Hubby & I have been to Hawaii many times. Our favorite island is Maui. Although Oahu and Kauai are awesome too.
February is prime whale season. March is pretty good as well. We like to stay in Kaanapali (Lahaina area). We love the long sidewalks and walkable dinner choices. In the past we found good deals on Costco Vacations (membership is $50 a year). I just ran a search for Maui and there are several options. Most include a rental car.
If you decide to fly into KAHULUI airport in Maui, make sure you take the drive up to Kaanapali during the day. The views are BREATHTAKING!
If you take the road to Hana, there's a wonderful winery along the way with a tasty little rustic restaurant across the street.
If you get a chance, drive over to Front Street near Lahaina/Kaanapali. There's AWESOME shopping and our favorite restaurant "Fleetwoods". Mick Fleetwood owns it and he's often there. Be sure to go all the way up to the rooftop bar for a meal/appetizers. Just gorgeous.
There's lot's of waterfalls in Maui. Easy to drive to and swim in. Get yourself a Maui ebook with directions and descriptions of the waterfalls. We usually pick our waterfalls on the long flight to Maui and plan our itinerary.
Our favorite snorkeling excursion is the "Gemini". You board from the beach right in front of the Westin Kaanapali. You'll definitely see whales along the way to the snorkel area (about a 1 hour sail). You then snorkel for about 1 1/2 hours, given a hot lunch and all you can drink adult beverages.
If you just want to rent snorkeling equipment and head out yourself, here's a link to a great snorkel spot we like:
https://www.mauihawaii.org/sights/mile-marker-14
If you want to pick up some authentic, local keepsakes, visit the local Maui swap meet on Saturdays. Here's the link
http://www.mauiexposition.com/MAUISWAPMEET.html I've gotten awesome deals here. If we buy a little too much to fit in our bags, we just mail the stuff home at the USPS in Lahaina.
We're headed to Maui in February. As you can see, I'm EXCITED!!!
Aloha!
