Where should we go?

We are planning on going to Hawaii around June to relax and get away from our 60 hour work weeks (no kids!) and have narrowed it down (or so we think) to Honolulu or Maui. All we really want to do is relax in a resort-like setting in a beautiful place like Hawaii, by the beach, sipping on something cold. We%26#39;re not in to going to the clubs or the bars or anything like that. However, we do like to do some sightseeing inbetween finding different places to have great food. So, I%26#39;m leaving it all up to you, the experts! Where should we go, any suggestions on where to stay, what to see, what to eat (the latter is super important lol).

Thanks so much in advance.

Where should we go?

Sounds like you guys realllllly want to relax. Honolulu is filled with tourists and not totally representative of the Hawaii you see in magazines. My advice would be to check the Hawaii section of your local bookstore, buy some guides like the Trailblazer or Lonely Planet series and decide that way. Hawaii is not known for their gourmet food, more for the outdoor dining experience. Our favorite restaurant chain is Roy%26#39;s and then there are the famous tropical drinks (the paralyzer) that can have you staggering and laughing uproariously in less than a half hour.

If you really want to relax and can afford it, stay at one of the hotels in the Wailea area for a first class time. And after you feel riproaring ready to go, get yourselves out to Hana for one of the most beautiful drives in the world. I hope this gets you started. Aloha!

Where should we go?

Best places on Oahu that meet your desires are JW Marriott Ihilani Resort on Leeward side, Turtle Bay Resort on North Shore and Kahala Hotel %26amp; Resort.

JW Marriott %26amp; Turtle Bay are each about 1 hour from Honolulu/Waikiki.

Kahala Hotel is about 5 minutes on opposite side of Diamond Head from Waikiki.

Oahu has the best restaurants in Hawaii.

Lots to see %26amp; do on Oahu:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862鈥?/a>

For Maui:

www.visitmaui.com free brochure

www.mauihawaii.org Great site of Maui Jon

I love Maui. I love the Big Island. I love Kauai. I love Oahu. Not necessarily in that order. Getting a good book to compare the top activities on each island is probably a good idea to help you choose.

That%26#39;s right, though, Honolulu is more crowded and popular and has the largest resident population, so you%26#39;ll be in a ';city'; atmosphere, but getting out of Waikiki to the North shore is a different experience, however you only have the Turtle Bay as an option there for a %26#39;resort%26#39;. I still like Waikiki, but it sounds more like you want to get away from big crowds and bustle.

The Wailea area of Maui (south Maui) is very popular with resorts, nice beaches, and pretty views around. So is the west shore (Ka%26#39;anapali and north) where you have nice views from the beach of the other islands. That%26#39;s one of the things people do enjoy about the great beaches in maui, you have awesome views of the other islands.

Aloha!

Sheraton Maui or Four Seasons

Both will give you nice beaches.

Sheraton won%26#39;t be as pricey, but FS will give you pampering.

Personally, I prefer the west Maui area where the Sheraton is.

I woudn%26#39;t call it a 5 star resort, but a 4 star plus! Sounds like the Sheraton Maui would be a nice escape for you.

Bryan Brown

BBrown9825@aol.com

Ordinarily I%26#39;d say: Maui! But, you say food is super important, so I have to adjust and say: Oahu. Stay at the Mandarin. Skip Turtle Bay -- aging concrete block in desperate need of refurbishing. Skip the rest of the madding crowd down Waikiki. Skip the JW Marrriott -- it%26#39;s out where you-know-who lost his shoes.

OR... stay at Wailea Four Seasons.

We have been to Maui twice, the Big Island and Oahu - my personal favorite it Maui - there are so many different and beautiful sandy beaches, hiking trails, nature is outstanding - the Road to Hana etc. Pick up a copy of the Ultimate Guidebooks (blue book by Doughty and Friedman - great ideas and descriptions of where to stay, what to do, where to eat (can order from Amazon.ca)

Maui and the Big Island are quiet at night - but after a day at the beach or seeing some of the Island sites - your too tired to do much else.

If you are interested in renting a condo - plenty on VRBO.com - we did that and loved it.

Good luck and enjoy - Hawaii is my favourite part of the world - can hardly wait to go back again ....and again....and again.

I stayed at the JW Marriott Ihilani and it was what you want except the pool part. It has a small pool but that%26#39;s offset by the wonderful lagoon is excellent. Getting to the north shore is a piece of cake. About 30 minutes to the airport. If you just wait till after rush hour getting to the east part of the island is also easy. I drove all over the island but NOT to the Waikiki area as I had stayed there a number of times in the past. 8 day stay There is construction near the Marriott. See my review.

On Maui I stayed in a condo which does not have the services you want, but has great sightseeing. I%26#39;d say take a Wailea resort - one of the 5* ones, or Kaanapali. I stayed in Kaanapali years ago and choose Kahana for vegging out this time and loved it, but I wasn%26#39;t looking for a great beach, just direct waterfront and a big condo. Loved Kahana Village #36 [which I miss identified in my review as #37] but I think you%26#39;d like services so Wailea and one of their fine resorts. Both Kaanapali/Napili/Kapalua and the Kihei/Wailea areas offer good restaurants and beaches. 10 day stay in Kahana.

Both islands are small and easy to get around for sightseeing. I happen to think Haleakala is one of of the great spots of the world. And Maui is more low key than Oahu.

We have been to Hawaii more than 30 times and all of the Islands have wonderful features not found on the Mainland. (Please don%26#39;t say you%26#39;re from the United States - Hawaii has been a state since 1959).

Our home base there is Kailua on the windward side of Oahu. It%26#39;s quieter and we rent a cottage across from Kailua Beach Park. There are a lot of wonderful local restaurants and the beach is much nicer than Waikiki. We were there last year on July 4th and were invited to several family picnics by local people.

By all means, go to Waikiki and watch the sunset. We go once each trip and go the the bar on the beach at the Royal Hawaiian and stayed for one set of local music. It%26#39;s a memorable scene.

We went to church up in Kailua and the ladies of the church sang several Hawaiian hymns and invited us to a small reception afterward, You%26#39;ve enjoy driving around the island from there. Stop at the beaches on the North Shore and ask the locals to recommend a place for a beer or a MaiTai. Go to Pearl Harbor while there are still survivors there. They recall a lot of events of December 7th that you won%26#39;t read about.

Kauai was our favorite outer island and Maui a close second. On a visit to the Big Island, we stayed at the Volcano House right on the rim. Take the evening tour if there%26#39;s any chance of an eruption and be sure to take a flashlight. It REALLY gets dark. Lahaina was less visited when we went, but we took a day trip from Maui and had a great tour guide. Molokai was fascinating, but the young people there did not seem to like Mainlanders.

There%26#39;s not any shortage of good places to eat. The Denny%26#39;s on Waikiki used to sell cocktails, but I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s still there.

We%26#39;ll be going there for the month of April, so if you find anything new and/or exciting, please drop a note.

Charlie, formerly of K %26amp; A, Phila.

Two other ideas, for places with less traffic and crowds, are Lana%26#39;i and Kaua%26#39;i. Plenty to see, but more relaxing. Kaua%26#39;i is more lush and green, but that means more chance of rain. Lana%26#39;i is more dry and sunny, but not as green at least on the leeward side. Check out my insider page for info on Lana%26#39;i.