Robespierre

Wailea on Maui is what you need if you want Top Hotels on an Island that has a Volcano (Inactive though).

Maui has surfer/hippy casual (Paia), US mainstream beach (Ka'anapali/Lahaina) and World Class resorts (Wailea). All within 40 minutes drive of each other.

Wailea sounds like it has what you need so start looking on TripAdvisor. We stayed at the Andaz this year and the best non-suite room plus typical meals and drinks for a family of 3 cost us £800 a night. This is double what you will pay in Ka'anapali. 4 Seasons is more expensive but has higher standards of service, even if the hotel is less hip/new than the Andaz.

T8191

For most people, I suspect you are right ... but it depends on what any individual/family is looking for. I try to avoid absolutes

srbrenna

Agreed. Honolulu feels like another US city. If you want that then it would be better to stop in LA. You can do quite a lot on a day trip there.

I usually chill out in a shack on the sea in Paia on Maui's north shore

LondonElite

I like the sound of that...MrsLE was making a little pressure last night that I should take the family to Hawaii again (with Hawaiian Cowboy as background music).

ejong

Someone said that Maui is expensive. But ALL of Hawaii is expensive. I don't think there is a bargain to be found on any of the islands, at least not if you like OTT (I assume this means Over The Top?) hotels.

I have been to Hawaii oh, 12-15 times. Have never stayed on Oahu but hear that the North Shore is nice. And there's a newish Disney hotel on Oahu that kids would probably like.

But for a first trip I agree with the posters who suggest Maui, with Kauai as a close second. Kaanapali (Maui) is zoo-ish but certainly tourist-friendly and I do love the Hula Grill. Wailea is also nice but somehow when we are traveling with kids we always end up at Kaanapali. Napili is up the road and a bit more laid back. Kapalua a bit further up the road; haven't stayed there because I am always deterred by (possibly overblown, so to speak?) reports of it being windy.

On Kauai, it's Princeville if you golf (more rain) and Poipu if you want sun and body-surfing. Grand Hyatt at Poipu is certainly family friendly. One thing about Kauai - there are chickens, everywhere. They are not bothersome unless there is a rooster crowing outside your window at 4 a.m. Somehow (and I don't want to think of how...) there are none on the grounds at The Grand Hyatt, but they are pretty much everywhere else.

My favorite hotel is the Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island, but the moonscape terrain of that island is probably not great for first-timers. Four Seasons Wailea is lovely on Maui but at the prices you pay it is disconcerting that you have to fight for pool chairs there just as you do at the Maui Westin at Kaanapali.

Smid

I'd say that Maui is about 50% more expensive than Oahu or Hawaii. For the relatively low end hotels that I go for at least.

However, if you are staying at the Four Seasons, the your budget is about 6 times mines, so I think your notes on expensive comparisons will vary massively from mines...

lhgreengrd1

Not for the OP, but for some other posters on this forum: a very under-rated alternative is a private rental in either Kailua or Lanikai on Oahu. IMHO, those two beaches, along with Bellows nearby are amongst the nicest in all of Hawaii, and there are plenty of restaurants nearby, and you can still do the North Shore, Pearl Harbor, and the shopping and dining and nightlife of Honolulu if you wish. It's not quite as idyllic as Maui, but it's also not as costly.

Oahu was probably the nicest of all the Hawaiian islands before Honolulu became a miniature and more tropical version of L.A., with all of the downsides that that entails.

The OP probably would prefer an OTT hotel on Maui or the Kahala coast of the Big Island. My experience is that the Kea Lani in Maui is one upscale hotel where you don't need to fight for pool chairs.

Error 601

I don't understand the pessimism about Oahu, you can find absolutely anything you like there. I don't see Honolulu as a "more tropical version of L.A." as a bad thing.

If you strictly want a beach holiday there are much more practical and economical alternatives than anywhere in Hawaii and Hawaii has a lot more to offer than that.

lhgreengrd1

Can you find places without any traffic in Oahu? Can you find luxury hotels where you'll feel like the only guests, in secluded, unspoiled natural environs in Oahu? If those are what you are seeking, you can't find them in Oahu.

Error 601

I suppose that is subjective, but I don't see a particular need to travel half-way to Tokyo if that is all you're looking for.

I prefer Oahu to the other islands because you have everything under the sun in a relatively compact footprint.

wanna go now

Unless you are using or earning hotel points, a family would probably be more comfortable in a condo. Through VRBO or HomeAway or what ever. Some of the hotel resorts also have timeshare condos you can rent.

As everyone has said, Waikiki is a tropical city, but there's the iconic beach, etc. Or, stay outside of Honolulu and still enjoy Oahu. Staying there saves on inter island airfare.

On any island you can stay in a resort and have the tourist experience, or stay in a local condo and have a different experience. Kauai and Hawaii are marginally less "touristy" because Maui is so popular. There's a reason for that, IMHO. Maui has excellent beaches.

No matter where you stay, you'll love Hawaii. Enjoy!

KenfromDE

And unlike the other islands, it has a great bus system (TheBus). ^

lhgreengrd1

I don't dislike Oahu - I dislike Honolulu. Other than Honolulu/Waikiki, Oahu has lots to offer. I have done a couple of vacations where I got a rental in Kailua, once on the North Shore, and once in Ko'Olina.