Marriott Hawaii-best first time destination

[droth]

Considering our first trip to HI in Jan 2027. Would welcome feedback on which island and then, which Marriott resort and any particulars you wish to share on why. Two adults, late 50’s, active and adventurous.
Thanks so much

 

[davidvel]

I would choose Maui Ocean Club for first visit. It is a combination of the laid back Hawaiian style or Kauai and the upbeat tempo of Oahu. Plenty of adventure, but able to relax and enjoy good restaurants.

 

[Dean]

Considering our first trip to HI in Jan 2027. Would welcome feedback on which island and then, which Marriott resort and any particulars you wish to share on why. Two adults, late 50’s, active and adventurous.
Thanks so much

For first time and only one island, always Oahu due to the historic options there.

 

[mjm1]

I agree with @Dean about a first trip to Oahu. There is so much history there. The Ko Olina resort is beautiful and offers studios, 1BR, 2BR and 3BR units. Either ocean view or garden view. You would definitely want a car there and parking is free unless you rent from Marriott. Ko Olina is on the west (Ewa) side of the island, so is away from everything. Traffic on the freeway during rush hour is very heavy, but you work around that. There is a Costco, Walmart and Safeway in Kapolei, which is only 10-15 minutes away.

There is also the newer resort in Waikiki, which is a completely different experience. For a first time visit, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you want to be in a city environment, with shopping and restaurants near by. I am not sure if parking is free or guests have to pay, but I suspect you have to pay for it. And you don’t need a car in Waikiki except for days you want to explore the island.

 

[wballoni]

We just experienced our first trip to HI in September and stayed at Ko Olina Beach Club. We really liked it, it's a great resort! I definitely agree that a car is needed (we had one). Pearl Harbor is nearby and well worth a visit. We also did a little driving around the island which was enjoyable. I recommend Ko Olina Beach Club for a first timer, although realize we are one-timers ourselves (so far!).

 

[normab]

I like Kauai for a first trip. It’s the smallest island with Marriotts. You can stay in Lihue at either of the MVC resorts and do 1/2 day trips north and south and see most everything in 3 days. The rest of the time relax with a Mai tai.

Whichever you choose, you will have a great trip and will want to go back to the other islands.

 

[Jim Mc]

My suggestion:

3 days on Oahu (Pearl Harbor and Polynesian Cultural Center - Ko Olina

7 days on Maui - Maui Beach Club (Road to Hana, water falls to hike to all over)

3 days Big Island - Volcanoes National Park Waikaloa (Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour over the Valley of the Kings

3 days Kauai (Grand Canyon of the Pacific)

 

[dioxide45]

Whatever you do, stay away from Kauai. Boring and dull...

 

[lynne]

My suggestion:

3 days on Oahu (Pearl Harbor and Polynesian Cultural Center - Ko Olina

7 days on Maui - Maui Beach Club (Road to Hana, water falls to hike to all over)

3 days Big Island - Volcanoes National Park Waikaloa (Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour over the Valley of the Kings

3 days Kauai (Grand Canyon of the Pacific)

Just remember that you lose a full day travelling between the islands.

 

[dioxide45]

We did Oahu and Maui for our very first trip back in 2000. You don't say where you are traveling from, but Hawaii is a long way from the east coast. I personally wouldn't do another trip that was less than 14 days. It's just too far. This year we did six weeks. It was rough though. Most people don't travel like we do. We hit up 12 resorts.

 

[echino]

Whatever you do, stay away from Kauai. Boring and dull...

I can't tell if it's sarcasm or serious. But for the OP who is "active and adventurous", Kauai is a great destination. I would say it's number one island in Hawaii for adventure. Marriott Waiohai is great, but it only has two-bedroom units, which may be too big just for two people.

 

[vacationtime1]

There are no wrong answers:

Kauai for physical beauty and hiking.
The Big island (Hawaii) for the volcano.
Oahu for the history (but I would avoid Waikiki as it is urban).
Maui for a mix of "all of the above".

Full disclosure: I have been to each island multiple times.

 

[ljmiii]

“Everyone finds their own Island” is a Hawaiian saying I love. Everyone's Hawaiian vacation desires and expectations are different and so 'one size fits all' advice doesn't really apply (as you can see from the responses). We've been to Hawaii a bazillion times (my wife went to UH Manoa and we still have friends and family there).

I will say that O'ahu is a great choice for 'first timers' to the islands...particularly now that MVC now has both a location in Waikiki and the more remote Ko Olina. Splitting your time in Hawaii between 3-4 nights in Waikiki and the rest at Ko Olina (or on another island) would make for a great vacation.

Honolulu is a multicultural urban paradise with a plethora of Hawaiiana and WWII history and some of the best food in the world. The rest of the island is home to beautiful mountains, beaches, and towns all more or less linked back to the mother city. From the Waikiki MVC it is easy to visit most of O'ahu's major attractions - Pearl Harbor, Iolani Palace, Diamond Head, the Bishop, Hanauma bay, Queen Emma Summer Palace, the Pali lookout, Punchbowl, etc., etc. Lots of stuff to see and do that is walkable and an even wider variety of delights a short trolley, bus, or taxi/Uber/Lyft ride away.

Kauai is the lush tropical paradise of most people's dreams of Hawaii and I can't recommend it highly enough. Lots of opportunities for walking/hiking and water activities off the North and South coasts and on Hawaii's only navigable river. Waiohai is our favorite MVC Hawaiian resort and sits on Poipu beach - one of the world's best beaches with a reef, snorkeling, swimming, wildlife, etc. Kauai Beach Club sits on a bay not the ocean and has calmer water and an enormous pool complex. Lagoons has beautiful 2BR and 3BR villas but no beach or onsite dining.

The Big Island is beautiful....but for better or worse the MVC is located in the planned resort community of Waikoloa. The beach the MVC resort sits on (A-bay) is fine but there is a wonderful beach about 15 minutes north (Hapuna) and the towns of Hawi, Waimea, and Kailua-Kona are close-ish and worth visiting for dining and shopping. Farther afield are the snow, volcanos, pasture, orchids, lava, coffee, waterfalls, snorkeling, and taro fields that make the Big Island unique. But all those are quite a drive - the Big Island is *Big*.

Maui Ocean Club has great pools and sits next to a beach which isn't great for swimming but has good snorkeling up by Black Rock. It is in Kaanapali which has unfortunately devolved into a dense suburban sprawl. But, once you get out of that area Maui has some of the most amazing scenery and outdoor activities in Hawaii - Hana is enchanting, Haleakala revelatory, and Molokini is our favorite snorkeling spot in Hawaii.

There are also five Sheraton and Westin Hawaiian resorts now available through Abound Points at which we have not yet stayed. The Sheraton Kauai Resort is reasonably nice and across the street from the beach, Princeville has lovely villas but no beach, and the three in Kaanapali are not appreciably different than MOC (unless you are staying in a studio in which case the Vistana properties are superior).

 

[Big Matt]

I agree that two weeks should be the minimum. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when we went about 15 years ago, and we went to Maui first and stayed in the condos on the Ritz Carlton property in Kanapali. We snorkeled on a real coral reef, went to see the inactive volcano, and drove around quite a bit. It was what I thought Hawaii would be like. The only real negative is that the beaches on that side of the island weren't great and it was very windy. We then went to Oahu and stayed at Ko Olina. Not what we expected. Oahu is busy, has interstate highways, and the beach would remind you of Fort Lauderdale or Miami. Ko Olina is on a man made lagoon on a string of other big properties including Disney. We did go to Pearl Harbor and that was life changing. Due to the amount of time it takes to get there from the east coast and the time zone difference, we will probably never go back. It just wasn't that good for us in comparison to Hilton Head and North Carolina beaches, but I'm sure others would have the complete opposite opinion.

My advice is to decide what you want to do (hike, snorkel, go to a luau, sit on the beach, or whatever). Pick the island(s) that suit what you want to do. I would also not be afraid to stay in non-timeshare properties.

 

[jmhpsu93]

We went for the first time earlier this year...5 days at Ko'Olina and 5 at Waiohai in Kauai. We flew in from the east coast connecting in LA both ways, so we just suffered the long travel days each way.

It was about perfect for us - we did about two days of exploring/tours at each location and got a decent amount of sites in. Honolulu reminded me of a slightly more exotic (and mountainous) and nicer Florida, Kauai was stunning, like nothing I'd ever seen. The Na'pali coast was incredible as was the Waimea Canyon. Both resorts were awesome.

We'll probably wait a few years to go back, it's just SO expensive and like 16+ hours of travel each way.