Hawaii is amazing. We really enjoyed the mix of beach / hike that each island proposes. We visited the four main islands during two different trips and always had great times. Going to Hawaii require a long flight, so it’s better to plan a little bit before your go. The first question you should ask yourself is: which island should I choose?
Which Island?
Hawaii includes four main islands, from north to south (and from the oldest to the newest): Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Big Island. It’s unlikely you will have time to visit the four islands in a single trip so you need to choose (no bad choice). On our side we advise to spend the minimum time possible in Oahu and about 5 to 8 days on each of the other islands.
Kauai
Kauai is certainly the best island for hiking and nature lovers. The island is relatively small, 5 or 6 days is enough to do most of the key activities. The best activities includes: hikes in amazing forest and in Waimea Canyon, snorkeling, Napali cost tour. More info here.
Oahu
Oahu is from our point of view the least interesting of the 4 islands. But most of the flight stop by Honolulu airport. So you can plan to spend 1 or 2 days in Oahu just to do the most popular attractions. The best activities includes: Hanauma bay snorkeling, Waikiki and Diamond Head, and the Pearl Harbor Memorial. More info here.
Maui
Maui has a great mix of hikes and beach. You can go from lush forest and waterfall on the Hana area to the beaches of the west, to the summit for great hike on volcanos. The best activities includes: Snorkeling with turtles, sunrise and hiking to Heleakala National park, discovering the lush forest and waterfall of Hana. More info here.
Big Island
Big Island is comparable to Maui because it also offers a great mix of hikes and beach. In addition this is potentially the island were the Aloha spirit is the most present and it contains the Volcano National park which is spectacular. The best activities includes visiting the Volcano National park, Swimming with Manta Ray, Hiking and Snorkeling at Captain cook monument. More info here.
Budget – How much does it cost?
Spending time in Hawaii is expensive. In addition to the plane ticket you will need to add car rental (can be avoided in Oahu), and the housing. The housing is certainly the most expensive part. Paid activities (boat tour,…) will also be costly, but you can have amazing time without them. The food budget is up to you, it can be expensive if you take all your meals at restaurants, and unexpansive if you do your own cooking or if you just buy poke with rice bowl at the supermarket.
From One Island to the other
To go from one island to the other the best option is to take a flight. The inter island flights are very frequent and not too expensive.
When should I go?
Good news, there is never a bad time to go to Hawaii. We went in November and December and the weather was always great. Winter usually bring more waves (good to see pro surfers and bad for snorkeling visibility). But even in winter we always have been able to find great snorkeling spots.
Where and what to eat?
Our top food options in Hawaii are:
- Local supermarket where you can buy poke fish. This is usually very affordable, you can buy some fish and cooked rice.
- Food truck. They are often around 15$ and very tasty.
- Cook your own food. If you are in a rental with a grill you can find some good local fish or meet to grill.
- Local bakeries.
- Restaurants.
What to pack?
As you may imagine you should be prepared for warm weather. So mainly short sleeves and beach gear. If you plan to hike, or go to rainy, high elevation area you should pack the needed equipment. Some advices:
- We always bring our own snorkeling kit. It takes a little bit of space in the luggage but then you don’t have to plan the renting before to go snorkeling.
- We have some snorkeling water proof bag. So when we go snorkeling we can bring all our valuables with us and do not worry. Water proof bag are affordable and easy to find online.
- Buy some corals friendly solar cream. And check carefully before buying, some brands advertise corals friendly but are not really. We usually have two solar creams: one expensive coral friendly for snorkeling and one less expensive for swimming pools or hikes.
- If you plan to hike, buy hiking shoes. It sounds stupid but we have seen many people with brand new white Nike running shoes. This kind of shoes will not last long with volcanic rocks. If you don’t like the hiking shoes brand you can buy Adidas Terrex or Nike trail.
Where to Snorkel
For all the trips to Hawaii we used TropicalSnorkling.com website to prepare the snorkeling. They have great explanations about all the best spots.