapple is nice)
Let’s see. The good stuff.
If you have the money for a 5 star hotel on the beach. That’s a good start. A few hotels have very exotic pools. (like a huge irregular shaped pool with a very cool water slide and pool bar)
A lot of fun. Great way to spend some “down time”.
And some hotels have Scuba diving. You take a class in the morning for a couple hours in the pool and then walk out in the near ocean. Maybe 20 feet deep. Time well spent.
Also, some have excellent concierge service and can book some very cool tours for you. (An airplane sightseeing tour would be amazing)
You can (could in 1989) walk through Diamond Head volcano on Oahu. (long extinct, famous volcano)
Maui has the largest tree in the world. (not height, width). It’s one of those trees that roots form from branches, drop to the ground and allow the tree to spread out. It’s like in the center of the main Maui little town.
This is all one single tree. The tree extends way beyond this photo.
I’d recommend a trip to the active volcano island (big island?). Rent a car or take Uber to a lava field. Take a walk out there on freshly solidified lava. Gee, be careful.
I suppose a Luau could be a lot of fun. Especially if you have a fun partner.
Ultimate analysis:
For the same price you can see scenic Rocky Hill, Connecticut and pamper yourself on my couch.
We always saved money on the hotel by getting one larger suite and splitting the cost between us (4 people). Instead of separate rooms. Also, my friend's friend lives there so he got us the local rate.
Also, we always went in the fall, when its off peak season (rainy season, though it never rained much when we were there) and rates are cheaper.
You can (could in 1989) walk through Diamond Head volcano on Oahu. (long extinct, famous volcano)
There is a hiking trail to the top of Diamond Head with pretty cool views. Also, I seem to remember there was a military base there in the volcano, and you can see the remains of that. Memory is fuzzy on that part though.
Hike the na pali coast on Kauai.....if your into the camping thing you can spend a couple days hiking.....but, just hiking to the waterfall is a good day-long adventure.....the hike is amazing, the pools under the falls, crystal clear and great for swimming.....
Kauai is my next island to visit. I’ve been to Oahu, too busy and touristy. Other than the Pearl Harbor Museum, I didn’t care for it. The Big Island is a lot of lava rock and still an active volcano on it. I enjoyed this island much more. I rented a condo at Mauna Lani Point . Amazing place to stay. You’re renting someone’s condo, which is the only way to go. I will not stay in a hotel again in Hawaii.
Hike the na pali coast on Kauai.....if your into the camping thing you can spend a couple days hiking.....but, just hiking to the waterfall is a good day-long adventure.....the hike is amazing, the pools under the falls, crystal clear and great for swimming.....
I hiked it in 2009ish. An amazing hike but it’s very difficult. Eleven miles of challenging hiking. Six river crossings. In and out of the jungle where’s it’s hot and humid. Out and around VERY exposed pali/cliff with 300’ foot drops to crashing surf. (See the video I posted.) People die on the trail regularly. The payoff is an amazing, private beach. Its the beach seen in the opening of the original Jurassic Park island fly in scene. We spent 4 nights camping back there. Collecting mango in the surrounding trees. Bathing under waterfalls. It’s paradise.
Here’s ‘crawler’s ledge’ in the NaPail trail. It’s no joke...
Funny....I hiked it in 2009 as well.....we only hiked to the waterfall....swam....picnicked.....then hiked back......I thought it was a pretty easy go for the most part.....except for maybe the switchbacks, that seem to go on forever, back and forth, uphill for eternity....other than that though.....it wasn't bad...
No joke. It was tough. To make it tougher I was carrying a 45 pound backpack. All the things needed to live on a beach for 4 days. To make it even tougher...my (ex)wife fell on the first river crossing. She hit her knee on a rock. Legit injury. She ‘made me’ carry her backpack across all the other rivers. She also got freaked out at Crawlers Ledge. She didn’t want to do it. I kinda put my foot down and told her to suck it up... I carried her pack through that section too. I did this all coming and going. It made for a much more exhausting hike. I was in my 30’s. If I did it now I’d carry less gear and I have a stronger partner.
Hike the na pali coast on Kauai.....if your into the camping thing you can spend a couple days hiking.....but, just hiking to the waterfall is a good day-long adventure.....the hike is amazing, the pools under the falls, crystal clear and great for swimming.....
I hiked it in 2009ish. An amazing hike but it’s very difficult. Eleven miles of challenging hiking. Six river crossings. In and out of the jungle where’s it’s hot and humid. Out and around VERY exposed pali/cliff with 300’ foot drops to crashing surf. (See the video I posted.) People die on the trail regularly. The payoff is an amazing, private beach. Its the beach seen in the opening of the original Jurassic Park island fly in scene. We spent 4 nights camping back there. Collecting mango in the surrounding trees. Bathing under waterfalls. It’s paradise.
Here’s ‘crawler’s ledge’ in the NaPail trail. It’s no joke...
Funny....I hiked it in 2009 as well.....we only hiked to the waterfall....swam....picnicked.....then hiked back......I thought it was a pretty easy go for the most part.....except for maybe the switchbacks, that seem to go on forever, back and forth, uphill for eternity....other than that though.....it wasn't bad...
You did the 22 mile round trip in a day? Or did you just do the first 2 miles into that beach? Which is pretty commonly done. I mean people do accomplish the full 22 miles in and out in a day. They do it without a pack on. Just water and a lunch. There were a couple trail runners that passed us coming and going. It took our group 9 hours to hike in the 11 miles to Kalalau Beach. Took us 7 to hike out. Less food and booze on the way out.
There are sections, of you recall, that are rock ‘steps’ each about knee to mid thigh high. Not too bad... unless you have a 40+ pound pack on your back.
Hike the na pali coast on Kauai.....if your into the camping thing you can spend a couple days hiking.....but, just hiking to the waterfall is a good day-long adventure.....the hike is amazing, the pools under the falls, crystal clear and great for swimming.....
I hiked it in 2009ish. An amazing hike but it’s very difficult. Eleven miles of challenging hiking. Six river crossings. In and out of the jungle where’s it’s hot and humid. Out and around VERY exposed pali/cliff with 300’ foot drops to crashing surf. (See the video I posted.) People die on the trail regularly. The payoff is an amazing, private beach. Its the beach seen in the opening of the original Jurassic Park island fly in scene. We spent 4 nights camping back there. Collecting mango in the surrounding trees. Bathing under waterfalls. It’s paradise.
Here’s ‘crawler’s ledge’ in the NaPail trail. It’s no joke...
Yeah. No can do for lampy...,,
There’s a ‘pucker factor’ to it for sure. You see how much he’s leaning. When your pack touches the wall you have to be careful to not ‘over steer’ and swing the weight back the other way. The other way is a fall to your death. They tell you not to hike that section if there’s been recent rain. The trail has a lot of red clay sections. When wet it gets slick. It’ll also gum up your boot treads. Though there’s not clay on Crawler’s Ledge you can carry it with you to that section and not realize it. It’s the real deal. No mistakes.
I love Kauai. It’s quiet. It’s not overly touristy. Has amazing beaches. Great diversity in landscape from the jungle covered pali to the depths of Waimea Canyon. Breathtaking. It’s a small island. You feel it’s (lack of) size when you’re there. It’s got fewer towns. I prefer Kapa’a. It’s a small town. Pretty salt of the earth. Has a nice beach or three. If you want to drop a little more money and play golf or what not I’d recommend the town of Poipu. Really cute little walkable historic area. Nice selection of restaurants. A golf course or two too.
Maui is more touristy. Great beaches. Not as diverse as far as terrain. There’s more options on the island as it has bigger towns. More of them. It plays more to tourists. Easy snorkeling trips to Molokini Crater. Great whale watching if your there at the right time of year. I stay just outside of Kihei. It’s a great little beach town. Another is Lahaina.
Look around for rental condos. Much cheaper if you can cook a few of your own meals. The islands are expensive. Eating out can dig into a budget quickly. Though groceries are scary costly too. Don’t look at the price if milk or bacon... you’ll stroke out.
My time on Kauai was spent camping on beaches, staying in hostels, and a couple ‘cheap’ hotels. (Nothing is cheap.) I have a buddy with a vacation condo on Maui. So the cost of housing is covered when I go there. I tend to go there more. Imagine that.
I honestly prefer the vibe of Kauai much more. As does my buddy with the condo. The difference is it’s a straight 5 hour flight Portland to Maui. You have to puddle jump to get to Kauai. Hence he bought the Maui condo for its added convenience.
You can’t go wrong. The islands are beautiful. Treat the locals with respect. Don’t be surprised if a local gives you a sideways look. We are haole. I can’t blame them.
The sun will get you. It’s no joke. Watch out for tiger sharks. Aloha!
Thanks Portland ... i really appreciate it .... sounds like u love it and get there quite a bit ...
So ... if u and your buddy who own the condo had to pay for your trip it sounds like you’d go to Kauai and rental condo’s are the most economical way to go ... correct? .... or are the rental condo’s on Maui only? ...
No mention of Oahu or the big isle ... not a fan or never been? ...
Guess some background is in order ... I’m going with my girl whose never been ... with that in ind what u do Portland? ... u seem to have been there at least a few times ....
Would u still stick to one island? .... would Waikiki be a must? .... the north shore? .. or would it just one one or two of the other islands? ... and were both 60 so we won’t be hiking that trail ... at this point i’m more of a riding a dolphin and helicopter tour kinda tourist ...
Thanks again ... hope u don’t mind if i pick your brain on this ...
I’m not a ‘tourist’ type traveler. I’m not looking to go to bars/nightlife and such. I go to the islands to get away from the city.... to escape tourists, busses, crowds. Kauai has the Aloha spirit. Very laid back. If you know how to find them there are very quiet, off the beaten path beaches. It’s a great place to unwind. There’s still some of ‘old’ Hawaii there.
If you’re trying to have a ‘vacation’... Have a few more options for higher end dining experiences... be around more shopping and beach town type energy... Kihei, Maui.
If you know anyone who lives in Hawaii, get them to book your hotel. Because there is the tourist rate and the cheaper local rate.
Thanks Eve ... thats awesome to know ... as i get close to booking if i decide to go the hotel route ... u may see a thread asking who knows someone in Hawaii that would book my rooms for me .... i’d take them and there’s out to dinner or do something else for them while i was there to show my appreciation ..
So you’ve only gone to Oahu on your trips over other than the one side trip to the big isle? ..
U must really love Oahu ...
Thanks for all the tips on things to do on Oahu ... appreciate your time ...
Sounds like u been to Oahu, Maui and the big isle ... awesome dude ... how many trips is that? ..
I’m with U and Portland and would avoid Oahu and just chill on either Kauai or Maui but my guess is I’m going to have to go to the touristy island for at least a few days .... we’ll see how that works out when its time ... the trip is 100% about her ... except for the dolphin swim and helo tour its gonna be her world ...
Your not a fan of the “lifestyle” on Oahu or the terrain of the big isle and u love Maui and are the 2nd poster to tell me to go the condo route ...
How many times u been? ... sounds like 2 or 3 maybe or did u do all 3 isle’s on the same trip? ...
How long did u stay for ... if its multiple trips did u stay the same length of time or did u vary? .. .
If you know anyone who lives in Hawaii, get them to book your hotel. Because there is the tourist rate and the cheaper local rate.
Thanks Eve ... thats awesome to know ... as i get close to booking if i decide to go the hotel route ... u may see a thread asking who knows someone in Hawaii that would book my rooms for me .... i’d take them and there’s out to dinner or do something else for them while i was there to show my appreciation ..
So you’ve only gone to Oahu on your trips over other than the one side trip to the big isle? ..
U must really love Oahu ...
Thanks for all the tips on things to do on Oahu ... appreciate your time ...
He hasn't been around for quite a while, but we had a poster named Heldawg who listed his location as Kailua, Hawaii. There's an email addy on his member page, so I'm assuming his wouldn't mind hearing from other posters ...
Diam, I've only been once for a couple of weeks. We stayed on Oahu and the Big Island. I've not been to Maui. My wife's father was born and raised on Oahu, that's why we went there and of course Pearl Harbor. I didn't care for the island itself, while the mountains are gorgeous, Honolulu is just high-rise hotels and shops and more high-rise hotels and shops. Thankfully we were only there for four days. I'm sure I missed something of value but we saw what we went there to see. I won't go back.
The Big Island I enjoyed quite a bit. I love the lava rock. The beauty of the black rock surrounding the golf course at the condos I stayed at, was one of the reasons I booked that site. I linked to where I stayed in my earlier post, Mauna Lani Point. You may have read that wrong and thought I stayed on Maui. I rented a car here and drove all over the island. Every morning I drove into one of the small towns and ate at a local cafe for breakfast and loved talking to the local people in a non-tourist fashion. We watched the sunset from the top of Mauna Kea at 13,000 feet, dressed in a parka. This is a nice, relaxing island.
Since I've been there now, and know what about Hawaii I like and what I don't want a part of, my continued research has led me to Kauai. My wife and I are thinking about going next year. My across the street neighbor has been there multiple times and has given me some great ideas where to stay. I'm not as adventurous, or young as Portland, so I'll skip the climbing, but I do want to get into the nature of this island.
Trip Advisor is a great resource too. First hand reviews of places by actual patrons. Reviews for hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, tour guides, public parks, museums, etc. I use it a ton when planning my adventures. I’m also a reviewer. Not that it’s anything special as anyone can be one.
Kauai is my favorite. We stayed at the Priceville resort each time except for the cruise. Then we stayed on ship.
Oahu is nice, but Honolulu is a big city. I Wouldn't spend all of my time there is island hopping is a option. The Royal Hawaiian is where we stayed.
I also liked the Big Island, but I like observatories and volcano tours.
If you have the time, I would recommend stopping in Vegas for a couple of days on the return. We did that the last 2 trips. It makes the transition back to eastern time much easier.
On the other end, there is a 6 hour time difference between eastern time and Hawaii-Aleutian time. Don't go to bed before 8-9PM when you get there even though it will be 2-3 AM back home. Sleep until you are ready to get up and that will knock the lead out of your boots the rest of the trip.
Going west isn't all that hard. The hard part is going back east. Also, work the schedule so you don't have to report to work the morning after your return.
Also, plan on about 40% more money then you think you will need. It's expensive
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
So ..... is this when you plan on proposing, or a honeymoon?
Just doing a little reading between the lines .......
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
I’m not a ‘tourist’ type traveler. I’m not looking to go to bars/nightlife and such. I go to the islands to get away from the city.... to escape tourists, busses, crowds. Kauai has the Aloha spirit. Very laid back. If you know how to find them there are very quiet, off the beaten path beaches. It’s a great place to unwind. There’s still some of ‘old’ Hawaii there.
If you’re trying to have a ‘vacation’... Have a few more options for higher end dining experiences... be around more shopping and beach town type energy... Kihei, Maui.
If you want to be a tourist. Waikiki.
Thanks for your time Portland ... appreciate it ...
Its way early .. long long way to go ... but she sounds like Waikiki/Oahu isn’t going to be even close to a must for her ... Thats music to my ears ... sounds like the other 3 Isles are way more my kind of isles ...
ANYONE BEEN ON A HELO TOUR? .... if so, please tell ... was it worth it? ...
I also wanna do the dolphin swim ... that may force us to an island ... i’ve heard its only on one ... guess i should gather the info on that and then determine if its important enough to make that island mandatory ...
Will know more on Monday ... busy planning weekend ahead ... the best part of this .... i ask someone if they’ve ever been to Hawaii .... 5 minutes later i get to ask my questions as EVERYONE loves sharing there Hawaii stories ....
Looking forward to this almost as much as I am OUR SEASON!!
If you know anyone who lives in Hawaii, get them to book your hotel. Because there is the tourist rate and the cheaper local rate.
Thanks Eve ... thats awesome to know ... as i get close to booking if i decide to go the hotel route ... u may see a thread asking who knows someone in Hawaii that would book my rooms for me .... i’d take them and there’s out to dinner or do something else for them while i was there to show my appreciation ..
So you’ve only gone to Oahu on your trips over other than the one side trip to the big isle? ..
U must really love Oahu ...
Thanks for all the tips on things to do on Oahu ... appreciate your time ...
I went there when I was young. My friends and I all worked together at Delta. So we had our little travel group that would fly around to places using our flight benefits. Oahu was a great destination because we just wanted an exotic resort type place. We got to party and have the tourist experience.
Plus, at that time, Delta only flew direct to Oahu and Maui. Its an 8 hour nonstop flight. So, convienence was a factor. At this point in my life, if I wanted a resort experience, I'd just go to Cancun or the Carribean. 2 hour flight sounds way better than 8 hour flight.
We did more off the beaten path type vacations when we went to Europe. Because thats a whole different ball of wax.
I’ve not done the helicopter tour. I just can’t get myself to drop the kind of money they want. The cost per minute + cost to experience ratio just isn’t there for me. For less money I get a half day out on a boat whale watching while on the way to snorkel for a few hours, plus lunch. I’m not a wealthy guy. I have to make what I have work for me. It’s not for lack of want. Nor is it really about the money, per se. It’s because I’m cheap.... and I feel like it’s a bit of a price gouge. Maybe one day I’ll pull the trigger.
There are lots of island hopping day tours. So you can pick one island as a home base and day trip to the other islands. Either via plane or boat.
Went there on our honeymoon, some 23 years ago.
Make sure your drivers license isn't expired. We woke up early to go from Oahu to another island, and as we were leaving the hotel, wife asked if she needed her drivers license. I said no.
Turned out, MY license had expired the day before. I only know that because every rental car place we went to wouldn't rent us a car.
It was an awkward moment. We flew back to Oahu. Wife spent the afternoon by the pool, I spent the afternoon at the pool bar.
Next morning, we flew back to the island we had been to.........except my wife had her driver's license. We rented a car, and I drove. Took that Chrysler Sebring convertible on roads that said "4 wheel drive only". Got some great views of the ocean - terrain - local life, etc.
Wife and I honeymooned in Maui and did a helicopter tour. Probably wouldn't do it again. I don't remember the cost, but I recall being underwhelmed by the sites and nervous about being in the helicopter. It didn't help that my wife didn't like it at all and didn't feel safe so she was nervous the entire time.
If you end up doing Maui, the Haleakala Crater is a must in my opinion. Probably the second coolest thing I've seen after the Grand Canyon. Feels like you're on the moon.
Never been to Kauai but would like to go. Maui is a good size, not too big not too small. Been to Oahu too. Just feels like you're in any other city in the states. Wouldn't go back.
Good luck.
LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
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This is all one single tree. The tree extends way beyond this photo.
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