Big Island or Kuaui?

Question

We are planning a visit in december to Hawaii. I want to go to Kuaui and my wife wants to go to big island. We probably cant do both as our plane ticket is from LA - Maui and return (this is a reward ticket). So if we have to choose one of the two islands what will be the best? We are not much activity people. So we are not so much interested in sea activities, but we do want to spend 1-2 days at the beach. We are basically looking for some activities, romance and natural beauty + nice beach to stroll. Please advise.

Answer 1

i live on maui and have been to both islands many times. if you are looking for the usual tourist, stay in this bus, go to this shop, id say you want to go to the big island. the big island is allso very dry and kind of boring, the only cool thing is kilawea the active volcano, but it harldy ever erupts, it just sort of ozzes out. if you are looking for native hawaiian jungles, with cleaner beaches and amazing valleys and cliffs, go to north shore kauai. there are amazing beaches and waves, along with the biggest native hawwaiian jungle reserves in hawaii. it is very lush and cool climate wise. i like to surf alot and the waves on kauai are amazing! kauai is the older of the two islands so naturally is will be more jungly, cooler, and allso the mountains are filled with deep valleys and cliffs due to errosion.



oh and my favorite part, tourists dont tend to go to the north shore of kauai nealry as much as the big island, because they dont know much about it. that means way fewer people and more of the local hawaiian experience, but there are still nice shops andreally good resturants there.

Answer 2

You got some really nice beaches right there, on Maui. It's a little touristy and not that easy to find that private corner on a beach but definitely beautiful.



Making a decision between Kauai and Big Island is like deciding between oranges and apples. Too bad that you did not mention how long your overallstay in Hawaii is. If you take a trip to one of these 2 islands, you want to stay 3 nights on that island.



What are major differences? Kauai is the Garden Island, meaning it's green and lush because it has frequent rain showers but they don't last long. You can walk on stretches of white sand beaches for ever, at lot of the times even without meeting any people! Meaning no Maitai or restaurant either.



My suggestion is, do some island hopping to the Big Island (interisland flights are decent these days). Even if you are not into activities, at least you have the option to choose from many different ones, many beyond the ordinary...Stargazing on Mauna Kea Summit, Visiting Waipio Valley and Pololu Valley Lookouts (even the walk into the valley is easy), attend one of the Hawaiian luaus (I like the one at the Marriott, Waikoloa Beach Resort) or even include a day trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (nothing compares to seeing a live volcano!).



Now, you only need to decide where to stay on the Big Island. The West coast, the Kohala Coast, is the sunny side with lots of white sand beaches (most famous Hapuna und Mauna Kea Beach). Hotels on this coast can be expensive. If you are on a budget, I recommend a vacation rental with a short drive to the beaches.



Hope this helps planning your trip. Have a wonderful stay in Paradise. Aloha, Pua

Answer 3

I've been on all the major islands, and Kauai is my favorite. I particularly like the building height restrictions (no high-rises), and the many things to see in a short drive.



The big Island is more varied, and if Kilauea is erupting, it can be very dramatic. Some people really like the black sand beaches and the lava flows.



My choice would be Kauai for a short stay with not too much driving, Big Island for a longer stay with much more exploration.



You didn't mention price class, but I'll mention that I took my sister to the Radisson Beach Resort, which is not too pricey, and on a very nice beach. Pictures at this link:

http://www.photowebusa.com/kauai/



If you have the bucks to spend, the Hyatt Regency is a dream place, but although on the ocean, it does not have a swimming beach (a salt water lagoon and fresh water "river with pools" satisfy most people).



I would also recommend some of the smaller resorts on Hanalei Bay.

Answer 4

If you stay on the Big Island of Hawaii, may I suggest a Blue Hawaiian Helicoptor ride from Kona or Hilo. It was the hilight of our trip. We flew over an active inland volcano and the lava fields. We also flew up the coast and inside some beautiful canyons and saw waterfalls that you could only see from the air. There is Volcanos National Park and the Botanical Gardens. It depends on what you are interested in. We were in Kauai on a former vacation and did a kayak tour down the river where the beginnin of Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed. We also visited Wiamai (sp) canyon.

Answer 5

go to Kauai, very relaxing and great for couples visiting. I live on Oahu, so I often go there to get away and visit friends. I've never been to Big Island, but most people I know from here like to go to Kauai, very beautiful.