Hawaii

[imawino]

Calling all Hawaii experts. or even people who have been once.  If you were planning a trip to Hawaii, which island(s) would you visit?  Why?  What are the things/activities/etc that make that island special?  What island might you say to skip?

[swamp]

In on this one. I wanna know too.

[busymom]

I've only been on Oahu, but LOVED it.  I'm a history buff, and visiting Pearl Harbor alone made the trip worth it.  


There's an amazing difference in whatever part of the island you visit.  Everything from palm trees, to rain forest, to cactus.  The beaches are very different, too.  The Northern part of the island is where the surfers practice their sport.  But, if you just want nice, quiet water to swim in, I recommend Waikiki Beach, on the South part of the island.


I'd be interested in hearing experiences on the other islands.  I'd love to go back someday...

[billisonboard]

One trip. Lahaina on Maui was a good experience for the wife and I. Low key trip. Nice collection of standard fare restaurants- we aren't gourmets. Did a group day trip snorkeling. Fun.  I took a morning zip lining. It was a moderately intense (I have experience). Beautiful sunsets. 

[Deleted]

It partly depends on what your interest are. I found Honolulu to be Manhattan with palm trees. OTOH, I really enjoyed Kona, especially the day-long circular bus tour around the island, which included a coffee plantation, a great bakery, lunch overlooking the Kilauea caldera and a hike in a rainforest.

I also liked Lanai and Molokai although Molokai is not meant to be a tourist destination- our cruise ship was the only one permitted to dock there (under 100 passengers, extensive discussions with the locals beforehand). I was hanging around downtown waiting for the shuttle to the airport and the only lunch places I could find were burgers and pizza- and then I remembered that they're not pandering to tourists so, no, you won't find Starbucks or vegan. I took the shuttle from town back to a local hotel and had a good lunch.

[cyanne]

What type of things are you interested in? I have been to Oahu, Kauai and the island of Hawaii. They are all very different. I will be going to Maui this December. Oahu is the most urban of the islands. You can see Pearl Harbor and the North Shore where they hold the surfing competitions (in winter). If you like a more rural and natural vibe, I recommend Kauai. They have a law that says no building higher than the palm trees. The Waimea Canyon is there and there are so many beautiful waterfalls. It also has long beautiful beaches. If you want to see volcanos you will need to go the Big Island (Hawaii).

You can do a luau on any of the islands.

[billisonboard]

I should note the wife and I generally avoid the group thing and tours. We rented a car and drove around for ourselves.

[imawino]

Jun 7, 2021 12:52:14 GMT -5 cyanne said:

What type of things are you interested in? I have been to Oahu, Kauai and the island of Hawaii. They are all very different. I will be going to Maui this December. Oahu is the most urban of the islands. You can see Pearl Harbor and the North Shore where they hold the surfing competitions (in winter). If you like a more rural and natural vibe, I recommend Kauai. They have a law that says no building higher than the palm trees. The Waimea Canyon is there and there are so many beautiful waterfalls. It also has long beautiful beaches. If you want to see volcanos you will need to go the Big Island (Hawaii).

You can do a luau on any of the islands.

All the things.  LOL That's kind of why I just asked for what people liked and found special about each island. I've zip lined, jet skied, been scuba diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking.  I'm happy to spend an entire day lying on a beach reading a book with cold adult beverages and I'm happy to spend a day hiking.  I am inclined to think I would skip Oahu and head to one or two of the other islands instead just because I feel like Oahu could be a more crowded hassle which doesn't fill me with vacation vibes.  But that's based on zero experience having not been there so I'm open to hearing from other people why they might have loved it and my impression isn't entirely accurate.

And who knows, maybe I won't go at all.  I am right now filled with a desire to go everywhere that seems interesting and is not the inside of my house, so at some point I'm going to have to narrow that field down a bit.  

Things I don't love on vacation - spending too much time in a car getting to/from activities.  I'm happy to rent a car and get around a bit, we always do that when we go to small islands like St Martin - but I'm NOT happy to waste hours of the day sitting inside a car rather than just being somewhere.  Being crowded and standing in line are not favorites. 

Eating yummy food, taking a walk, seeing pretty things, smelling salt air and relaxing in a sea breeze, drinking delicious drinks, getting a little lovey with my sweetie, those are all on the fun list for vacation.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I have been to Oahu, Maui and Kauai.  We did all the tourist things in Qahu - Diamond Head, the North Shore, Pearl Harbor and the Arizona, etc.  While I appreciated the tourist things we did there, it was a city.  Getting out of Honolulu was different and much more enjoyable.  We were on Oahu for about 10 days (the research meeting was here, and we went early to play).  

Next stop was Maui.  We did a luau here, and a submarine ride and did the rest of the things that one does on Maui (road to Hana, etc).  I think we even hit a place that made pineapple wine!  It was ok, but I really didn't see what everyone likes about Maui.  I thought it was incredibly commercialized, not my favorite.  We were here 4 days.

I think Kauai was my favorite.  It (at the time) was far more rustic than the other 2 islands we hit.  If I was going to go back, I'd go back here.  We had a condo on the beach (with a washer and dryer, thankfully) and there were a lot of good restaurants we hit while here.  We spent another 4 days here too.

The shocking thing here was the cost of food.  Since we had condos on the 2 islands (we stayed at the convention hotel in Honolulu), we ate breakfast and lunch in and only ate dinner out.  Groceries were expensive.  Food was even more expensive.   Oh, and every car rental we had had cockroaches in it.  YUCK!

[cyanne]

If you like active outdoorsy things Oahu is probably not your first pick. You can do those there but it is a more crowded island and there are traffic jams. I have snorkeled from Kauai and Hawaii. Both were good but very different. On Kauai we went on a large catamaran with a group. We did a deep water wall snorkel off of the Forbidden Island (Niihau). I was able to see a black tipped reef shark. Loved it. Waimea canyon has excellent hiking and the Napali coast is awesome.  We also spent time at the various beaches and saw a rare monk seal sunning itself on Poipu beach.



In Hawaii we chartered a deep sea fishing boat. We didn’t catch anything but we did snorkel off of it and saw colorful fish. A moray eel swam under me. We did go to Volcanoes National park but there wasn’t an active eruption at the time. If you choose to go the the Big Island, go to South Point. It’s the southern most point in the US. You can dive in off of a cliff. It’s not near anything. The only radio station that came in was Hawaiian music. There was a run down house with multiple junker cars outside of it that had a “Free Hawaii” sign in the yard. Definitely a unique place.

[jerseygirl]

Oahu for historical sites, Kauai or Molokai for more natural beauty
Maui is more ‘suburban’
But all have beautiful mountains and beaches

[Deleted]

Two memorable outdoor expeditions:

Swimming with great sea turtles. VERY regulated. If you go too close to one you will be escorted put and the tour operator can lose their permit. I don't remember the distance but it was still amazing even when you were careful not to interfere with them.

And swimming/snorkeling with the giant manta rays. We did that at night- they load the water with plankton and then turn on lights to attract the manta rays. I have to admit it was uncomfortable- I was hanging onto a board with 6 other people and a guide and my legs kept dropping down into the water (they gave me a "noodle" to put under my knees and told me I didn't have enough padding!) and the guy next to me had a GoPro and kept twisting and turning to get videos, making it hard for me to hold on. A couple of times I started to drift away and got panicky and then reminded myself that I was capable of swimming a half-mile in calm waters and I was NOT going to drown. They were huge and it was spectacular. I'd do it all over again despite the pesty neighbor (actually a fellow passenger on my cruise and a nice guy).

There were also scuba divers down by the bottom, closer to the manta rays, but I'm not a scuba diver.

[CCL]

We went to Oahu with the kids a couple years ago, 6 of us. I chose to only go to one island since I didn't want to waste time travelling between islands.

Loved Diamond Head, and the zoo. North Shore had some great food trucks. Loved the luau at the aquarium. Toured the Dole plantation.

Kualoa Ranch was great! It was like being in another world. The kids loved the 4-wheelers. We also did a boat and a movie set tour there.

Kids found a few hole-in-the wall food places, so We tried those, too, and they were pretty good.

Our favorite excursion was the helicopter tour of the island.

My food budget was $400 per day, with free breakfast at the hotel. Some days we spent more. Some days less.

I was surprised by how raggedy the Honolulu airport was. Parts of the place were falling apart.

[CCL]

Jun 7, 2021 14:32:54 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I have been to Oahu, Maui and Kauai.  We did all the tourist things in Qahu - Diamond Head, the North Shore, Pearl Harbor and the Arizona, etc.  While I appreciated the tourist things we did there, it was a city.  Getting out of Honolulu was different and much more enjoyable.  We were on Oahu for about 10 days (the research meeting was here, and we went early to play).  

Next stop was Maui.  We did a luau here, and a submarine ride and did the rest of the things that one does on Maui (road to Hana, etc).  I think we even hit a place that made pineapple wine!  It was ok, but I really didn't see what everyone likes about Maui.  I thought it was incredibly commercialized, not my favorite.  We were here 4 days.

I think Kauai was my favorite.  It (at the time) was far more rustic than the other 2 islands we hit.  If I was going to go back, I'd go back here.  We had a condo on the beach (with a washer and dryer, thankfully) and there were a lot of good restaurants we hit while here.  We spent another 4 days here too.

The shocking thing here was the cost of food.  Since we had condos on the 2 islands (we stayed at the convention hotel in Honolulu), we ate breakfast and lunch in and only ate dinner out.  Groceries were expensive.  Food was even more expensive.   Oh, and every car rental we had had cockroaches in it.  YUCK!

Yikes! I don't think I could have tolerated that. We didn't encounter any bugs at all, thank goodness.

[Opti]

Jun 7, 2021 13:36:26 GMT -5 imawino said:

Jun 7, 2021 12:52:14 GMT -5 cyanne said:

What type of things are you interested in? I have been to Oahu, Kauai and the island of Hawaii. They are all very different. I will be going to Maui this December. Oahu is the most urban of the islands. You can see Pearl Harbor and the North Shore where they hold the surfing competitions (in winter). If you like a more rural and natural vibe, I recommend Kauai. They have a law that says no building higher than the palm trees. The Waimea Canyon is there and there are so many beautiful waterfalls. It also has long beautiful beaches. If you want to see volcanos you will need to go the Big Island (Hawaii).

You can do a luau on any of the islands.

All the things.  LOL That's kind of why I just asked for what people liked and found special about each island. I've zip lined, jet skied, been scuba diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking.  I'm happy to spend an entire day lying on a beach reading a book with cold adult beverages and I'm happy to spend a day hiking.  I am inclined to think I would skip Oahu and head to one or two of the other islands instead just because I feel like Oahu could be a more crowded hassle which doesn't fill me with vacation vibes.  But that's based on zero experience having not been there so I'm open to hearing from other people why they might have loved it and my impression isn't entirely accurate.

And who knows, maybe I won't go at all.  I am right now filled with a desire to go everywhere that seems interesting and is not the inside of my house, so at some point I'm going to have to narrow that field down a bit.  

Things I don't love on vacation - spending too much time in a car getting to/from activities.  I'm happy to rent a car and get around a bit, we always do that when we go to small islands like St Martin - but I'm NOT happy to waste hours of the day sitting inside a car rather than just being somewhere.  Being crowded and standing in line are not favorites. 

Eating yummy food, taking a walk, seeing pretty things, smelling salt air and relaxing in a sea breeze, drinking delicious drinks, getting a little lovey with my sweetie, those are all on the fun list for vacation.

Not Hawaii at all, but the bolded is something you could do in Cape May, NJ. One of my favorite places to stay slightly off season. Good restaurants. Lots of Victorian homes, and there are nature hikes and similar nearby if you get tired of the beach, boardwalk, and town.

[stillmovingforward]

Hated it. Racist, expensive, class-ist, and excessive disparity between the have and have nots. I like kauai for the hiking and locals. Didn't like anywhere else really.
I had a much better time in Puerto Rico. And spent half as much money.

[minnesotapaintlady]

I have family on Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai, so have been to those three several times.  Oahu is a city on the ocean, but it's where a lot of the touristy things are.  It's an island that I wouldn't visit again if I didn't have family there, just too crowded and the highways are like someone took a bunch of spaghetti and threw it at the island and called it good.  The Big Island and Kauai are a lot more laid back than Oahu. They're a lounge around and enjoy the beach kind of islands (Kona side of Big Island) or doing hikes and other outdoorsy stuff.

I've been told by many that Maui is pretty much the middle ground between crazy Oahu and quiet Kauai. 

[jerseygirl]

Jun 7, 2021 20:28:02 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

Hated it. Racist, expensive, class-ist, and excessive disparity between the have and have nots. I like kauai for the hiking and locals. Didn't like anywhere else really.
I had a much better time in Puerto Rico. And spent half as much money.

When we go, we attend a very small and poor church with mostly native Hawaiians snd a Hawaiian priest. We been financially supporting this lovely church and congregation for years.

[moneynerd]

My mom & I went to Hawaii in 2017 and visited Kauai, Maui, & the Big Island.

Here's a list of what we did on each island.

Kauai
- Waimea Canyon State Park
- Luau
- Kauai Community Market. The fruits and flowers were awesome. I had the best pineapple of my life- a sugarloaf
- Kauai Coffee Company: We got to see coffee plants in bloom which only happens 1-2 days a year. They have a wonderful floral aroma as coffee is related to gardenia. I detest the smell of coffee, but the smell of coffee plants in bloom is divine.
- We attended a church service that was given in Hawaiian.
- Lydgate Beach: great for swimming and snorkeling


Maui
- Catamaran snorkel tour: This was our one splurge of the trip, and totally worth it. We got to see sea turtles, which were as amazing as @athena53 says
- Haleakala National Park
- Alli Kula Lavender Farm
- Maui Wine

Big Island
- Volcanoes National Park: This was the reason we visited the Big Island. Kilauea was erupting at the time. It was amazing. (Note: this was before it began its path of destruction into neighboring areas).
- Volcano Winery
- Punalu'u Bakery- the southernmost bakery in the US
- Black sand beach
- Green sand beach
- Hilo Farmer's Market- huge and definitely worth a stop
- Mauna Loa Factory

As others have mentioned, which island(s) you'll want to visit will depend on what you like to do. Each was was so different, and we loved them all. We were gone two weeks, and the day before we came home, my mom looked at me and said "Do you think we can call our jobs and ask for another week off?"

If you plan to snorkel and wear glasses or contacts, buy a prescription mask before you go. I paid about $50 for mine off Amazon. Worth every penny. The best snorkeling we did was actually right off the shore of our hotel in Maui. We asked the front desk for ideas, and they pointed us to a great spot.

Food can be expensive. As with any touristy location, get away from the hotels & resorts. We asked for local recommendations, and we were able to find some delicious food at fairly reasonable prices.

Thanks for posting this question. I loved reliving this trip as I put together the list of the things we did.





 

[movingforward]

I loved the big island and Maui. Kona (on the big island) has the best snorkeling I have ever experienced. Volcanoes National Park was also great.

I loved hiking in Maui. I really feel like I could have spent a full week just in Maui. I absolutely loved it.

I was not impressed with Honolulu. Pearl Harbor was an experience but other than that, not much I cared for...

It rained the whole time was in Kauai so I can't tell you much about it...I would like to go back there and experience more than I did.

If I could only pick one or two islands it would be Maui and/or the big island.

[kadee79]

My son is retired Navy & spent many years stationed in Hawaii...near Pearl Harbor.  If you go to Oahu, be sure to visit the USS Arizona memorial...it's a once in a life time event.
Also, there are several very fascinating museums in Honolulu, one is especially directed at kids but I really enjoyed that one too.  If you can...spend one day on one of the buses...just looking at the scenery.  We did that the first time we went back in 1977 and it was amazing.  Once you are out of Honolulu, things change.  There is also a "secret" beach there...I'll have to ask my son for the name, but an all day picnic & lots of activities on that beach.  If you want to do any shopping, there are some pretty unique shops in Honolulu if you get out of the tourist areas.  If you are going to be in Honolulu on a Sunday, make a reservation & have Sunday brunch at Duke's...food is fantastic.  If you can't do brunch, go at least for a lunch.  One burger can be split between 2 people easy & be SURE to get a piece of Hula pie...OMG, heaven!..and only one piece of that for 2 or 3 or 4 people.
I've only been to one other island, the big island, Hawaii.  The volcano park is a must and make sure to wear shoes that won't slip if you are going to do any walking there or get as close as they let you to a volcano.  There is also the observatory on the island...don't know the name of it, but if you decide to drive up there, WEAR WARM CLOTHES & A WINTER COAT IF YOU HAVE ONE!  Not sure if there is snow up there year round, but is sure is COLD & windy.  There is also a night time dive with the manta rays on the big island...if you don't get sea sick on the boat.  My son & my DH did that when we were there.  My DIL & both grandkids got sick...and so did a lot of other folks on the boat.

So if you decide to go, you should research each island to find what interests you the most.  Each one offers different things.  There is even a small botanical garden a short way from where my son & dil lived that was also interesting.  Ever seen a bougainvillea vine bigger around than most trees?...they have one in that garden that would take at least 3 adults with arms out to reach around...HUGE!

[Deleted]

It’s been a long time since I went, in 2004.

Honolulu was like just a city to me, except it’s on an island with beautiful scenery.

That’s where we’d planned (and paid) to stay the whole 7 days. We did some of the touristy stuff.

Standing on a cliff, I saw whales in the ocean for the only time in my life, and got sad because my children weren’t there to share that moment with me. We rode ATV’s where Jurassic Park was filmed and took pictures in Godzilla’s footprint. That was fun. 

We went to a luau, but it wasn’t the kind I had in mind lol. It was at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and there was a show with the belly dancers and the man eating fire. The show was nice, but not what I expected of a luau. I don’t even remember eating, but I do remember that alcoholic beverages were not allowed on the property.

Story time….

We missed our ride to the luau, so my cousin’s fiancé rented a van for us to get there. It was dusk when we were on our way. I had a big purse, so both my cousins left their purses in the van and put their important stuff in mine.

Later that night, when we got back to the hotel, my cousin was looking for something in her purse and thought she felt something move. She dumped her purse out on the bed and roaches scattered. Chaos ensued, and her fiancé finally thought to go look in the van. There were roaches everywhere. So many that he called the rental company and told them to come get it NOW. He refused to even get in it to return it. The rental car people didn’t act like the situation was unusual. They just agreed to come get it.

So yes, they do have roaches in the cars over there. I don’t know whyyyyy, but they do. I have a coworker that was stationed in Honolulu in the military and he and I have talked about it before.

Y’all know how I am about bugs, it would’ve been very bad if I’d seen that on the way to or fro.

So we decided to go to Maui the next day. I don’t know where we were on Maui, but I loved it. We were at a Sheraton on the beach with other nearby hotels. The part of the beach we were on was like a cove. You could snorkel right there and see pretty stuff, without going far into the water.

I thought I’d try it with my cousins, and that ended with me yelling  that I was gon tell my Momma on them because they were trying to kill me. Not my finest moment.

After that, I told them to take their time, I’d be sitting on the beach waiting for them. Then I got worried when one cousin swam out of my sight, around the tall black rocks at the end of the cove. I was so scared that Jaws was going to get her. Seriously. I know I’m ridiculous.

Wherever we were, it was so chill and relaxing that we stayed another night. You could walk down the beach and get to restaurants and shopping. Even upscale stores like Louis Vuitton. Keep in mind I’m lazy and my feet hurt, so walking distance for me is not far.

When we went back to Honolulu, we checked out of the hotel we’d stayed in before, even though we’d already paid for it for the entire trip. My cousin was worried about the roaches she’s unintentionally unleashed there.

We checked into a Sheraton on the beach. It was not nearly as nice as the Sheraton on Maui though, that one was like a resort.

Would I go back? Absolutely! It’s beautiful! But I would prefer to stay on another island instead of Oahu.

[Opti]

Jun 8, 2021 7:02:17 GMT -5 moneynerd said:

My mom & I went to Hawaii in 2017 and visited Kauai, Maui, & the Big Island.

Here's a list of what we did on each island.

Kauai
- Waimea Canyon State Park
- Luau
- Kauai Community Market. The fruits and flowers were awesome. I had the best pineapple of my life- a sugarloaf
- Kauai Coffee Company: We got to see coffee plants in bloom which only happens 1-2 days a year. They have a wonderful floral aroma as coffee is related to gardenia. I detest the smell of coffee, but the smell of coffee plants in bloom is divine.
- We attended a church service that was given in Hawaiian.
- Lydgate Beach: great for swimming and snorkeling


Maui
- Catamaran snorkel tour: This was our one splurge of the trip, and totally worth it. We got to see sea turtles, which were as amazing as @athena53 says
- Haleakala National Park
- Alli Kula Lavender Farm
- Maui Wine

Big Island
- Volcanoes National Park: This was the reason we visited the Big Island. Kilauea was erupting at the time. It was amazing. (Note: this was before it began its path of destruction into neighboring areas).
- Volcano Winery
- Punalu'u Bakery- the southernmost bakery in the US
- Black sand beach
- Green sand beach
- Hilo Farmer's Market- huge and definitely worth a stop
- Mauna Loa Factory

As others have mentioned, which island(s) you'll want to visit will depend on what you like to do. Each was was so different, and we loved them all. We were gone two weeks, and the day before we came home, my mom looked at me and said "Do you think we can call our jobs and ask for another week off?"

If you plan to snorkel and wear glasses or contacts, buy a prescription mask before you go. I paid about $50 for mine off Amazon. Worth every penny. The best snorkeling we did was actually right off the shore of our hotel in Maui. We asked the front desk for ideas, and they pointed us to a great spot.

Food can be expensive. As with any touristy location, get away from the hotels & resorts. We asked for local recommendations, and we were able to find some delicious food at fairly reasonable prices.

Thanks for posting this question. I loved reliving this trip as I put together the list of the things we did.





 

Reading your list, I'd probably pick the big Island if I was only allowed one choice. Sounds interesting. I think researching places before you travel is part of the fun of traveling.

[movingforward]

I really want to go back to Hawaii now...

[Regis]

We went last month - to Maui and then Oahu, both for five days.  Did pretty much everything posted above.  A couple of things I'd say are very important:

1.  Make dinner reservations at restaurants at least two to three months in advance.  I tried to make reservations in mid-March for a popular place on Maui (Momma's Fish House) and they were completely booked.  First available at that time was early June.
2.  If you don't have much luggage and no kids, rent a convertible.  And do it early, too.  When we were picking ours up, some people were walking up and trying to rent a car.  There were none available.
3.  If you plan on spending a day at the beach (we loved Waikiki), rent some chairs and an umbrella.  While it wasn't that hot, there were no clouds in the sky and you can get sunburnt pretty easily.  Being cooked like a lobster is not a great vacation in my opinion.

[billisonboard]

Jun 9, 2021 7:16:56 GMT -5 Regis said:

We went last month - to Maui and then Oahu, both for five days.  Did pretty much everything posted above.  A couple of things I'd say are very important:

1.  Make dinner reservations at restaurants at least two to three months in advance.  I tried to make reservations in mid-March for a popular place on Maui (Momma's Fish House) and they were completely booked.  First available at that time was early June.
2.  If you don't have much luggage and no kids, rent a convertible.  And do it early, too.  When we were picking ours up, some people were walking up and trying to rent a car.  There were none available.
3.  If you plan on spending a day at the beach (we loved Waikiki), rent some chairs and an umbrella.  While it wasn't that hot, there were no clouds in the sky and you can get sunburnt pretty easily.  Being cooked like a lobster is not a great vacation in my opinion.

I read there are covid travel restrictions. How difficult were those to get through?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I'm wondering about the car rental situation in Hawaii.  You might want to check this out first as I have heard that it's pretty ugly there.  From what I have seen in WA, it's not pretty and we are flexible.  Having a car rental in Hawaii makes it much easier to get around.

[kadee79]

Just a little side note....if anyone is light complected…be very careful about your sun exposure.  I got sun poisoning the first time I was there in 1977.  Not enough sun screen.

[haapai]

I haven't been to Hawaii in 25 years, but I will give you this -- everything is expensive.  Even cheap stuff like milk, gasoline, and pizza is expensive.  If you want to enjoy your stay, and not feel gouged at every turn, you might want to investigate this beforehand.   A whole lot of this stuff is expensive because it is flown/imported in, or because land is ungodly expensive in Hawaii, not just because you are a tourist. 

25 years ago, almost everything except a copy of USA Today, cost 50% to 100%  more than what I expected anyone to ask, and I was trying hard to avoid paying for convenience.  If your plan is to eat two meals a day on the cheap and splurge on the third, you really owe it to yourself to know how much those "cheap" meals will cost you and plan accordingly. 

[jerseygirl]

We stay in condo/timeshares with 2 bedrooms baths full kitchens living dining room washer/dryers.
Much more pleasant that a hotel room and actually cheaper since we eat breakfast in condo, grill a few dinners
We went to Hawaii annually for 14 years until the past 2 years . Hoping to go again in 2022