Planning on going to one of these three locations around the end of January
Two requirements
lots of local eats (shrimp trucks/shacks are a plus)
hiking/nature activities are a big plus. Do not care about beaches. Hiking to waterfalls/swimming holes are a super big plus.
Will rent a car. Scuba diving would be a plus, but not necessary
Maui seems to be a decent blend of both requirements but nothing seems to stand out (unless i’m wrong). Kauai seems to have some gorgeous scenery but the rain levels in January might be a bit much. I like the volcano park on the big island but I hear you end up getting stuck eating resort food. . I have zero experience with any of the three locations so would love the guidance of this well traveled board. Will be going for roughly 5 days.
Maui - great diving if you’re moderately experienced… snokeling is good too… (go backside of crater dive).
lots of food, there’s the sunrise up the mountain, and there’s the super long famous drive which i thought was just ok… but u can stop along the way and hike
Kauai - like it’s lost in time for 25 years… super quiet. u can drive to a huge long beach with 3 people on there at sunset… nice to get lost at…
Big Island - have not been… really wanna go see the volcano… but i’ve heard that it’s too big for 1 week… (how long u going for?) if u go 2 weeks u can make it work otherwise it’s a lot of driving… it’s high on our list so i’ve got multiple itineraries planned for this place.
Maui for sure. Kauai rains too much, gorgeous but the rain.
Maui has all the eats you could want from Mama’s Fish House to Hali’imaile General Store to Bruddah Huts Island BBQ in Hana. Hiking and biking on Haleakala. Great beaches on the West Side, snorkeling and diving on the South side, tropical splendor on the North and East side.
Big Island is just too damn big. Spend too much time driving.
Would have to say Napali coast is a must…day trip on a catamaran with snorkeling is awesome. We did both Kauai and Maui as part of our honeymoon and Maui was more luxury but Kauai was more memorable.
Maui, hands down. Has a great mix of everything you’re looking for with lots of microclimates. Road to Hana is a must - it’s a journey, not a destination!
I’ve made about 30 trips to Hawaii. I like Kauai best, Big Isle, second and Maui third. If you’ve never been then there are some cool things to do on Maui. As repeat visitor I don’t find repeating those (Haleakala, Molokini, Hana) as much a plus. The drive from Lahaina to Hana can be 4 hrs each way. In general I find Maui too resorty. Kauai has more beauty, especially if one is not looking for max beach time, and has a more chill vibe.
For a five day trip to Hawaii food just shouldn’t be a big factor. There’s some decent food from cheap to moderately fine on both Maui and Kauai.
Jan (along with Nov & Dec) are the rainier months on Kauai. But SOME rain is just the norm there and is the reason it is so lush. In reality the North Shore of Kauai gets much more rain than the west Maui resort areas all year round. Also Jan on the North Shore is probably only 25% rainier than the summer. I’ve had very occasional trips where the rain was significant but on most trips it’s just part of the experience. Daytime rain is sporadic.
I prefer Kauai…the Big Island’s volcano park was cool, but very limited food options. I haven’t been to Maui since I was a teenager. I don’t remember there being any shrimp trucks on Kauai, but there is Shrimp Station and other good food. Puka dogs, Hamura Saimin, Ishihara Market for poke, Tip Top Motel for breakfast (fried rice, oxtail soup, and pancakes), Red Salt for dinner, Sueoka’s Snack Shop for plate lunch, etc.
As far as nature activities, there’s plenty of hiking, tubing, and zip lining available. My buddy lives there so if you are looking for specific activities, I can ask him. Also, the rain varies on different parts of the island.
Fu - Found a lot of the food on Maui way overpriced and somewhat disappointing. This includes places like the Lahaina grill. Did have really good luck buying some amazing fresh seafood and cooking it ourselves. Also really enjoyed this place. http://hgsmaui.com
The Scuba on Maui is pretty good. Some good shore diving off the beach next to the Ritz Carlton. You can rent aqua scooters there which is an absolute blast. Tons of turtles and good snorkeling too. It can get crowded like anywhere on Maui. Some great hikes also. A drive up Haleakala is really cool also. I have only been to Maui so cannot compare to other islands. I like the Caribbean better but understand that it is much easier for you to get to Hawaii.
We chose Maui because we thought it had a good balance of everything we wanted.
Avtually it IS a destination as well as a journey. When we went to Hana we rented a house and stayed the night. A quaint hut brought over from Viet Nam and built alonside a fish pond in an idyllic setting. Where we fired up the grill and had a home cooked steak dinner. Steps from the black sand beach of Hana Bay.
The next day we ate lunch at Bruddah Huts, a roadside food truck/BBQ/open air dining experience in a guys front yard where the fish tacos are fresh caught Ahi.
Then on to the Pools of 'Ohe’o for a nice hike and dip in the water.
After that it was back to Hana and a hike to Red Sands Beach where the sign at the trail head is daunting…
but worth the hike.
The drive to Hana is breathtaking and worth the photo ops. Just don’t park your car alongside the road and hike out to find a better view. Someone will break into the car and steal all of your valuables. Always keep the car in sight!
Brian, nice post and pix. We always stay in Hana as well. The old Hotel Hana Maui was always a favorite. As I’m sure you know, lots of places along the way to get out and hike, including waterfalls. Strongly suggest staying the night in Hana to sample the locale and avoid 8+ hours in the car in one day.
All dining on the Islands is expensive compared to the mainland and, in my opinion, is not very good. But no one who lives in LA goes to Hawaii for the food. Maui has more dining options and much better weather than Kauai.
Re the weather, in general, I agree. The kicker in the equation is that if one gets the 15-20% worst-case scenario, there can be a bunch of rain on Kauai. For my purposes, being from dry L.A. (like you and Fu) I enjoy the small amount of rain on the south shore of Kauai more than the sometimes absent rain on west Maui. The locals call it liquid sunshine for a reason. Usually the rain on the south half of Kauai more prevalent at night and early morning. If it rains during the day it’s usually light and of very short duration. The North Shore of Kauai probably gets triple the rain of West Maui, and double that of the Kauai South Shore. But it wouldn’t be so beautiful and lush, with waterfalls etc., without it. It is not as practical do with five nights (though doable), but we usually split our time/nights between North and South on Kauai.
Coincidentally, we might be going to Hawaii in Feb… We might actually go to Maui. Largely because I have a nephew living there now and we’ve been to Kauai three times and the Big Isle twice since our last Maui trip. It’s not a major deal, but btw, there is some Dengue Fever on the Big Isle right now.
Maui is an extension of OC to me - not a lot of character. I much prefer Kauai even with the extra rain and roosters. I really like Hanalei on the north shore - old school Hawaii with zippo commercialism and some world class hiking, interesting food choices and beautiful.
Of course you can’t go wrong anywhere in Hawaii - it’s all paradise. Enjoy.
I’ve been to the big island and enjoyed it. We biked around the island over a 7 day period and saw many hidden beaches and tucked away places. Volcano park was the highlight. With that being said, the food is hit or miss. I wouldn’t call it a food lovers paradise. Coffee was great, but overall, if I am going to fly that far from Denver, I would rather go to Europe. No offense to people that enjoy island life, but HI was a one and done vacation for us.
okay thanks for all the recs everyone! We ultimately went with Maui. My wife said the deciding factor would be the cheapest airline ticket and Maui had Kauai beat by $200 a person without having to wake up for a 7am flight.
Award stay opened up at the Andaz in Maui so booked that for four nights. Will do Kauai another time.
Andaz is in a good location (shark attacks notwithstanding; I stayed just down the road at the Fairmont. Check out the Flyertalk thread on the hotel (it’s a good use of two free nights that come with the Chase Hyatt card). I love the road to Hana but suspect it will be pretty wet when you want to go - it’s the wet side of the island.
Molokini crater is a good dive. We actually saw more on the second dive close to shore, which was a riot of small cool stuff.
Temper your food expectations as others have mentioned. Yes, there is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant in the resort next to the Andaz. No, it’s no as good as the ones in LA. Still better than other options.
Makena beach is great.
Knowing you, the best place would be the north shore of Kauai in the dry season. But not in winter. So much hiking and easy water sport activity (the fact that it has the very best beaches in the islands is just an extra).
I love the big island, but my favorite side is the wet side and the volcano. I find the resort area (Kona side) pretty sterile. The part of Maui that you are in should have great weather.
(I believe there is no BYO in Maui, unlike Kauai).
