Hey! Looking for recommendations for Hawaii. My husband and I are looking to go before April and are needing some suggestions. Where to stay, what activities to do, should we rent a car etc? We are looking to do some adventuring as well as some R&R, so hoping to stay somewhere with a nice pool or near the beach - or both! Originally, we were thinking Maui but are open to suggestions. Thanks!

All depends on what you want to do, chill, surf, shops, explore. Kauai is the most relaxed non-developed island in comparison to oahu, big island and
Maui is a fantastic island we love with great beaches, food and always love the Hawaiian aloha locals. Lush east side road to Hana and west side dry and hot.
If you are looking for simple accommodation 1 bedroom with a lanai in an excellent area of Kihei, beach across the street try http://trevsurfside.com. It has a nice pool as well. If you want more posh check out anything in wailea southwest maui.
In Hawaii we believe you can’t go wrong on either of the islands just depends your vibe and energy level.

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Ron-Denise nailed it! We had a family place in Kihei on Maui. I love Kihei the beaches are fabulous and you are close to so many things. Snorkelling is amazing, 4 x 4 around the backside of the island. Great countryside and beautiful beaches. Stop for a swim in the 7 sacred pools. You will see Hana and after the pools it’s 52 single lane bridges on a windy road. Makena beach is my favourite. I am not a Kanapoli fan basically hotel zone. Closer to Lahaina which is lovely and a must see as it is where Maui started with fishing and the village. I also have spent a lot of time on the big island of Hawaii. I love Kona town. I stay right on the beach. So I can walk into town. The downside is you have to drive or bike to the beach. Lot is lava so less beaches but beautiful. The lave flow is a must see, swimming with the dolphins in the open ocean. Is my favourite activity. Great snorkeling. So many things to see. If you 4x4 fo south point you can see so much history and untouched beaches and landscape. Wild horses and lots of caves, Green Beach. Black sand beaches. PM for any questions I love Hawaii and it’s been my go to place for 45 years!

Kristi thanks for the advice and ideas! Do you book your excursions before you go or when you get there?

Adriana no you won’t have to prebook until you get to Hawaii.

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Kona is my choice. Cheap direct flights out of Bellingham or YVR. Need a car / Costco has the cheapest rates for rentals. Recommend staying in Waikoloa. (20 minutes north of the airport ). Hapuna beach ranks in the top most beautiful beaches. Near waikoloa

It all depends what you like. In very simplistic way, I look at the islands’ activities as a range from Oahu (touristy, shopping, hustle-bustle) to Kawaii and the Big Island (relaxed, chill, slow-paced). Maui is in the middle (not too busy and not too quiet).
Other than Oahu, car rental is a must. For Oahu, you can rent a car there only when you need to get to other places on the island (some bus it too but only if you have a lot of time).
Maui tip (might apply for other places but I only know for this island): There’s a number of places in Kihei and Kaanapali that have oceanfront properties. That is, your unit is literally right at the ocean. It really makes a big difference on your stay! Rather than hunting through scores of AirBnB and VRBO posts where many owners say they have oceanfront units when they really don’t, do a search through Reddit or similar websites that resell timeshares. Search for places that have oceanfront and note the names of the properties. Using these names, you can now use AirBnB etc to look for your ideal unit. One of my favs is the Mahana where both the living room and bedroom floor to ceiling windows face the ocean.

Hawaii in general can be very expensive! We are on big island atm. Groupon is great for getting deals on excursions. As for car rentals we found Autoslashers.com to be the best price over and above Costco. We’ve been to all of the islands and as the others posters said “it depends on what you want to do and the vibe”.