We are planning a 2 centre holiday to Hawaii next April. Originally we wanted to rent a place on the beach but I think we will have to do a package tour as it is quite a trek from the UK.
We fly to LA and stay overnight, we are then flown to Honolulu and the hotel is the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort %26amp; Spa - apparently this has 22 restaurants, sounds more like a Vegas hotel! We then have a choice of Sheraton Kauai Resort on Kauai or the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort. Can anyone help me decide on this?
We also have the choice of Maui instead of Kauai where we could stay at the Royal Lahaina Resort in the tower or the Maui Prince Hotel. Should we do Maui or Kauai? We are both aged 50.
Any help would be much appreciated.
2 Centre Hawaii
Hi, English lady -- I am assuming 2-centre holiday means you will stay in 2 places? New term for me -- you might try another topic for your post, as I think other regulars might not know what this means either!
Anyway -- Hilton Hawaiian Village is nice ... it is at the far end of Waikiki but a good location ... I didn%26#39;t realize it had 22 restaurants but it is not much like a Vegas hotel other than size ... it is very open-air with most of the common areas outside. I think you will like it ... although Waikiki is very busy (maybe a bit like Vegas!) ... always crowded and the traffic is a bit crazy at times. But that said, it is a must see for any Hawaii first-timer.
As for Kauai or Maui, I think it depends on what you like to do ... In both Kauai and Maui you are going to want a car. On Maui you might be able to get by without one if you stay at the Royal Lahaina, but Kauai is nearly impossible w/o a car.
Kauai is more of an outdoor-lovers paradise -- lots of places to hike, explore, great beaches, etc. Maui has the same but also a lot more touristy areas like Lahaina (old whaling village with lots of shops -- charming but busy), Wailea (nicest resorts, shops, restaurants, etc) and Kaanapali (most of the nicer chain hotels (Westin, Sheraton, etc), great beach, shops, etc)
On Kauai, the Hilton is a newly-refurbished property -- nice but not anything like the resort feel of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Its location is great, as it is in the middle of the island and convenient to both the north and south shores. There is no swimming beach on property (although there is a rocky beach area) but Lydgate state park is nearby, even within walking distance, I think, and is a very nice beach. The grounds at the Hilton are nice and well maintained. The Sheraton is in Poipu, I think, which is more of a resort area, and does have a swimming beach. It%26#39;s a little more of a resort than the Hilton.
On Maui, I haven%26#39;t stayed at either hotel you mention. The Royal Lahaina is near the Kaanapali resort area -- great beaches here. You will be within walking distance of Whaler%26#39;s Village. They also have a shuttle to Lahaina. It%26#39;s been refurbished, per these boards -- check out the reviews. Maui Prince is south ... this is more of a resort hotel ... the beaches in south Maui are great. However, I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;d be in walking distance of anything outside the hotel.
Good luck, have fun -- keep asking questions ... you can get great advice on these boards.
2 Centre Hawaii
The Sheraton Kauai beach is really nice.....small but a perfect crescent and great for swimming and playing in the waves. We like the area that the Sheraton is in better than the Hilton because it is in Poipu which is the sunnier (and drier, so less lush) side of the island. Kauai is small enough that it is easy to drive the entire island in a day.
Thank you both for your help.
There has been a slight change of plan. My tour operator was able to just book my flights and stopovers in LA therefore we do not have to stay in hotels. We are looking to rent a house on the north shore in Oahu for a week and rent a condo on Kauai for a further 6 nights.
Which coast on Kauai is best? Not sure that I want to go to the popular south. We will hire a car on both islands.
If either of you have recommendations for this they would be much appreciated.
Don%26#39;t worry too much about Kauai. Granted, the south (Poipu) and east (Lihue, Kapaa) sides have more tourists, but they are still not REAL touristy, as long as you stay away from the large hotels.
The south side is drier, therefore less lush (but still plenty of greenery and palms), but a much better guarantee of sunshine. The south side is swimmable and snorkel-able all year round.
The north side has more rain, and thus is much more lush. Green green green! Beautiful waterfalls, green jungly type lushness, all against a backdrop of mountains. Very beautiful. But in the winter months you dare not hardly stick a toe in the water, the waves and currents are THAT bad. In the summer, many of the beaches have swimming and good snorkelling, but some are still non-swimmable due to dangerous currents.
Either side you will want a car. Either side you can easily visit the other side.
The south and east side have more restaurants, but none of Kauai really has a huge number of restaurants (not like on Maui, which is very developed).
My whole-hearted suggestion would be to find this book
THE ULTIMATE KAUAI GUIDEBOOK by Andrew Doughty and harriett Friedman which you can get at this website www.wizardpub.com or at Amazon.com and then read through it on the different areas of the island and see which grabs you the most. Kauai has several different climates, even though it is a small island, and everyone has their favorite.
I would think if you will be on the North Shore of Oahu, the North Shore of Kauai (especially the western part of the North Shore, near Hanalei) would be an excellent contrast.
Thanks DrDebi will certainly look out for the Kauai guide book and I am thinking that it may be nice to be in the sun for a week as maybe the north shore of Oahu will be slightly cooler.
Will definitely hire a car on both islands so that we can get around. It%26#39;s such a long way from here that we want to see all of it, just in case we never venture that way again, although I think this is highly unlikely as it all sounds so lovely.
Maybe someone else can help you with this, but I remember the North Shore of Oahu being on the drier side. But it%26#39;s been quite a few years since I%26#39;ve been there. If I remember right, NS of Oahu is flatter and drier, a lot like the south side of Kauai, so you might be very happy to have the difference between the two places you stay. The north shore of Kauai is truly breathtaking. You won%26#39;t feel like you%26#39;re in England anymore! The nice thing is, if it DOES rain on the NS, and it%26#39;s not raining on the SS of Kauai, you can hop in the car and drive south and in about an hour be on the South side.
I would definitely go with renting a condo its much cheaper than a hotel.
Check out www.vrbo.com for listings.
Also its easy to book your own flights and condos seperately if your tour operator is more expensive than doing it yourself, as they often are.
Oh and make sure you get an airmiles card for whoever you are flying with, or for an airline you would like to use your miles with in the future, if the airline is part of the One World alliance.
We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon in Aprill. Got married at Bellagio in Las Vegas. We chose Honolulu staying at Royal Hawaiian followed by Sheraton in Maui. Royal Hawaiian lovely hotel but over-rated. Hilton Hawaiian Village looked lovely and we would probably stay there next time. Either that or the Sheraton Moana Surfrider. Oahu is very Americanised and touristy so don%26#39;t expect beautiful isolated beaches etc. That said we did enjoy it. Maui is a very different island. Sheraton was nice and yes I would recommend it. Hotel needs updated a bit but view to beach was good as was pool. Maui was very very quiet - be prepared to early mornings and early nights.
Um, I%26#39;m not sure you can say Oahu is very ';Americanized'; because....well.....it IS America.
I think what you mean is that Oahu IN THE HONOLULU/WAIKIKI area is very urban. It is a major urban area and feels that way (except it has a beach, which makes it more fun).
The east side, west side, and north shore of Oahu are much less developed.
Kauai is much less developed. There are plenty of rural areas. The tourist/city areas cluster around Lihue/Kapaa (the most developed, but still a definite small town feeling) , Poipu (smaller development), and to a lesser extent Princeville and Hanalei.
Maui ranges from EXTREMELY developed (the entire coast from West Maui to South Maui at Wailea) to completely rural (more of the north shore and then stretching down the east side and the southern part, and pretty much everything inland).
Kauai is short on crazy nightlife, but high on active daytime fun.
For shopping and eating out, you%26#39;ll like Maui and Oahu best.
If you%26#39;re outdoorsy, rural Maui and Kauai are tops (OK, throw in the Big Island too).
Once you know what your ideal vacation is (city or country? hiking or shopping?...) you can pick the area that best suits your wants.
Hope this helps!
We had a condo at Hanalei Bay Resort, and absolutely loved the views and the quiet atmosphere. Our 1-bedroom was a studio with living room and kitchen with bath, and adjoining bedroom and 2nd bath. The furnishings were tropical, although dated in design, but everything was very clean. There is a nice pool , and wonderful bar and restaurant on-site as well. We used the grills and enjoyed shopping locally and trying the fantastic local fish etc.
As for the Royal Lahaina Resort -it%26#39;s got a great location on a quiet part of Kaanapali Beach , and the Maui Prince is in a more secluded part of the island , in South Maui. It has an almost-private , quiet beach. Both are either good, or near good snorkeling spots.
It%26#39;s hard to pick between Maui and Kauai, as I love them both- so we have been alternating!
Have a great trip !
