Hey RickA!

First off welcome to FlyerTalk! Secondly, there is a lot of valuable information that has already been posted on your topic

You can find this information by utilizing the "search" feature on menu bar on this page. Then search for your topic and you should find the information you're looking for.

As for my 2 cents. If you want to avoid touristy... avoid O'ahu at all costs. Take a trip to Kauai, Maui (avoid Lahaina/Kihei) and the Big Island.

Regardless of where you go, you'll be more than likely to find reasonable prices for your trip (and by reasonable, I mean reasonable for Hawai'i). (and make sure to utilize Priceline a lot -- go to www.biddingfortravel.com for more info on how to do that).

Aloha!