When to vacation in Hawaii?

[RESORT2ME Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RESORT2ME]

It seems the majority visit Hawaii in the winter, particularly February and March.
I can understand that you go when it is cold where you reside.

Others, that is when you purchased your timeshare weeks. Etc., etc.

I understand you can’t go during school months.


We will be looking for timeshare availability. I'm sure that will be a determining factor.


Flight prices too, vary throughout the year. Can one simply check airfare and seat availability to determine when is best? My thinking here is, if rates are low and many seats are available, something is wrong, we might NOT wish to go at such a time.

We were on the Big Island and Oahu the middle two weeks of December. That seemed pretty good and the airfare was fair.

Anyway, I have been trying to figure a time when it's best to go, if there is a best. The whales are in. School is in session, fewer children.

Also, when NOT to go? Rainy season, no whales. Or when too many tourist fill the eateries, beaches and pools.

Is there an OFF season when things are dead? I would think not.

When are the shoulder weeks?


I think more people see and reply to a question like this on G & A Cafe, as many never look on Hawaii unless they are wishing to go. I'll try it here first to find out.
---------------------------

Robert

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

It seems the majority visit Hawaii in the winter, particularly February and March.
I can understand that you go when it is cold where you reside.

Others, that is when you purchased your timeshare weeks. Etc., etc.

I understand you can’t go during school months.


We will be looking for timeshare availability. I'm sure that will be a determining factor.


Flight prices too, vary throughout the year. Can one simply check airfare and seat availability to determine when is best? My thinking here is, if rates are low and many seats are available, something is wrong, we might NOT wish to go at such a time.

We were on the Big Island and Oahu the middle two weeks of December. That seemed pretty good and the airfare was fair.

Anyway, I have been trying to figure a time when it's best to go, if there is a best. The whales are in. School is in session, fewer children.

Also, when NOT to go? Rainy season, no whales. Or when too many tourist fill the eateries, beaches and pools.

Is there an OFF season when things are dead? I would think not.

When are the shoulder weeks?


I think more people see and reply to a question like this on G & A Cafe, as many never look on Hawaii unless they are wishing to go. I'll try it here first to find out.
---------------------------

Robert

Off season is the same as everywhere, April and October and the two weeks before the December holidays. There is no downside to visiting Hawaii during those months.

We've gone in August, February, March, June and October. If you go in the summer, choose a resort that has air conditioning. Even if you don't use it, having the option is worth it. That's the lesson we learned from our June and August trips. We used to prefer Feb/Mar to escape the worst of the East Coast winter weather. Now we prefer it because we like to watch the whales. Winter is definitely high season and you should have searches started well in advance if you want to stay somewhere specific. Less chance of cheap airfare during the winter, too.

We've never had issues with rain. Avoid Hilo and Princeville and you will probably not have issues with rain. There aren't any Hilo timeshares that I know of anyway.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Hawaii is so easy to get right now because of the economy. I don't know about the airlines but I get lots of deals almost every day. The best months for the whales are February and March. What island do you want to visit and how long do you plan to stay? A week is not enough and certainly not when you come from the east coast. Three weeks would be terrific and you may want to visit a second island.

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

New to the forum, so just now read this post.

My wife and I have been to Hawaii (Maui) 3 times now, twice in late February, once in mid May. We will be going to Kauai next March. So far, our best experiences have been in February. We had two great experiences on whale watching trips. The weather was great, the sea was reasonably calm, and it was just about perfect. When we were on Maui in mid-May, it was pretty windy and the whales had gone home for the year. So we plan on making it a point to go to Maui (or Kauai if we find we like it better) in mid or late February every year that we can manage it.

My brother and his family have gone in October and November, and feel that it is too warm and humid in October, but November is very pleasant. For us, the fact that there are no whales in Maui in November is a deterrent, so we are going to stick to February.

[RESORT2ME Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RESORT2ME]

Welcome to Timeshare Forums,

That is pretty much what I’m hearing… February and March is the latest for whale watching. Never have seen whales.

We were on Hawaii and Oahu in December. Found it enjoyable. Expected a nice shower sometime each day.

Never have been to Maui or Kauai. Have read a lot on each and looked at many photos posted by members here and on other forums. Rather then decide which, I hope to afford two weeks at each. That will take some puzzle fitting; resort reservations, flight fares and dates.

To complicate things a bit, we would like to visit family near Portland on the return leg. Hopefully mid-April will be warmer than February.

We're thinking of flying straight into Maui, inter-island fly to Kauai, then return to conus from Kauai. So far, the fares for excluding a stop in Honolulu makes no sense, economically.

I have an idea if we find round trips to Honolulu to be less expensive overall, we may opt for a couple nights on Oahu before returning.

Thanks for joining in.

Robert

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

There is never a bad time....we have been almost every month out of the year. There is so much to do if you are adventurous and also lazy. We usually go at least two weeks to three weeks at a time and we now stay on one island that entire time.

One thing that is really nice about the summer months is that the northern beaches are calm enough to swim, snorkel, and dive. They are too rough during the winter months. But we love the winter months too....just do different things and go to different beaches.

It really depends on what is important to you.

[mike2200 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mike2200]

Maui in Feb

we almost always go in Feb to Maui and have whale watching to be great, last year we saw so many all the way along the coast from Marriott to Marriott

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

We have been to HI in December, January, Feb and early March....enjoyed every time.

We love Kauai, and the BI is our second fave...couldn't really connect with Maui, but understand why folks love it...we just didn't get the vibe when we visited there.

While Princeville is on the rainy end of Kauai, we have never found the rain overwhelming .... sometimes it would rain for an hour or two and then on one day, it could rain most of the day....but we always found a way to drive to a "dry area," like Poipu or Kapaa and enjoy the day there.

We have seen whales on the East coast, and the whales in HI....and no matter which whale you get to see, get to be close to, it is a thrill.

If you spend time in Kauai, be sure to visit the lighthouse sanctuary....it is a neat spot... Kilauea Lighthouse

Seasons are one thing to keep in mind, for sure when we travel, but when you are considering Hawaii, keep this in mind as well: there is nothing quite like the Hawaiian people, and the Aloha spirit is something to fully experience, live and enjoy.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

We feel the same way.....our last two trips were over two and three weeks long and all in Maui but still not the same as Kauai and the BI. Maui has grown on us though.

We love Kauai, and the BI is our second fave...couldn't really connect with Maui, but understand why folks love it...we just didn't get the vibe when we visited there.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Now that I have been in Hawaii every month of the year, I have a definite opinion about this topic.

For the most part, I agree that any time of year is a good time to go. However, there are some minor nuances that matter.

1) Despite what most people believe, I would say that October is the hottest month of the year. Forget about the temperature records. What determines the comfort level are the trade winds. The trade winds are the air conditioning of the islands. Even when it is hot, when the trades are blowing, it's very nice.

June, July and August really aren't that bad given the trades. It just feels like perfect summer days.

2) On other hand, when the Kona winds are blowing, or there is no wind, then it gets hot and humid. Normally, we don't use any A/C. When it gets hot in the summers, we usually run A/C only in the afternoons as the evenings are glorious. However, when the Kona winds are blowing, you get VOG and the A/C needs to be running most of the day and evening. In October, we had the A/C going almost continuously.

3) The best and mildest weather in from November to April. May and June are still very good. But, the best months are those. Very similar to South Florida.

4) The busiest time of year is July 4th week and Christmas/New Year. Winter is busy, but not as much as these holiday weeks.

5) Winter means big waves on the North Shore. Summer means no waves on the North Shore. So, the activities are different for diving, Na Pali Coast, etc. Whales are here from Nov to Mar/April. Peak is late January to February. My personal favorite time is February. Jan can get a bit cold which means closing the windows at night, sleeping with a blanket and having to wear sweat pants in the mornings.

Right now, it is glorious outside. After a hot and humid month of Oct, it's wonderful to have weather a paradise should always have.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Oh yeah, it's a bit more rainy in the winter months. You are much more likely to get extended rains in the winter months. In the summer, it can get really dry on the leeward side of the islands. Personally, I like it when it is very lush. So, I like the rains. The best scenario is when it rains at night and is sunny with scattered showers during the day.

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

April, May, June, Sept.

We have gone in all of the above months and only in June did we get some rain but it wasn't enough to keep us from doing anything.
We used to go almost every year in April or May because the kids used to get out the same week in April every year for Spring break. When it wasn't Easter week we would go because the rates were good.
We used to go in May when the kids were very small and always had good weather.
Bart

[RESORT2ME Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RESORT2ME]

I do appreciate all the input.
Our 50th is coming up in June. We probably will be treating ourselves all this year.
We went to Michigan for a month, returned via Nashville.
Plan to leave for Florida in a week or so.

Want to see whales and spend 2 weeks on Maui, then 2 more on Kauai. We're thinking 19 March till 5 April or so.

Want to return with a stop over to see son and family near Portland, OR. I hope there is snow on Hood but don't need snow to drive around in after Hawaii warmth.

I don't think Doug's coats will fit fat Rob.

Anyway, thanks for the input.

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

Just curious when is the peak Hurricane season for Hawaii?