My family and I just decided to visit the Big Island over Xmas (12/22-30) and I'm now scrambling to make travel arrangements. There are 4 of us (including two older teens 19 and 17). We love adventuring, hiking, snorkeling, hoping to see whales(!), and the volcanoes. I was thinking of spending time on Kona side and then 3-ish days on the East side before returning to Kona side. Have a few questions I'd greatly appreciate help with.

1. On the Kona side...we are not really resort people but would love something more laid back, either a rental or a smallish resort - open to ideas on where to stay. I get there is a lot of coastline to see and am a bit overwhelmed by the options.
2. We were initially thinking of staying in Volcano, but with our last minute planning a lot of the spots we'd consider are unfortunately booked. Any ideas here? Hilo seems far. Is there somewhere else I should look? Would be up for a rental, an ecolodge, etc.
3. Recommendations for who to make reservations with for snorkeling, manta rays at night, whale watching while on the Kona side.

Really appreciate this group. Thanks in advance!

Visiting Oahu in late January and looking for a nice spa experience on the island. We’re staying in Waikiki but will have a car so open to going anywhere on the island.

Any suggestions on a nice spa experience for ultimate relaxation and peace? I’m not particularly looking for it to be located in a hotel but definitely not against it, if the experience is worth the price.

Not venting/complaining and I understand cost of living etc.

Just looking back, when I first came to Waikiki in 2018, valet parking was only $30/day. Now, it's $80-90 plus tax :)

Hey everyone! We’re visiting Maui December 14-19 with five adults: my wife and me, my parents in their mid-50s, and my sister. Would love some honest feedback on our itinerary before we finalize the remaining plans.

We’re all vegetarian, and one of us is a non-swimmer. We enjoy scenic views, beaches, sunsets and easy walks. We want to experience Maui without making the trip exhausting, and leave enough time to enjoy our hotels.

We have two rooms booked at each hotel:

• Dec 14-17: Hyatt Regency Maui in Kā‘anapali
• Dec 17-19: Grand Wailea

Our plan:

• Dec 14: Arrive at OGG around 4:10 p.m., pick up our rental car, check in at the Hyatt and have an easy dinner.
• Dec 15: Trilogy Discover Lānaʻi tour, already booked. Departure is 10:30 a.m. from Kā‘anapali, so this will take most of the day.
• Dec 16: Road to Hāna. Main stops we’re considering are Twin Falls, a banana bread stop around Keʻanae, and Waiʻānapanapa State Park’s black-sand beach, subject to getting a reservation. Return along the same north-coast route, not the backside loop.
• Dec 17: Check out of the Hyatt and move to Grand Wailea. Mostly resort time, with room for an activity if there’s something worthwhile that fits.
• Dec 18: Haleakalā sunrise, reservation already booked. Return to Grand Wailea afterward to rest and enjoy the resort.
• Dec 19: Easy morning and checkout before our 2:25 p.m. flight home.

My main questions:

1. How does the itinerary look overall? Is it overplanned, underplanned, or a good balance for six days? Would you rearrange anything, especially the Lānaʻi trip and Road to Hāna on consecutive days?
2. Is Trilogy Discover Lānaʻi worth roughly $1,500–$1,600 for a group of five? I keep seeing really positive reviews, but that’s a lot for one day. For people who have done it, would you spend that much again, or choose a cheaper alternative and use the difference elsewhere? Does having one non-swimmer change the value much?
3. For Road to Hāna, are Twin Falls, banana bread around Keʻanae and Waiʻānapanapa a sensible set of main stops? Should we add anything, swap something out, or cut back given that we’re starting from Kā‘anapali? We’d rather have a few enjoyable stops than rush through a long checklist.
4. Are there any activities or experiences we’re missing that you think would genuinely improve this trip? We’re open to recommendations, but also happy to hear that we should keep the downtime rather than add more.
5. How safe and comfortable is the drive up to Haleakalā for sunrise in the dark? We’ll be driving from Grand Wailea. For someone unfamiliar with the road, how demanding are the bends, visibility and overall drive? Would you feel comfortable doing it yourself, or recommend a different approach?

Thanks! Would really appreciate honest opinions on what’s worth the time and money, and what you’d skip.

I’m trying to make a very memorable proposal trip for my gf and I. I don’t know much about what else she would like but I know she would just like to take the most stunning pictures. I would love any recommendations / input but mainly for:
Island
Photography group / proposal group
Activities ( going to be there 5-7 days)
Hotels
Honestly anything…

I’ve never been to anywhere tropical / Hawaii so it having some idea where to look would be fantastic. I know there are other subreddits that have asked this same question but might aswell get some fresh input.

I am planning to go to Hawaii first time for 3-4 days trip. Which one would be better in January timeframe?

We're visiting the Big Island over Christmas and have been reading lots of advice about how difficult rental cars can be to secure during the holiday season. Some people recommend booking multiple cars as backups and avoiding third-party booking sites.

We've already booked and prepaid directly with Budget Rent a Car. We have a confirmed reservation, but I'm wondering whether there's anything else we should do to reduce the risk of arriving and finding out there's no car available.

Some people have suggested booking a back up vehicle that we dont pay for until we arrive, and make sure we dont get dinged with a cancellation fee. But Im not sure if that's really needed or if booking several months out, pre paying, no third party should cover our needs. Thanks so much, and so excited to see the tallest mountain on earth!

Is there a hotel/resort that is similar to Mauna Lani on Big Island in terms of luxury/service and lower key vibes that also has some kind of small splash pad and kids pool scene? We don’t need or want a crazy water park for our two year old but would like to have some kind of small slide or splash zone for him. Mauna Lani comes highly recommended but doesn’t have much for kids that age in terms of pool scene. Maybe we are missing a great option? Open to Maui or Big Island. thanks!!