[ilikeit]

I have never been to Hawaii and want to take the girl for her birthday in February. She has never been either. I am unsure of the best thing to do since we are both noobs.

1. Take a 7 day cruise (both of us have cruised before and liked it)
2. Stay somewhere and plan excursions; Golf, North Shore, etc.

Any ideas or suggestions..things to ponder?

 

[Ziggy]

I have never been to Hawaii and want to take the girl for her birthday in February. She has never been either. I am unsure of the best thing to do since we are both noobs.

1. Take a 7 day cruise (both of us have cruised before and liked it)
2. Stay somewhere and plan excursions; Golf, North Shore, etc.

Any ideas or suggestions..things to ponder?

Which Island? Each has its perks.

 

[shippingguy]

Go to Maui....We went for our honeymoon and our anniversary and love it there. Plenty of excursions(road to Hana) to do and sight seeing. We stayed in KaAnapali(sp?) We stayed at both the Westin and The Hyatt. I like the Hyatt better than the Westin, but the Westin is closer to Whalers Village and Black Rock for snorkling. All walking distance. Both Hyatt and Westin have great pools and bars with waterslides etc. You have to do a Luau, but do the Old Lahaina Luau. It is the best hands down out of all luau's.

Mike

 

[bajadad]

Try Maui Downhill bike ride, insane!!! 38 miles of coasting.

http://www.mauidownhill.com/ trust me it worth it.

 

[thatguy]

Maui is cool, but if young, and a first timer, Oahu would be my recommendation.
Waikiki, North Shore, sunset beach, banzai, Wiamaa Bay, makapu, Diamond Head, Dole Plantation.... It is all on Oahu.
And Feb. is the big waves on North Shore. (Something to behold in person)

If you do go to Waikiki (Oahu) , make sure to have dinner at "Jon Dominis'. Great restaurant reputed to be owned by the Mob.

 

[bajadad]

Maui is cool, but if young, and a first timer, Oahu would be my recommendation.
Waikiki, North Shore, sunset beach, banzai, Wiamaa Bay, makapu, Diamond Head, Dole Plantation.... It is all on Oahu.
And Feb. is the big waves on North Shore. (Something to behold in person)

If you do go to Waikiki (Oahu) , make sure to have dinner at "Jon Dominis'. Great restaurant reputed to be owned by the Mob.

Oahu is incredible, Plus Pearl Harbor

 

[ilikeit]

Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like cruising is not on the list at all so far. Keep the ideas flowing...we are in our late 30's if that helps.

 

[ilikeit]

How difficult - expensive is it to island hop if you want to do things on multiple islands? Do you need to do an island, finish what you want to do and move hotels?

I want to golf at Kapalua too.

 

[thatguy]

Island hopping is easy. Check with your Hotel desk for setting up plans to other islands. Or just do it yourself.

 

[shippingguy]

Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like cruising is not on the list at all so far. Keep the ideas flowing...we are in our late 30's if that helps.

Ohau is cool, but I think you and your girl would enjoy Maui. Ohau is like LA or Downtown San Diego. Very metropolitan. Maui is more that relaxing getaway with some nightlife fun. Some of the hotels have some cool lounge/club nights. JMO

 

[barrymac]

PM H2O here on the boards, he knows a ton about the Islands, he even has a place over there that he rents out.

 

[Guest]

We are huge fans of the Sheraton Maui.

 

[LAVEYDAYZ]

I agree with the above posts. It all depends on what you like? Been to both Maui and Oahu.

We went to Oahu for for a week last month and stayed right on Waikiki. Had a great time but to me the hustle and bustle of the city got old after a few days.

We did the drive to North Shore and hit all the good beaches and the Dole plantation. That was fun.

We are also in our late 30's and I personally prefer Maui for a vacation. If your into the clubs and that type of thing then Waikiki for sure. Just like people say its like downtown LA on the beach. Lots of noise and traffic.

I second shipping guys comments. We stayed on Maui at the Hyatt Kanapoli few years ago and loved it. That is a great hotel and their pool is awesome. I think the beaches etc are nicer and more secluded on Maui than Oahu as well.

Either way you will have a great time but Maui gets my vote.

 

[23eagle]

ok..... here we go again!
had a thread on this a couple weeks ago,first off you need to decide on which island you want to visit,maui is a great choice......wife and I got married there ,on a beach,barefoot in the sand at sunset great day,but thats another thread!!!! after you decide your island of choice go to a bookstore or you can purhase it online.the books are called MAUI REVEALED,OAHU REVEALED etc. these books are incredibledevilbeen back to maui twice after buying this book,its the first thing I pack!!!!hand

 

[MOBrien]

Maui

There are great options out there. Kihei/Wailea are great, but you also can't go wrong with Lahaina/Kaanapali. The drive scenery up through Kapaula is sweet with great places for tropical hikes and the road to Hana & hiking around the 7 sacred pools is a must. Haleakala volcano for sunrise is a sight not to be missed either but you gotta get up there waaaay early (while it's still dark) to get the best experience. Feels like you've been swept up to heaven and the views are insane. Great heli tours on Maui too and if you're into diving & snorkeling, Molokini (the horseshoe island) is also a must. I'm partial to Maui, used to live there & know it quite well.

Good luck.....the islands are awesome.

 

[ilikeit]

Looks like Maui would be my starting place. Most of what I want to do seems to be there. Not in to the busy night life at all so no appeal to stay on Ohau. Maybe a day trip there to see the waves and sights there.

Going to the book store sounds like a great idea too.

 

[shippingguy]

Looks like Maui would be my starting place. Most of what I want to do seems to be there. Not in to the busy night life at all so no appeal to stay on Ohau. Maybe a day trip there to see the waves and sights there.
Going to the book store sounds like a great idea too.

The waves break on the northside of Maui as well just up the road from Kaanapali. When we were there a couple years back in October we drove up and they were tow in surfing BIG!!! Also around Feb. when you are planning the whales are migrating from Alaska and they say you will see them swimming and jumping right out in front of the hotels.

 

[CornWater]

Ohau is cool, but I think you and your girl would enjoy Maui. Ohau is like LA or Downtown San Diego. Very metropolitan. Maui is more that relaxing getaway with some nightlife fun. Some of the hotels have some cool lounge/club nights. JMO

X2

 

[bajadad]

This is how you island jump...lol

 

[BoatPI]

I am at the Sheraton Maui now, great place. Stayed in Maui many times, this is one of the best locations. Got a killer deal on hotel half price day on Expedia, non stop flights on United, etc. No one could match their pricing. About 40-45 days out the deals get good. Discount cruises are $995 each for a eeek, plus flights.