Aloha! Is a vacation to Hawaii in your future?! You are in for a treat! Hawaii has so so much to offer! A rich culture, stunning beaches, adventurous excursions, dynamic landscapes, delicious food… The list goes on! Hawaii was a dream destination for me for several years, and I am so thankful that I was blessed with the opportunity to make that dream vacation come true!
A trip to Hawaii takes a lot of planning though, but let all the planning feed into your excitement for the trip! Check out all my Hawaii blog posts to save yourself hours on research. Personally, when choosing to make my dream Hawaii vacation a reality, I knew I would want to visit more than one island. Each island in Hawaii offers a different pace, landscape, and vibe. I decided to visit Oahu, Kauai, and Maui on my 18-day trip, so keep reading for information on these 3 islands. Also, my specific itinerary will be laid out for your reference below.
Oahu
Oahu is an incredible choice when it comes to deciding on which island to visit for your Hawaii vacation. Honolulu and the Waikiki Beach area give city-vibes with taller buildings, but it doesn’t feel like a big chaotic city. The populated area has a faster pace than other Hawaiian islands, but it is still laid-back when compared to cities on the mainland of the United States. For example, there aren’t countless lanes of traffic with dirty streets and people in a rush to get to work. When waking up in my Waikiki Beach resort, I walked out onto my patio and saw numerous people getting ready for their morning surf sessions or getting a morning workout in along the coastline.
Oahu is rich in culture and with it being a more populated island, there are better transportation options for tourists and endless excursion opportunities. Oahu is not just Honolulu and Waikiki Beach though. Although you should definitely spend time in that area, you should also get a feel for the North Shore as it is a different vibe on the north side of the island.
Some of my excursions will be listed in my itinerary breakdown at the end of the blog post. For all of my itinerary recommendations and travel tips on the island of Oahu though, check out my blog post on Oahu.
I honestly thought that Oahu would be amazing but that it would be my least favorite out of the three islands I was visiting. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised though! Oahu ended up being my husband’s and my favorite Hawaiian island that we visited during out trip.
Kauai
Kauai is the garden island of Hawaii. This island is lush and more remote. Locals said there were more chickens on the island than people. Even though it is a more remote island, you can still find spectacular luaus and traditional shows that are hosted for tourists. The Nā Pali Coast alone brings a lot of tourists to this island. The Nā Pali Coast is stunning and iconic to say the least! There are jaw dropping beaches scattered all along the coast in Kauai as well. This island is where I was able to see lots of wildlife – over a dozen sea turtles, dolphins swimming with our boat along the Nā Pali Coast, and many endangered Hawaiian monk seals.
If you want a slower pace vacation with relaxation and just a couple excursions, you may consider the island of Kauai! Kauai is one of the more expensive islands for sure though, and a car rental is needed! For further Kauai travel tips and itinerary suggestions, check out my Kauai, Hawaii Travel Itinerary blog post.
Maui
Maui is a large island with different sections of the island appeasing various types of people. If you want a peaceful countryside escape, you can find it here. For adventure and lush jungle, enjoy your journey along the Road to Hana. If embarking up a volcano is on your bucket list, Haleakalā National Park can help you cross off that bucket list item. If you want to relax at a luxurious resort right on the ocean, Maui has countless options for you. And of course, the resorts are hosting iconic Hawaiian events such as luaus and traditional shows with Hawaiian dancing. For all my recommendations and travel tips for the island of Maui, check out my Maui, Hawaii Travel Itinerary blog post and my Road to Hana Travel Guide.
A rental car is recommend for Maui and you may expect longer commutes between destinations on this island. Personally, I liked the touristy resort areas on Oahu better than Maui. But for Maui, the Road to Hana and Haleakalā National Park excursions make the island iconic and worth visiting.
Decision for which Islands
Once you have made your difficult decision of which island or islands to visit in Hawaii, the fun begins with planning! Like I said, each island really does offer something different. We split up our trip among these 3 islands, but there are other islands to consider such as the Big Island as well. First, figure out how long your trip to Hawaii will be. I would say leave at least 4 days per island if you are hoping to visit more than one island. If you only have limited vacation time, I would say don’t rush your stay at each spot and truly immerse yourself in the destination. We were able to do a longer trip, so that’s why we split up our stay across Oahu, Kauai, and Maui.
My Trip
I am providing my itinerary below so that it may help you in your trip planning process. This itinerary may give you an idea of how many days are ideal for each island. I will bullet point some of the bigger excursions we did, but read the individual blog posts on each island for all of my specific recommendations. The purpose of this itinerary is just so you can see what a time-frame may look like for a trip to 3 islands in Hawaii.
Specific Hawaii Itinerary
- Day 1 – Travel Day
- Fly from Florida to Honolulu, Oahu
- Public transportation to our resort
- Accommodations: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
- Day 2 – Honolulu, Oahu
- Koko Head Stairs of Doom Hike (Lyft to and from resort)
- Explore Waikiki Beach
- Accommodations: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
- Day 3 – Honolulu, Oahu
- Waikiki Beach
- International Market Place Sunset Hula Show at 6:00 PM (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays)
- Accommodations: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
- Day 4 – North Shore of Oahu
- Rental car for just 1 day
- North Shore (Lanikai Beach, Turtle Bay, Sunset Beach, Sunrise Shack, Surf & Salsa)
- Pearl Harbor
- Drove H3
- Accommodations: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
- Day 5 – Oahu
- Morning in Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden
- Waikiki Friday night fireworks
- Accommodations: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
- Day 6 – Oahu and fly to Kauai
- Enjoyed the resort in Waikiki
- Flight to Kauai
- Accommodations: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort
- Day 7 – Kauai
- Day at the resort
- Accommodations: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort
- Day 8 – Kauai
- Nā Pali Coast Catamaran Tour
- Accommodations: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort
- Day 9 – Kauai
- Explore resort and surrounding area
- Smith Family Garden Luau at Smith’s Tropical Paradise
- Accommodations: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort
- Day 10 – Kauai
- Hanalei & Slow Yourself Down Coffee
- Tunnels Beach
- Accommodations: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort
- Day 11 – Kauai
- Kauai Coffee Farm
- Waimea Canyon
- Poipu Beach
- Accommodations: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort
- Day 12 – Kauai and fly to Maui
- Explore near the resort in Kauai
- Flight to Maui
- Accommodations: AirBnB in Makawao
- Day 13 – Maui
- Road to Hana (full day)
- Wai’anapanapa State Park reservation in advance for the black sand beach
- Accommodations: AirBnB in Makawao
- Day 14 – Maui
- Stayed near our AirBnB
- Accommodations: AirBnB in Makawao
- Day 15 – Maui
- Explore Paia
- Drove to the summit of Haleakalā
- Accommodations: Residence Inn by Marriott Maui Wailea
- Day 16 – Maui
- Explored Wailea
- Makena Cove
- Golfing at Waiehu Municipal Golf Course
- Accommodations: Residence Inn by Marriott Maui Wailea
- Day 17 – Maui
- Enjoyed the resort
- Went to the airport late at night
- Day 18 – Travel Day
- Flights back to Florida
Conclusion
Regardless, if your trip to Hawaii entails staying on one island or island hopping and staying on a couple islands, you will have a beautiful vacation! Again, I hope the itinerary information can give you an idea of how a trip to Hawaii may be arranged. If you have any questions or further recommendations, type them in the comment section!
Thanks for stopping by! Cheers to planning dream vacations and making connections around the world! To read my other blog posts, check out the destinations tab on my website.
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