We are planning a family vacation to Hawaii and aren't sure which island to stay on or what accommodations

We live on Oahu (Ewa Beach), and have our sister/brother-in-law and another couple (friends-of-the-family) visit together at least once a year. With our two kids, 13 and 19, we're in similar circumstances. And as you can imagine, we have lots of other family and friends visiting all the time.

Yours is a huge question, and would require a huge answer. And it depends on a lot of things like your interests, budget, how long you're here, if you've been here before....

That said, here's what our family and friends do now before they come to visit. We built a personal web page for them just for the questions you're asking, with the best links and things to do in Hawaii, rated and reviewed. That way they could look BEFORE they got here and see what they want to do. It's just grown over the last 3 years, and open to everyone. Our 4-star rated items may be a good place to start for those "don't miss" things. From there, they could see and vote on where to go, even making a rough list of what they want more info about. That helped them and us decide to go the Big Island the second time, then Maui. It's Kauai next. BTW, the web page initially grew based on things they found and asked about, and we just kept adding and reviewing.

The web site's at http://home.hawaii.rr.com/gonebananas. Could go into a longer answer here, but with all the work we put into that page, well, you'll see...it will answer your questions.

Aloha

HarleyDog

It sounds like Maui is a great option for your family. Lahaina has restaurants and some attractions but it isn't "big city" like Oahu/Waikiki.

For waterfalls, I recommend that you drive "The Road to Hana" which has stops with hikes to waterfalls all along the way. We spent the night in Hana and were glad we did. Most people do the drive in one day - by spending the night, you have the waterfalls closest to Hana nearly to yourself the next morning. And you'll enjoy the trip more if you aren't worried about getting back.

Eating at Mama's Fish House was a highlight for our group -it met the need for the "Golden Age of Hawaii" fantasy we had in our heads and hearts.

Snorkeling in Honolua Bay (just north of Lahaina) was absolutely amazing - like being in a National Geographic special! It is a protected cove so it is fine for people who are beginning snorkelers but lots and lots of fish in all shapes, colors, & sizes. We also saw squid & turtles. It is a short walk from the place you park down to the water but it is a pretty walk.

We sent the grandparents and the kids on a submarine ride and they all loved it. The grandparents were in their 60's in this case and we weren't sure they would snorkel, which is why we scheduled the Submarine excursion. The grandparents did snorkel but they still considered the submarine a highlight.

We stayed in a condo which worked out very well for our family. We generally ate out once per day but appreciated having our own kitchen. We stayed in three units at the Hale Kai which suited us perfectly - we prefer smaller locations and the fact that it was so close to the water was wonderful. Unit 220 was especially nice. It does not have air conditioning which didn't bother us but does bother some. The other condo we considered was Kahana Sunset.

ResortQuest has some nice Maui Locations.

Another neat location is the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel which works hard to be Maui's "Most Hawaiian" hotel.

I am a travel agent and would be happy to help with your travel arrangements.

In Hawaii will energizes you the fresh, floral air energizes you. The warm, tranquil waters will refresh you and the breathtaking, natural beauty renews you so now is about the time to know this amazing place, starting from with hotelbye because look around! There’s no place on earth like Hawaii. In Hawaii, the six unique islands offer distinct experiences that will entice any traveller. In Hawaii you will discover your ideal travel experience. Waikiki is one of the Hawaii islands and is the Hawaii's biggest tourist attraction. A suburb of Honolulu, Waikiki is easy to reach and offers all the amenities and entertainment of a modern city. At the end of the crescent shaped beach is the extinct volcano known as Diamond Head Crater, adding a spectacular backdrop to the incredible sun drenched beach.

The big Island is the most laid back.

It also is home to a active volcano.

You can drive most of the park to see a lot of it.

But must walk a lot to see Lava, (if it is flowing).

It takes a day to drive around the island with lots to see and do.

There a re lot of falls you can see from the road, and some short hikes to many.

Maui, has the most shopping with a dormant volcano you drive up to.

The road to Hana is beautiful, but can be dangerous with a lot of crazy drivers on a one lane road.

Lots of waterfalls and pools too.

There are a lot of condos to rent on both that are reasonable.

I rented a 2 bedroom condo, with a sofa sleeper last June in Maui, with a ocean view, for $100 a night. It had a full kitchen and laundry room in it.

Go to hotwire.com, or travel worm.com for the best deals.

I would have to say, the island of Oahu to stay at. And the Pacific Beach Hotel. You can do day trips to other islands if need be.

I have stayed at the Pacific Beach Hotel four out of six times and love it there. Very accommadating for families. They also have adjoining rooms for the larger families.

Stay in the Oceanarium Tower at least the 12th floor and up and the Diamond Head views.

This hotel is right across the street from Waikiki Beach, and there are condos in the area also that might suit your choice: Waikiki Banyon is one block further from the beach.

Have fun!!

Depending on your budget, there's the Ko Olina Resort on Oahu's west side.

If anyone is active or retired military, there's the U.S. Army Recreation Center Waianae, Bellows Recreation Center Waimanalo, Kaneohe Marine Base, and, The Hale Koa Hotel Waikiki.

Condo, it's nice to be able to cook & prepare sandwiches for the day to take to the beach or hiking & have stuff in the fridge, that way you can make everyone happy.Cooking outside on the grill watching the sunset on the beach is also fun. Napili Bay is a great beach for a homebase, there are many condos on the beach. Kihei, Maui & Kaanapali Beach are also very nice/ convenient.

http://www.napilikai.com/

http://www.kaanapalialii.com/

http://www.sands-of-kahana.com/

http://www.thewhaler.com/

http://www.mauioceancenter.com/

http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/index_main.html

I just came back from Oahu and the whole island is the cheesiest tourist trap I have ever seen. I come from San Deigo where the tourist traps are at least quality and not in your face. Wikiki (sp) reminds me of a mexican border town. It is filled with people harassing you and street performers and even if you pay top price for an attraction you still are expected to tip everyone. It sucks. Even at a quality show they were forcing you to pose for a photo so tney could sell it later. Everyone is poor and desperate for money. Trust me. go there and see how it sucks. Go to Maui.It was voted one of the worlds top islands

you can take this little quiz based on what you prefer to do and it will help narrow down your choices for which island to go to... and then offer some suggestions for what to do on the specific island. maybe you will find it helpful.

www.forbestraveler.com/Hawaii/hawaii-island-quiz-start.html

good luck

waikiki, oahu.. you know the place where the rest of the world goes to pollute our water? the place that used to be a beautiful beach but now all cement and buildings.. yeah, you should join the crowd and head to waikiki.