Which island? Hawaii first timer.

[mikey0531 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mikey0531]

My cousin has asked me to get them to Hawaii for their 10th anniversary. They've never been and neither have I. For a first timer, which island would you experts recommend?

Thanks,
Debi

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Think of the islands as women. Picking among the islands is like picking among blondes, brunettes, and redheads. There is no bad choice.

[PHILL12 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PHILL12]

We love Maui and have been there about six times in last fifteen years.

We stayed in timeshares and after leaving timeshares for about ten years stayed in hotels.

This would always be first choice for us!

Second choice and most beautiful island id Kauai. Only problem is it is very laid back so if your out for night action it can get boring during long stay.

PHILL12

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

We own a timeshare on Maui and spent many summer vacationing there. We've also spent time on Oahu, Kauai, Molokai and the Big Island of Hawaii. Hands down, currently, our favorite is the Big Island.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

As has been suggested, there is no bad choice.

We loved Kauai, and would go back there. Or Maui. Or the Big Island.

[legalls Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close legalls]

Try more than one

My suggestion would be to try more than one. 3 days on Oahu, 4 on the Big Island and 3 on Maui. The cost isn't that much more and you get a sample of each for your next trip. Pleasant Hawaiian has deals you can get.

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

Not try to do too much

First of all, I'm not a Hawaii expert as we've only been there twice, for our 25th and 35th Anniversaries, but I was told that if you try to do the four major islands on a short trip, you will spend too much time traveling, so for both of our trips we did 2 weeks; an island each week. First time we did the Big Island of Hawaii and Oahu; second time Kauai and Oahu. My choice would be pair any of the other islands with Oahu.

JMHO
Nancy

ps. Haven't been to Maui so can't comment on it, but might want to pair it with Kauai or Hawaii.

[tennisWalt Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tennisWalt]

I Agree

First of all, I'm not a Hawaii expert as we've only been there twice, for our 25th and 35th Anniversaries, but I was told that if you try to do the four major islands on a short trip, you will spend too much time traveling, so for both of our trips we did 2 weeks; an island each week. First time we did the Big Island of Hawaii and Oahu; second time Kauai and Oahu. My choice would be pair any of the other islands with Oahu.

JMHO
Nancy

ps. Haven't been to Maui so can't comment on it, but might want to pair it with Kauai or Hawaii.

Hawaii is being laid back. Spend at least a week on each island being laid back and enjoy Hawaii the way you should.

Walt

[mikey0531 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mikey0531]

Thanks everyone. Unfortunately, they are only able to go for one week

Debi

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Thanks everyone. Unfortunately, they are only able to go for one week

Debi

Debi when are they thinking of going? That will probably play a big part on which timeshare you can get. With RCI the easiest island to get would be Kauai, followed by the Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Molokai. This is mostly due to the number of resorts and also the affiliation/brand of the resorts on each island.

No matter which one you get you can't go wrong from what I hear.

[vacation_family99 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vacation_family99]

Kauai gets our vote!

We have been to Oahu and Kauai twice and Maui once. Our favorite island is Kauai -- it is very beautiful and there is lots to do during the day. At night time, we like to sit by ocean and relax.

[mikey0531 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mikey0531]

Debi when are they thinking of going? That will probably play a big part on which timeshare you can get. With RCI the easiest island to get would be Kauai, followed by the Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Molokai. This is mostly due to the number of resorts and also the affiliation/brand of the resorts on each island.

No matter which one you get you can't go wrong from what I hear.

What they want is July -- but I will have to tell her to open up her options. I'm searching in Interval and RCI. She wants to surprise her husband for their 10th anniversary -- but I think I'd have better luck if she'd travel during the school year, at least.

Debi

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

What they want is July -- but I will have to tell her to open up her options. I'm searching in Interval and RCI. She wants to surprise her husband for their 10th anniversary -- but I think I'd have better luck if she'd travel during the school year, at least.

Debi

July 2009?

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

We've been to Maui and Hawaii (Big Island). We enjoyed both, but found more interesting things to do on Hawaii. DH needs to "do things" all the time.

Big Island doesn't have a lot of beaches, but there are some lovely ones. Now that he's been to both of these islands, he probably wouldn't consider Maui again.

I think Volcano National Park is a BIG reason to go to the Big Island. It was the favorite part of my vacation, but we did so many wonderful and exciting things. You could have them read "Maui Revealed", "Big Island Revealed", and "Kauai Revealed" to see what appeals most to them. No matter what, I think they'll have a wonderful time.

BTW, we were on Big Island in early June 2008 and it was pretty empty. We were on Maui starting the Sat. before Labor Day, 2006. On the following Tuesday, the place cleared out. We prefer to avoid crowds on our vacations so we thought it was great.

[mikey0531 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mikey0531]

July 2009?

Yes, July, 2009.

Thanks again for all this info.

Debi