So, someone asked about my ranking of Hawaiian islands... I say this as someone who has been to Oahu (2x), Maui (2x), Kauai (1x), and Hawai'i / big island (1x)
First... A little about me. I don't particularly love people or crowds. I'm also active, and get a little stir crazy with nothing to do. Hence, I don't exactly view "laying on the beach" or "hanging out by the pool" as particularly enjoyable. I can do active stuff, like snorkeling, or if I'm around the pool with a beverage and my Kindle, I can handle it for a couple of hours. But I'm always the type that wants to be doing / seeing something wherever I go.
But I'm clearly the type that doesn't even know how to spell the word rheelacks.
My wife is a lot more capable of relaxation. So a portion of these rankings is about not just myself, but how I balance so that we both get what we want/need.
So here goes...
1st: Kauai - This to me is the perfect balance of slow-paced and not overly crowded, with things to do, but also with the trappings of the resorts so that relaxation time can be built into the schedule. When we went, it was a short trip and we found ourselves wishing we'd scheduled an extra day. We got to do some pretty cool things... We did a Cessna overflight tour of the island, did a dinner cruise to the Napali coast, got to go see the Waimea Canyon, got to take an interesting little river cruise to a beautiful scenic waterfall/canyon, as "active" things. We also built in time to go check out a couple of breweries and a rum distiller, built in some really nice dinners, and the usual stupid shopping. We still did build in some time by the pool, and so there was some relaxation in there too. I thought it was the best option for a 2-person "romantic" trip.
2nd: Maui - I thought after the big island this would fall to 3rd. Primarily based on the fact that this is a little more crowded, more commercialized, and more "resort-y". But I also think this gives a decent balance between hanging out at a resort and also doing more active things. It's a bit more difficult, as if you want to do things like going hiking or doing the Road to Hana, it's on the opposite side of the island from Kaanapali and the resorts. But there are enough things--or at least there were before Lahaina burned down--that you can get away from the resorts and find plenty to do. And things like snorkeling, parasailing, etc, are all very easily done from Kaanapali. And there's a fair bit in this area that's walkable along the beach. I'd say that Maui is probably the most family-friendly option, with the most to do.
3rd: Hawai'i (the big island) - As mentioned, I wanted to like this one more. It's not crowded -- or at least wasn't in late October. It's relatively slow-paced. There's truly a lot to do on the island... And it's absolutely stunningly beautiful. But there were two problems. First, it's called the big island for a reason... You're going to be doing a LOT of driving to do anything. The first morning I wanted to
hike the Polulu Valley. Unfortunately it was a wash-out, literally, because just as we arrived, rain started, and it's too treacherous of a trail in the rain. But despite being on the same side of the island as where we stayed (Waikoloa), it's about an hour drive. After we left there, we ended up driving another 45 minutes past Waikoloa to check out a coffee farm/producer. So we spent 3 1/2 hours on the road to fail to do one thing and successfully do one more. And then that evening we'd gotten a table at Merriman's Waimea, which we didn't realize was about a 30-35 minute drive from Waikoloa as well, so there's another hour behind the wheel. The second day we wanted to check out the crater and the lave tube hike on the Hilo side... It was a 2 hour drive across the island to get there. I'd wanted to drive to the top of Mauna Kea on our way back, but between the crater / lava tube and lunch in Hilo, it was already bleeding too far into the afternoon to make the side trip off the saddle road to the top of the mountain. Four+ hours in the car to see one thing and then have lunch. Second, the fact that everything is so far from everything else means that you're somewhat stranded at your resort. At least for Waikoloa, there's nothing around Waikoloa for ~20 miles. So you can't just escape "into town" on a whim like you can on Kauai or Maui. The third day was basically just a resort day, and after an hour of paddle-boating around the lagoon at the resort, and 2+ hours at the pool, AND a couples' massage, we still were counting the time until going to dinner... This is the type of place that I think would have worked well as a couples' trip. For example, if we'd gone with my in-laws, my wife and her mom could do all the resort stuff while he and I played a lot of golf, still with time for relaxation by the pool and nice dinners. Or if we'd gone with our friends that moved to NC a few years ago, he and I could go off during the day and do crazy hikes because we're pretty much equally maniacal about that sort of thing, while the girls did the resort thing. But unless you're a couple who BOTH just want to sit around a resort or BOTH want to go do crazy activities, Hawai'i made it hard to balance these things.
17th: Oahu - I'd been to Oahu before. I refer to Waikiki as a humid version of Los Angeles on the beach after having been there about 20 years ago. Waikiki has seemed to turn into almost a blend of Rodeo Drive (fancy shopping) and the Las Vegas Strip (crowded and dirty) in the 20 years since I'd been. It's crowded, traffic is terrible, and there's nothing to do unless you want to walk around and shop in the 17th different ABC Store that you've come across. Parking is expensive hell, so you don't particularly want to get a rental car, so you're largely stuck. We did (as a large group) rent a car from the resort next door for one day to go see the Dole Plantation and the North Shore, which was good as a bit of breathing space to get away from Waikiki. The one thing we did that I really enjoyed seeing was Pearl Harbor. "Enjoying" probably not the right word, because it's truly a somber and heavy place. But it's a place that I'm glad that I got to see before I die. And I say "before I die" because I will not go back to Oahu unless under duress, i.e. one of my kids wants to get married there or somesuch and I'm pretty much obligated to be there.
@Cincydawg I'm interested in your take on the big island. I think you've said it's your favorite of the islands... Maybe you can identify what I did wrong, or why you feel so differently than I do?
