Recommendations for Hawaiian Islands

[Koolau]

We've been to Big Island twice. First time was 4 years ago, we stayed at Royal Kona Resort, on south side of Kailua. It was very pleasant. Nice room, decent pool, great bar. Second time was 2 years ago, we stayed at Waikoloa Beach Marriott. It was very nice too and is right next to the best beach on Big Island IMHO. Pros & cons for each. Royal Kona is in largest town with great options for shopping/eating, and close to south island beaches and forest preserve. Marriott has the Waikoloa Village near-by for shopping and restaurants, close to Mauna Kea and north island lookouts and water fall. Both would require a car. I would advise skipping Hilo.

We just returned from a week stay on Waikiki two days ago. Our first trip to O‘ahu. It's quite the cosmopolitan area. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as the other islands but will have to admit Waikiki exceeded my expectations. For our next trip there, we'll skip Waikiki and do a 9 day tour of the east, north, & west sides of the island. There's a lot to like about O‘ahu.

Yeah, DW and I still make a trip to Waikiki 3 or 4 times a year just to play tourist. It brings back great memories of our tourist days.

Everyone is different and we often hear how much people "hate" Waikiki. I understand the "issues" of staying there and being "confined" to a couple of square miles of Paradise.

There is another resort area at Ko Olina, Ewa (north west) of Honolulu. Also Turtle Bay resort is on the North Shore. I've never stayed at these resorts but they are popular for things like golf.

 

[audreyh1]

We stayed at Turtle Bay Hilton once in the late 80s. It’s a beautiful drive from Honolulu and it was a good base for visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center and Waimea Botanical Garden.

Looks like it’s a Ritz Carlton now.

 

[OldConch]

We stayed at Turtle Bay Hilton once in the late 80s. It’s a beautiful drive from Honolulu and it was a good base for visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center and Waimea Botanical Garden.

Looks like it’s a Ritz Carlton now.

We stayed at an AirBnB in Turtle Bay in April and really liked the area. It wasn't on the water but the adjacent Ritz has a public access beach parking lot and trails along the coast. There's a wonderful public beach about halfway to the PCC and we ate most dinners at the Kahuku food trucks - yummy. Haleiwa is about 25 minutes by car and we had a decent meal there as well. Fun fact - near the Ritz surf school there's a marker on the spot where radar picked up the incoming Japanese planes on 12/7/1941.

After our UnCruise we spent 3 nights at the Ka La'i Waikiki Beach. Very nice hotel with a great view and just across the street from the beach. We did Pearl Harbor, walked to the top of Diamond Head, tried Duke's for the first time and embraced the very touristy Waikiki scene. Used Uber/Lyft which were both very reasonable and did not miss a rental car for this portion of the trip. There's a bar on the beach behind the Army museum that gives steep discounts on drinks for military/retired/veterans.

Four days on the north shore and 3 at Waikiki seemed just about right for us. The only major island we haven't been to is Kauai so that's probably next.

 

[Koolau]

...Haleiwa is about 25 minutes by car and we had a decent meal there as well...

Heh, heh, make that more like 2 1/2 hours if the surf is really up! The road is a parking lot when the surf gods are stirring. But in summer time, you can, indeed count on about 25 minutes trip.

We always enjoy Haleiwa Joe's grill when we take a drive up to the North Shore. The movie "Big Bounce" has a scene in the restaurant.

 

[explanade]

I recently looked at a quick trip to Kauai and Oahu because European fares had gotten so high. Hotel prices or more accurately Airbnb rates didn’t look too bad but Waikiki hotels with their $50–65 rates per day for valet parking on top of resort fees and amenity fees.

But what really alienated me was that there are many beautiful beaches and coastal areas on the northern shores of Kauai and limited parking.

So there would be a $10 charge to visit the Kilauea lighthouse and then further west, there were beaches where you had to park miles away and pay for a shuttle. They charge $40 for non Hawaii residents while Hawaiian residents can drive right up and park for free.

OK I would have spent thousands for less than a 2-week trip but this charge really made me reconsider the whole thing.

I hadn’t even researched other coastal areas I would be interested in visiting, for an hour or hour and a half at most.

I was willing to put up with hotel parking, food which costs 50-100% more than in California, expensive helicopter tours.

But the beach thing, apparently concocted by the parks dept and designed to provide jobs and fund local community projects was outrageous. Visitors are already paying almost 20% in hotel taxes, which are inflated by high hotel rates. I don’t even know if they impose 20% tax on parking, resort fees, amenity fees as well.

Don’t the high taxes already fund jobs and local community projects?

Instead I went back and looked at fares to Europe and found an award which I booked with miles. Now I’m going to the UK, which also has 20% hotel taxes. But there are no resort fees or $50-65 valet parking, though I’m avoiding having a rental car in the big cities.

Hotel rates are a lot less except for the nights that I will be in Edinburgh and London, though if I was willing to stay a few miles outside the center I could save money.

Probably will end up spending about the same for a longer trip.

Oh well maybe I will go to Hawaii another time since I have an idea of what to expect. Hotel taxes will probably be 25% then and each beach will cost $50 or more.

 

[audreyh1]

None of the restricted parking and paying was there when we last visited Kauai north shore, but I have heard about it since.

 

[Al18]

In 2024 we visited Oahu and Kauai and other than the daily valet charge for Waikiki hotel (which was high), we only paid for parking when visiting Pearl Harbor. There was free parking in Waikiki - we visited the aquarium and took a long walk. There was no parking charge at KoOlina on Oahu or the Westin Princeville on Kauai.

 

[Montecfo]

We noticed it on Kauai and also the Big Island last visits. We kind of took it in stride but there is a feeling of trying to the soak the tourists. But I kind of viewed it as giving locals a break.

There can be an undercurrent of viewing tourism as "bad". Same with development. Not sure this is wise for the state (#1 industry = tourism) but it is their state.

Also in Europe they have anti-tourist protests in some areas. We saw some. We considered participating. Those other tourists are just making things crowded and driving up prices.

But we could not decide whether to do that or to get some squirt guns and counter-demonstrate.

 

[Jimmie]

I was willing to put up with hotel parking, food which costs 50-100% more than in California, expensive helicopter tours.

Oh well maybe I will go to Hawaii another time since I have an idea of what to expect. Hotel taxes will probably be 25% then and each beach will cost $50 or more.

We just got back from Waikiki on Wed. Your observations are all on point. Talked to several people that ventured out to beaches on east side and were surprised with the charges for parking and beach access. We didn't get a car as we planned to stay local and didn't want to waste $s on the car sitting in the hotel parking lot. We found a local taxi that charged a flat rate from/to the airport (about half what other taxis charge). We took the TheBus service one day for Pearl Harbor Naval Base visit for $3 pp each way. We also booked our stay at the Mouna Surfrider on Black Friday for 50% off daily rate plus a $250 credit for hotel restaurants & bar. Food prices were the most surprising cost to us. All in all, it was a great vacation but still very expensive even with the Black Friday sale on the hotel.

 

[tutan]

…
On Maui we stayed most recently at the Napili Shores Maui by Outrigger. We stayed in the building closest to the beach and it was great. Walk to the Gazebo restaurant for breakfast (Call ahead and walk past the line to pick up your order, eat on patio).This is a condo complex, studio with kitchen. Multiple pools and nice grounds. Neither cheap nor expensive but we thought a good value.

We have stayed at Napili Shores twice. The most recent was for a week in December 2025. I agree it is a nice place but the beach at Napili Bay is a small and narrow strip of sand with way too many people. We ended up visiting Kapalua Bay which is just the next beach north but we had to drive and find parking.
The next week we stayed in Kihei at Days Inn by Keawakapu Beach. We like that beach. But the better place to stay I believe would be the two condos next door: Mana Kai Maui and Kihei Surfside.

 

[audreyh1]

We have stayed at Napili Shores twice. The most recent was for a week in December 2025. I agree it is a nice place but the beach at Napili Bay is a small and narrow strip of sand with way too many people. We ended up visiting Kapalua Bay which is just the next beach north but we had to drive and find parking.
The next week we stayed in Kihei at Days Inn by Keawakapu Beach. We like that beach. But the better place to stay I believe would be the two condos next door: Mana Kai Maui and Kihei Surfside.

That’s interesting. We stayed nearby at Napili Kai Beach Resort and it was a short walk from our condo to Kapalua Bay where we did most of our snorkeling. My avatar is the view from our lanai there. Ironically that’s the island of Lanai across the water.

Did you try breakfast at the gazebo? I see that Montecfo did. Merrimans was also a short walk. We very much enjoyed hiking the Kapalua Coastal Trail.

 

[Koolau]

We noticed it on Kauai and also the Big Island last visits. We kind of took it in stride but there is a feeling of trying to the soak the tourists. But I kind of viewed it as giving locals a break.

There can be an undercurrent of viewing tourism as "bad". Same with development. Not sure this is wise for the state (#1 industry = tourism) but it is their state.

Also in Europe they have anti-tourist protests in some areas. We saw some. We considered participating. Those other tourists are just making things crowded and driving up prices.

But we could not decide whether to do that or to get some squirt guns and counter-demonstrate.

As a state, we're kinda schizophrenic when it comes to tourists. We want them to come to our beautiful Islands and leave their money with us. As a resident for only 19 years, I get all the privileges of being a resident. But I'm still viewed by many as just another haole tourist. Lots of stuff that tourists must pay for, I get for "free."

I can understand the feeling that tourists come in and "spoil" the land. But, I don't see tourists tagging walls or dumping trash along the highways - that's done by local people. For the most part tourists are respectful of the land and they pay a huge share of our revenue which saves us on taxes.

But, like any gummint entity, there is no limit to what we can find to spend money on. There's never enough money and the state is constantly looking for yet another way to get the golden eggs out of the goose.

Recently we instituted what we euphemistically call a "green" fee. It's an additional 0.75% fee on over-night accommodations, raising that fee to 11%! It's been hilarious to watch the legislature and the Governor's office talk about how they "might" actually spend that money to make up for all the environmental degradation caused by tourism. IOW they didn't start with a "We need some money to to this, that or the other" it was "Let's charge tourists an extra 0.75% and then see how we can use that money - for something!"

One fine morning we're gonna wake up and realize the tourists have found a more affordable Paradise to go to that doesn't look upon them as a cash cow.

But I hope you all still come visit. We need the money!

 

[Montecfo]

We have stayed at Napili Shores twice. The most recent was for a week in December 2025. I agree it is a nice place but the beach at Napili Bay is a small and narrow strip of sand with way too many people. We ended up visiting Kapalua Bay which is just the next beach north but we had to drive and find parking.
The next week we stayed in Kihei at Days Inn by Keawakapu Beach. We like that beach. But the better place to stay I believe would be the two condos next door: Mana Kai Maui and Kihei Surfside.

Honestly I do not find any of the beaches in West Maui to be the best I have experienced. And storms and erosion have taken their toll on all those beaches which are "thinner" and steeper than what I experienced say 30 years ago. And local leaders seem reluctant to attempt to address this for reasons. I appreciate your perspective.

But,

We had amazing ocean views from the property, the lovely grounds, walked to the beach and experienced decent snorkeling, enjoyed the pools, and walking a few steps to eat or pick up food at the Gazebo (also great views). Kapalua Bay was better and had solid snorkeling when we were there. Black Rock was probably the best overall beach experience. And we hiked the Kapalua Coastal Trail 2-3 times which nearby. Overall experience was great

When we go to beach destinations, we do not expect to visit only one beach so maybe this is a difference.

 

[tutan]

That’s interesting. We stayed nearby at Napili Kai Beach Resort and it was a short walk from our condo to Kapalua Bay where we did most of our snorkeling. My avatar is the view from our lanai there. Ironically that’s the island of Lanai across the water.

Did you try breakfast at the gazebo? I see that Montecfo did. Merrimans was also a short walk. We very much enjoyed hiking the Kapalua Coastal Trail.

Yes we waited for The Gazebo to open one morning. You have to as It is a busy place everyday. We had the huge fried rice plate and macadamia pancakes.. very popular dishes. Along the Kapalua Coastal Trail, we stopped at the very scenic Kapalua Tidepools. We would have jumped in had we brought our swim wear.

 

[tulak]

I had a great time visiting Kauai last year, but it was expensive. My trip to Japan earlier that year was cheaper (and longer).

DS and DGF took separate trips to Hawaii (Oahu and Maui) and said the same.

Beautiful place to visit, but not if you’re trying to save money.