Which is your favorite Hawaiian island?

[firebirdgold]

We''re planning a dw on a hawaiian islands in March and have narrowed it down to three isalnds. But we know nothing about Hawaii beyond frommers guide book. So I was wondering which of the three is the favorite of my fellow PSers?
Since the info may (or may not) be helpful our options are 1) the Kona area on the Big Island. 2) the Hana area on Maui. 3 ) Hanalei Bay or Poipu area on Kauai.

 

[Sundial]

I have been to all the islands except for Molokai and Kaui is my favorite. It is just beautiful there and it is what you expect Hawaii to look like. We have stayed twice at the Hyatt at Poipu and love the hotel and the area.

 

[firebirdgold]

That''s the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spar, right? I haven''t actually emailed them because frommers.com said their beach was to rough to swim at. Did you think that was true?

 

[VegasAngel]

I''ve only been to Maui & I loved it.

 

[MsP]

I have been to all the islands(including Lanai, Molokai, Ni''ihau) and from my point of view, the less crowded the better. Nothing can ruin my vacation like big crowds on my beach, kids running around like crazy like they''re at Disney, etc. I am not too fond of Maui as it''s developed a ton in the past few years but both Kaui and the big island are pretty nice... depending on the resort and region. When you live there you learn all the little quiet secluded places that are really neat. Don''t be afraid to ask the locals where all the good spots are.

 

[lisaC]

I stayed at the Marriott at Poipu beach and it was lovely. We went just before Christmas last year- Kauai seemed really laidback and if you''re looking to relax this is the isle for you. You have gotta find time to try a shave ice at Jo-Jo''s esp. the special Halo-halo with a scoop of macadamia nut icecream

Mara got married in Kauai and she stayed at the Waimea Plantation Cottages so hopefully she will reply to this thread.

 

[firebirdgold]

He''s wearing shorts to the wedding, and we''re all going to be barefoot on the sand for the ceremony. Relaxed is definitely the operative word here!

 

[Sundial]

Date: 9/21/2006 11:38:25 AM
Author: IndieJones
That's the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spar, right? I haven't actually emailed them because frommers.com said their beach was to rough to swim at. Did you think that was true?

Yes that is the Hyatt. The water is a little rough there, but it is more than made up for by the fact that they have an incredible lagoon like swimming pool. We did our swimming there and just did walking and sunbathing on the beach. Every morning there were monk seals sunning themselves on the beach. The hotel has a really nice buffet breakfast where you can sit outside and see the ocean and watch black swans swim around in little pools. They also have a fantastic spa.

 

[Leila]

Early congrats Indie!

I''m a local Hawaii girl--I live in Honolulu and just I looove Kauai! It''s a very nice change from the city, so lush, quiet and really so relaxing. I haven''t been to the Big Island--can you believe it?! I don''t know why but just never got around to it. But really, you really can''t go wrong between the Big Island or Kauai. Make sure you take in all the outdoor activites, I highly recommend the guide book The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed by Andrew Doughty and Harriet Friedman. I''ve heard from friends that it''s really useful and THE BEST guidebook to use. The authors have a book on the Big Island as well. I hope this helps!

 

[Ann]

I have a bunch of pics of the Hyatt on Kauai. But they are all so big, hard to post. I loved that place.

Don''t worry about the beach, it''s pretty, clean and kinda isolated. It was too rough for me, but my husband and some other friends loved boogey boarding the waves. There are a few rocks to one side, but no big deal. The monk seals are there. One of them scared the willies out of me one morning, I didn''t see him (!) and got too close and he raised his head and made a very big noise!. My scream was bigger than his noise!! The lagoon is really neat and there is a sand beach there as well. The pool is great and the lush grounds are very pretty. I loved the tiki torches at night, go grab a hammock, listen to the waves and rock away for a while.
The Hyatt is aways from a town, but there is a shopping center close by and some yummy restaurants.

 

[Ann]

Hope this works, the beach. I have more, I can post if you want!

 

[Ann]

lagoon

 

[Ann]

Here''s my little friend!

 

[Ann]

looking out over one small part of the pool

 

[firebirdgold]

Thanks for the pictures Ann! They''re terrific!

Say, why so few votes for the big island? Do people really not like it as much as the others or is it just less visited?? I''m wondering because Kona Village on the BI is one of our main contenders.

 

[Sundial]

Date: 9/22/2006 7:08:43 PM
Author: IndieJones
Thanks for the pictures Ann! They''re terrific!

Say, why so few votes for the big island? Do people really not like it as much as the others or is it just less visited?? I''m wondering because Kona Village on the BI is one of our main contenders.

For one thing I don''t think as many people have visited the Big Island. And while there are beautiful lush areas on the Big Island there is also a lot of desert like area with volcanic rock that makes me think of the surface of the moon. We stayed at the Four Seasons which is one of the nicest resorts I have ever visited, but the beach was rocky and the water very rough.

 

[Rosebud8506]

I''d have to say we enjoyed Maui. We went on our honeymoon

This was on Maui. So beautiful....

 

[Rosebud8506]

A Maui sunset...

 

[Rosebud8506]

A view from our Lanai...

 

[Rosebud8506]

Although this is one shot in Oahu en route to the Polynesian Cultural Center - very "touristy", but so worth the shot. This is right off the highway... I LOVE this photo... one of my favs.

 

[rainwood]

We''ve been to the 5 largest islands and Kauai is our favorite. That said, I''ll tell you what I know about the 3 you''ve listed. Keep in mind that each island has a dry side and a wet side. Dry side means greater chance of sunshine for your wedding, wet side usually means lusher, more tropical looking vegetation. Poipu is on the dry side of Kauai, Hanalei is on the wet. Hana is on the wet side of Maui, Kona is on the dry side of the Big Island.

If it were me, I wouldn''t choose Hana because of how hard it is to get there. The ''road to Hana'' is famous for being a long, difficult drive. Because of that it''s relatively undeveloped. You can also fly in (small planes) which is what we did when we stayed there. The Hotel Hana Maui is supposed to be nice (we didn''t stay there so can''t say from personal experience), but once you''re in Hana, you''re sort of trapped. At least that''s how we felt, although it was a long time ago. Maybe it''s changed.

I agree with one of the previous posters that the Big Island is kind of moon like on the dry side. And tt''s a long drive from place to place. We stayed in a very nice place up on the Kohala Coast and going into Kona for dinner was a 40-minute drive one-way on a highway marked with lots of white crosses to commemorate people who''ve died on that road. So we only did it once and stayed near the resort for dinner the rest of our stay. That said, Kona Village was one of the premier places to stay for many years. I don''t know if it still is or not. It''s definitely closer to Kona than where we stayed, but it is still a bit of a drive. The Big Island was our least favorite, partly because it is so big and is so moonlike on the dry side. Hilo is on the wet side but we thought it looked sort of down in the dumps, like not much had happened since the 60''s. Most of the big resorts are on the dry side.

Kauai is our favorite. Hanalei is more lush and there are a lot of nice beaches that would be good for swimming (especially in the summer when the water is calmer everywhere). It is the wet side so the weather is less predictable especially in the winter so you''d need a contingency plan if it''s raining. We always stay in the Poipu area because it has better weather. The Hyatt Regency is a lovely, high-rise hotel although Shipwreck Beach isn''t great for swimmers. The pools are spectacular though. The only big sandy beaches at Poipu are Poipu Beach State Park and the beach at the Kiahuna Plantation and the places on either side of Kiahuna. The Kiahuna is a condo resort, not a hotel, but it has lovely grounds and a nice sandy beach. Your wedding on the beach wouldn''t be very private though if that''s a consideration. There''s a public walkway that runs along the shoreline and there aren''t any gazebos or anything. Something on the Hanalei side might be more private. Just have a Plan B if it rains.

If it were me, I''d pick Kauai and then decide between Hanalei and Poipu.

 

[Julian]

I will always love Kauai because that's where we got engaged. But I voted for Maui because I think it has everything Hawaii has to offer in terms of beauty & things to do. There, when you want a metropolitan feel you can go shopping on the boardwalk... if you want to escape, there are isolated scenes of total beauty... It's just fun to go there. Whenever we go to a luau there, we meet all of these newlyweds and it's so sweet to see how happy and excited they are!

 

[firebirdgold]

We''re not what you could call city folks.... or people folks for that matter. I think our ideal hawaiian vacation is to swim and snorkel in the ocean surrounded by tropical fish and a reef, hike in a tropical rainforest and see waterfalls and exotic plants, rent bicycles, and explore cute towns... also maybe see archaeological sites. Although I wouldn''t mind jewelry shopping *heh heh*.

Our ideal Hawaiian wedding is to get married on a sandy beach come rain or shine (japanese umbrellas), unfortunately a surprisingly large number of resorts do not offer beach weddings including the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa. Which is a shame since it''s amazingly beautiful. What is up with that? Well just in case some of the Maui and Kauai resorts really can do beach weddings despite their websites, I''ve sent a bunch of emails out.

Thanks for the help, photos, and advice everyone! Keep it coming!!

 

[Ann]

What about the Princeville Resort on Kauai

I love Kauai because of the gorgeous scenery and gorgeous beaches. There is a lot to do there. The Napali coast is awsome, take a helicopter tour of it. My favorite beach is Kee (kei) beach at the end of a road. At that point the Napali cliffs begin. You can hike there and also on the interior of the island.

I don''t think one hotel/resort will offer you everything you want. You''ll need a car to check out different beaches, always a lot of fun.

 

[Ann]

the lagoon at the Hyatt

 

[Ann]

Beach at the Hyatt

 

[Ann]

Interior of island, very green!

 

[Ann]

A gorgeous little church on the road to Kee (kei) Beach. This is in an area that has shops and some casual restaurants. Very low key.

 

[Ann]

The waterfall in the opening shot of the old TV show Fantasy Island.

Took this shot from the helicopter.

 

[Ann]

Ok, done! This is my fav beach. The Napali cliffs start here.