Hawaii in May

We’ve decided to go to Hawaii in May with our 8 y/o DD. Haven’t booked anything yet, but I’m starting to research. We want to do a direct flight there and are thinking of possibly splitting it up coming back (stopping for a night somewhere).

Give me all your tips and suggestions please! What island (or islands to visit)? My DH wants to see volcanoes and be able to go on a hike. My DD and I want to attend a great luau.

Re: Hawaii in May

volcanoes are only on the big island.

it all depends on what you are looking for.

we felt like Maui had the best of all options - lots of stuff to do but also a lot of nature.

Re: Hawaii in May

Each island is unique and very different. If DH wants to see active volcanoes you will have to go to the Big Island (Hawaii island). I personally think the best luau is on Maui (the old Lahaina Luau) but you can find a luau on any island. Hawaii has great hikes on every island (the whole state was made for hiking) - just stick to marked trails and don’t overestimate your ability. Some of the trails are unforgiving.

Just note that you can fly direct JFK to Honolulu (on Oahu) but to get any other island you will need to switch to a connecting flight.

Hawaii in May is great. May 1 is a holiday (lei day) with lots of local festivals.

Re: Hawaii in May

We took our kids to Maui and stayed at the grand Wailea. It was amazing for all of us. We took a day trip on Sail Trilogy to Lanai and that was a ton of fun. My kids still talk about it. See if you can get a package through costco. For the 4 of us for 9 days including hotel, airfare, car, and some meals for the kids was $7,000. My friend from high school runs a tour company in Maui and he drove us on the road to Hanna, which was so special. His name is Rob and his tour company is Let me show you Maui. The luau at the grand Wailea was much better than the other one we went to on the island for our honeymoon. FM me with questions. We've also been to Kauai but that is a more romantic island. Also stop in Arizona instead of LAX as it is a much better layover. We also did a plane trip on a prop plane over the big island to see the volcano erupting. This way you see into the mouth of the volcano.

Message edited 10/20/2019 8:18:20 PM.

Hawaii in May

If you go to the Volcanos, wear hiking boots and bring a sweatshirt. You DO NOT want to do it in flip flops! And, it got cold at the top!

Re: Hawaii in May

We spent 1 day on the Big Island - drove the island and did a helicopter tour over the Volcanoes. Then we flew to Maui. Maui is more built up and has a lot of things to do, yet you can still relax and swim, etc. Then we flew to Kauai, which was BEAUTIFUL. We did another helicopter tour there, as well, because much of the island is not walk/hike-able.

It really depends what you want to do, but you can't go wrong anywhere.

I personally would not stop on the way home. There is so much to do in Hawaii, I would spend all my time there.

Re: Hawaii in May

We go to Hawaii every year. It's our favorite place. We've spent more time in Maui than any other island, but have been to all of them multiple times.

I always say that picking a favorite island is like picking a favorite child! Each island offers something completely different, and you cannot expect to see everything in one visit. In the last 12 years, we've spent a total of over 4 months on the islands, and each time we go, we discover something new.

And truly, there is no "bad" time of the year to go. The weather is pretty consistent throughout the year.

Hawaii in May

Thanks everyone! Is the direct flight to Honolulu really a full 11 hours or does it usually work out to be a little less time? And how long is the flight from Honolulu to Maui?

Hawaii in May

We flew direct and it was great. As usual it felt longer on the way home.

Most people don’t but we had a great time on Oahu. We did Pearl Harbor one day and the next day we rented a car for the day. We started at Diamond Head and drove around the island exploring the beaches and looking for food trucks.
We then went to Maui where we did the luau, road to Hana, bike tour with sunrise and helicopter tour of the big island and volcano.

I personally would limit stops since baggage, taxi and time wasted adds up quickly.

Message edited 10/22/2019 10:16:13 AM.

Re: Hawaii in May

the nonstop flight from JFK to HNL is about 11.5 hours. Coming home it's about 10.5 hours due to the tailwinds.

The interisland flights are short - I think the longest (Kauai to the Big Island) is about 55 minutes.

Oh and I love Oahu too! I haven't met a Hawaiian island I don't like

Re: Hawaii in May

Re: Hawaii in May

Message edited 10/23/2019 9:34:23 AM.

Re: Hawaii in May

For our HM we did Oahu and Maui. We liked both. We stayed on Waikiki beach for 4 days which is more built up like a city, we visited pearl harbor, and the dole pineapple plantation. We went to Leonard's Bakery which has awesome malasadas which are like donuts but delicious. Then we did an interisland flight to Maui for 6 days, we took rides into Lahaina (shopping/dining), did the road to Hana (that was an all day thing), snorkeling there was great.

Hawaii in May

Think through which islands you'd like to go to, in which order, and figure out your flights after that. So, for example, on your way home, you could fly direct to the mainland from whichever island you're on, rather than taking an interisland flight to HNL to get the direct HNL-JFK or EWR flight.

Also figure out how easy it is to get between the islands you'd like to visit. For example, it was annoying to go between Kauai and the Big Island. If you're going to Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, fly into Hilo rather than Kona. (This paragraph brought to you by personal experience!) Importantly, know that there is no active lava in the park right now. You'll see black cooled lava, but not the red stuff unless there is a new eruption.

Last thought -- check out Mokulele Airlines for your interisland flights. Small planes that go to small airports that could save you some driving time.

Have a wonderful trip!!