advice needed please

We have been considering Hawaii for my 50th birthday in April. Well thats a lie actually, we have been considering Hawaii as a holiday destination for the past 3 years!!As it is a ';big'; birthday, i want it to be special and am hoping to ';push the boat out'; a little this time. We are from Scotland so will mean a long time travelling, so want to keep the travel to a minimum if we can. As it is such a long journey, where would you recommend stopping off at for a couple of days? We are not even sure whether we want to stay in Oahu or go to Maui maybe even Kauai. How long is the flights to the other Islands from Oahu? Would you recommend going to one of the smaller islands or would Oahu be fine for our first visit? I prefer resorts which are not too large and not too busy. I know this is probably difficult to find in Hawaii as they all sem to be very large resorts. I was also wanting 5 star as it is a special occasion. I would prefer to be on the beach and love to have a large balcony(Lanai) to sit out on and look at the beautiful sunsets. being in Scotland, we hardly get any sun so really love the sun on holiday. If we go at the beginning of April, what is the weather likely to be lke?

Sorry for all these questions but would really appreciate any help and if anyone from the UK has been recently, it would be really great to get dvice on the flights etc. I would really appreciate any recommendations for hotels or as I want to stay in a hotel that is not too busy, would you maybe recommend renting out a villa on the beach?

Any info/advice would be really appreciated.

Cheers,

advice needed please

please search these topics..as they are answered weekly. See How to avoid jet Lag.... Flying from London.... Interisland flights....

Use the menu on the left for acitvites, hotels, nsidertips for each island. It takes about 2 to 4 hours each way to fly between one island an another. and costs 100 to 150 pp each way

Each island is total different than each other.

Maui and Big Island will have best weather

advice needed please

Actual flying time from Honolulu to the neighbor islands is about 30min. You can get flights earlier in the day and later evening hours starting at $64 one way. If you have at least 10 days, try 2 islands. If less than that, pick 1. Maui and Oahu have the largest selection of resorts. From budget, family friendly to more quiet and ritzy. If seclusion is what you are looking for try either Kauai or best yet, Lanai. Very small and rural islands and yet have the resort type you are looking for. April is one of my favorite times of year in Hawaii. Usually the winter storms are gone and not as hot as the summer months. It is also a ';down time'; in the islands and you will find them less crowded. Do some research on your own, such as Hawaii for Dummies,(please don%26#39;t be offended, I own it)! and come back to get more specific. Also let us know if you are interested in any activities, as they are different on different islands!!

Oh my! A big %26#39;Hawaii Five-O';! This is going to be fun.

It would help us to know how long you can visit and budget. (You%26#39;ve helped with saying you%26#39;d like beachfront and quiet resorts, and we know you%26#39;re coming in April -- which is fine almost everywhere in the islands.)

It is a long haul of a flight. If you have time to stay overnight for two nights, consider breaking the trip in San Francisco, which is an interesting city itself. You can also connect on to Hawaii from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Las Vegas, etc. -- even Chicago, although I can%26#39;t guarantee good weather in my city in April. Once you decide on islands the flight plan may be determined by whether you can fly from City A direct to Island #1, and return direct from Island #2, for instance.

I don%26#39;t advise a one-night stop-over because IMO it merely prolongs the agony to collect luggage, leave for an airport hotel, check in, eat, check out, go back through airport security, etc. Two nights seems worthwhile -- IF you want to see something of another mainland city. Homebound, I%26#39;d probably just continue on through without a city stop-over.

I don%26#39;t think you want Oahu. Honolulu is a big city. Waikiki is aswarm with people night and day. The north shore is very isolated.

I think you would enjoy Maui, Kauai and/or Lanai. Maui has the largest choice of lodgings and restaurants outside of Honolulu, but resorts can be quiet and private. Kauai is even quieter than Maui, but has fewer choices of hotels and restaurants -- maybe the Hyatt on Poipu would suit. Lanai -- well, on Lanai you%26#39;d be at the Four Seasons; there%26#39;s not much else there -- *very* quiet. (Maui also has a Four Seasons -- and a Fairmont, and a Ritz.) There are also lovely beachfront condos on Maui and Kauai.

As Dan has said, browse the posts on the forum for more information and inquire about specific properties.

Here%26#39;s a little traveler quiz to help you choose islands:

鈥bout.com/od/鈥sland_scores.htm

while in the air times vairies between 20 to 40 min, My 2 -4 hours is the time needed to return a car, check in, go throught security, get luggage, get another car. Many flights are not direct and you must lay over to catch another flight in Honolulu.

there is a $25 sur charge to buy a same day ticket at the airport.

I agree with Sue - a two night layover would be fun ... coming or going. Las Vegas is popular, as is San Franciso. I would avoid LA ...

There are other great places for layovers on the West Coast. Portland, Oregon is BEAUTIFUL! San Diego is also fun. And we%26#39;ll alway welcome you in Sacramento, of course.

At the risk of stating the obvious, you need a couple good guide books and maps. Hawaii for Dummies is popular, but there are others ... just find one that focuses on the islands instead of pages of filler on hotels/restaurants.

Figure how many nights you will be in Hawaii. If 9 nights or longer, you can see two islands.

Also figure your nightly acommodations budget (dollars).

A few things: On Oahu, you can do without a car, but you surely will need one for Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. Oahu has an excellent public transportation system and you can get excursions to the east/north sides of the island. Most resorts are on Waikiki, and it is a busy area.

On Maui there are several nice resorts, and personally, just because they are large ... it doesn%26#39;t mean that they are crowded. You can have the five star and still have your space at a resort.

One more thing. April 12 is Easter. The week before and after Easter brings LOTS of families to Hawaii, because the kids get time off. Personally, I would wait until later in the month to visit. And don%26#39;t worry a snap about the weather. Warm and lovely.

If you want a sunny stopover San Diego might be a good choice. Beautiful weather, right on the ocean, nice, manageable city with a beautiful park and several museums.

As for which island, I suggest you get a good overall guide book like ';Hawai`i for Dummies'; (any online or local large book store should have it) and do a bit of reading. Then you can come back here and ask more questions on specific forums.

I%26#39;m very biased, but I would recommend that you visit Lana%26#39;i. You can stay at the Four Seasons Manele Bay (beach). If you want to stray for a day, take the ferry over to Maui for some shopping %26amp; activities. Based on what you prefer (resorts which are not large or busy, large balcony, beautiful sunsets) -- you can get all that and more on Lana%26#39;i. Check out the Lana%26#39;i forums for more info.

If you plan to rent a car, then Maui would be a good choice.

If you do not plan to rent a car, Oahu is the only island that has reasonable public transportation available to tour the island.

Away from Honolulu, Oahu is rural like the other islands.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862鈥?/a>