Regardless of the place you go in America’s fiftieth state, Hawaii affords all kinds of topographies, lodging, actions and experiences.
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Every Hawaiian island has its personal distinctive vibe. Six main islands in Hawaii are open to guests, together with Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii Island. (The opposite two main Hawaiian islands aren’t open to guests: Niihau is privately owned, and the U.S. army used Kahoolawe throughout the many years following World Struggle II for bombing workouts and stays off-limits to the general public.)
How do you select between so many various variations of paradise? Here is a information to discovering the very best island to go to in Hawaii in your subsequent trip.
Oahu
Good for:
- First-time guests to Hawaii
- Solo vacationers
- Giant teams
- Finances vacationers
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Inside Honolulu metropolis limits, Waikiki Seaside is the place to see and be seen, with loads of procuring, eating and facilities to get pleasure from at high-rise resorts.
Oahu’s choices are extra various than simply Honolulu, although. The rising resort space of Ko Olina has a number of upscale lodging, together with Disney’s Aulani Resort and the 4 Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina. On the way in which to Ko Olina from Honolulu, cease at Pearl Harbor, some of the visited historic websites wherever on the islands.
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Oahu’s North Shore gives one other vibe that is downright chill with its beach-hopping, food-truck-loving, small-town surfer scene. In 2024, Marriott reflagged the long-lasting North Shore resort — Turtle Bay Resort — right into a Ritz-Carlton resort bookable from 88,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors per night time.
Hikers will discover loads of trails throughout Oahu, from the peaks of Diamond Head to less-traveled spots like Makiki Valley and Waimea Valley. Some standard spots do require advance reservations.
Maui
Good for:
- Vacationers with youngsters
- Multigenerational journey
- Anybody on the lookout for resort-based rental properties
The second-most-visited island within the state and in addition the second largest, Maui is residence to the famed Street to Hana, Haleakala Nationwide Park and the very best whale watching wherever in Hawaii throughout the winter months.
For a lot of vacationers, a trip to Maui is the very best of each worlds. The island affords among the identical infrastructure, conveniences and actions of Oahu with out the visitors and concrete sprawl. It is doable to go to plenty of sights right here and have an energetic trip or simply get pleasure from some island relaxation and leisure at a resort.
Although a lot of Lahaina stays off limits to tourism following devastating fires in 2023, the remainder of Maui is open for enterprise and is encouraging vacationers to return.
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Maui is a superb choose for households with school-age youngsters due to its many actions. It really works properly for multigenerational teams as a result of it has experiences that grandparents and grandkids can get pleasure from, such because the Maui Ocean Heart or dawn at Haleakala Nationwide Park.
The island of Maui additionally has many superb accommodations and resorts at all kinds of value factors. Most are clustered in two main areas: on the Ka’anapali-Kapalua hall on the northwest facet of the island and in Kihei-Wailea farther south.
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For its measurement, Maui affords a powerful number of accommodations for vacationers to ebook with factors. Most main chains have outposts right here, and lots of properties provide rental lodging that work for households or bigger teams. The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, the Wailea Seaside Resort by Marriott, the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort have all scored properly with TPG contributors and readers. Set jetters can verify into the 4 Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, which portrayed “The White Lotus” resort within the first season of the hit HBO present.
Hawaii (the Huge Island)
Good for:
- Romantic {couples} getaways
- Luxurious vacationers
- Journey seekers
The island of Hawaii, also known as the Huge Island, is the most important and latest island within the chain. As a result of it is so large, you want near per week to see every little thing. However, it affords many various journey experiences from day after day.
The overwhelming majority of Huge Island guests follow the western facet of the island close to the town of Kailua-Kona and the Kohala Coast, the place the big resorts are. Luxurious seekers can get pleasure from high-end properties just like the 4 Seasons Resort Hualalai; Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort; the Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resort; and the Mauna Kea Seaside Resort, Autograph Assortment.
Households on a reasonable price range can discover ample resort choices, too. The Waikoloa Seaside Marriott Resort & Spa and the Hilton Waikoloa Village significantly cater to vacationers with youngsters. Pool complexes are an enormous draw.
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Though it is completely doable to spend per week on the Huge Island enjoyable on a resort seashore, the island may also be an journey traveler’s paradise. On the northern a part of the island, vacationers can zip line, take excursions on all-terrain automobiles, leap into waterfalls, scuba dive or snorkel with large manta rays, or flume down historic sugar cane irrigation channels.
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On the southern a part of the island, you may go to Hawaii Volcanoes Nationwide Park — however earlier than you go, verify which areas are closed on account of energetic eruptions. The city of Hilo on the japanese facet of the island has its personal native vibe that may be a terrific getaway for vacationers on the lookout for an genuine Hawaiian expertise.
Kauai
Good for:
- Romantic getaways and babymoons
- Journey junkies
- Leisure seekers
Kauai’s lush greenery makes it, for my part, essentially the most lovely of all of the Hawaiian islands. It’s residence to waterfalls, mountaineering trails and a wide range of eco-adventures. Most vacationers hunt down Kauai to keep away from the hustle and bustle of Oahu and Maui and have a extra unplugged trip expertise.
Sadly, Kauai’s pure magnificence additionally makes it much less dependable as a trip vacation spot. The island’s greenery comes from the substantial rainfall it will get, which makes it doable that your trip in paradise is a humid one. For that motive, it is most likely greatest to plan for an extended journey simply in case the climate does not cooperate on a regular basis.
There are ample resort choices on Kauai. For households, the hands-down winner is the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa in Poipu, identified for having the most effective waterslides and swimming pools wherever on the island. The Grand Membership lounge is kind of particular, too, with quick access to breakfast, drinks, snacks and extra.
Poipu to the south is residence to fairly just a few different main resorts, together with the Sheraton Kauai Resort. Princeville to the north has many others, such because the 1 Resort Hanalei Bay and The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas.
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Smaller islands: Lanai and Molokai
Good for:
- Returning Hawaii guests on the lookout for new experiences
Though the overwhelming majority of vacationers to Hawaii go to Oahu, Maui, the Huge Island and Kauai, there are two smaller islands that vacationers can go to as properly. Attending to each of them requires a bit further effort, as neither has air service from the mainland.
Lanai, the island owned by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, is accessible by a ferry trip from Maui that takes simply over an hour. You too can take a 50-minute flight from HNL or a 35-minute flight from Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG) to Lanai Airport (LNY) on regional service Mokulele Airways. Lanai has two luxurious and expensive 4 Seasons resorts on the island — the adults-only Sensai Lenai and the 4 Seasons Resort Lanai.
Molokai, against this, has no name-brand lodging, making it a spot of refuge for native residents and vacationers on the lookout for genuine Hawaii journey experiences. Mokulele Airways additionally serves Molokai Airport (MKK) from HNL (45 minutes) and OGG (35 minutes).
I would not advocate that vacationers head to both of those locations till they’ve visited a number of of the bigger Hawaiian islands first. You may probably get extra out of them (and know which one is the appropriate match for you) after getting extra context to understand them.
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