Favorite Island

[chachi]

I have been to Hawaii a few times, but will be taking my first cruise there. I am debating where I should spend a few days precruise. Right now I am leaning toward the Big Island. I know that I have not included all of the islands, but these are the only ones I am considering. So if your favorite isn't on here, which of the islands mentioned do you prefer?

[flamomo]

It was a hard choice between Kauai and Maui. I really like both places, and I do think maybe Maui has somewhat more to do and see, but Kauai is really the most beautiful.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

My vote was for Maui!:)

[Sheralyn]

Our of all the Hawaiian islands we've been to, Maui was my favourite - there was just a ton of stuff to do. I also like the fact that Maui has a variety in terrain - the summit of Mount Haleakala there is like being on the moon - but then you can still get into the gorgeous tropical terrain too (especially around the Hana area, on the east side of the islan).

 

But, I must say that the Big Island should be seen at least once. In particular, the Volcano National Park there is phenomenal! We spent some time there on our honeymoon, and it was awesome! There are active lava flows that can be seen, which is really cool (although kind of freaky to think you're on an island with an active volcano!).

[Lionesss]

I have visited the Hawaian Islands, eight times, and this last summer stayed on Oahu.

It has culture, some night life, beaches, hiking history, crowds, (oops).

No really, love them all but Oahu and Waikiki have the biggest place in my heart.

Safe travels.

[Brad1185]

Oahu is by far our favorate and Maui is our least favorate.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

It's a toss-up between Kauai and Big Island for me. I chose Big Island cuz it is so under-rated. It has volcano's, waterfalls, and Kona offers the best activities like snorkeling, parasailing etc.

[TexasHorseLady]

I have been to Hawaii a few times, but will be taking my first cruise there. I am debating where I should spend a few days precruise. Right now I am leaning toward the Big Island. I know that I have not included all of the islands, but these are the only ones I am considering. So if your favorite isn't on here, which of the islands mentioned do you prefer?

 

Here is what I think:

 

Kauai - gorgeous, but not much to do but look at how gorgeous it is. It would be wonderful for a honeymoon...but if they were not on their honeymoon some people might get bored.

 

Maui - A lot of things to do, but I find it just a little too manicured and tourist oriented. The resorts all look like Disney designed them (landscaped terraced waterfalls, palm trees strategically placed) and although everything was truly beautiful I prefer natural beauty to that look. Haleakala was interesting, Hana was a nice drive. Lahaina has a lot of gift shops with t shirts and trinkets made in China. Ulupalakua winery is a nice visit and a pretty drive.

 

Oahu - The Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona is a must see. I like historic Duke's restaurant in Waikiki, and the open air market across the street under the big banyon tree. But I hate the idea of going to a tropical island and having that much concrete and steel around me...too many people, too many cars, too much city.

 

The Big Island - My favorite. There is a lot of variety, but some people only see the lava flows between the airport and Kona and think it all looks that way. It doesn't. But you have to drive a little to find the hidden treasures like black sand beaches where turtles nest and South Point, where the locals dive off the steep cliff just for fun. Up north has open grasslands with deer and big pine trees, and beautiful grassy rolling hills, and there are plenty of waterfalls and jungle canyons to explore on the east side. Kona is a funky town with a restaurants and shops, but is has more of a funloving island feel to it than Lahaina. On the big island you can see the only Royal Palace in the US, listen to live island music outside as you watch the sunset at Huggos on The Rocks, and you can see real live hot lava and steam when you drive up to the volcano.

 

A cruise is the perfect way to see all of the islands, but for a pre-cruise I'd choose the big island. Unless you have kids, and then you might want to consider one of the Maui resorts with a great pool and waterslide. :)

[chachi]

But, I must say that the Big Island should be seen at least once. In particular, the Volcano National Park there is phenomenal! We spent some time there on our honeymoon, and it was awesome! There are active lava flows that can be seen, which is really cool (although kind of freaky to think you're on an island with an active volcano!).

 

This is why I am leaning toward the Big Island. I saw a volcano in Costa Rica and it was awesome. I saw it from far away in the dark though, so you really only saw a little red stream coming down, you could hardly see the volcano. It seems like you can see and do a lot more at Volcano National Park.

[chachi]

I have visited the Hawaian Islands, eight times, and this last summer stayed on Oahu.

It has culture, some night life, beaches, hiking history, crowds, (oops).

No really, love them all but Oahu and Waikiki have the biggest place in my heart.

Safe travels.

 

I love Oahu as well. I have been there 3 times though so I am looking to branch out and try something new. I included it in the poll only to see how it compares to the other islands.

[chachi]

Oahu is by far our favorate and Maui is our least favorate.

 

Wow, I've never heard anyone say Maui was their least favorite. I would like to see it, but I am more interested in the Big Island and Kauai right now. My mom really wants to see Maui though.

[chachi]

Here is what I think:

 

Kauai - gorgeous, but not much to do but look at how gorgeous it is. It would be wonderful for a honeymoon...but if they were not on their honeymoon some people might get bored.

 

Maui - A lot of things to do, but I find it just a little too manicured and tourist oriented. The resorts all look like Disney designed them (landscaped terraced waterfalls, palm trees strategically placed) and although everything was truly beautiful I prefer natural beauty to that look. Haleakala was interesting, Hana was a nice drive. Lahaina has a lot of gift shops with t shirts and trinkets made in China. Ulupalakua winery is a nice visit and a pretty drive.

 

Oahu - The Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona is a must see. I like historic Duke's restaurant in Waikiki, and the open air market across the street under the big banyon tree. But I hate the idea of going to a tropical island and having that much concrete and steel around me...too many people, too many cars, too much city.

 

The Big Island - My favorite. There is a lot of variety, but some people only see the lava flows between the airport and Kona and think it all looks that way. It doesn't. But you have to drive a little to find the hidden treasures like black sand beaches where turtles nest and South Point, where the locals dive off the steep cliff just for fun. Up north has open grasslands with deer and big pine trees, and beautiful grassy rolling hills, and there are plenty of waterfalls and jungle canyons to explore on the east side. Kona is a funky town with a restaurants and shops, but is has more of a funloving island feel to it than Lahaina. On the big island you can see the only Royal Palace in the US, listen to live island music outside as you watch the sunset at Huggos on The Rocks, and you can see real live hot lava and steam when you drive up to the volcano.

 

A cruise is the perfect way to see all of the islands, but for a pre-cruise I'd choose the big island. Unless you have kids, and then you might want to consider one of the Maui resorts with a great pool and waterslide. :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed response. I have no kids, and this won't be a honeymoon. Kauai looks gorgeous, but I have found more activities on the Big Island that I want to do. Your post may help me make my decision!

[chachi]

It's a toss-up between Kauai and Big Island for me. I chose Big Island cuz it is so under-rated. It has volcano's, waterfalls, and Kona offers the best activities like snorkeling, parasailing etc.

 

I think that is part of the reason I want to go there. You don't hear as much about it as you do the other islands. I don't know anyone who has been there.

[chachi]

Our of all the Hawaiian islands we've been to, Maui was my favourite - there was just a ton of stuff to do. I also like the fact that Maui has a variety in terrain - the summit of Mount Haleakala there is like being on the moon - but then you can still get into the gorgeous tropical terrain too (especially around the Hana area, on the east side of the islan).

 

But, I must say that the Big Island should be seen at least once. In particular, the Volcano National Park there is phenomenal! We spent some time there on our honeymoon, and it was awesome! There are active lava flows that can be seen, which is really cool (although kind of freaky to think you're on an island with an active volcano!).

 

 

Maui is what everyone I know is telling me to do, but the Big Island is calling my name. I guess I'll just have to go again. I guess that is the good thing about a Hawaiian cruise. I will get to sample all of the islands, so I can decide where to go next.

 

 

Wow, I really wish I knew how to include more than one quote in a post. Sorry for all of my replies, but I really want to thank everyone for responding. It is helping with my decision. Now I just need to convince my mother (I am paying for the trip though so I don't know how much say I'm going to let her have).

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I think that is part of the reason I want to go there. You don't hear as much about it as you do the other islands. I don't know anyone who has been there.

 

 

That is why I want to go back. The first time I went there I had no interest in the Big Island cuz nothing there really was a big interest like Maui or Kauai. So I didn't book any excursions in Hilo & stayed on the ship. I planned on staying on the ship in Kona too cuz it was a tender port. Being a new cruiser I thought I just didn't want to deal with it. That is until I saw Kona from the harbor. OMG. It is beautiful. In the harbor between the ship and shore was parasailing, jet ski's, catamarans going on snorkeling excursions, buses taking you to Walmart, Kmart, Hilo Hatties etc. I had to get off the ship. If I had know what I know now, I would done parasailing in Kona instead of Maui. Maui required renting a car and driving 30 minutes to Lahaina and searching all over for parasailing. Not fun. All because I heard Maui was the best. Not in my opinion. I can't wait to go back to Kona.

[Carolyn R]

Ahhh! All the islands are wonderful but the Big Island has my vote to stay a few days pre or post cruise. If your ship stops in Hilo visit the Volcanco National Park on your own by renting a car, very easy. Stay for a few days on the Kona side and visit a coffee farm, do a snorkle tour, drive to Waimea, Hapuna Beach, and drive up to the very northmost end of the island to Hawi and have lunch at the Bamboo Restaurant. Auntie Mary's potstickers with peanut sauce can't be beat!

[CC Help Michell]

(personal preference here, based on our cruise in Hawaii in 2007)

 

I absolutely fell in love with the Hilo side of the BI. It just felt like a place we could live and be happy -- plus we got to visit an active volcano, which is only possible in a very few places. We loved the Kona side of the BI, as well -- love the water activities, plus marvelous snorkeling -- we'd like to go back for fishing, too.

 

Our second favorite island was Oahu -- we really enjoyed all the parts of it we visited, including Honolulu, and would love to spend a week or two there at some point.

 

We thought Maui and Kauai were beautiful. If we never visited again, though, we'd be okay with that. They felt "vacation-y" to us, versus the BI, which felt like coming "home," for some reason.

 

I was very glad to have had the chance to find that out for ourselves, because the "conventional wisdom" about Hawaii is that Maui or Kauai are the places to go -- that turned out not to be true for us. I guess that's what makes the world go around -- there's something for everyone! :)

[CC Help Michell]

Maui is what everyone I know is telling me to do, but the Big Island is calling my name. I guess I'll just have to go again. I guess that is the good thing about a Hawaiian cruise. I will get to sample all of the islands, so I can decide where to go next.

 

 

Wow, I really wish I knew how to include more than one quote in a post. Sorry for all of my replies, but I really want to thank everyone for responding. It is helping with my decision. Now I just need to convince my mother (I am paying for the trip though so I don't know how much say I'm going to let her have).

 

If you click on the second square from the right when replying -- it has quotation marks and a plus sign in it -- that's the tool to let you quote from multiple posts.

 

It works very well and is pretty easy to use once you jump in and try it. As you go down the list of posts, click on that square in all of the ones you wish to quote. When you have clicked all you want, then at the bottom click on "Post Reply" and you'll get a reply box with several quotes in it. From there you can reply to each one as you desire.

 

Hope that works for you! :)

[TexasHorseLady]

drive up to the very northmost end of the island to Hawi and have lunch at the Bamboo Restaurant. Auntie Mary's potstickers with peanut sauce can't be beat!

 

Oh I love the Bamboo restaurant! I always get their Chinese Chicken Salad. It's a fun drive there, too. Lots of little shops and things to see.

[patterson3]

Just came back from Hawaii on Thursday. Spent most of the trip on Maui (which we loved), as well as one day on Lanai and one day on Oahu. For us, Lanai was very interesting, especially in the village near the Koele four seasons resort (very un-Hawaiian), but the Manele Bay resort (and Challenge golf course) made the day trip well worth it. But I couldn't see spending more than a day or two on Lanai. As for Oahu, one day was more than enough- Pearl Harbor was amazing (and since I lost my grandfather just 2 weeks ago, and he was a veteran of the pacific conflict in WWII, it was especially touching for me), but the waikiki area was way too crowded. It reminded me of Times Square meets South Beach. Great place to people watch, but if you value privacy at all than you do not want to go anywhere near Waikiki Beach. Unfortunately we got to Diamond Head just as they were closing for the day so we didn't get to enjoy that, but the sceneray looked amazing there. Overall, if I ever went back to Oahu I'd probably stay at Turtle Bay, as far away from Waikiki as you can get. As for Maui, we split our time between west Maui and south Maui and we loved both areas for different reasons- West Maui, especially the Kanaapali area was beautiful and had a lot to do but (at least when we were there) was never too crowded. Lahaina was interesting- a little cheap and touristy but definitely charming too. You can't pass up the shave ice on front street!!!...and south Maui is extremely beautiful, but expensive!!...unfortunately we didn't make it out to Hana (hopefully someday...I especially wanted to check out Hamoa Beach)....

 

Anyway, next time we make it to Hawai'i we're hoping to check out the Big Island. But best of luck with your trip. I'm sure you'll have an unbelievable stay wherever you choose!!

[jajayjay]

I love them all just depends on the season and my mood and who is traveling with me.