# Hawaii in March or May 2014?



## bayougrannie (May 7, 2013)

A newbie here enjoying the advice from others. We are wanting to exchange with our Wyndham timeshare into Hawaii for at least 18 days. Which month would you suggest? 
Which beach?


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## slip (May 7, 2013)

What island did you plan to go to?


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## MichaelColey (May 7, 2013)

March would include the tail end of Whale Watching Season, but would also include Spring Break, so it might be a bit busier.

I would think that May would be pretty quiet, since most schools would still be in session.


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## buzglyd (May 7, 2013)

I would say May is one of my favorite times to go to Hawaii.

We are in May Gray in CA and the islands are quiet during that time.


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## bayougrannie (May 7, 2013)

We thought about staying on a few. We will fly into Honolulu. Then Kauai and Maui. Does not know what order or if other Islands would be nicer for a beach vacation.
Thanks for your reply.


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## buzglyd (May 7, 2013)

bayougrannie said:


> We thought about staying on a few. We will fly into Honolulu. Then Kauai and Maui. Does not know what order or if other Islands would be nicer for a beach vacation.
> Thanks for your reply.



They are all great for a beach vacation. They are surrounded by water.


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## slip (May 7, 2013)

They do all have great beaches so you can go wring there. I have to agree with 
The others and pick May.


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## BJRSanDiego (May 7, 2013)

*It depends...*



bayougrannie said:


> A newbie here enjoying the advice from others. We are wanting to exchange with our Wyndham timeshare into Hawaii for at least 18 days. Which month would you suggest?
> Which beach?



Both months are pretty good.  It's hard to be a bad month in Hawaii

If the timeshare you're trading in to does not have A/C, March is typically a little cooler.  But the ocean is also cooler for swimming in March and some pools are "naturally heated by the sun" (translates into they may be cold). 

Check the demand of March and May.  I think that March is higher demand.  That may mean either more points or a less-certain chance of getting your trade.  

If you can (like in II), put in for either March or May and see which one gets you an exchange match.


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## rifleman69 (May 7, 2013)

May is better than March, but go before Memorial Day in May.   March is a bust with spring breaks.


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## Icc5 (May 7, 2013)

*May*

We've gone a half a dozen times or so in May and have been very happy.  We usually have gone the middle two weeks.
We have also hone in March a few times and got caught in just a small amout of rain.
Bart


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## LisaRex (May 7, 2013)

Everything is cheaper in May, from car rentals to airfare.  The downside is that it'll probably be nice where you're coming from, too.


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## DaveNV (May 7, 2013)

May is my favorite Spring month in Hawaii. The week before memorial Day is just about perfect.

Dave


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## lprstn (May 8, 2013)

I was able to trade my Wyndham for 3 consecutive weeks over the July 4th holiday   That effort took a lot of daily watching on the RCI trading site as well as calling. I got it 6 months before the trip.

However, I'd prefer to go in the Spring if I wasn't tied to kid's school schedule. The only times I can go is Summer and over Christmas break which allows me to stay 3 weeks (making the high airfare somewhat worth it).

But, if time wasn't an issue, I'd go the month of May or October


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## BevL (May 8, 2013)

I think a lot depends on where you come from.  I can't imagine going to Hawaii after mid March - the weather at home starts to gets darn nice here, the flowers are blooming, it's spring.  Get me out of here when it's raining every day is my mantra.

But there will be a lot less people in early May, I'd surmise.


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## artringwald (May 8, 2013)

If you lived in Minnesota, I'd say March. Since you live in Louisiana, which is the best month to escape from? Any month in Hawaii is good, but March is going to be more crowded than May.


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## LisaRex (May 8, 2013)

And, as others have said, the whales will be there in March.  They are pretty magnificent.  I think Maui is the best island to see the whales.


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## siesta (May 8, 2013)

We like "off season" in hawaii.  Cheaper flights, and less busy.  In fact, our absolute favorite time to visit is September and October, weather is (still) perfect.


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## bayougrannie (May 8, 2013)

Thanks for the info on Hawaii. We have an aniversary in March and birthday in May. That would be a celebration going to Hawaii. Where are the best beaches to swim and snorkle?
What are the best Wydham condos? 
Thanks


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## riverdees05 (May 8, 2013)

We are going to Maui the first full week in April, 2014 via an exchange with SFX.  We will be flying from Detroit and Nashville.  When are the airline ticket prices the best?


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## danb (May 8, 2013)

*May in Hawaii*

Absolutely beautiful here in Ewa Beach yesterday and this morning is beautiful. About 68 and sunny.


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## siesta (May 8, 2013)

riverdees05 said:


> We are going to Maui the first full week in April, 2014 via an exchange with SFX.  We will be flying from Detroit and Nashville.  When are the airline ticket prices the best?


 i use yapta, it tracks flight prices, and notifies me when it hits the threshold i select.


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## tfalk (May 10, 2013)

We went to Hawaii in March a couple of years ago for 18 days.  It rained the first 14 days...  straight...

If your choice is March or May, take May...


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## sun starved Gayle (May 10, 2013)

BevL said:


> I think a lot depends on where you come from.  I can't imagine going to Hawaii after mid March - the weather at home starts to gets darn nice here, the flowers are blooming, it's spring.  Get me out of here when it's raining every day is my mantra.
> 
> But there will be a lot less people in early May, I'd surmise.




Ditto what Bev said!


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## rifleman69 (May 10, 2013)

tfalk said:


> We went to Hawaii in March a couple of years ago for 18 days.  It rained the first 14 days...  straight...
> 
> If your choice is March or May, take May...



I'm in the May camp as well, but you're telling me that it was raining pretty much non-stop for 14 days all around the island?


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## MichaelColey (May 10, 2013)

tfalk said:


> We went to Hawaii in March a couple of years ago for 18 days.  It rained the first 14 days...  straight...


I've seen plenty of rainy days in Hawaii, but usually it's only in certain areas of the island or certain times of the day (like afternoons).  I can only think of one day I've been in Hawaii when it rained all day where I was.


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## gemsfw (May 12, 2013)

*I would vote for May*

I live in Princeville, Kauai and the rain in March can be 24/7 for days on end on any part of the island. Don't believe the it doesn't rain in Poipu south shore stuff. We have relatives visit us in March a lot and the weather is typically about 50% chance of some rain. My sister had about 90% sunshine everyday. My brother had 99% rain everyday. It rained for 10 days 24/7 with it clearing up for about 1 hour. The Prince golf course behind my house looked like a river and the bunkers looked like lakes. Of course, Kauai in the rain is still way better than most of the mainland in March. I personally like May because the ocean is calmer and warmer with less rain. We like to go to Cancun or Arizona in March to get away from the rain.

The best time to visit Hawaii is definitely September, October, or the 1st half of November if it works for your schedule. The airfares are the cheapest, rental cars are discounted, and timeshares are easy to get into. Also, statistically you have by far the least amount of rain with slightly cooler temperatures.


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## siesta (May 12, 2013)

gemsfw said:


> The best time to visit Hawaii is definitely September, October, or the 1st half of November if it works for your schedule. The airfares are the cheapest, rental cars are discounted, and timeshares are easy to get into. Also, statistically you have by far the least amount of rain with slightly cooler temperatures.


 nice to see a local shares my sentiments.


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## tfalk (May 13, 2013)

rifleman69 said:


> I'm in the May camp as well, but you're telling me that it was raining pretty much non-stop for 14 days all around the island?



We were on Maui for 7 days, rained 7 days straight.  Went to Kauai for the next 7 days and I think the storm followed us because it rained for 7 days straight no matter where we went on the island, really weird... we went to Oahu for the last 4 days and it rained intermittently.  Craziest 18 days of wet weather I've ever seen....

My parents went for 3 months the following year and had 2-3 days of rain in Princeville in the entire 3 months.

You never know what mother nature will send you...


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## jlr10 (May 18, 2013)

You can't control the weather.  September is supposed to have great weather.  So much that Hurricane Inki visited it on September 11th.  We have been there in November when it was bone dry and in the summer where it poured for days.  We like May and just returned from there. Weather was great in the south at Poipu and rainy for 2 days and cloudy for most of the rest in Princeville.  But we were still in Hawaii so I was happy. -My favorite time is September but it interferes with college football. 

There is a Wyndam in Poipu on Kauai that looks nice from the street and is still fairly new. It is not on the beach but set up on a rise about a block from the water.  It looked like it probably had some nice views from there.


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## ciscogizmo1 (May 20, 2013)

This conversation reminds me of people who say it only rains for about 15 minutes a day in Orlando in the summer.  So, just stay in the park while everyone exits and you'll have the park to yourself.  I've been many times over the summer and it never rains for just 15 minutes in the afternoon.  It rains for 4 hours or more straight.  

We went to Kauai in April one year and it rained pretty much everyday of our trip for several hours.  It was an annoying type misty rain and then, we'd have burst of pouring down rain.  We definitely worked around it but I much perfer summer months and Sept/Oct.  We've also been Thanksgiving week and it rained a lot.  In fact we tried to go see Waimea Canyon and it was fogged over.  Just go with an open mind and you'll have a great time.

Last summer we were in Oahu/Maui for 10 days and it was chilly.  This was July.  It was nice weather but not the usual tropical hot type weather.  There was actually a wind chill to it.  Anyways, we did find out later in the trip that there was hurricane further south that was pushing the cold air towards Hawaii.


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## DavidnRobin (May 20, 2013)

My vote (are we voting?):
If choosing between March and May - I would probably choose March - just for the whales.

overall -
1) North Kauai in Summer months, and South Kauai in Winter months (people have stoves for heat in North Kauai for a reason)
2) Maui in Summer months unless whale watching is a must (and deal with chance of poorer weather)
Summer = hotter months
Winter = colder months

Certainly Mother Nature can throw out anything, but I prefer to play the odds (and facts) based on past weather information.

We tend to go to both Maui and Kauai during the 1st two weeks of Sept (when we can) - less crowded and better chance of hot, calm, and dry weather.  Although, whale watching can be fun - weather and water temps are colder, and ocean more tempermental during whale season (Winter).


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## MichaelColey (May 21, 2013)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> This conversation reminds me of people who say it only rains for about 15 minutes a day in Orlando in the summer.  So, just stay in the park while everyone exits and you'll have the park to yourself.  I've been many times over the summer and it never rains for just 15 minutes in the afternoon.  It rains for 4 hours or more straight.


Never and always is almost never right.

When I've been in Hawaii (and Orlando and Jamaica and other places that get a lot of rain), I've seen days where you get a short (15 minute) rain in the afternoon and I've seen other days where it rains all day.


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## cgeidl (May 21, 2013)

*Try April*

We are going the month of April and it is busy .We like the busy times as busy times mean a lot going on.We have gone to Oahu and usually another island
about 25 times and lived on Oahu for 18 months once.We like all the island but Oahu has the most to do.believe it or not there are traffic jams as bad as Oahu on the big island and Kauai if you go the wrong time of day. We have never had a rainy Hawaii visit although it rained when we lived there once for a week or so.There are many days we have seen it rain ten times or more and the sun out that many times also. Usually you dry out fast.


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## gjw007 (May 25, 2013)

Slow Internet, double posted


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## gjw007 (May 25, 2013)

I have never been to Hawaii but I have reservations for two weeks in mid-march of 2014 in maui and yes, since I don't know if I will be going again, whale watching is on the list of things I wanted to see.  The weather information as well as spring break information is informative, not enogh to scare me away, but definitely not the things you see in guide books


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## VacationForever (May 25, 2013)

gjw007 said:


> I have never been to Hawaii but I have reservations for two weeks in mid-may of 2014 in maui and yes, since I don't know if I will be going again, whale watching is on the list of things I wanted to see.


No whales in May...


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## BJRSanDiego (May 25, 2013)

*parasailing instead*



sptung said:


> No whales in May...



They don't allow parasailing during the whale season.  So, if there aren't whales, perhaps you could go parasailing.  I'm not a thrill seeker, I usually get queasy with heights and am very cautious - - but both times in the past were exhilarating.  Last time was with a 1000 foot "leash" with me up about 600-700 feet in the air.


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## Mauiwmn (May 26, 2013)

*Rain*

We've visited Maui many times during different months of the year (Nov, Dec, Feb, March, April, July, August) and have never had a day completely rained out, thank goodness.  We have experienced our best weather in November actually- least rain and best sunshine. So go figure.  We've even seen whales in November which isn't as common.  

We've visited Kauai in Nov, Dec, Feb, March and stayed in both Princeville and Poipu each visit.  Never had a total rainout day here either.  Certainly cooler and more spotty rains in Princeville versus Poipu but nothing that ruined our day.  The beauty of Princeville far outweighs a little rain.

Hawaii's weather can be very fickle and unpredictable.

I would go in March to see the whales if you can.  

Best of luck for a great trip and good weather!


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## gjw007 (May 26, 2013)

sptung said:


> No whales in May...


Oops!  Typo error on my part, it should be mid-march not mid-may as my reservations starts march 14.  I get a lot of typo errors when I use my ipad for some reason


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## Mauiwmn (May 26, 2013)

gjw007 said:


> I have never been to Hawaii but I have reservations for two weeks in mid-march of 2014 in maui and yes, since I don't know if I will be going again, whale watching is on the list of things I wanted to see.  The weather information as well as spring break information is informative, not enogh to scare me away, but definitely not the things you see in guide books



Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to see whales.  We were in Maui the end of March and saw whales several times a day, everyday.  We have seen more whales in the Kaanapali area vs Wailea area.  

2 weeks is the perfect amount of time for a first trip.
Enjoy your trip!


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## daventrina (May 26, 2013)

jlr10 said:


> September is supposed to have great weather.  So much that Hurricane Inki visited it on September 11th.


September is peak hurricane/tropical storm season. We've been there twice in September and don't plan on doing it again. For whales we try March. Otherwise its June, July, early August, or mid October for us. If you are not Diving, yo don't have to be so picky. Out over all favorite is October mainly because of the airfare. The diving isn't too bad even though the north can get a bit rough. disregard airfare and crowds ... June-July.

On one of our September dives the viz at Black Rock was 5-15 feet

Our first trip was mid December. Rained for 2-1/2 days straight. Floods... We felt bad until we ran into a couple there for their honeymoon. They said it rained 6 of the 7 days they were there.



gjw007 said:


> Originally Posted by sptung
> No whales in May... Typo, it should be mid-march as it starts march 14.


Someone forgot to tell the whales, because we saw them every day on Kauai when we were then in mid-march


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