Which Hawaiian Island Should You Visit? My Guide to Hawaii
Welcome! I’m Samantha from Fabulous Adventures Travel, and I’m here to help you travel smarter, vacation harder, and avoid those expensive vacation mistakes. Whether you’re planning your next big adventure or just looking for a little travel inspiration, I’ve got you covered!
Today, we're heading somewhere that feels like another country without ever leaving the United States. Can you guess it? Hawaii.
But here's something people don't realize. There isn't just one Hawaii. There are six main islands you can visit. And choosing the wrong one can completely change your vacation.
Some are perfect for honeymooners. Some are incredible for families. One has an active volcano. And one has almost no crowds. And one is home to one of Disney's most luxurious resorts in the world.
Today, we're breaking down every major Hawaiian island, how to island hop, whether Disney's Aulani is worth it, and I'll even tell you which island I recommend depending on your travel style.
So, let's go to Hawaii.
Which Hawaiian Island Should You Visit?
First, let's clear up one huge misconception. When someone says, "I'm going to Hawaii," that's like saying, "I'm going to Europe."
Where are you going?
Are you going to Italy? Yes. Amazing. Tell me more about it. Are you going to Spain? Oh, awesome. Tell me more.
Hawaii is the same way because every Hawaiian island has its own personality, right?
So, you've got Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii Island—the Big Island—Lanai, and Molokai. Each one offers something completely different.
One thing they all have in common though, of course, you don't just go to Hawaii just for the beaches.
You go for volcanoes, waterfalls, whales, rainforests, helicopter rides, snorkeling with sea turtles, sunsets you'll never forget, and some of the best rainbows that just randomly pop up when it's not even raining.
And sometimes a double rainbow, which is even cooler.
And yes, you'll have some of the best poke you'll ever eat.
So, let's break down the islands, right?
Oahu: Best for First-Time Visitors
I want to talk about Oahu because, of course, this is best for first-time visitors. Everyone seems to go to Oahu.
And I always say why, but you got to go. It's one of those things. It's almost like when I talk about Rome all the time, and I tell you guys all the time, nobody wants to go to Rome, but you have to go to Rome because you've got to go see all the things, right?
You've got to see all the things.
And so, you got to go to Oahu and see all the things, right?
Most people start here. Oahu is of course home to Honolulu and Waikiki Beach, right? Everyone talks about this. It's where you'll find Pearl Harbor. Everyone talks about Diamond Head, North Shore surfing, some of the best surfing that you'll never experience, but you get to watch other people experience it.
Shopping, restaurants, nightlife, luxury hotels, easy transportation, and it's literally the busiest island because it's the hub, right? It's where everybody goes.
But it's also the easiest because if you're only going to Hawaii once or you've never been, it literally is the easiest island because it's just so commercialized and everything is pretty much normal there.
So, if you're only visiting Hawaii once, like I mentioned, Oahu gives you a little bit of everything.
While it's not my favorite island to visit, I have many times. It has all of the things. You can go see a blowhole. You can go watch the surfing like we talked about. You can go to deserted areas on the island, but definitely Waikiki and Honolulu are very, very, very populated and crowded.
Maui: Romance, Beaches and Adventure
One of my favorite islands is Maui.
This is where the romance is. This is where most honeymooners go. Maui's become famous for honeymooners.
Maui is one of my favorite islands. It just has so much character.
Honestly, when you go there, it does feel like it has a little bit of the bustle and crowds as Oahu and Honolulu, but it doesn't. It also has a lot of country feel to it, a lot of open space.
I just love Maui. It has the best of both.
Honestly, it's not just great for honeymooners. It's really great for everyone.
Think luxury resorts, beautiful beaches, the Road to Hana—which, oh my God, the Road to Hana.
My Road to Hana Experience
I'm going to tell you something.
Everyone will tell you, "Go do the Road to Hana. Go do the Road to Hana. Oh, the Road to Hana is the greatest. Oh, I love the Road to Hana."
It was awful.
I'm going to be honest with you. It was absolutely awful. I hated every second of it.
Even cooler, I rented a Porsche while I was there. I did it through Turo and I rented this Porsche. It was a convertible and I thought, well, how bad can it be?
If you're going to do the Road to Hana, you should do it with the top down. You're going to actually experience it. It's going to be amazing.
So off we went on the Road to Hana.
I've told you before I don't make plans. I just do because I want to experience things. I want to make memories where it's like, "Oh my gosh, I just came upon this."
One of the things that I thought was that it would just tell you when there was, "Oh, pull over. There's a waterfall over here."
It did not.
The only time that we knew that there was a waterfall happening was when there was a gathering of cars and then it was trying to find a parking space to put your car so that you could go to this waterfall.
The first waterfall stop we make, we find a parking spot, thank goodness, and we start hiking.
We weren't prepared.
I'm watching these people go by with flip-flops and I'm like, what is happening? Why are they wearing flip-flops? Who hikes in flip-flops?
And this waterfall was so far.
It wasn't a hard hike. It wasn't completely uphill or anything, but you're going over wet stones and now walking through rivers, even tiny creeks.
I'm like, great, my sneakers are now soaking wet.
In my head, I'm like, geez, I wish I had known to put on water shoes. That would have been super smart. Or waterproof shoes where it wouldn't matter, right?
Or apparently flip-flops.
Maybe they're professional flip-flop rockers. I have no idea.
Anyways, we finally get to this absolutely gorgeous waterfall. It's just beautiful.
Of course, true to the nature of myself and the fact that I'm an adventurer, there was no way I was going to get not as close as possible to this waterfall because it was absolutely magnificently beautiful and everything that you would think that a Hawaii waterfall would look like.
Shoes were lost. Socks were lost during that event.
When we got back in the car and we started again on Hana and the road just kept winding and winding and winding and winding, we decided to turn around and said, "You know what? I don't think it's worth it."
So we turned around and we didn't make it all the way to Hana.
I have to say I'm okay with that because that's just the adventure that we had, right? It is what it is. And we laughed about it.
I would never ever suggest the Road to Hana to anyone only because that road was super windy. Nobody was sick, but it just was not what we expected.
And I want to just be honest, it was boring as hell.
So Road to Hana you could totally do in Maui. But I would totally not suggest it unless you are dead set on seeing Hana.
More Things to Do in Maui
The other cool things that happen, of course, in Maui is watching the sunrise at Haleakala.
It's the volcano that's there in Maui and you can bike down.
What they'll do is they'll take a van all the way up to the top of it and once you get up there, you watch the sunrise, you see the sunrise, then you take the bikes down and you go downhill the whole way on the bikes.
It was actually a really cool experience. I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed doing that.
You do have to get up at the butt crack of dawn, of course, to be there before the sunrise, and then you get a really cool trip down the volcano.
The other thing you can do is whale watch, of course, during winter. That's really super fun.
Maui, like I mentioned, is much slower than Oahu. It's more upscale and much more relaxing. It's perfect if you want beach time mixed with adventure.
That is 1,000% true.
The beaches are amazing there and the adventure is really, really cool there.
Kauai: The Garden Island
Kauai is the Garden Island, right?
If someone tells me, "I just want nature," I send them to Kauai.
Imagine towering cliffs, Jurassic Park scenery, because this is where Jurassic Park was not totally and completely created, but a lot of scenes were made there.
Tons of waterfalls, tiny towns, the incredible Na Pali Coast.
This is basically like what Hawaii was before massive tourism, right?
Kauai has managed to keep that chill island vibe and it's breathtaking.
Everything closes pretty early in Kauai. It's super chill there. It's less populated. There's no massive tourism. It's very small around there.
And it's just beautiful.
The Big Island: Volcanoes, Lava and Black Sand Beaches
So, the Big Island, right?
This one surprises people because I'm like, "I don't want to go to the Big Island. Not the Big Island."
You want to go to the Big Island.
It's larger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined, right?
You can literally drive from snow to lava to black sand beaches all in one day.
Visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, of course. See flowing lava if conditions allow it. Snorkel with manta rays at night. Walk on black sand beaches.
The island feels wild.
Lanai: Tiny, Quiet and Luxurious
Lanai is tiny, right?
It's luxury. It's quiet.
If you want to disappear, this is the place.
It's the tiniest little island. It's super cute. It's home to incredible resorts and beautiful uncrowded beaches.
Molokai: Old Hawaii
The next island is Molokai.
Molokai is old Hawaii, so no massive resorts, very little tourism, lots of local culture.
This isn't where I'd send first-time visitors.
But experienced Hawaii travelers absolutely love it.
My Hawaii Island-Hopping Secret Tip
All right, here's my secret tip of the week.
Here's one of my favorite Hawaii travel tips.
Most visitors only stay on one island. So, that's a big mistake on my part.
If you're going to travel all the way over there—so for example, here we are in Florida, right? It is literally on the other side of the earth. Like, it's far.
So, if you're going to go all the way over there, just see it all.
Don't stay in one because each island has its own vibe.
Adding just two or three nights somewhere, it's so easy to island hop to go over there and do all that.
My favorite combinations: Oahu and Kauai. Those are great because they're completely opposite, right?
My other favorite combination is Oahu and Maui. Those two are great. They're super close and you get a really good combination.
If Kauai is too sleepy for you, Maui is a good tradeoff of that, right?
And then the other one would be Maui and the Big Island. Those two together would be great.
So you're getting two completely different Hawaii experiences.
How Long Should You Spend on Each Hawaiian Island?
One of the best things about Hawaii is how easy it is to island hop.
Flights between the islands are typically short, and there are frequent daily departures between major islands.
It's not cheap. I'm going to be honest with you.
It sounds like it because it's so close, but they're not cheap. You're still going to pay, you know, 100, 200 bucks possibly depending on how many of you are going.
You generally won't take ferries between the islands. You're going to fly, right?
A five-night trip staying entirely on Oahu is a long trip.
A seven-night trip, split your time between Oahu and Maui.
Ten-night trip: Oahu, Kauai and Maui.
Two-week trip, visit three or even four islands if you don't mind unpacking a few times, right?
A good rule of thumb is to spend at least three nights on each island so you're not constantly checking in and out of hotels.
I've always said three nights is a great amount of time to spend somewhere.
You're not feeling like, "Oh, I just got here yesterday," then I had my travel day.
You're getting a good full day in the space that you're in.
Three nights is always a good rule of thumb. I always say that.
Is Disney's Aulani Worth It?
So, the one thing is, is it worth the splurge to Disney's Aulani?
Let's talk about Disney's Aulani, right?
If you're expecting Disneyland, it isn't. Okay, of course. Obviously, right?
There's no rides there, nothing.
Aulani is a luxury Hawaiian beach resort created by Disney. It's actually on the opposite side of Honolulu on Oahu. It's located in Ko Olina.
There are no rides, of course, as I mentioned. No theme parks, no long attraction lines.
It's just Disney's exceptional service, beautiful pools, cultural activities, character experiences, storytelling in one of the most family-friendly resort environments in Hawaii, right?
Because, of course, it's Disney.
You're going to get great customer service. You're going to get all those good immersive activities and all of the Disneyesque things as well as the cultural activities, which is super fun.
I do love that about Disney.
Kids can enjoy the complimentary kids clubs, which is nice, splash areas, lazy river and character breakfast.
Adults can then relax at the spa, enjoy the beach or spend quiet evenings listening to Hawaiian music.
If you've got younger kids or kids that need some babysitting or whatnot and you just want to have some time off and enjoy your spouse or your significant other, this is the place that you want to go, right?
You want to go there, drop the kids off at the kids club, and then you guys have some time to your own so you can reconnect, which is amazing, right?
Even if you're not staying there, it's definitely worth a visit to the Ko Olina area for dinner or to explore the lagoons.
So, is it expensive?
Of course, it's Disney, right? Everything's expensive at Disney.
Sadly, Disney kills us.
But is it worth it?
It is if you're a Disney-loving family who wants Hawaii without sacrificing luxury and conveniences, right?
I think that's a thousand percent yes.
If you fit those characteristics, if that's what you really like, yes, it is definitely worth it.
If your goal is to explore the island every day, however, you may get a better value at another resort that's a little bit closer in to the area.
Hawaii Tourist Traps: Worth It or Skip It?
Let's play one of my favorite games.
Waikiki Beach?
Totally worth it.
Once.
Like I said, right? Got to go say you're there, knock it off the list, ding. Experience it, then leave.
Some of Hawaii's most beautiful beaches are actually outside of Waikiki, of course.
Don't spend your entire vacation there.
The same goes for crowded luaus, right?
Some are fantastic. Others feel like they're processing hundreds of people through a buffet.
The smaller, locally focused luaus often provide a more memorable cultural experience.
1,000%.
My Hawaii Travel Hack: Don't Overpack
Here's your Hawaii travel hack.
Don't overpack.
Seriously, most days you'll live in swimsuits, shorts, sandals, and a light shirt.
Hawaii is chill.
Chill upon chill.
Save room in the suitcase for all that Hawaiian stuff you're going to buy, like the coffee, the macadamia nuts, the locally made gifts, and your new aloha shirt that you're going to wear when you get home.
And if you're renting a car, book it early.
Rental prices climb quickly and the cars sell out very quickly because there's not many on the island.
Another Way to See Hawaii: Pride of America
One thing I want to mention very briefly: a way to see the islands and all of the islands is Norwegian actually has a ship, Pride of America, over there in Hawaii and they have been there for years.
I will tell you that the ship is ancient and absolutely needs an overhaul, but you're not on it for the ship.
You're there to experience Hawaii.
But it is a really, really cool way to see Hawaii.
There's actually overnighters, which is really cool because then you get to experience the nightlife, right? And you get to see more.
I just think that's one of the coolest ways to experience Hawaii if you want to see a lot in a short period of time.
Now, I will tell you that it's not cheap because I've looked it up for many people.
At the same time, you're probably going to spend the same amount on a luxury hotel or some of the good hotels in Hawaii.
But this way you're unpacking once.
It all stays in one spot, right?
You're unpacking for that one time. It stays right in that one spot and you get to go see everything right off the ship.
So, that's the cool thing.
Check that out if that's something you're interested in because it is a great way to see the islands.
Pride of America is the name of the ship.
So, Which Hawaiian Island Is Right for You?
Whether you're dreaming of surfing on Oahu, driving the Road to Hana on Maui, watching lava reshape the earth on the Big Island, exploring Kauai's dramatic cliffs, or relaxing at Disney Aulani, Hawaii has an island that's perfect for you.
I do want to stop and say that Kauai is really, really good in a helicopter.
So, if you're going to spend the money to do a helicopter, it is around Kauai that you want to do it.
Those views are phenomenal.
The key is choosing the right one and the right vacation, which is why Fabulous Adventures is here for you to help you choose that for you.
If you're totally lost and dazed and confused, we are here to help you.
If you'd like help deciding which islands fit your Hawaiian travel style, we'd love to help you build the perfect Hawaiian vacation.
When planning your next vacation, don't spend hours comparing hundreds of websites about Hawaii, right?
Let Fabulous Adventures Travel do the work for you.
We want to help get you to Hawaii. We actually know Hawaii very well.
Whether you're planning or dreaming of an unforgettable family adventure on Hawaii, or even a cruise in Hawaii, our experienced travel advisors help you vacation smarter, not harder.
So, visit Fabulous Adventures Travel today because your next adventure deserves expert planning.
Thanks for joining me for another episode of Talk Travel with Samantha.
Until next time, travel smarter, vacation harder, and we are here to help with any of your travel needs.
And I can't wait to tell you more amazing destinations next week.
