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 485208 times)

Offline skyguy918

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #680 on: February 03, 2014, 10:08:59 AM »
Thanks for the info. It seems flights are cheaper to Oahu. I'm thinking maybe Oahu & Maui, would anyone recommend Oahu. Also in terms of Shabbos, was thinking about staying near Chabad, does the Chabad of Oahu & maui offer the same. Any preferable hotels near Chabad that have manual keys & don't pose problems to Shabbos that are not too pricey?
As long as the Shabbos isn't smack in the middle of the trip, spend Shabbos on Oahu and as much of the rest of the time as you can on Maui.

Offline shmuelb

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #681 on: February 03, 2014, 12:01:49 PM »
Nu, when is the Royal Family coming back?
siyag lachachma :-)

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #682 on: February 09, 2014, 12:21:40 AM »
Going to HI via delta glitch on Thursday for a week and really want to go to Kauai but looks like GHK and all the SPG hotels are completely booked for the weekend. Any personal recommendations for other hotels or condos on Kauai that aren't outrageously expensive? Or is it worth it to just go to another island this trip and hope to come back to Kauai another trip.

THanks!

Offline Ploni3

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #683 on: February 14, 2014, 12:02:54 PM »
Any suggestions for "tzniusdig" places to snorkel and do other "Hawaiian" activities? thanks,

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #684 on: February 14, 2014, 12:08:39 PM »
Any suggestions for "tzniusdig" places to snorkel and do other "Hawaiian" activities? thanks,
Your jacuzzi.
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 Ploni3

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #685 on: February 14, 2014, 12:16:21 PM »
In all seriousness, is it basically impossible to do that? Is it a waste of time trying to plan. Is it worse than other sun places in the US where you can find secluded places with planning?

Offline momo

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #686 on: February 14, 2014, 12:26:26 PM »
I was in Kauai, and had plenty of secluded beaches. Do not know if you can plan it before. I would say rent snorkeling gear for the week, and keep it in the car. That way whenever you find somewhere, you can just go.

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #687 on: February 14, 2014, 12:32:51 PM »
Any suggestions for "tzniusdig" places to snorkel and do other "Hawaiian" activities? thanks,

Your best bet is a beach you have to hike to. With most Hawaiian beaches you could just roll out of your car or hotel room and land on the sand, so the vast majority of people will do just that. If it takes a 20-minute hike to get to a beach, there's usually no one there.

Honomolino Bay on the Big Island is a great example of this - you have to take a crazy winding road down the mountain, then you have to hike for 20 minutes (a beautiful, lovely hike, btw). By the time your get to the beach chances are you'll be the only one.

Early morning is another good time to own a beach. As long as it's not in front of a hotel and slightly out of the way (like Tunnels Beach in Kauai), it'll be all yours. In fact, the snorkeling is even better then than later, since the water is clearer and calmer and there are more fish around. I know you're on vacation, but if you wake up early you could watch the sunrise from the beach and then swim right in. Absolute heaven, trust me.

You might find some people taking early morning walks then, so just settle down on the far end of the beach and it'll be all yours.
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Offline Bosco

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #688 on: February 14, 2014, 12:40:05 PM »
I know these topics have been discussed at length and I read all of dans posts on the main site for the islands but I'd really appreciate if anyone can offer their thoughts on my planned trip.

I got the delta glitch for May 20-26. We're landing in hnl at 2pm on Tuesday may 20 and leaving at 12pm on Monday, the 26th. I really want to go to Kauai or Maui. What do you guys think of staying in Waikiki until Thursday morning then flying early to Kauai or Maui and spending Thursday through Monday morning there? I know dan says at least four days is necessary for any island but I really wanna get a taste of more than one island. Would that be enough time in each one? We wanna try to do water sports, hiking and other activities. At least in the second island.

Also, are there active volcanoes to see on any islands other than the big island?

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #689 on: February 14, 2014, 12:52:54 PM »
How many days shabbos?
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Offline Bosco

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #690 on: February 14, 2014, 12:57:42 PM »
How many days shabbos?

I didnt get a psak yet but let's assume one.

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #691 on: February 14, 2014, 12:58:43 PM »
Oh and I just realized that Maui doesnt have minyanim on shabbos so lets change that to the big island.

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #692 on: February 14, 2014, 01:02:22 PM »
Oh and I just realized that Maui doesnt have minyanim on shabbos so lets change that to the big island.

So there's your active volcano taken care of ;).

Maybe do 2 or 3 days on Oahu and do your watersports, then the BI for the rest if the time. Do the Volcano, Mauna Kea, snorkeling, etc.
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Offline Dan

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #693 on: February 14, 2014, 01:03:11 PM »
What does Oahu offer than Maui doesn't?
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Offline skyguy918

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #694 on: February 14, 2014, 01:03:35 PM »
I know these topics have been discussed at length and I read all of dans posts on the main site for the islands but I'd really appreciate if anyone can offer their thoughts on my planned trip.

I got the delta glitch for May 20-26. We're landing in hnl at 2pm on Tuesday may 20 and leaving at 12pm on Monday, the 26th. I really want to go to Kauai or Maui. What do you guys think of staying in Waikiki until Thursday morning then flying early to Kauai or Maui and spending Thursday through Monday morning there? I know dan says at least four days is necessary for any island but I really wanna get a taste of more than one island. Would that be enough time in each one? We wanna try to do water sports, hiking and other activities. At least in the second island.

Also, are there active volcanoes to see on any islands other than the big island?
It sounds like you're planning on spending time on Oahu regardless and just trying to figure out if you can also do the Big Island. Why not just spend all (or as much as you can) of the time on the Big Island (ie don't leave the airport at HNL)? Then you'll have a full 5 days on the Big Island. If you have an activity or 2 you really want to do on Oahu, you can make your HNL-KOA flight as late on Tuesday as possible and/or your KOA-HNL flight as early on Monday as possible, giving you an afternoon/night and a morning to accomplish that.

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #695 on: February 14, 2014, 01:06:00 PM »
What does Oahu offer than Maui doesn't?

Nothing, but with so little time why not save Maui for next time and do it properly? Rather get Oahu out of the way I think.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #696 on: February 14, 2014, 01:08:18 PM »
So there's your active volcano taken care of ;).

Maybe do 2 or 3 days on Oahu and do your watersports, then the BI for the rest if the time. Do the Volcano, Mauna Kea, snorkeling, etc.

Haha. I guess so. Sounds good. That's what I was thinking. It just bugs me a little that I cant do Maui or Kauai. Im kinda stuck to the big island just because I want a minyan for shabbos (which doesnt sound guaranteed anyway but more of a chance than Maui or Kauai).

Unless I should just stay in Oahu for the whole trip? I kinda just want to get out and explore a little bit, especially since Oahu is the most touristy of the bunch.

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #697 on: February 14, 2014, 01:09:43 PM »
It sounds like you're planning on spending time on Oahu regardless and just trying to figure out if you can also do the Big Island. Why not just spend all (or as much as you can) of the time on the Big Island (ie don't leave the airport at HNL)? Then you'll have a full 5 days on the Big Island. If you have an activity or 2 you really want to do on Oahu, you can make your HNL-KOA flight as late on Tuesday as possible and/or your KOA-HNL flight as early on Monday as possible, giving you an afternoon/night and a morning to accomplish that.

Truth is I was originally going to go straight but I feel like its such a waste not to get out and see it a little. I also want to be in a place, at least for a little, where I can take in the sites in a convertible :-)

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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #698 on: February 14, 2014, 01:10:06 PM »
Spend the whole time on the BI.
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Re: Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
« Reply #699 on: February 14, 2014, 01:13:27 PM »
Spend the whole time on the BI.

What about if I dont wanna be somewhere the whole time driving a big 4x4? Does that change your opinion or youd still say I should stay there the whole time? Is it also the kinda place you can get a convertible, at least for a little?