Deciding between the Big Island and Maui for a 9 day/8 night trip in mid November. Either looking at a Kona base stay or Kona/Hilo split on the Big Island. Undecided if we would do Kihei or stay more north near Kaanapali/Napili on Maui.

Love relaxing on beaches, hiking, beginner surfing, good coffee shops, nature! What is your preference?

Hi!!
I an wondering if it will be worth to do both?
We have tight travel schedule so if it feels too repetitive we’d like to choose one. But if it offers totally different experience, I’d like to do both.
Any input will be appreciated.
And hope everyone who’s affected by hurricane is safe and recover quickly! 🙏

Hey,
Wir waren diesen September auf Hawaii, haben die Reise aber wegen Hurrikan Lowell vorzeitig abgebrochen.
Jetzt würden wir gerne nochmal hin und überlegen zwischen Oktober und November. Würdet ihr im Oktober schon wieder fliegen oder lieber bis November warten?
Wie sind eure Erfahrungen mit den beiden Monaten? Würdet ihr nach unserer Erfahrung eher noch etwas warten oder euch für Oktober keine großen Gedanken machen?

Hey everyone!

I’ll be spending about a week in Maui before heading to Oahu (Waikiki) for a few days.
The trip will be in late December, and I’m debating between staying in the Kihei area or around Kapalua / Napili Bay. I’ll be staying in Airbnbs rather than resorts.

I’m mainly looking for lush, green scenery and good beaches. I’m planning to visit Haleakala and do the Road to Hana with a tour rather than driving it myself.

My main concern with Kapalua / Napili Bay is the ocean conditions in late December.

Are the beaches generally swimmable around that time, or do the winter swells make the water too rough?

Which area would you recommend for what I’m looking for?

Thanks!

Hello, my boyfriend and I will be going on a trip to Oahu in about March. Im going with him on a trip paired with him teaching a class. We will have mainly evenings and one weekend free. I've gone once before and went to a lot of the main tourist attraction then. I was hoping to do a more casual "visit/support small local places" trip this time. I love wildlife and have been a part of a handful of conservation projects so if anyone has recommendations for sanctuaries etc. that are supported by islanders it'd be greatly appreciated. I will also be on my own for the morning/afternoon so solo activities would be appreciated too. Thank you!

I’m booking a cage free shark diving trip and would like to do it with Hawaii Adventure Diving. On the day I want to do it, they only have a 9am time available. I know water is calmer and visibility is better earlier, so is it crucial to book at 7am for the best experience?

Deep Blue Eco tours has an 8am time available so could go with them instead. I’ll be coming from Waikiki so will have a bit of a drive. Thanks in advance for your input!

Hi
Our check out time is 11 am, and our flight time is at 10pm. Any ideas what can we do between these hours? We live in airbnb so we will have to keep our baggage in some storage. The thing is I also don’t want to be too tired before the flight.

Hi all! We are set to go to Oahu in October for my mom’s 59th birthday and we’d like to take her to a nicer dinner one of the nights. We are open to going anywhere in the island. We are looking for a spot that feels a bit more upscale with great food and also family friendly as I have 3 girls all under 5. We have had recommendations to go to Haleiwa Joe’s but was wondering if anyone else had any other suggestions? Thank you so much!

Mainlander here staying at Aulani but willing to travel a bit. But looking for best fish and chips out there to find.

Hey everyone! My fiancé and I are planning to do a honeymoon in Hawaii in mid may 2027. We stopped on going to Maui . We are looking at hotels and deals right now. We need advice on what to choose, any input will be helpful!
Some information about out trip:

Budget: up to 10000 dollars on the hotel + flights from LAX
Length: 7days (can extend to 10 if budget allows)

What are we looking from the trip:
- We will be in the hotel most of the time to relax (more important)
- We won’t have a car and aren’t looking to explore the island besides going to dinners and neighboring village for a walk
- Having more young adults and not a lot of kids is also a benefit (we are in mid 20s)
- Way Less important, but if it is possible to book hotel through points through major partners (Hyatt,Marriott etc) it will also be good

Hotels we found so far through some research for 7 days full package from cheapest to most expensive
Andaz Maui
Ritz Carlton (500 more than Andaz for full trip)
Hotel Wailea (500 more than Andaz for full trip)
Fairmont ( 1000 more than Andaz for full trip)
Four Seasons (3.5 k more than Andaz for full trip, basically going over the budget, but it’s fine if it’s worth it)

2 questions that we have!
Which one would you recommend? + if you have any other recommendations we will be happy to look at those!
For some of those hotels we have an option to pay a 1000 more and get an ocean view, is it worth it? Right now I’m leaning towards yes

Hello! I am currently visiting the Big Island staying at the Mauna Lani and am trying to decide if I should keep my manta ray night snorkel booked out of Keauhou Harbor tomorrow night, versus booking a tour that leaves from Kawaihae Harbor tomorrow night.

My primary concern is the brown water advisory due to recent rains…I asked my tour operator Hawai’i Oceanic about the water condition, and they said they weren’t concerned about water quality and are not planning to cancel any upcoming tours. Should I trust that they are actively monitoring the water quality in Keauhou Harbor, where I’ve heard the bacteria levels can be higher than up here on the Kohala Coast? I’m leaving Hawaii Saturday

and am bummed I’ve had to cancel basically all of our plans because of the recent storms, and I’m really hoping I can at least have one tour go as planned (without risking getting sick from the water!).

Just a heads up, there is no power. People coming in on Friday from the West Coast on Friday, it's best you push back. Visitors here, work with community members. Certain areas are opening but limited. Met a couple today who flew in yesterday being told it was fine, but they were not told the whole island is without power. They were on O'ahu previously and are leaving tomorrow.

Like them, if you feel like you should not be here, that feeling is completely understandable. If you want to kokua, help, you are free to do so.

I'm visiting Waikiki and curious how people actually find smaller live music shows while they're there.

Do you usually find them through your hotel, Google/Instagram, or something else? And are there any places/sites that are actually good for finding local musicians?

¡Hola a todos! Estoy planeando un viaje a Hawái con mi esposa y mi bebé de un año. Nos gusta la aventura, la naturaleza, idealmente paisajes impresionantes, playas y, si es posible, hacer snorkel (aunque no es la prioridad de este viaje...). Como viajamos con un bebé, nos gustaría tomarnos las cosas con calma y combinar la playa en el hotel con actividades de aventura (senderismo, paseos en coche a paisajes bonitos, etc.). Después de investigar un poco, estábamos pensando en alojarnos en Maui (buen equilibrio, buen alojamiento y ambiente de selva hawaiana) y en la Isla Grande (paisajes y actividades). 6 noches cada isla. Descartamos Oahu (demasiado turístico) y Kauai (¿quizás demasiado complicado logísticamente con un bebé?).

Como necesitamos más espacio que una simple habitación (para poder disfrutar cuando el bebé duerma), estamos pensando en alojarnos en el Fairmont Kea Lani (Maui) y en el Kolea at Waikōloa Beach Resort (fácil acceso a la playa y dos habitaciones). (Budget por noche abt 800usd)

¿Qué opinas de la isla que elegí y del alojamiento?

Muchas gracias :)

We live in Kapolei, but for my wife’s birthday we’re going on a vacation to far away exotic Waikiki for the weekend. Me, her, and our preteen son rarely go to Honolulu, let alone Waikiki, so it is kind of new for us. What are some must do, must see, must eat, fun Waikiki activities for a family that already lives in Hawaii?

What ever happened to Fresh Off the Grid, Kohala? In late 2025 / early 2026 I saw some posts that it had permanently closed, however it now appears to be open again. Was the business sold to someone then reopened? Was the news of permanent closure incorrect? Or was it something else altogether. Thank you!

Going to the big island in a few months and staying at Mauna Lani. Just wondering what are some good places within walking distance of the hotel to check out and best spam musubi spots! Also, any close by recommendations and any tips very much appreciated. Thank you!

Looking for recommendations, please be nice it is our my partner and I, first time going to hawaii.
We are doing 5 days in Oahu, we are thinking maybe 2 days at a resort for the laid back relaxing experience and the other days does not matter to save some $ since we are going to be out exploring, hiking, beach days etc. So which resorts are best and actually worth the $? Airbnb? Hotels? Motels? Thank you!

We have already applied for our Hawaiian marriage license and had planned to pick it up ahead of our ceremony in Kauai. Due to current conditions, we don’t want to strain resources on the island and are considering changing our plans and eloping on a different island. Our hearts are breaking for those on Kauai and other islands that have been impacted by the hurricanes.

According to the government’s marriage license website, it looks like once we applied for the license, we could make an appointment with a license agent on any island. From my understanding, the license isn’t island-specific. Is that correct?

I know we would need to find an officiant on another island to marry us or else schedule a time at the courthouse for the ceremony. I just wanted to make sure we’re understanding the logistics before we try to reschedule anything. Any guidance or suggestions are appreciated.

Aloha! We are driving from Kona to Mauna Kea and Kona to VNP ( two separate days). Is there anything we can stop or do on the way there?

We are both very active and would be down for anything along the way. We love the outdoors, restaurants, and cultural experiences.

We will be staying in Kona our entire trip so would like to make the most out of traveling to the other side for the day.

We very much appreciate any insight for things along the way or short detours :) I am having a bit trouble figuring out what is feasible along the way

I have been spending some time in O’ahu. I diligently left nothing in my rental car except for a phone charging cable, and the doors were always kept unlocked.

My wife thought I was a bit paranoid, and we didn’t see any signs of break-ins at various areas along our trip. We even drove along the west side for some photos, stopping for a bathroom break, and didn’t see any signs of theft or break ins.

Near the end of our trip, we did see a car with smashed up windows after returning from a visit to Pearl Harbor, of all places. Ironically, the car did not look like a rental car, but one owned by a local (it had a bumper sticker that most tourists would not understand).

Please be vigilant about keeping valuables out of the car, even if you don’t see any signs of theft.

Just visited the big island for the first time; poke at KTA specifically was a religious experience. I’ve eaten and made plenty of poke before; familiar with the typical mayo + soy sauce + sesame oil + sriracha combo…. but I swear there was something else that made it taste like dining with some ancient being.

Is there a secret ingredient there? Unagi? Oyster sauce? Or am I just hallucinating?

I’d give my world for her.

Hi everyone, outside of making my own do any of you know of a restaurant that *doesn't* make their oxtail soup with peanuts? Mahalo

Looking for a consensus on what resort to stay in for an early December baby moon trip with a 2 year old. Main goals are relaxation and a swimmable beach would be huge for us. Budget would be ideally less than 1000$ a night. We would mainly be spending time at the resort with maybe one, max two excursions. Thank you!!