Post #744765 by EnchantedTikiGoth on Sat, Jun 13, 2015 8:35 AM

I could go on and on. The other islands are very nice as well, with much to see, and you can't do it in one trip. For your first trip to Hawaii, don't avoid Oahu. It's everything you've seen and heard, both good and bad. Just read guidebooks, make your own decisions, and really be careful with advice you get from friends. There's a fair amount of Oahu-bashing out there, don't let it cloud your own judgment, go where YOU want to go. You can't see it all on one trip, and you will likely make plans to come back multiple times to see new and different islands.

Hope you go soon, and enjoy your trip! I usually go in the fall, before the real rainy season picks up, because if I will be driving any dirt roads, they are most passable at the end of the dry season. I have a history of being very hard on rental cars in Hawaii, hahaha... Some of the very cool places may involve some dirt roads.

Thanks for the advice! Most recommendations we've been getting are for the Big Island because of its variety and relatively rural character, there seem to be some halfways decent travel deals for Kona for Novembers, and that's where the active volcanoes are. Plus we're definitely more the nature and cultural history traveler types than resort-goers. Because we're hoping to do the Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce Canyon/Petrified Forest/Route 66/Las Vegas loop in a couple years, we're trying to keep trips on the cheap for the next while (this year we're driving down to Yellowstone, via Great Falls and the Sip n' Dip). There are just so many places to go in the world!! >_<

Back on topic, The more I see of the Royal Hawaiian, the more I'm loving it! Photos even got an "awww!" out of my wife, who is very into the Twenties right now :) To be honest, being into an expression of pop culture that peaked in the Sixties is pretty current for us :) I see photos like these and think that this is when we should have gone...