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We are looking to do a family trip (5) to Hawaii next year. Time in Honolulu and then in Maui. Does anyone have any recommendations for lodging (or vacation rental companies other than airbnb, homeaway) and itineraries that they would be willing to share. We've done Maui but that was 20 years ago; we stayed in Wailea and loved it. Is this still the preferred area or elsewhere.
Share your knowledge ladies!
Honolulu we have done 2x and are going back this week (DH has a work thing or I’d pick a different island). That said...my kids are looking forward to going back to the North Shore for the Sea Turtles and Matsumoto’s Shaved Ice. Pearl Harbor was definitely a must but only the one time for us. We have done the Circle Island tour (just DH and I) that includes the North shore, Matsumoto’s, Dole Plantation. We did a hike. We have a catamaran trip planned this time. We stayed at Aulani last time and ended up there again because it was the only place with a suite for the 5 of us since it was last minute. We were looking at the Four Seasons, Halekulani, and Royal Hawaiian based on talking with the guy he’s specifically going to meet with. None had space for us. I looked at VRBO but I have zero desire to cook on vacation (except skiing) and I wanted to be on the beach with a pool. Did not work for us.
This is the list the local gave us for Oahu
-Shark tours on the North Shore(Haleiwa)
-Surfing ��*♀️ in Waikiki. Very gentle waves, best place in the world to learn. All ages.
-Snorkeling near Aulani. A warm water effluent discharge from H Power attracts many fish.
-Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Closed on Mondays
-Catamaran cruise off Waikiki. Lots of fun
-Fishing from a charter boat. Mahi, tuna, marlin.
-Glider rides on North Shore. Very safe. I flew there for years
-Kualoa Ranch. Zip lines. Quad rides. Jurassic Movies filmed here
-Hikes. Everywhere. Kailua has easy hike to Lanikai pillboxes. Old WW2 bunkers. Beautiful at sunrise
I’ve only been to the big island otherwise.
On Maui we stayed in Ka’anapali. We wanted to be nearer to Lahaina. I do think Waileia is a bit more upscale, but it also feels a bit more sculpted and created vs. natural. Mostly it’s just that we prefer Lahaina to Kihei for off-resort stuff. My DH lived on Oahu for several years, so he knows the islands well and chose Ka’anapali. You can’t go wrong Beach-wise, though. The beaches on Maui are beautiful no matter where you stay!
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We've been staying in West Maui (Lahaina/Kaanapali, Napili, Kapalua) for years. We've stayed in various condo complexes and used vrbo. Even the rental agencies list on vrbo. Do you want to be on the beach? Highrise vs lowrise? Walk to restaurants? House vs Condo?
Give me more specifics, and I'm happy to recommend.
Search the boards. There are SEVERAL Maui threads and I know I've posted on 2-3 of them. We love Wailea and rent a condo there every year for most of the past 6 years. We rarely venture to Kihei except to eat since Wailea resort food can be hit-or-miss. We stayed in Ka'anapali last trip as our favorite condo was booked and just didn't like being in a high-rise condo, the density of the area, and didn't really go to Lahaina much (just to eat). We prefer hitting the beach early in the morning before the crowds hit and probably should have looked harder for a condo rental in Kapalua or Napili (which is quieter and feels more like Wailea to me).
I haven't been to Oahu since my high school and college trips (I found it's more fun for young people due to the nightlife). Parts of it are far too urban/crowded for me (e.g., Honolulu and Waikiki). I can find crowds like that here in CA.
Have fun!