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 485009 times)

Offline tdb

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2500 on: May 26, 2021, 11:01:42 AM »
Define all?

lol

Big Island, Maui, Kaui and either Molokai or Lanai. I guess 4 in total, a week each

Offline Dan

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2501 on: May 26, 2021, 11:03:21 AM »
lol

Big Island, Maui, Kaui and either Molokai or Lanai. I guess 4 in total, a week each
Skipping Oahu?
I don't think there's a right or wrong order.
Definitely don't need a week for Molokai or Lanai. Can do both of those in a week easily.
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 tdb

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2502 on: May 26, 2021, 11:05:39 AM »
In that case i'll do Oahu and skip Molokai and Lanai for now.

Offline Dan

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2503 on: May 26, 2021, 11:09:05 AM »
In that case i'll do Oahu and skip Molokai and Lanai for now.
Or go for 5 weeks :D

I did Molokai in a day trip. With the mule rides closed since 2018 and no signs of reopening, that may be all you need.
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 ushdadude

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2504 on: May 27, 2021, 11:04:41 AM »
I will probably flying in to Honolulu as that is the only direct option from NYC.

Also it seems the only direct flight is on Hawaiin Air. What is the best way to book these flights with points?

thank you
if oahu isn't your first destination, i would just do a stopover on the mainland instead of oahu.this opens up a lot more options. we did jfk-hnl-ogg and jfk-dfw-ogg and enjoyed the latter much more.

Offline Yr18

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2505 on: July 16, 2021, 04:37:16 PM »
Anyone know the best points value flying from ny to ogg? And what are the best places to stay in maui?

Offline rwllr

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2506 on: December 11, 2021, 11:30:24 PM »
Went to Maui a few years ago. Looking to go to either Kauai or Big Island this time and unsure which to choose?
Will have an infant if that changes the equation at all.

Offline PBaruch

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2507 on: December 12, 2021, 06:33:47 PM »
Went to Maui a few years ago. Looking to go to either Kauai or Big Island this time and unsure which to choose?
Will have an infant if that changes the equation at all.

eeny meeny miny moe, pick an island where to go, whichever one you decide to choose, a great time will be had by all.
What do you do after your dreams come true?

Offline Wizmanison

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2508 on: December 29, 2021, 11:23:57 PM »
any covid restrictions or testing needed to enter hawaii for domestic travel for January?

Offline joe999

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2509 on: December 30, 2021, 02:52:16 PM »
any covid restrictions or testing needed to enter hawaii for domestic travel for January?

Yes, you need to show proof of vaccination and to fill out a questionnaire to bypass quarantine. I think if you're unvaccinated you can avoid through testing. Obviously, things can change in the blink of an eye in today's world. Check out https://travel.hawaii.gov/

Offline Wizmanison

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2510 on: December 30, 2021, 10:48:55 PM »
Yes, you need to show proof of vaccination and to fill out a questionnaire to bypass quarantine. I think if you're unvaccinated you can avoid through testing. Obviously, things can change in the blink of an eye in today's world. Check out https://travel.hawaii.gov/

Thank you! Link and video that was attached was super helpful!

Offline Cat18

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2511 on: January 11, 2022, 12:57:35 PM »
Possible to do a morning checkin with Hawaiian airlines on Maui for afternoon interisland flight?
« Last Edit: January 11, 2022, 02:07:02 PM by Cat18 »

Offline nirc

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2512 on: January 14, 2022, 01:47:42 AM »
PSA - Lappert's ice cream cones are NOT certified by Chabad or its affiliate organization, despite most other products in store being Kosher.

Offline LFR

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Offline pcgeek

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2514 on: January 30, 2022, 02:13:08 PM »
Booster needed now: https://www.frommers.com/blogs/passportable/blog_posts/proof-of-covid-booster-will-soon-be-required-to-visit-hawaii
Are you sure this new rule is already in effect? I see no mention on the safe travels site.

Offline awardflyer

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2515 on: February 17, 2022, 07:13:10 AM »
@Dan Incredible saver award space for United EWR-OGG in July/August. I snagged 8 eco for a mid August flight using 7.5k Turkish but pretty amazing for 12.5k on United as well. Just opened this morning. Hook me up with a HAT TIP :)
« Last Edit: February 17, 2022, 07:36:32 AM by awardflyer »

Offline Dan

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2516 on: February 17, 2022, 10:32:26 AM »
Booked TK online or phone?
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.

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2517 on: February 17, 2022, 10:59:23 AM »
Phone. Took 48 minutes for 8 pax LOL. Had two names misspelled. Make them repeat back several times. Officially $25/pax to redeposit but I’m hoping they’ll waive if need arises. Instant transfer from Capital One. 7.5k EWR-OGG direct ($500+ flight) gotta be top 5 eco award gems. 
« Last Edit: February 17, 2022, 11:02:38 AM by awardflyer »

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2518 on: February 17, 2022, 05:51:20 PM »
Are you sure this new rule is already in effect? I see no mention on the safe travels site.

As per the official website, this has been put on hold for now

Offline Joel

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #2519 on: March 05, 2022, 08:59:46 PM »
Quote
NOTICE: At the end of the day, March 25, 2022, the Safe Travels Hawai‘i program will conclude. Beginning March 26, 2022, there will be no COVID-related requirements for arriving domestic passengers. Travelers arriving in Hawai‘i directly from international airports must still comply with U.S. federal requirements; consult with your airline.
https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/