Best Hawaiian Island??

[Pamela Kay RN]

I am thinking of buying a timeshare in Hawaii but have never been to any of this islands. We are a middle aged couple that just like to hang out at the beach and have a few drinks. Not really into the party scene or water sports. Which island is the best for just utilizing a beach and chilling?

Thanks for any information!
Pamela

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

In general, the older (geologically) the island, the more beaches it will have. Thus, Kauai has the most beach area of any of the principal islands. It's also less populated than Oahu, Maui, or the Big Island, so it's easy to find uncrowded beaches. Kauai also doesn't have the night life scenes of the other islands. So my suggestion would be Kauai.

But if you want to take chilling to an extreme, Molokai is a possibility. There is almost nothing to do on Molokai except hang out on a beach, and the population is small. The times that we have been on west Molokai beaches, we have been the only people present - on a beach that stretches for miles.

*******

With that said, I would suggest that you rent for your first stays and check out various areas or resorts. Then you can decide if you want to purchase or just continue renting. Personally, if we were starting on our vacationing journey now instead of 18 years ago, I wouldn't buy a single timeshare. The internet has made the rental market much more attractive and affordable.

 

[controller1]

I would not make a decision on where to purchase a timeshare based simply on recommendations. Rent for the next few trips to Hawaii. My recommendations (in order) would be 1) Maui and 2) Kauai. And it may take multiple trips to the same island as different sides of the island will be different. After you've experienced a couple of islands you will be better equipped to make a decision that will suit your lifestyle.

 

[DeniseM]

I would not buy a timeshare in Hawaii without visiting Hawaii first - suggest that you rent there first. You will get the best deal by renting from an owner.

T_R_Oglodyte is pulling your leg - don't buy on Molokai - it's actually too rustic for most people. Tourism is not welcome there, so many vacationers feel like there is a lack of tourism infrastructure and resources.

For beaches and chilling I like Kauai.

 

[slip]

Kauai is our favorite hands down. With that said, go to Maui.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Kauai is our favorite bands down. With that said, go to Maui.

Good advice. That will help keep Kauai less crowded.

 

[Luanne]

There is no "best" island.

 

[artringwald]

If you just want to hang out on a beach, Kāʻanapali on Maui has very nice beaches, and many stores and restaurants you can walk to. We love all 4 of the major islands, and usually go to more than one, but we always go to Kauai.

The best advice is try before you buy.

 

[Xan]

I say Kaua`i hands down! I put the Big Island next. If I was young again, I loved Oahu for the nightlife, but traffic on the island has become a nightmare over the past 30+ yrs since I started going to the islands, so if you want to just stay in Waikiki, you can walk all over, or take a cab.
I put Maui as my least favorite, in fact I cancelled last falls 2 week trip to Maui, since I’m never “happy” when I’m on that island, and usually end up not feeling well.
I made the decision that all trips to Hawaii will be at my home resort on Kaua`i. We can always fly to another island for a few days if we want to see something special.
I also feel that each area of the different islands have a unique vibe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ljmiii]

I also recommend visiting the islands first...you know better than anyone else what you really want. "Everyone finds their own island" is one of my favorite sayings about Hawaii and I encourage you to do so. That said...if you really just want to hang out at your resort by the beach...

1) Kohala Coast on the Big Island. Lots of beaches, nice resorts, (almost) no rain.
2) Ko Olina on Oahu. The 'quiet side' of Oahu has some nice beaches/resorts, it's EZ to get to Oahu, and plenty of day trips await
3) Poipu/Koloa on Kauai. Kauai is truly beautiful and relaxing...but there aren't as many 'hang out on the beach' resorts.

 

[geist1223]

For a person that has never been to Hawaii as many others have said you should visit each of the main Islands and actually different parts on each Island. But you should always start with Oah'u. On this Island you need to stay in the Waikiki area and Ko Olina area. On Kaua'i you need to stay in the Princeville area and then the Koloa/Poipu area. On Mau'i you need stay in the Kihei area and the Ka'anapali area. Now both of these are on the semi dry side. On Hawai'i while both are on the same side of the Island the areas are Kona and Waikoloa. But we also like the South Point area.

Mau'i is my favorite Island and after a 6 year absence we are going back this summer for 2 weeks. Kaua'i is Patti's favorite Island. We have made 3 trips there and 1 trip to Hawai'i over the past 6 years. When we go to Kauai we try to spend 1 week in Princeville and 1 week in the Koloa/Poipu area. Last year on Hawaii we spent 1 week in the Waikoloa area and 1 week in the South Point area.

So after 10 or so years you should be able to make up your mind. Maybe less if you do for 2 to 3 weeks in a row each year. Or just dive in and make the most of it.

 

[DeniseM]

This is true about Princeville - which is up on a cliff, but not true about other areas of the island:

Poipu/Koloa on Kauai. Kauai is truly beautiful and relaxing...but there aren't as many 'hang out on the beach' resorts.

 

[easyrider]

I am thinking of buying a timeshare in Hawaii but have never been to any of this islands. We are a middle aged couple that just like to hang out at the beach and have a few drinks. Not really into the party scene or water sports. Which island is the best for just utilizing a beach and chilling?

Thanks for any information!
Pamela

I like all of the Islands but only like resorts that are very close to the ocean. I like to be able to sit on my deck and be able to see the shoreline and hear the ocean. A partial ocean view just doesn't cut it for us. A block off the ocean doesn't really work either. We bought a Vacation Internationale contract resale with 190 points and 8 year right to use to be able to reserve rooms at the Sea Village in Kona, Valley Isle in West Maui ( one of my favorite locations ) and Pono Kai in Kapp'a. VI resorts are old but very close to the ocean. We used Worldmark to trade into the Sea Village in Kona and liked the location so much that we decided to buy the RTU contract to get a feel for the locations on the Islands.

VI has three locations in West Maui and the Valley Isle or Papakea are pretty nice. Valley Isle Resort has all view rooms where Papakea inventory for VI isn't direct ocean view. The VI resort in Lahaina really isn't anyplace I would consider ever going again. With VI the weekly cost is under $800 per week in a one bedroom.

Other resorts we like include Marriott KoOlina on Oahu , Turtle Bay on Oahu, The Whaler on Maui, Sugar Beach Resort on Maui and private VRBO units that are ocean front.

Maui is our favorite Island. West Maui is are favorite area.

Years ago, to get a feel for all of the main Hawaiian tourist locations we took a cruise on the Pride of America. This cruise was seven nights. Before and after the cruise we stayed in Waikiki and Turtle Bay.

Bill

 

[Czahara1]

I agree you should rent before deciding to buy. We use Patty Handlir at Hawaii Realty. 808-652-2020. We recently booked a Dec. timeshare week on Kauai at our preferred resort for less than the owners annual week maintenance fee. The Islands ocean currents vary seasonally, calm water in South in winter, North in summer. When decide when you would like to visit, a Hawaii realtor with rental inventory can help you find a good fit for your preferences.

 

[Laurie]

Well, Big Island is hands-down my favorite (have been 4x), but maybe not right at the very moment! Second favorite is Maui, third Kauai. Listen to all the advice above and visit first, each one is so different, and the beaches are really different. You might fall in love with the visuals of black sand as I did, or not; you might like people around you, or seclusion; you might like to see another island on the horizon, or it may not matter; you might find you enjoy snorkeling; etc.

 

[bagabonz]

Having been on all the islands multiple times the Big Island has become our go to. We like the diversity of all the areas and climate zones as well as the spread out areas where there is development. The current volcanic activity is in a 10 square mile area of a 4100 square mile island. Its easy to avoid and theres plenty of activities and places to go away from the flows. We like Waikoloa and can’t wait to go back.

 

[Lanswitch]

This is true about Princeville - which is up on a cliff, but not true about other areas of the island:

Just a 5 minute drive East of Princeville is an absolutely gorgeous beach, Anini Beach. It is wide and gently sloping into the water, has tons of shade trees just 75’ from the ocean and has a wonderful surprise for you. In patches of the beach, the sand is approximately 50% tiny seashells!
Everyone knows about Hanalei beach, but Anini Beach is a hidden treasure.