Villas/Bungalows and Which Island?

I am planning an 8-9 day trip for my family (2 adults and 2 grown children) this coming August to Hawaii. None of us has been to any of the islands and are a bit clueless in the planning process. Is it recommended to island hop, or choose one and stick with it for the duration? Is there a recommended island for first-timers?

We would also love to have a 2-bedroom villa as part of a larger resort, but the only resort that I%26#39;ve found to offer this under $800/night (roughly the cap I%26#39;m looking at) is the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu.

Sorry for all of the questions! Thanks in advance.

-Ben

Villas/Bungalows and Which Island?

Aloha! I would suggest just one island for your stay, then you don%26#39;t waste any time while you are there. What activities and things do you want to experience while you are in Hawaii?? That might help you determine which island you want to go to. I see you are new to the forum, and just in the past few days, there was a few posts about the difference btw the islands and how to pick which island to go to. Here is one: ';What are the biggest differences';. If you put that in the search feature, you will pull up that post and all the comments -that would be very helpful to you. If you are paging thru, I think it was about page 7 - the Hawaii forum is always hopping. :) Most people find Maui a happy medium, but my favorite island is Kauai - it%26#39;s gorgeous!! Every person who posts here has a favorite island or even place on that island, so you need to determine more of what you and your family wants. Also, as far as accommodations go, there are many websites that can help you with that - probably for what you are looking for, I would use vrbo.com - under the specific island. It would list plenty of choices for you. Best of luck - you will love Hawaii!

Villas/Bungalows and Which Island?

I agree with coalminer; stick to one island. I would not choose Oahu unless you must fly into Honolulu want to see Pearl Harbor and other WWII-related sites. (Unless Turtle Bay has been renovated recently, I can%26#39;t recommend it as a destination resort.)

I%26#39;d go to Big Island for the bulk of my first-time-in-Hawaii stay. It has four distinct climate zones from snow atop Maunakea -- to high country ranch lands at Waimea -- to lush jungle gardens around Hilo -- to the Kilauea volcano. I also agree that you will find better prices renting a condo through vrbo.com. Most condos complexes have beaches and/or pools and tennis, etc.

Less relaxing, but an economical way to see more of Hawaii, would be a cruise around the islands.

VacaChico: I just bumped the 2 posts that had info regarding the islands - the one that I mentioned in my post, and another from some UK honeymooners - lots of good island info for you.

Oh, and I forgot to mention previously - once you decide on the island, get the ';revealed'; book, which is often referred to as the ';blue bible'; here on the forum. Example: Maui Revealed, the Ultimate Kauai Revealed, Big Island Revealed, etc. Very detailed info regarding each island and would be a very helpful resource for your vacation. Happy travels! :)

Coleminer,

I will also be bringing my family this summer (Oahu). What is the revealed book and where can I get one?

Thanks.

Hi there! You can get the book online at wizardpub.com, amazon.com or any major bookstore in their travel section. The exact title is Oahu Revealed. Happy reading! :)

Turtle Bay is one of our favorite resorts,beautiful setting,great golf.We like MAUI,I agree with the previous post ,you can rent a car and see Oahu highlights ina couple of days then hop over to MAUI.Have FUN!

Coalminer,

Got it, thanks.