Hawaii......Recommendations?

[JordanLotoski]

So I have yet to go to Hawaii, Was thinking of taking my wife December 17th -24th.

No clue what island to stay on, what hotel...

Any tips, suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks

[Neil4Speed]

What kind of vacation are you looking for, all of Hawaii is amazing, but Kauai really stuck out for me as being away from reality and just absolutely breathtaking scenery wise. They have a St.Regis there too!

[jdmakkord]

Honua Kai in Maui was great. Luxury condos on the beach in Kaanapali.

[nismodrifter]

Absolutely loved Maui. Was there in August for our honeymoon. We rented a nice condo in Lahaina for our 10 day stay. Can't wait to go back.

[90_Shelby]

For a guy who drives a Lambo, I'd highly recommend Wailea Beach Villas on Maui. Availability might be tough considering timing, but this place is absolutely top tier. Right next to "The Shops at Wailea" as well, if the wife wants to do some shopping.

I had the pleasure of staying there a few years ago and it was absolutely amazing, way out of my price range though.

[you&me]

Originally posted by 90_Shelby
For a guy who drives a Lambo, I'd highly recommend Wailea Beach Villas on Maui. Availability might be tough considering timing, but this place is absolutely top tier. Right next to "The Shops at Wailea" as well, if the wife wants to do some shopping.

I had the pleasure of staying there a few years ago and it was absolutely amazing, way out of my price range though.

I think it totally depends on what kind of vacation OP wants.

The area around Wailea has some great luxury 'amenities' like the Shops and several great restaurants, but the area itself isn't as nice as other parts of Maui and, outside of a small part of Wailea, a little dumpy IMO. Not a problem if you're not leaving the resort, but Maui's small and a week allows for lots of exploring.

Instead, I'd recommend staying a little north in the Kaanapali / Kapalua area. We went to a wedding a couple years ago at the Ritz Kapalua and stayed in a villa... Great combination between having lots of space with the family and the amenities of a top-notch resort.

Unfortunately, at this time of year, you might have to be more flexible and settle for whatever's available. GL.

Oh, and don't bother with the road to Hanna / Moma's Fish House

[Civic_Drift]

I really enjoyed staying at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas last year. Good location that's more quieter than main Kaanapali area but still not too far from the fun.

[msommers]

http://forums.beyond.ca/search.php?s...der=descending

[ercchry]

I'm finding that Hawaii is very vast in the way you can do it... Doing two trips this winter, two islands, completely different trips

[finboy]

Originally posted by 90_Shelby
For a guy who drives a Lambo, I'd highly recommend Wailea Beach Villas on Maui. Availability might be tough considering timing, but this place is absolutely top tier. Right next to "The Shops at Wailea" as well, if the wife wants to do some shopping.

I had the pleasure of staying there a few years ago and it was absolutely amazing, way out of my price range though.

I came here to say this

A million things to do on maui, or none at all, either way you vacation it's a great spot

[npham]

Andaz in Maui is getting a ton of rave reviews. If it's like any of the other Andaz hotels we've stayed in, it should be amazing. Tons of fun stuff to do in Maui(preferred it over Oahu), food is good, everyone is laid back, and it even has a Costco to pickup snacks, water, nuts, etc for cheap.

[benyl]

Maui is boring and the food isn't great.

We usually hit Hawaii once a year. We've been to Honolulu 3 times and then Maui twice. Going back to Honolulu in March. More to do, better food, more shopping for the wife. Skip waikiki as it is crowded. Stay in a baller house like this: https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/8505544?...s=2&s=ghJUR8Xs

[My_name_is_Rob]

I have only been to Oahu, and a group of us are going again over new years for about 12 days. But I would suggest seeing if there are any nice apartments or something you can rent from VRBO instead of just hotel'ing it, although there might not be a whole lot available this close. Depending on how much you enjoy touristy crowds, I would also advise against Waikiki. Half the fun for me is driving there, so we usually end up staying on the north shore area, and renting a car for the trip. Although, if you are determined to stay in a hotel, the best one there I have seen, besides the resorts, is the Turtle Bay hotel. Plus it's right off a golf course, if you're into that.

[BigShow]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
What kind of vacation are you looking for, all of Hawaii is amazing, but Kauai really stuck out for me as being away from reality and just absolutely breathtaking scenery wise. They have a St.Regis there too!

For the hiking, biking, kayaking, waterfalls and everything else that is beautiful in Kauai...can't wait to go back.

[revelations]

Ive spent time in Oahu (got married on a beach by Magnum PI house) but I would highly recommending AVOIDING the big cities around that time of year. You can AirBNB a house on the north side and have a much more relaxed time. No shopping though - but thats not really the point of Hawaii

[Mitsu3000gt]

Been to every island, most more than once, and Kauai is by far our favorite (and the least busy), followed by the Big Island (Hawaii). Depends what you like to do - if you just like to stay on/near hotel property or on a beach, every island is the same. If you like to actually go out and do stuff, hike, explore, etc. Kauai is hard to beat and has by far the most impressive landscape features. All the islands are pretty good, you aren't going to have a bad time wherever you go. Oahu was our least favorite but we still had a blast.

I know so many people who just go to the same island every year (usually Maui) and they have no idea what they're missing.

[msommers]

Honolulu just seems like it's full of senior citizens and overpriced everything. If Oahu is your choice, stay at Turtle Bay Resort on the north shore. There will be surfing competitions going, a spot for the kids to snorkel literally beside the hotel, Polynesian Center is close, shrimp trucks are cool, drive the east coast road down to Diamond Head etc. Personally I'd split Oahu into two places if you want to see everything - it's a completely different atmosphere in the north and south.

I've been to all the islands as well - Maui and Kauai were my top picks. Oahu was personally my last choice.

[taemo]

hard to recommend one specific island as we don't know what type of traveller you are and type of vacation you're into.

personally my favourite island of the 3 we've been to is Kauai but that's because I like to explore and hike and there's lots in Kauai, plus the island has a provincial atmosphere.
You have the Waimea Canyon on the west, Napali coast on the north side.

Oahu is my 2nd personal, as it can satisfy all type of travellers.
You have Honolulu and Waikiki in the south for hotels, shopping, restaurants, partying; then you have the East and North side for a more calmer outside of the city vibe, although considering the date you're planning on going it will probably be crowded due to people running away from the cold or attracted to the surfing waves in the north.
We usually like to stay somewhere in the windward/east side, then it's basically only 30-50min away from most part of the island.

Maui is more about relaxation, the west side is the more touristy spot with a shopping mall, hotels and nicest kids-friendly beaches.
But there's also Mt Haleakala to explorer and obviously the road to Hana.

Usually we like to stay in Waikiki for 2-3 nights then spend 4-5 night somewhere more quiet.
Havent been to the Big Island yet so it might be our next or Kauai again

[statick]

Like many of the others are saying here, Kauai is my favourite island, though I haven't been to Oahu. The Big Island would be next, then Maui. They're all great places.

To some extent, it depends on the type of trip you want. While all islands have good options for either a relaxing vacation or an adventurous one, Maui is geared a bit more to the former.

If it's a consideration for you, the Big Island had the best diving, but Maui was a very close second. And it's not as if I actually got a chance to dive at Niihau when on Kauai to truly gauge the scene there

In any event, have a great trip and post some pictures!

[JordanLotoski]

Sorry, got busy and forgot about this thread. I booked at the Andaz Maui.

working on restaurants now.