Sandy white beaches, lush green valleys, cloud forests, aloha lifestyle? We did not exactly know what to expect when we started planning our Hawaii adventure. However, by reading books and magazines about the tropical islands I found out immediately that we had to do an island hopping journey to see the most wonderful places. Friends of us had already visited and gave us some valuable tips as well.
Content in this blog:
Famous Honolulu & Waikiki Beach and Oahus North Shore
Restaurant and Hotel recommendation
Kaua’i – a wonderful lush green island
Waymea Canyon
Helicopter Flight over Kaua’i
1 Hanaley Bay Hotel and Restaurant recommendations
Maui – Beach fun & road trip
The road to Hana
Hotels & Restaurants in Maui
Big Island
Kilauea Volcano
Kailua Kona & the Cloud Forest
The Hawaiian Islands and their differences
The islands are very different and Hawaii has several climate zones, therefore the vegetation on the islands is very different, even on one island itself (especially Maui). What should you visit when you go to Hawaii? It depends, what you like most: green jungle, beaches & surfing, party or a tranquil spot?
Important to know – a short overview
- To get around in Hawaii, the best and easiest way is renting a car. Which we did on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. A Mustang convertible (tourist car) was what we chose in Oahu, and a Wrangler Jeep on the other islands. The latter is more comfortable to get around – especially with luggage – the first is just for fun. But consider, as it rains often, you’ll often have to close the convertible.
- For Island-Hopping, Inter-Island flights (Hawaiian Air) are easy, especially in the Airports they do separate the inter-island flights passengers from the international ones (Oahu and Kauai). Maui was way more exhausting, because they mixed queueing for inter-island and international flights.
- All beaches in Hawaii are public, therefore hotel beaches are never as quiet as you might expect, because other people visit too (even on hotel beaches of expensive hotels)!
- Weather: the temperature is fabulous, warm and sunny, not too hot. But Hawaii is green because it rains a lot. Sometimes every day for a short time and afterwards it gets sunny again. We made good use of our rain jackets.
- Prices: Hawaii is crazy expensive for travelling: hotel prices, restaurants, parks, even the prices for food in groceries is high – I am saying that, living in Switzerland! It’s a good idea to book a hotel in second row, and just visit the public beaches.
- Customs and visa: Hawaii is an US state, and it’s as tyring to get in nowadays as it is on the US mainland (2025). When flying via Vancouver, Vancouver is staffed with US immigration personnel, they do the pre-immigration there instead of in Honolulu. That means you will need way more than one hour to change flights.
Famous Honolulu and Waikiki Beach, Island of Oahu, “the gathering place”
Pearl Harbour – History of WW2
After spending a day to relax and recovering from the jetlag, we visited the historical site of Pearl Harbor – really remarkable and a “must” in my opinion – if you want to know more about history.
There is a submarine you can climb through and explore about life on board. The USS Missouri, a battleship that was used in WW2 as well as in Arabia in the 1980s. We visited both and got a lot of information we hadn’t had before.
Kanilea Ukulele – where we bought ours
The Ukulele is the instrument of Hawaii. We went to Kanilea Ukulele for a factory tour. That was amazing, we got explained everything from the Koa wood they use to all the details of manufacturing a Ukulele. My husband bought one, because he started playing the Ukulele during the pandemic and we promised that we will travel to Hawaii and buy an original Ukulele there when we can travel again. Been there, done that, it was just amazing!
The north shore of Oahu – just park jur car and dive into the waves
An excursion to the north shore was impressive as well. Sandy long beaches, sun and high, strong waves. You can just park your car somewhere next to the streets where others are parked and walk to the beach. However, it was not for swimming, the current was too strong.
PS: You can rent convertibles in Oahu, which we did. Wonderful in that perfect weather. But be warned, as it rains often, we were opening and closing the roof again and again.
Wonderful beach days in Waikiki
The other days in Oahu we went to Waikiki beach for baths in the ocean, where the waves are less strong and it is a real fun for bathing. Just hold on to your sunglasses – I lost mine… We did a little souvenir shopping as well – they sell beautiful things in Hawaii you won’t find elsewhere. In the evening, it is nice to go out for dinner, especially in the beach restaurants.
Do you like beach days? Read more about beach clubs & day passes worldwide here:
Restaurants we recommend in Waikiki
- Maui Brewing for Burgers and Beers (was actually better than Hardrock Cafe)
- MaiTai Bar at Royal Hawaiian Hotel for tasty fresh food such as salads, steaks, burgers and tasty Mai Tai drinks
- If you like Asian food: there are lots of restaurants to choose from – we didn’t try…
Where we stayed in Waikiki: front row not recommended!
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, on the front row. The rooms facing the Southeast side (direction Diamond Head) do have a great view over the beach. The rooms facing the other side are not okay, they overlook some other buildings and a loud fan. See images.
I would recommend staying in the second row of hotels anyway, because that would be way cheaper and the beach is public. Therefore, there is no great bonus of staying at the front row in my opinion… (and that’s not typical for me ;))
Conclusion: O’ahu and Waikiki Beach
A busy, touristy place, especially Honolulu and Waikiki. Waikiki beach is a bit overrated, but we liked it anyway. It just has kind of a special charme. The rest of the island is wonderful, there are lots of things to do and see. Definitely worth a visit, especially, as you will have to go through Honolulu from international flights anyway. Take some days to explore and don’t miss the North Shore of O’ahu!
Kaua’i: a lush, green, dreamy Garden Island
Kauai is much quieter than the other islands and green. There are trees, plants, flowers, trees with flowers and more green everywhere. A true paradise!
Waymea Canyon and Helicopter flight
What we did on Kaua’i:
Driving into the Waimea Canyon: Cliffs, canyon, red earth, green rainforest. We did just short walks, because it rained a lot. But it would be perfect for longer hikes!
Helicopter flight around the island: The flight had to be postponed a day because of heavy rain. The next morning it still rained and I was afraid we couldn’t fly. But the weather was becoming better fast and we finally had sunshine. And hundreds of waterfalls pouring down the hills and mountains. It was an amazing, stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking flight. The pilot flew into the canyons and turned the helicopter so that everyone could see the wonderful nature. We flew over the north shore cliffs back to Princeville airport.
Hotel 1 Hanaley Bay, Foodtrucks and Pizza
Restaurants We Recommend
- Pizzeria Hideaways Pizza Pub near Princeville, the restaurant itself looks a bit shabby, but they serve tasty Nepoletan pizza with the 3 days dough (truly Italian food)
- Near Princeville groceries is an outside food court, Red Hot Mama Tacos serves tasty chicken tacos, it just takes a bit of time as they’re really busy (you can order online as well).
Where We Stayed: 1 Hotel Hanaley Bay
1 Hanalei Bay hotel, a really gorgeous, wonderfully designed hotel in a huge green garden next to a beach. Perfect pool area with palm trees, wonderful rooms, good views. The service had its lengths, but it was busy Easter weekend.
PS: Yes, it is pricy – if you have read a bit more about me already, you know, I really love luxurios hotels. And this one truly is – my pictures only shows a little bit of it.
Conclusion on our visit of Kaua’i: the most wonderful island for a luxury journey
Don’t let you fool because of my short text. Kaua’i was the island I loved most. It is really perfect for nature lovers. A sunny and rainy lus green jungle island with wonderful beaches and canyons. The nature is everything on Kaua’i. It is just great to be out there, walk around, go to the beach or anything to experience the nature. I would spend more time, if I ever will be able to return… Just watch the images, amazing, isn’t it?
Maui: The bustling Beach & Surf Island
The west shores of Maui is one wonderful beach after another. All public beaches, with high waves for surfing or in calmer spots for swimming. Just grab an umbrella, towels and park your car next to the beach. On some beaches there are showers/toilets and picnic places. We stopped at Kamaole Beach Park in the southwest coast of Maui. We enjoyed a nice swim in the water and even saw a big turtle swimming by close to us.
Sadly, the wonderful city of Lahaina, we’ve visited 10 years ago is no longer there. They did not yet rebuild it after the 2023 fires. It’s still a discussion about which zones should be rebuilt etc (high tide…)
The curvy road to Hana – perfect for a jeep
We took two days to drive to Hana and back, definitely a good idea. The road is narrow, winding along the cliffs and in places just a single lane road. For experienced drivers only! I am really serious about that, it’s narrow, curvy and takes 2 hours one way from Kahului (Maui airport) or 2.5 hours from the west coast.
But within the wonderful green rainforest. Hana is a paradise in the middle of nowhere, and if we had known before, we would have stayed longer there instead!
Hotel Maui Resort Hana: recommended
Where We Stayed
Maui Resort Hana: small hotel with big standalone cabins with terraces instead of hotel rooms. Wonderful location in a huge garden, nice views over the cliffs onto the sea, a big swimming pool, really friendly staff.
Sheraton Maui Beach Resort: wonderful beach location, nice sea view rooms, but awful service and not enough beach chairs in the pool area. We cannot recommend it. Maybe better book a hotel in the second row on the (lower beach).
Courtyard by Marriott Maui Airport: was perfect for a short stay when we came back from Hana and had an early flight.
Restaurants Kaanapali Maui West Coast
We recommend the following:
- Maui Brewing for Burgers and Beer
- Outdoor food court next to Marriott Maui Airport: Asian, Hawaiian, American food
Conclusion: This is Maui
Maui was a bit too much touristy for us, but as we went into “island mode”, that meant for us just do it like the locals: skip that overcrowded hotel beach and visit another public beach with a small park, it became a wonderful experience…
And Hana is a “must”, if you have time enough, love nature and curvy streets…
Big Island: Volcanoes and Cloud Forests
As we went on a cruise from Hawaii back to Vancouver, to shorten our flight, we visited the Big Island during our cruise on Celebrity Solstice.
We had two stops on Big Island, an overnight one in Hilo and one day in Kailua Kona. On the first day we went to visit Hilo on our own and caught an Uber to drive into the city. There was a festivity parade taking place we could view a typical American-style parade. The city is small, but there is a wonderful green recreation park area next to it, with green grass, small lakes and trees with flowers on it.
The KīlaueaVolcano in April 2025 and 10 years before
The second day in Hilo we went on a cruisetour with Celebrity to the Beaches formed by volcanic stone. It was a bumpy ride along winding roads through the forest along the coast. It was special experience for us, because we’ve visited the same spot before. In 2015, on Febuary 22, during a Helicopter tour, where we flew over the same coast. Back then the volcanic eruption was active then and the lava stone flowing over the beach. This time, there were large fields of volcanic stone, and in between the road.
Arriving at the beach, we had to wear close-toed shoes, because the volcanic stones have some glass-like parts in it. The first green plants and small trees were already overgrowing the area. The power of nature is incredible.
- Recommendation for Hilo: visit Rainbow Falls lookout (we did that back in 2015)
Kailua Kona Beach and Cloud forest
On our last day in Hawaii we went on a cruise tour to the beach and the cloud forest with a short stop at a coffee plantation. The cloud forest was impressive, we went up into the hills and visited a semi-private cloud forest sanctuary, we could only access with a tour. We walked through the tranquil, lush and green forest and were amazed by all the wonderful plants and trees growing there – see images. Our tour guide pointed out small details and told us more about the plants growing here and the history of the park.
A coffee tasting was our last stop, we went to the UCC plantation overlooking the sea (and the ship in port). The Arabica coffee growing in Hawaii is of is a renowned high quality, because of the special microclimate in Hawaii. It is on ideal altitude, get the perfect amount of rainfall and the roots are planted in rich volcanic soil. The only disadvantage was, that they prepared the coffee American style, with too much water. We bought some coffee and were amazed at is taste, when brewed the Italian way…
- Cloud forest: konacloudforest.com
- Coffee plantation: https://ucc-hawaii.com/ – there are several ones on Big Island
Goodbye Hawaii
On the coffee plantation, we said goodbye to Hawaii. It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime journey on these wonderful Islands. One is lucky, being able to travel there. Afterwards we had a tranquil cruise with five sea days until Vancouver. The Pacific Ocean showed its best behaviour, the sea was calm the whole journey and we had wonderful weather with a bit of rainfall from time to time. Time to review all the wonderful memories we made and dream of Hawaii…
It was well worth spending extra time to explore each island and truly experience island hopping. Each island is unique, with plenty of places to discover. Combining island hopping with a cruise for the return journey was the perfect way to see and experience as much as possible in three weeks, while also shortening the long trip back to Switzerland.
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