Question about the difference between Islands in Hawaii?
….. asked:
My husband & I got married in Maui & honeymooned there. We loved it SO much that we’re tempted to go back & stay at the same hotel but we’re thinking maybe we should change it up & explore the other Islands..
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My husband & I got married in Maui & honeymooned there. We loved it SO much that we’re tempted to go back & stay at the same hotel but we’re thinking maybe we should change it up & explore the other Islands..
Can you give me some advice if I sort of explain how we are?
Neither of us like big elbow to elbow crowds, my husband doesn’t drink, we don’t do the bar scene or much nightlife.
We’re more interested in a gorgeous view, snorkeling, parasailing, relaxing in general, good restaurants & at least a convenient town nearby with drugstores, starbucks, etc.
We’re more into sand & water than volcanoes or hiking trips. We did take the road to Hana in Maui & loved that but only for a one day sticky humid excursion. What do you think?
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February 24th, 2010 at 7:29 am
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Kauai may be less crowded even Molokai, even less crowded/
February 25th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
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Kaui sounds like your best bet.
February 26th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
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Haleiwa, on the north shore of Oahu, sounds just like your type of place. it has the surf, the starbucks and everything else. the only problems are the crowds and the bars maybe. theres also another town waaaay down the road called Laie. the majority of the population here is mormon so theres no drinking, drugs or anything like that. theres also a shopping center with a grocery store, some restaurants, there isn’t a starbucks. but theres a great view at temple beach and the temple is BEAUTIFUL at night. hukilau beach is great for surfing and parasailing. the crowds aren’t too bad but theres a college(BYUH) so there are college students walking around. thats about it but its not cheap.
February 27th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
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Keep in mind that you cannot go to Niihau or Kahoolawe.
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:35 am
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You might consider Manele Bay, Lanai if you can afford it. There is one town on Lanai (and one K-12 public school with a few hundred students). I can’t remember a Starbucks, but there are several cozy cafes with good food and coffee in Lanai City, all within walking distance of each other.
Or, you can do your parasailing on Maui, take a ferry or trilogy excursion to Lanai, possibly seeing some whales along the way, if you’re coming between now and the spring. Lanai is a company town, mostly owned by Castle & Cooke, and most of the families there immigrated from the Philippines sometime in the last hundred years.
If you’re fond of jets, you’d be out of luck for flying to either Molokai or Lanai. You can take an Island Air DeHavilland Dasah-8 turbo Prop (about the size of a school bus) or a 9-seater with an outfit like Mokulele or Pacific Wings. The smaller planes are better for taking photographs, but I advise you to wait until after the flight before eating a meal. It can be a visceral experience, and the pilot asks you to take any “aloha bags” you might use with you when you deplane.
The ferry to Lanai is smoother, shorter, cheaper, and drier–especially in winter–than the Molokai Princess. Sometimes a larger boat, the Maui Princess serves as the Molokai Ferry.
What I love about the Hotel Molokai is that when you eat breakfast, lunch or dinner at the patio restaurant by the beach and the small pool, it looks like the only buildings in the world are at the Hotel Molokai! One of topside Molokai’s two remaining bars is also at Hula Shores, but it’s a very mellow scene most of the time, with regulars like Al, Mel, and Larry, and local musicians playing mostly Hawaiian music. Zhan and Jenny do like playing a little bit of country if the rest of their bands will let them.
Molokai Fish and Dive runs snorkel, kayak, and whale-watching expeditions on a regular basis, but parasailing is way too citified for Molokai. Molokai does have the biggest and best coral reefs in the state.
Up the hill in Kualapuu is a coffee plantation with its own coffee shop, a post office in the same building with Shirley’s hair salon and real estate, and an excellent restaurant: the Kualapuu Cookhouse.
It’s BYOB, and Thursday night is always Prime Rib Night. Local folks stop by with grease still on their shirts from work to play ukulele, washtub bass, or slack key guitar. Bruiser might get a chance to come out of the kitchen and sing an Israel Kamakawiwoole song. If you’re lucky, two, three, or even five of the members of Manuwai’s Trio might drop by. It’s good performing experience for the students in the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program.
About 75% of the schoolkids on Molokai have some Native Hawaiian ancestry. Many of the families have enough Hawaiian blood (half or more) to qualify for a Hawaiian Home Lands kuleana. Molokai folks are proud of their ability to live off the land, by farming, hunting, and fishing. It’s a tight community of about 7000 where people share fruit from their trees with each other, and where a school can sell 3000 whole hulihuli chickens in a single day fundraiser!
Many people on Molokai actively campaign against mass tourism like cruise ship stops and rampant residential development to create luxury vacation homes. But they do welcome tourists who arrive in the right spirit. One popular bumper sticker reads, “Don’t try to change Molokai. Let Molokai change you.”
March 4th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
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I think Kauai would suit you. There isn’t much nightlife here, but the views are spectacular! Kauai has Waimea Canyon (Mark Twain nicknamed it “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific”), Hanalei Bay, Kalalau, Bali Hai, Poipu, Polihale, and lots of other fantastic spots to get sun, surf, and sand.
Some things to keep in mind:
*Princeville/Hanalei are the wettest spots on the island. Things are beautiful there and very green, but if it’s raining in one place on Kauai, it’s usually in Princeville or Hanalei.
*Kauai is a very small island but you can’t drive all the way around it. The far west side is dominated by sea cliffs that cannot be accessed by car.
*The south and west sides of the island are the driest and sunniest during most of the year. There are no major towns out that way, however. In fact, the only ‘major’ town would be the county seat, Lihue. That is where the airport is. Kapa’a, on the east side, is a town of decent size (considering it’s Kauai!). You might want to make your home base in either Kapa’a or Lihue if you want to be able to walk or take a short drive to a grocery store or coffee place. Oh, and please don’t go to Starbucks while you’re here! Hawaii has some of the best coffee in the world! Check out Java Kai (Kapa’a and Hanalei) or any of the other local coffee places. Much fresher and better coffee than Starbucks EVER served.
The beaches on Kauai are fantastic! There is plenty of snorkeling here and the boat trips out to the Na Pali coastline (far west side of the island I mentioned earlier) are excellent. You will almost certainly see spinner dolphins on one of those excursions. I have also seen green sea turtles (honu) and Hawaiian monk seals, which are an endangered species. Whale watching season is Dec.-April.
If you do choose Kauai, feel free to email me. I have lived on the island for 3-1/2 years and would love to help you with restaurant, shopping, and sight seeing tips!