Kauai vs. Big Island?

Hello Tiki Friends!
I'm asking the impossible: I need help deciding between Kauai & the Big Island & would love your input. We are planning on going in December.

Here's the background:

1. I have only been to Hawaii once in my whole 44 years and it was to Kauai in 2002. Stayed in Poipu in a condo for 6 days with a girlfriend. Hiked Waimea Canyon, hung out at Ke'e Beach, snorkeled, took a boat round to the the "lost coast" part of the island.
2. Husband has NEVER been to Hawaii at all.
3. Regardless of which island we go to, we would like rent a house as opposed to stay at a hotel.
4. We do not like resorts & neither of us surf.
5. We prefer activities like hiking to just laying on a lounge chair.
6. We love cocktails, music & good food.

Since I've been to Kauai, I know what to expect and think the husband would love it. That said, a friend who is Hawaiian told me I should really go to the Big Island since there is so much to do there. I have to admit that the lava beds are intriguing & seems like it has good hiking, but wonder which the two of us would enjoy more.

Open to anything, honestly, and know a lot of folks on this board have had fun on both islands. I don't think we can really do both islands in this trip (even though I'd like to) due to the cost of flights from Kauai to Big Island.

Thanks, everyone!

Aloha, and what a lovely dilemma to have! :^)

Kauai is probably my favorite island of the 4 I've been to so far for reasons I can't quite put my finger on (the quiet? the small scale?), but since you've been there already, my natural inclination is to say go to the Big Island. LOTS to do and see beyond the volcanoes - an incredible array of scenery from lava desert to rainforest (in some cases only a few miles from each other) to pasturelands to lush valleys. If you're a hiker you'll probably really enjoy it. The Kona side is sunnier, dryer, and has some wonderful cultural offerings, and the Hilo side is wetter, more lush and closer to the Waipio Valley area, which I haven't been to yet but is supposed to be beautiful.

Kona has Don the Beachcomber's for good cocktails overlooking amazing sunsets. You can take a stargazing tour to the top of Mauna Kea, or just drive yourself around Kilauea's crater at your own pace. You can take a lava boat out at sunset to see the lava spill into the ocean, or see the waterfalls around the Hamakua coast. Good snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay and Place of Refuge. Like I said, lots to do. Also it's a low-key sort of island, compared to say Maui or Oahu, so it's great for just hanging out and looking at the ocean with a cocktail in your hand.

Here's a link to our trip a few years back where we went to both Kauai and the Big Island. It's heavier on the tiki/cocktails aspect of the trip than scenery, but it'll give you a bit of an idea what's there - http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30561&forum=16&hilite=Hibiscus

Just my $.02. Either way, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Another vote for the Big Island...for many of the same reasons listed by Hibiscus

Thanks, Hibiscus & Rum Balls!

I was leaning a little toward Big Island since I'd like to explore another island besides Kauai. However, since Husband had been to neither, I wanted to make sure he would enjoy Big Island just as much! Hooray!

I highly recommend this book / iOS App:

Hawaii The Big Island Revealed
The Ultimate Guidebook
http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/books-apps/hawaii-the-big-island-revealed

Big Island.
Great varied scenery. Also take a drive over the Saddle Back road, it's amazing.

On 2012-09-21 04:28, Kon-Hemsby wrote:
Big Island.
Great varied scenery. Also take a drive over the Saddle Back road, it's amazing.

Are they letting rental cars go up Saddle Back road now? Didn't rental agencies used to frown on that because the road was so rough?

I haven't fully researched, but it sounds like at least some are allowing it now.

I'll second the suggestion to try the Hawaii Revealed books. You can pick them up for about $13 each on Amazon - I say pick up the books for each island and see which has more things that grab you. I'm a really big fan of both islands, but they do each have a different feel. As others have said, the Big Island may have more activities, etc.

I'd think the hard part about doing both islands in one trip would mainly be time limits; the cost of interisland flights shouldn't be too bad?

On 2012-09-21 08:35, Hibiscus wrote:

On 2012-09-21 04:28, Kon-Hemsby wrote:
Big Island.
Great varied scenery. Also take a drive over the Saddle Back road, it's amazing.

Are they letting rental cars go up Saddle Back road now? Didn't rental agencies used to frown on that because the road was so rough?

I wasn't advised that I couldn't, so I did.

The Big Island does not offer sandy beaches, except for the "A" Bay, near the Hilton.
Also, one will need to do a lot of driving , if one wants to go see the Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Place of Refuge, etc.

To see 2 islands, fly into HNL, stay in busy Waikiki for a night or two, enjoy the magnificent beaches, Tiki's or La Mariana and then head to your ultimate destination for R&R.

"Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" is indispensable. I don't recommend staying in one central location like Kona, though. That island is too big to do all of that driving and your experience will be somewhat rushed. If you have, say a week, then try to spend a few days in each major section. In my case, I stayed in Kona for 3 days, Volcano for 2 days, Kohala for 2 days.

The Big Island does not offer sandy beaches, except for the "A" Bay, near the Hilton.

Ummmmm, I beg to differ...lot of great beaches on the Kona side, and I've been to many of them, like Hapuna, Black Sand Beach and Kaunaoa (as well as "A" Bay):

http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/guidebook/topics/beaches

Yes, there are very many sandy beaches. A lot of them are more difficult to find. They don't have road signs that say "sand beach." Ask the locals. They will tell you where they are. I loved the one that is about half hour north of Kona, it is just a road with parking at the end. There is a cemetary sign pointing in the opposite direction. Up north from there is a huge beach by some resort I can't recall. It is where the Iron Man starts and it is a huge sand beach.

South of Kona there is the black sand beach which is really nice with many sea turtles and if you go further south there is a green sand beach that is tough to get to but amazing.

So there are lots of nice beaches on the big island, you just have to look or ask where they are.

True enough. However, the issues with the location of the sandy beaches illustrate that one has to be careful when selecting where to stay if one wants to be able to walk out from one's rental onto a sandy beach. This is true for both Kauai and the Big Island, although much moreso on the Big Island.

To find that rental, you may wish to search Tripadvisor/Vacation rentals or Sellmytimeshare/rentals.

On 2012-10-01 14:19, lunavideogames wrote:
Yes, ther
Up north from there is a huge beach by some resort I can't recall. It is where the Iron Man starts and it is a huge sand beach.

South of Kona there is the black sand beach which is really nice with many sea turtles and if you go further south there is a green sand beach that is tough to get to but amazing.

So there are lots of nice beaches on the big island, you just have to look or ask where they are.

Waikiloa, I believe is where the "A" bay and the iron man is located. Near the Hiton and Maua Lea resorts.
The black sand beach is breathtaking, but is about a 2-hour drive south from Kona.

Yes, it is difficult to find a nice beach in Kona. There are a few, but the timeshare descriptions do not help. Our first timeshare was supposed to be within walking distance to the beach. Turns out it was over a mile which we walked only once in our 10 day stay. Our second trip we decided to pay a little extra to be in the heart of Kona. So you might want to check out a satellite view to see exactly where you will be.

I feel that a car is a must on the big island, and every other Hawaiian island I have been to. You will definitely want to go out and explore and get to the cool beaches and volcano.

I didn't get any pictures of the green sand beach. Next time.

Saddle Road has been greatly improved in the past few years by the military - no problems taking rental cars over it now. I'd totally suggest the Big Island for all the reasons others have mentioned. I love going there!

Henrik "VanTiki"

On 2012-09-18 23:11, spycygrl wrote:
Hello Tiki Friends!
I'm asking the impossible: I need help deciding between Kauai & the Big Island & would love your input. We are planning on going in December.

Here's the background:
2) Husband has NEVER been to Hawaii at all.

If your husband has never been to Hawaii, I would not subject him to the lunar landscape of the Big Island, where stepping onto the tarmac is arriving on a sea of grey lava land. In contrast, in the glorious green landscape of Kaua'i, the moment one gets off the airport, one is greeted by green mountains and coconut trees, and feels the moisture in the air. This is how one envisions Hawaii.

So, we've booked our flights to the Big Island in early December. Husband actually likes the idea that there is something like 13 of the world's 15 climates there & he's super excited about the volcano. Also, we are using mileage awards & we could get better flights to Kona over Kauai, it turns out.

So...We will be spending 8 days on the Big Island in December. I actually have an old friend living over there now (currently, in Volcano, but probably will be in Hilo by Dec). Our plan is to spend only a few nites in Kailua-Kona (probablu just first/last). We will be renting a car & driving around most of the island. Heading over to Lava Beds B&B & trekking around the volcano & the tide pools in Puna, spending a day or two with my friend in Hilo & a few days around the Waipio rim (rental house). There is supposed to be an awesome meteor shower while we are there, so hopefully, we will have clear skies to enjoy it.

We're really just excited about doing some hiking, seeing some waterfalls, snorkeling (possibly) & relaxing with a good book.

We seriously cannot wait.
Thank you for all the input. It really helped!

[ Edited by: spycygrl 2012-10-06 01:16 ]

Pele would be pleased.
Dinner at sunset all over the coast. I recommend the "Canoe House" at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel or, for Tiki and sunset, Don the Beachcomber at Royal Kona Hotel.

snorkeling is a must. And you can pretty much do it everywhere and anywhere you want. My wife and I just brought our own masks to the beaches we visited. That is really all you need and you will be amazed at what you will see. Hilo is fun and the farmers market is great. There is a place I beleive called Dolly's that we got a HUGE puffer fish light for only $75.

There is a beach in Hilo where the rain water meets the sea water. You can go hang out with the sea turtles there. They will come right up to you. It's pretty cool. It will be helpful to have your friend show you the cool stuff to do. We had friends there and I wish we had more time around Hilo. WE had been there before but it didn't seem like there was much to it, but if you have a local pointing out places to you, you will find lots of cool stuff!

Enjoy your adventure!

We leave tomorrow morning for our Hawaiian adventure! The (slightly) bad news is that weather forecast = rain, rain & more rain. We may only get a few full days of sun. We can have fun anywhere, though, so not too concerned.

We are spending our final night on the island at the Royal Kona for a little tiki time.
Will be sure to post photos.

If you're eligible this is a great place to stay on the lee side of Kauai.
http://www.cnic.navy.mil/PMRF/FleetAndFamilyReadiness/HousingAndLodging/RecreationalLodging/index.htm