Topic Wiki

Please post your questions in the correct thread. This thread, as the title clearly states, is for general Hawaii questions only.

If you have any questions that pertains to a particular island, post it in the appropriate island thread. See below for links to all island threads.

You'd get far better answers there, and chances are that your issue was already discussed at length too.

DansMeals: Hawaii For The Kosher Traveler:
-Part 1: General Info And The Island Of Oahu
-Part 2: The Big Island of Hawaii
-Part 3: Maui
-Part 4: Kauai

Related DD Posts:
-Ultimate Hawaii Mileage Chart and Everything You Need to Know About the Hawaiian Islands (2015)
-Trip Notes: Maui No Ka ‘Oi (2014)
-Trip Notes Kauai: Heaven On Earth (2014)
-The Hawaiian Islands. (2011)
-Traveling To Hawaii…With A 5 Month Old (2011)
-View From The Room (2011)
-Pearl Harbor…70 Years (2011)
-Shaloha! (2011)
-Hawaii Trip Notes: Kauai (2009)
-Hawaii Trip Notes: Oahu (2009)
-Which Miles To Use To Fly To Hawaii?

Related DDF Destination Threads:
-Big Island Of Hawaii Master Thread
-Kauai Master Thread
-Maui Master Thread
-Oahu Master Thread
-Lanai, Molokai, and Niihau, Hawaii Master Thread

Background on Hawaiian Islands
You've probably heard of Honolulu. That's the state capital and is located on island of Oahu, the main island with the largest airport. Honolulu hosts the famous Waikiki Beach and if you look at pictures, it looks like Miami. One long beach with a strip of hotels. Most DDFers say to go to one of the other 3 main islands which are less touristy and the hotels are more spread out. In no particular order, the other islands are Maui, Kauai and Hawaii (yes, that's the name of one of the islands. It's also known as The Big Island - confusing because Big Island sounds like it's the "Main Island", but Oahu is the main island). Direct flights from NYC only go to HNL. You can get direct flights from other cities (LAX, SFO, OAK, SJC, SAN, DEN, DFW, PHX, SEA, ORD as examples) to the other islands. Hawaii is amazing - have fun! The main airport codes are:
Oahu: HNL
Maui: OGG
Kauai: LIH
The Big Island: KOA, ITO (2 airports on 2 different sides of the island)

Interisland flights:
Hawaiian is the main interisland carrier and flies HNL, LIH, OGG, KOA, and ITO. They have countless flights each day and are nearly always on time - often even early. Never book a tight connection hoping that the interisland flight will be delayed.

Go and Island Air fly from HNL. Mokulele flies from HNL and KOA, as well as to Kapalua (JHM), Hana (HNM), Molokai (MKK), Lanai (LNY), and Waimea-Kohala (MUE) on the Big Island. Hawaiian's subsidiary Ohana flies HNL to MKK and LNY.

You can also use 5k AA, 6k UA or 7.5k HA miles each way to fly interisland. You can use 15k DL pesos for a RT interisland. United allows a free stopover on a round-trip, so for instance you can fly HNL-LIH-OGG-HNL for just 12K miles.
HA has several tiers, similar to DL, the lowest tier is the only one that's available using partner miles, but with HA miles you can purchase tickets that are otherwise unavailable for additional miles.

@Yehuda's thoughts on deciding between Kauai and Maui:
Here's a list of the main activities on both islands. Decide what interests you, and then you'll know where to go.

Kauai has what many say to be one of the best hikes in the world - Kalalau Trail. Most people will only do the first part, but it's still very highly regarded. The views atop Waimea Canyon are breathtaking, yet Maui also has breathtaking views at Haleakala. Kauai also has some supposedly awesome off-roading on Miloli'i Ridge Road. Sunset at the 12-mile long Polihale Beach is supposed to be quite the sunset. A helicopter tour of Kauai is generally said to be much better than a heli tour of Maui. If the water is calm, Queen's Bath, which is a natural pool in the ocean you can swim in that's protected from the ocean's force by hardened lava, is SICK, but Maui has the same thing by the Olivine Pools. Kayaking down the Wailua River to "Secret Falls" is supposed to be great as well. Of course, the luxurious, tropical amazingness of the Grand Hyatt Kauai is a huge boost for Kauai, except for its beach, but the great Po'ipu Beach is 5 minutes away.

Maui has the Road to Hana, which is an incredible drive through what feels like a rainforest with tons of opportunities to take small hikes to waterfalls and pools. It's just wow wow wow. Sunrise at the top Haleakala is not to be missed. A boat trip to snorkel by Molokini Crater offers what is supposedly some of the best snorkeling visibility in the world. Warren & Annabelle's Magic Show is supposed to be a great night out. The hotels are also magical, perhaps to a lesser degree than GHK, but the beaches by the main hotels are a big plus over GHK's beach. EDIT: The Grand Wailea in Maui is a gorgeous hotel that rivals the GHK (and its lazy river actually moves as opposed to GHK's ). Add in the fact that its beach (Wailea Beach) is swimmable and doesn't require the albeit short drive to Po'ipu Beach that the GHK does, I'm not sure that the GHK should be a reason enough to tip the scales in favor of Kauai over Maui anymore.

So, pick the types of activities you'd want to do and then you'll have your island. I personally liked Maui better mostly because of the Road to Hana, but to be fair, I did miss out on the Kalalau Trail in Kauai due to weather.
« Last edited by jj1000 on December 25, 2023, 10:30:33 AM »

Author Topic: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?  (Read 485081 times)

Offline aussiebochur

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #100 on: September 07, 2011, 10:13:51 PM »
When CO cancelled a CLE-EWR flight causing a misconnect for the EWR-HNL they rerouted me CLE-IAH-HNL but the EWR-HNL inventory did not ever return.

But I will post next time, bl"n.
Worth noting the calendar was yellow for all the BF HNL trips I booked...
I do find the calendar to be incorrect at times, especially with O inventory and partner flights.

But its a great tool for a quick overview...

Offline Yellow

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #101 on: October 23, 2011, 06:38:40 PM »
I'm looking to book 3 RT tickets to Hawaii from ORD sometime in Jan. using BA miles. Is it way too late to attempt to find availability? I tried looking on the BA site and found nothing, but its highly likely that i just didnt know what i was doing.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2011, 06:41:46 PM by Yellow »

Offline Dan

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #102 on: October 23, 2011, 06:46:42 PM »
I'm looking to book 3 RT tickets to Hawaii from ORD sometime in Jan. using BA miles. Is it way too late to attempt to find availability? I tried looking on the BA site and found nothing, but its highly likely that i just didnt know what i was doing.
Search on AA.com
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #103 on: October 23, 2011, 06:54:40 PM »
Search on AA.com
Just did... Still unsuccessful
Do you think calling would help?

Offline Dan

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Offline Dan

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Re: Kauai, HI Master Thread
« Reply #106 on: November 17, 2011, 12:01:16 PM »
I'll post some notes about HNL in the Oahu section, but I'd just like to say that it Oahu is underrated and definitely worth a 2-3 day trip.
Extremely underrated, typically by those that stay in Waikiki with no car and don't get out and explore the island at all.
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Re: Re: Kauai, HI Master Thread
« Reply #107 on: November 17, 2011, 12:57:18 PM »
9 days sun- mon early feb. Have been to kauai, loved it am really tempted to go back. Should i do maui and or big island ? Or just stick to kaui? I am flying into hnl

Offline Dan

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Re: Re: Kauai, HI Master Thread
« Reply #108 on: November 17, 2011, 01:14:46 PM »
9 days sun- mon early feb. Have been to kauai, loved it am really tempted to go back. Should i do maui and or big island ? Or just stick to kaui? I am flying into hnl
I would check out other islands.
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Re: Re: Kauai, HI Master Thread
« Reply #109 on: November 17, 2011, 01:19:54 PM »
which island would u suggest? and can i do 2 islands

Offline Dan

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #110 on: November 17, 2011, 01:21:53 PM »
which island would u suggest? and can i do 2 islands
I typically advise 5-7 days per island, but you can do 2 in 9 days if you're willing to push it.
I loved all 4 islands, Kauai may be my favorite but it's hard to advise someone which one to go to without knowing their interests.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #111 on: November 17, 2011, 01:24:50 PM »
I typically advise 5-7 days per island, but you can do 2 in 9 days if you're willing to push it.
I loved all 4 islands, Kauai may be my favorite but it's hard to advise someone which one to go to without knowing their interests.

What interests of yours led you to pick as Kauai  #1?
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Offline Dan

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #112 on: November 17, 2011, 01:25:35 PM »
What interests of yours led you to pick as Kauai  #1?
Read my Kauai trip notes and you should figure it out.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #113 on: December 05, 2011, 11:58:24 AM »
Have 2 upcoming HNL trips in CO BF that I'm about to cancel (each are for 2 passengers):

01/24: IAH-HNL
02/05: HNL-EWR

02/23: EWR-HNL
03/04 HNL-EWR

They were all booked as Plat BF awards (80K CO per person) but I've noticed that when I cancel they either seem to go back into regular award inventory (bookable by non-plats) or they don't go back at all.

If you would like to book one of these trips please pm me and we'll try to coordinate the cancellation so you can try to book.  Remember CO allows free date changes, so you can book now and always change later on.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #114 on: December 05, 2011, 03:34:52 PM »
Planning to go to Kauai in July with our two teen age kids. I was thinking about renting a condo for more room, kitchen facilities and Shabbos convenience. Have you ever checked out The Villas at Poipukai or Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort Condos? They look modern and beautiful on line and very affordable for a family of 4 that needs 2 rooms. I wanted to get your take on staying in a place like this over a resort hotel. Will we be missing something or is it a good trade off for the room and convenience of the kitchen?

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #115 on: December 06, 2011, 02:29:48 AM »
I stayed with my family in Kauai at a condo.  Simply can't compare in any way to an awesome resort like the Grand Hyatt Kauai.

Have 2 upcoming HNL trips in CO BF that I'm about to cancel (each are for 2 passengers):

01/24: IAH-HNL
02/05: HNL-EWR

02/23: EWR-HNL
03/04 HNL-EWR

They were all booked as Plat BF awards (80K CO per person) but I've noticed that when I cancel they either seem to go back into regular award inventory (bookable by non-plats) or they don't go back at all.

If you would like to book one of these trips please pm me and we'll try to coordinate the cancellation so you can try to book.  Remember CO allows free date changes, so you can book now and always change later on.
Bump.  Will cancel soon, so pm me now if you might want 'em.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #116 on: December 11, 2011, 03:36:54 AM »
Have 2 upcoming HNL trips in CO BF that I'm about to cancel (each are for 2 passengers):

01/24: IAH-HNL
02/05: HNL-EWR

02/23: EWR-HNL
03/04 HNL-EWR

They were all booked as Plat BF awards (80K CO per person) but I've noticed that when I cancel they either seem to go back into regular award inventory (bookable by non-plats) or they don't go back at all.

If you would like to book one of these trips please pm me and we'll try to coordinate the cancellation so you can try to book.  Remember CO allows free date changes, so you can book now and always change later on.
Final bump, will cancel by Monday if nobody wants 'em.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #117 on: December 11, 2011, 01:54:21 PM »
We're going to Hawaii Iy"H on the 20th to the 27th. Flying into OGG, Flying out of LIH. Any suggestions on how much time to spend in each island or in which island to spend the bulk of our time? On which one would be best to spend shabbos?

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #118 on: December 11, 2011, 02:01:16 PM »
We're going to Hawaii Iy"H on the 20th to the 27th. Flying into OGG, Flying out of LIH. Any suggestions on how much time to spend in each island or in which island to spend the bulk of our time? On which one would be best to spend shabbos?
Personally for a trip of 7 days or less I would stick with 1 island as you lose a day in the moving process and you're left with not quite enough time to do either island...
Where will you be staying?
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #119 on: December 11, 2011, 05:27:42 PM »

Where will you be staying?
All I have are the flights. No other plans yet (I know, it's late).
1) Which Island would you suggest I do for first time in Hawaii? From reading your reports, I guess Kauai.
2) I booked the whole award in UA first via AC (I couldn't find flights for my dates on CO). Would I just add another leg in inter Hawaii hopping to the next island, or do I need to change my inbound - outbound flights altogether?