Suggested Hawaii Itinerary – Plan my Trip for Me!

January 24, 2008 by Lisa
Filed under: Big Island, Hawaii - general, Kauai, Maui, Oahu, Vacation Planning

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If you had to recommend a two week itinerary in Hawaii, what would you recommend and why (13 full days)? Don’t give me some cop out answer like “every island has something to offer for each person”. We were thinking of visiting 2-3 islands. Which islands should I visit and for how many days.

Ok, 13 full days – never been to Hawaii before – I would do Oahu for 4 to 5 days. On Oahu I would visit Waikiki beach, because it really is the beach that started it all even if it is completely packed with people and commercialized these days.. I would visit Pearl Harbor and maybe hike to some waterfalls. I would consider Hanauma Bay. I would check out Kailua and Lanikai beaches and the North Shore. For the rest of the trip *I* would decide which out of the following was my favorite must-see and choose my island(s) around that:

an active volcano (big island)
black sand beaches (big island)
the Na Pali Coast (Kauai)
tons of waterfalls (Kauai or Maui)
zip line (maui and kauai)
downhill bike adventure (maui)
ferries to smaller islands (maui)
rivers (kauai)
hana and the road to hana (maui)
mauna kea (big island)
green sand beach (big island)
waimea canyon (kauai)
sport fishing (all islands, but big island – kona side is considered best)
waipio valley (big island)

Anything else you would want to do in Hawaii could be done on any island – so figure out what appeals to you and focus your activities around that. That is the most specific advice I will offer. :) I hope you have a wonderful time! Lisa

…. BIG TRIP for us all. Most of us do not like tons of crowds for a long time. average crowds are fine. we have planned 11 days or more. Quoted 4,500 for all inclusive flight hopper to 3 islands. Does this allow you to see the greatest of hawaii by moving about?

Three islands is a personal choice – if you guys want to move around that much, great! Of course staying in one place is good too. The only island I sometimes really advise people to not stay on for a long time is Oahu – sometimes visitors get disenchanted with the amount of traffic and people there. Lisa

Latest on planning is … talked to an agent that suggested a cruise to the three islands instead of flights. After thinking about it, we think it sounds easier than packing and unpacking. We would fly to Honolulu and get on a cruise ship that moves about three different islands. At least there are stay overs for more than one day.

We have been on cruises… the frustrating part for us has been we find a place we really like however, we can’t stay any longer than the time they allow. :

If you had say 11 days to see hawaii, knowing this could be your 1st and last trip, what would YOU do? Teens will need activity. Parents and grandma like activities such as hiking, snorkeling, ATV rides, beaches, FOOD of course. Any suggestions??

I have a really hard time when people ask ne what would YOU do becaue I have been here for so long and have seen so much and I can’t seem to get myself back to a place of being a fresh newbie to Hawaii. :)

The cool thing about a cruise is all the people are right there when you get off the boat trying to talk you into their activity – but the not so cool thing is you are stuck in this one geographical area for this finite period of time.

I won’t say – do the cruise or don’t do the cruise. I’m sure it could be awesome, and I’m sure it could be awful :)

Comments

10 Comments on Suggested Hawaii Itinerary – Plan my Trip for Me!

  1. Dario on Sat, 22nd May 2010 8:36 pm

    2. Hi, could you please tell me what would be the best way to spend my time in Hawaii with my gf for 7 days. I know that might be short but I have to get back to work, and im flying to Oahu. Im looking to see the best beach in Hawaii, even if I need to take a ferry to other islands that you might recommend. Oh and what are these prices avg. for ferries rides? and could I get hotels on these other islands without pre booking without paying arm and a leg. for a 2-3 days. Lastly Im planning on going in September, any chance to see any whales or dolphins in september or even turtles. Thats it just looking for that 10/10 beach in Hawaii, i want my mouth to drop……lol thank you very much.

  2. Lisa on Mon, 24th May 2010 5:10 pm

    3. Hi Dario, There are no ferries, you’ll have to fly.
    http://www.hawaii-lisa.com/hawaii/daytrips.html

    You will probably be able to get one way flights for about $60 if you book early.

    You may be able to find hotel rooms without prebooking at decent rates, as long as you don’t show up somewhere while something big is going on like the merrie monarch or the ironman.

    You won’t see humpbacks in september. You could see other whales if you took a tour http://www.ilovewhales.com/

    You can easily see dolphins and turtles anywhere, anytime.

    There are lots of super-nice beaches in Hawaii, but everyone has their own preference of what they think is awesome. Here’s some options
    http://www.hawaiigaga.com/hawaii-best-beaches.aspx

    Have fun!

    Lisa

  3. Ian Baker on Wed, 18th Aug 2010 5:52 am

    4. My wife and I have booked a cruise on the Pride of America in July next year. We will have roughly a two day stay in Kahului and ten hour staysin Hilo and Kona. We intend to extend our stay in the Islands following the cruise.

    Do you have any suggestions on what would be viable to see while on the cruise and what would you suggest as an itinerary following our cruise?

    We are in our sixties and like to undertake activities which allow us to see the cultural diversity of the places we visit as well as the landscape and built heritage. We are also from Australia and I have a genuine concern about my ability to drive from the passenger seat of a car and on the wrong side of the road. We would therefore prefer to use public transport if possible.

  4. Lisa on Thu, 19th Aug 2010 10:01 pm

    5. You might want to think about taking the tours that are available with the cruise – Roberts Hawaii or other big or small tour companies will be falling over themselves on the cruise to get you to take their tours. You could consider a lava or volcano tour on the Big Island.

    Then, after the cruise you could hit Oahu, the public transportation on Oahu is excellent (thebus) and there are many opportunities for shuttles to popular attractions.

  5. Dave on Thu, 28th Apr 2011 2:53 am

    6. Hi Lisa,
    Appreciate your site. I am surprising my wife for our 20th anniversay. I dropped her off in Hawaii on our 1st. Going back to get her. :) LOL

    Lisa, we’re flying into Lihue on a friday and leaving (from Kona). We have a total of of 8 land days.
    Any suggestions? we’re open to anything
    What islands and how long on each. reasonable hotels…nothing too $$$$$$
    Thanks
    Dave

  6. Lisa on Sat, 30th Apr 2011 7:38 am

    7. Hi Dave, so you are flying into Kauai and leaving out of Kona? With only 8 days I would only do Kauai and the Big Island. Any more island hopping than that and it would feel like to much airport time to me.

    here’s all my kauai recommendations
    http://www.hawaii-lisa.com/answers/the-complete-kauai-vacation-guide/
    and all my big island recommendations
    http://www.hawaii-lisa.com/answers/the-complete-big-island-vacation-guide/

    Aloha! Lisa

  7. Rishi on Wed, 17th Aug 2011 11:48 pm

    8. Hi Lisa,

    I am thinking of taking a 17-19 days trip to Hawaii begining 1st October, but I have absolutely no idea where we should spend all this time. We dont mind visiting different islands while we are there. Please would you kindly suggest an appropriate split of our time based on the following factors:

    1. We would like to scuba dive at the best diving site in Hawaii
    2. We both love the outdoors, travelled around all over Belize earlier this year and abolsutely loved it for being absolutely raw and untouched.
    3. We would like to visit a places where we can get a true feel of the Hawaii, its people/culture
    4. We would also like to go zip/lining and caving (if there are any particularly interesting caves like ATM in Belize)
    5. We dont like the typical touristy hotels/places

    I would appreciate any help you could provide on this.

    Thanks
    Rishi

  8. Maria on Thu, 1st Sep 2011 12:19 am

    9. Hi Lisa we are going to Hawaii for 2 weeks, we are going to Kauai for a wedding and plan to spend the first 6 days there. I will be 8 months pregnant, but we still want to see as much of Hawaii as possible. Do you have any suggestions for Must do thigs while there???

    Thank you

  9. Lisa on Sun, 4th Sep 2011 9:08 pm

    10. Hi Maria, well, being really pregnant will count you out of a few things, but check out my list here
    http://www.hawaii-lisa.com/answers/the-complete-kauai-vacation-guide/#fun

    and see what you think

  10. Lisa on Sun, 4th Sep 2011 9:10 pm

    11. Hi Rishi,

    Have you looked into the Puna and Hilo side of the Big Island at all? Or maybe the Na Pali coast of Kauai?

    I would think the big island because there are some caves (actually lava tubes).

    Actually, with that many days you could easily do both.

    Lisa

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