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 484882 times)

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2200 on: July 12, 2018, 11:25:31 PM »
I wouldn't  bother with traveling back and forth to the airport. 410 is a fine time to land and get to the hotel to sleep and then maybe go to Haleakala for sunrise. Jetlag could work in your favor here.
That's a good point.
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Offline shaulyaakov

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2201 on: July 12, 2018, 11:27:27 PM »
That's a good point.
And if you're going to leave Koa anyway, you may as well more evenly split your trip rather than doing only 12 hrs in KOA

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2202 on: July 12, 2018, 11:28:57 PM »
Once you're landing in KOA anyway, I'd absolutely spend a little time there before going to OGG or LIH.
/.02
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Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2203 on: July 12, 2018, 11:29:34 PM »
Could drive up Mauna Kaa for sunset.
Or take a heli tour of the volcano.
Definitely what to do for a night.
Also a good point.
Why OGG over LIH?
Honestly, there wasn't a good reason, I just had to pick one and OGG has a lot more info about it here than LIH. You think there's a compelling reason to go to LIH over OGG for my first time in Hawaii?
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2204 on: July 12, 2018, 11:31:20 PM »
Once you're landing in KOA anyway, I'd absolutely spend a little time there before going to OGG or LIH.
/.02
I hear. The reason I originally thought to go straight on to OGG is that everyone always says not to split up between two islands if you have less than a week.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2205 on: July 12, 2018, 11:37:22 PM »
I just had to pick one and OGG has a lot more info about it here than LIH. You think there's a compelling reason to go to LIH over OGG for my first time in Hawaii?
Picking between OGG and LIH would be like picking between my kids :)
I won't answer that question, I'm just always curious listening to the rationale of one over the other.

The nature/beauty in LIH will put your soul in a special place.
OGG has more to "do" though I suppose.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2206 on: July 12, 2018, 11:38:10 PM »
I hear. The reason I originally thought to go straight on to OGG is that everyone always says not to split up between two islands if you have less than a week.
The reason for not splitting up goes out the window once you need to go there anyway IMHO.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2207 on: July 12, 2018, 11:45:35 PM »
Picking between OGG and LIH would be like picking between my kids :)
I won't answer that question, I'm just always curious listening to the rationale of one over the other.

The nature/beauty in LIH will put your soul in a special place.
OGG has more to "do" though I suppose.
Well now you've made this decision easy....
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2208 on: July 12, 2018, 11:46:11 PM »
The reason for not splitting up goes out the window once you need to go there anyway IMHO.
That's a good point, how long would you think makes sense to stay on KOA before going to either OGG or LIH?
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2209 on: July 12, 2018, 11:49:11 PM »
That's a good point, how long would you think makes sense to stay on KOA before going to either OGG or LIH?
Are you looking to relax?
To see as much as possible?
Are you willing to shell out for a heli volcano tour?
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2210 on: July 12, 2018, 11:57:54 PM »
Are you looking to relax?
To see as much as possible?
Really to see as much as possible.
Are you willing to shell out for a heli volcano tour?
Probably not in the budget.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2211 on: July 13, 2018, 12:26:37 AM »
It would be worth doing KOA just for the drive up Mauna Kea for sunset and seeing the stars from the visitor center.
I'm not sure if it's possible to view the current eruption, you'll have to research that.

There's definitely what to do in KOA/ITO for longer. Waipio Valley, South Point, Green Sand Beach, Captain Cook Snorkeling, Hilo market, natural hot springs, coffee plantations, Manta diving. But I'd still probably opt for LIH or OGG over those.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2212 on: July 13, 2018, 12:46:22 AM »
It would be worth doing KOA just for the drive up Mauna Kea for sunset and seeing the stars from the visitor center.
I'm not sure if it's possible to view the current eruption, you'll have to research that.

There's definitely what to do in KOA/ITO for longer. Waipio Valley, South Point, Green Sand Beach, Captain Cook Snorkeling, Hilo market, natural hot springs, coffee plantations, Manta diving. But I'd still probably opt for LIH or OGG over those.
So should I just stay Monday night and fly to OGG or LIH Tuesday morning? That way I maximize my time on the other island or is it woth staying part of the day Tuesday?
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2213 on: July 13, 2018, 01:18:49 AM »
I'm not sure if it's possible to view the current eruption, you'll have to research that.

Only by helicopter.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2214 on: July 13, 2018, 09:26:02 AM »
So should I just stay Monday night and fly to OGG or LIH Tuesday morning? That way I maximize my time on the other island or is it woth staying part of the day Tuesday?

How long in total is your trip? I think if you leave 3 days + Friday/Shabbos for Maui, you'll have plenty of time to "do" the highlights (RTH, Haleakala, beach, snorkel). Once you're doing 2 islands, I would say split in such a way to experience them both.

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2215 on: July 13, 2018, 09:34:28 AM »
Really to see as much as possible.


I would caution you to exercise restraint. You don't want to feel pressure to keep moving . If you miss something now, you'll just have to go back . Lol

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2216 on: July 13, 2018, 09:37:40 AM »
As a bochur I vote for keep moving and pack it in.
As a married couple or with kids it's a different story.

./02
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2217 on: July 13, 2018, 09:40:18 AM »
How long in total is your trip? I think if you leave 3 days + Friday/Shabbos for Maui, you'll have plenty of time to "do" the highlights (RTH, Haleakala, beach, snorkel). Once you're doing 2 islands, I would say split in such a way to experience them both.
Get to KOA Monday at 2:30, leave HNL early Sunday morning.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2218 on: July 13, 2018, 09:41:43 AM »

I would caution you to exercise restraint. You don't want to feel pressure to keep moving . If you miss something now, you'll just have to go back . Lol
Obviously I'm not planning on rushing around like a madman just to pack more stuff in but I'd like to set up my trip in the most efficient way so I can experience as much as possible.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2219 on: July 13, 2018, 09:43:04 AM »
As a bochur I vote for keep moving and pack it in.
As a married couple or with kids it's a different story.

./02
I agree, traveling like this with just a friend is probably not something I'm going to have very many opportunities to do in the future. The focus of this trip is going to be more experiences and sights than luxury and relaxation.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy