Please Give Advice To First Timers

I%26#39;ve been using Trip Advisor since 2005 and totally referred to it for all of my travel plans. It%26#39;s my #1 source and I really trust the advice from all of you out there. That being said, my husband and I will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary next year and it%26#39;s always been our dream to go to Hawaii. Now the time has come to start thinking about should we? Can we really afford it? Which islands to visit and for how long? We are considering Kaui and Maui, but my husband wants to see what is recommended for first time visitors to Hawaii, all of the touristy things, but we both like to just relax by the beach too. We love the outdoors and would want to include some exploring. We%26#39;ll be staying for 10 days to 2 weeks. I know this question has probably been posted before, so any advice or help would really be appreciated.

Please Give Advice To First Timers

First of all do 2 weeks! I would advise that you spend 3 days on Oahu to see the Arizona, Punchbowl etc and experience Waikiki then split between Kauai and Maui. Remember a lot of recommendations will depend on time of year etc. Do you have a budget yet? That will help too.

My DH arranged a private sunset dinner above the beach at the Westin Maui for our 30th! Surprised the daylights out of me! Congrats and happy planning!

Please Give Advice To First Timers

Believe you can have a great time splitting your time between Kauai and Maui fairly equally if you are going to have 10-14 days to spend. Skip the notion of adding a stay on Oahu. Unless you really enjoy days in airports, TSA searches, and the general air travel hassle, you want to minimize transit time. Three islands in the time you have is too much.

To determine activities and lodging, would really need to know when you plan to visit; summer and winter seasons have important differences.

';Now the time has come to start thinking about should we? Can we really afford it?';

I%26#39;ve been in this situation many times. If you%26#39;re even able to entertain the thought then you can and must! Do go for 2 weeks.

I agree to skip Oahu and do Maui and Kauai, each for 1 week. Kauai is more affordable and great for exploration. Actually I prefer Oahu%26#39;s east coast over Maui, but you have to rent a home or cottage. For couples, I think Maui is much more romantic than Waikiki. Take this quiz and see how you score:

www.hawaiigaga.com/best-hawaiian-island.aspx

Rockytop and Garlic...may I point out that to those of us of a ';certain'; age the history on Oahu is important! My DH%26#39;s Dad was in the Seabees, served in Hawaii and seeing their monument at the Punchbowl meant a lot! I LOVE Kauai and Maui but please don%26#39;t so quickly blow off Oahu for a first/only time visit! Vacations can be both relaxing AND educational!

No intent to blow anything off.

My first preference is Oahu and Kauai. I hold the historical sites on Oahu in highest regard. I am a retired soldier, and they hold great significance to me. But the poster said she was considering Maui and Kauai. My strong recommendation was not add a layover in Oahu as a third island.

She said she was interested in touristy things and relaxing by the beach. I assume she is aware of Pearl Harbor, Punchbowl and Waikiki Beach, but they don%26#39;t seem to be high on her list of interests.

Try to convince her if you wish, but please don%26#39;t challenge my patriotism. I paid my dues.

I agree with mamma, to blow off Oahu so easily does an injustice to first time Hawaii visitors. My DH and I spent our 25th anniversary on Oahu and Kauai. Pearl Harbor was a must and being in Waikiki for a few days was magnificent. You could spend a couple of days on Oahu, there are also plenty of wonderful places outside of Waikiki and Honolulu, then spend the rest of your time either on Maui or Kauai. Maui will be the most expensive island to visit. With 10 days you can do two islands but the two full weeks would be best.

Sorry I didn%26#39;t give more information, but we haven%26#39;t exactly decided what time of year yet. Our Anniversary is in May, but we%26#39;ll go anytime next year. We do have 2 boys still in school, so that might factor into what time of year we go.

Sounds like Oahu is the island with all of the history and may be a good place to go for first timers. I%26#39;ve heard that Kauai is really beautiful and there are many parks and places that are free of charge. We%26#39;re thinking of staying at a condo a week(Kauai) and maybe a nice hotel or resort(Oahu or Maui) the other. Cost will really factor into all of our plans. I%26#39;m afraid that island hoping may end up adding too much to the expense to the trip. Would 2 weeks on 1 island get boring? What does it cost for 2 weeks in Hawaii? $5,000? $8,000? OMG more? I%26#39;m supposed to get some rate from an online Hawaiian travel company I found, but their 2010 rates won%26#39;t come out until August.

Kaua`i will give you the greatest contrast to O`ahu. I really think every first-time visitor should see Waikiki and walk the ';strip'; along Kalakaua Avenue. It%26#39;s really kind of fun. And, of course, Iolani Palace, Pearl Harbor, maybe hike Diamond Head.

Honolulu is a big city. Kaua`i has only small towns, many of which barely qualify. Buildings here can%26#39;t be taller than a palm tree. Lots of great stuff to do for free. Marvelous hiking, great beaches, superb scenery. There are also paid activities if you%26#39;re interested.

While I can%26#39;t speak for lodging on O`ahu, for Kaua`i I%26#39;d suggest getting a small condo so you can at least do breakfast at ';home.'; We bought a collapsible cooler on our first trip and took sandwiches and drinks to the beach or wherever we were going that day. Breakfast was local fruit, cereal and coffee. We have lots of ';cheap eats'; places here - places that residents go - and a few very nice restaurants if you%26#39;re inclined to have a fancy meal.

You can get a nice condo here for under $200/night.

Hmmm...left field, Rockytop...who challenged your service or challenged your patiotism!? Had no Idea you served and my comments had nothing to do with it!

Advising another poster who has never been to the islands..that%26#39;s all!

Oahu will be the least expensive. Kauai is also fairly inexpensive.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands. You can order the free brochures. You can also download some of them %26amp; read the entire brochure online.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862鈥?/a>