I%26#39;m sure this has been covered in other formus but trying to find the answer is like doing reasearch on Hawaii...very overwhelming! This is a first time trip for us...Me, my husband and our three kids (9, 6, and 4). We are planning on a trip in late June, early July for ten days. We are leaning toward the Kolea Villas in Waikoloa, BI. We love staying in a condo - more space, kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. From what we can tell, these are new units and the only ones in the area ';on the beach.'; I understand there has been construction there and at the Marriot but we are not deterred. We picked BI because of all of the activity...my kids love to play on the beach, but they also love to go on excursions. And, my husband is not one to sun bathe all day. We will be renting a car and feel we have plenty of time to mix it up and see just about everything. For me, if I%26#39;m going to travel all of that way, then seeing volcanoes is a must.
A friend of mine travelling around the same time with the same number of kids picked Maui. They are staying in a resort and plan on doing very little...pool every day, swim with dolphins, go in a submarne, etc. I understand that Maui is very tropical and that the beaches are beautiful.
Given how active we like to be, do you agree that the BI is a good choice for us? I know if you ask ten people, you will get ten different answers, but what am I missing?
Any information would be greatly appreciated!
(P.S. I don%26#39;t know why my name is SinCity - I do not live in Vegas and do not know how to change it!)
Big Island v. Maui
Hi. We visited Maui and the BI last June. We were family of three, one teenage son 13 at the time. We visited Maui first for six days. Stayed in condo at Kaanapali Beach. Excursions included snorkeling sail outing, zipline up on Volcano, driving and hiking around the West side of Maui (Blowhole, Olivine Pools). Hiking at Iao Valley. We traveled to Big Island for another 6 days. Excursions included two nights in B%26amp;B at VNP, touring and hiking VNP, walking along lava to lava flow at night (very scary for me/Mom), first time scuba excursion for husband (his second time) son%26#39;s first time. This included a 1/2 day training session in Pool (Jack%26#39;s Diving) and the rest of the time was spent playing in ocean (more off shore snorkeling) and pool at hotel (Hapuna Prince). All in all, I think we all enjoyed the vibe of Maui better. Many here will disagree, but for us we liked Maui. The BI was fun, but I don%26#39;t think we%26#39;d go back to spend an extended period of time. JMHO. Maui%26#39;s beaches were by far better for swimming and snorkeling and we loved being able to walk to dinner / shops, etc. It%26#39;s a personal thing . . . if your family enjoys remote locales, the BI is for you. If you enjoy more of a resort / some would say crowded locale, you can%26#39;t beat Maui. Good luck with your planning.
Big Island v. Maui
We stay at Mauna Lani (just 5 min north of Waikoloa Resort) and in 24 trips have never run out of things to do and favorite excursions to re-do.
People will say it%26#39;s not worth it to go to the Volcano for the day from Kohala--we do it at least every other year and get a couple of good hikes in each time. Trick is pack your lunch, take water and start early. And get back across the mountain at Waimea before dark.
There are lots of hikes and places to go on the Big Island--beaches to visit, snorkeling, etc.
Maui is great but so is the Big Island.
No other island offers as much as the Big Island but it really depends on how much of these offerings do you want to take advantage of. I have lived here for 17 years and I am still discovering new things!
for me it%26#39;s not a question of things to do --for a first trip, both islands have more than enough to do for ten days. The question is whether you want to see an over-developed island crowded with tourists or be able to still see the actual island looking something like the way it was created ...
For example, if Disney World seems like an ideal vacation, Maui. If you would rather see the Grand Canyon, go to the Big Island. Both very popular attractions ... some people like to be around crowds and some don%26#39;t, it%26#39;s a personal preference thing. And before the Maui fans say Maui isn%26#39;t THAT crowded -- true if you come from a metropolis, but to someone who likes living on the Big Island, Maui seems WAY crowded. Also I think the people are friendlier here, not quite so taxed by overwhelming tourism.
I LOVE BIG ISLAND...but something else would factor into my decision: The Weather. Big Island, being the farthest south and being largely bare lava, gets really HOT in summer/fall. It doesn%26#39;t have a lot of beaches. All its better lodgings are in the NW corner of the island. The tropical/wet side is largely agricultural, plus Hilo, which is a sort of large hick town/government town. (Different if you LIVE there, but that%26#39;s how it seems to a lot of visitors.) The big draw, the live volcano, is not what a lot of visitors expect (gushing flows of live lava seen up close), and requires a lot of effort to reach. (SO inconveniently placed -- what was the Dept. of Tourism *thinking*? LOL) The island is BIG -- lots of driving to sights -- fabulous extremes of scenery worth seeing, but still, lots of driving -- in the heat. For me, Big Island is best enjoyed in the winter/early spring.
We%26#39;ve visited the islands for 25+ years. When we bought, we bought on Maui because it offers both natural beauty and more ';creature comforts';. You can visit nearly deserted beaches and Upcountry; live quietly in far South Maui, or get into Lahaina/Kaanapali%26#39;s tourist buzz. Many people equate: Maui = West Maui. There%26#39;s a whole lot more to the island than that!
Can you do both? I went to both islands as a 17 year old with my parents and then back to Maui on my honeymoon (26 year old). When I was with my family, we stayed on the BI for 10 days and Maui for a week. I have to tell you, I craved to go back to Maui. I loved the BI, but to be honest, it was a little too remote for me (but then again, I love Vegas and Disney World every once in awhile).
I think your family will find tons of things to do on either island, but Maui is my top pick.
If you do end up on the BI, do an ocean raft tour of the sea caves - that is pretty cool!
Good luck and you%26#39;ll have fun at either destination!
KamaainaK, I think you gave a great comparison.
April will be my first time back to the BI in 16 years, so I%26#39;m sure I will think it feels crowded compared to what i remember, but I think Maui will feel almost like mainland-crowded (at least Kaanapali/Lahaina area).
SinCity,
For what you describe, stick with the BI. The BI is larger than all the other islands combined. That size brings diversity the likes Maui could never hope to offer. Contrary to ChiSue’s post, most of the island is not bare lava. Actually, there are rainforests that completely dwarf any found on Maui, and there is much more than lava. The bare exposed lava is on the west side and the SE sides of the island. There are miles of rolling hills that houses the largest privately owned cattle ranch in the country. Yes, bigger than Montana, Texas and Colorado ranches. A huge food giant bought several ranches and combined them to beat the Parker ranch in size.
Do your research and find what you like, then compare that to each island. I also recommend price comparisons, the last time I was in Maui I could not believe how much more expensive it was than the BI. I will say there are more beaches on Maui, but no way is snorkeling better there than on the BI. Not even close.
Good luck and happy travels!
Thanks Sean!
There%26#39;s a long thread on the Maui forum right now, ';Maui or Disney.'; LOL, I saw it after I made that comparison.
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29220-i86-k878677…
SinCity, you may find it a good read as many people give their ideas on taking kids to Maui and what they find to do there. If you%26#39;re leaning towards Maui...
ChiSue I think you need to come back here and explore this island more! ... but it%26#39;s interesting hearing other perspectives. I wonder if coming from Chicago affects that, I think it must, just as my backgrounds have an affect. I was raised in and around LA (and Marin County) and have been escaping the LA part ever since, living in remote New Mexico, Olympic Peninsula, Arizona, the California redwoods -- Berkeley and Marin County are as urban as I%26#39;ve gotten.
I really enjoyed Maui in 1999. We spent 10 days exploring it (pre Maui Revealed ;-) ) -- went back in 2004 and in 5 years I couldn%26#39;t believe how the crowds had increased. Obviously with two trips under my belt I%26#39;m no Maui expert. My husband lived there in the 70%26#39;s and he can%26#39;t stand going back to see what they%26#39;ve done to it. The Grand Wailea made us feel ill, it was so Disney, and that was 7 years ago. It was Big Island or nothing for him when we returned.
In 2004 we went to Lana%26#39;i and Maui on a combined trip, and I didn%26#39;t enjoy the Maui segment. As soon as we landed in Lahaina I felt like ';get me out of this insanity.'; Terrible traffic and a historic town that now seems to exist mostly to sell tacky T-shirts, makes me sad.
Honestly I find Oahu a lot more interesting, if I want density.
Interesting that Hilo comes off as a hick town to you. To me it comes off as a real town in Hawaii that has another reason to exist besides selling souvenirs and condos, that has real life and community. A lush town set between awesome mountains and a beautiful bay ... ethnically diverse, unpretentious. If it were a sunny beach town it would have been doomed.
Different strokes ... actually the more people go to Maui mo bettah for those who appreciate the Big Island.
Folks, I said I loved Big Island and I do, but do you contest that it gets VERY hot in summer/fall? I know about the ranch country; the north end of the island is beautiful, but where Mr. and Mrs. Tourist and their children are traveling from the NW corner to see Place of Refuge and Volcano and Kona and macnut farms and coffee farms --- it%26#39;s a LOT of lava and a LOT of driving.
I know some people love LIVING in Hilo (as I said), but seen through the eyes of a tourist...come on...there%26#39;s precious little for a visitor in terms of lodgings or restaurants. (Sort of like LIVING in Wailuku is fine, but it doesn%26#39;t have what tourists generally look for.)
I%26#39;m seeing Mom and Dad and three hot, cranky kids zooming along the highway in the heat, thinking about their friends lolling on a Maui beach. I think they should go to Big Island, it just wouldn%26#39;t be my choice in the summer.
Lahaina! As I also said previously, that ain%26#39;t Maui to me! We avoid West Maui unless we have to go there to buy something (like furniture) for our condo. The Wailea resort hotels are quieter but still fantasy-land. There%26#39;s still plenty of rural Maui away from the crowds.
Every place in the USA has grown and changed. Don%26#39;t get me started on Macy%26#39;s replacing Marshall Field%26#39;s in Chicago!
