Best time to visit Hawaii?

[Martinjmpr]

Wife has mentioned to me that she'd like to go someplace warm and tropical, and my thought was Hawaii. We've been to Mexico and Costa Rica before but I'm thinking that staying in the US and not having to go through customs or have a passport might be nice (both of ours are expired.)

Curious about what might be the "best" time to go in terms of cost, crowds, etc?

I've only been to Hawaii once, that was in November of 2003 and it was for a military exercise so I literally only got to see what was in between our quarters at Pearl Harbor and the training area X-ray at Schofield Barracks, from the window of a rented mini van. No time off, I flew in on a Saturday and our exercise started on Sunday. EndEx was on the following Friday and on Saturday morning I flew back.

We are thinking of going some time in 2022 but again, not sure what time of year is best.

My thought was this: The weather in Hawaii is pretty much the same year 'round: Mid 80's and sunny with a strong chance of afternoon rain. But most people in CONUS want to go to Hawaii when it's cold and miserable, so Winter is probably the "high season" for travel.

So would it be less expensive/crowded to go in mid Summer?

Also looking for recommendations on where to go and where to stay. I'm retired military so as I understand it there are hotels/resorts just for military people that might offer some good cost savings. I do want to see the Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri, but other than that, I don't necessarily want to stay on Oahu. If anything, I'd rather spend time on the Big Island.

So any pointers or tips would be appreciated!

[O2HeN2]

IMHO late spring, early fall, then summer is the best time because as you reasoned, people want to go during the winter.

One week: Maui

Two weeks: Lanai and Hawaii.

Note Oahu is absent, so go see the Arizona and then get to another island. I have a joke that if you want to visit Oahu: Just visit Los Angeles. They're pretty much the same and it costs less.

But I'm not a bar, restaurant and party guy, but I do like volcanoes (why I'm currently eyeing Iceland).

O2

[Gman]

My manager is from Guam and he and his family are in HI this week. I'm no expert about HI, but I think that's a clue.

[Irving]

Aloha Shooter is a great resource to answer all of your questions.

[MrPrena]

As for blue shirt wearing tard on a video who are unfamiliar with Hawaii , Guam, and American Samoa.
They are all US citizen.

Samoa is their own country Samoa 🇼🇸


https://youtu.be/sAYiVgoH0QE

[Aloha_Shooter]

It depends on what you want from your visit. The weather is NOT the same year-round. Hawaii has a dry season (summer) and rainy season (winter). Temperatures will still be great year-round compared to the mainland because it almost never gets below 55 (and rarely below 60) and almost never gets above 98. Humidity is usually not a problem except when they have Kona winds.



December/January: Lot of competition with holiday travelers. Temperatures tend to be in the 70s with lows in the 60s but can go down to mid 50s. Locals will be wearing sweaters when temps go down to 60s, Coloradans probably still wearing shorts and a tee shirt. January is very pleasant even with light rains, especially after the holiday travelers are gone, but you can get some monsoon rains that will go on all day -- or even for a few days -- in this season.
February/March: Tends to be rainy but a great time to watch the humpback whales off Maui. Hawaiian Open and Punahou Carnival occur in February but don't know if they'll still be impacted in 2022.
April/May: Great weather, no competition with kids on Spring Break. Islands are still green from the winter rains.
June: Great weather. Summer vacation travel heating up.
July/August: Mango season. Need I say more? Oh yeah, peak period for mainland morons on summer vacation before school starts. IMO, there is NOTHING like a perfectly ripe mango fresh off the tree (actually picked a couple days before it gets perfectly ripe because the birds will get it if you wait). White Pirie mangos -- don't accept the Indian or Haden crap. Hadens are bigger than Piries but Piries have a better, fuller flavor. (Hadens are actually good compared to the garbage we can get in Colorado but it's like comparing 100% Kona coffee to Starbucks.) https://www.hawaii.com/discover/mango-season-festivals/
September/October: Kids from the mainland should be back in school. Great weather. Just getting out of dry season so O`ahu is browner than winter or spring.
November/December: Great time to get away from the weather in Colorado. Hurricane season technically doesn't end until November but really low probability of anything impacting your visit (note: low is not zero).


My usual advice is first-timers should see the typical tourist sites on O`ahu for their first time/week in Hawai`i. They have greater impact (IMO) when you haven't yet seen everything the rest of the islands have to offer and you appreciate the slower pace in Waimanalo or the Neighbor Islands more after seeing the tourist sites. I highly recommend at least 2 days if not 3 to fully appreciate Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island and a full day or more to travel around the entire Big Island. You can hit 4 different climates in that one day with the rainforest on the north end of the island, tundra in the section between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, desert in the south end, and even arctic if you want to go to the top of Mauna Kea.

I did just see this item: https://flipboard.com/article/one-of-the-hawaiian-islands-super-volcanoes-could-be-on-the-verge-of-an-eruptio/a-q6jVMJl-TumD8ehxPtsy4w%3Aa%3A2930408104-2b671c20ab%2Fflipboard.com . Haven't had a chance to dig into it so don't know how much of it to believe.

Oh yeah, WRT Guam. I've been to Guam. Any time is a great time to go from Guam to Hawaii.

[ray1970]

My favorite time is September. The families and kids are usually done and gone and all of the snowbirds haven?t had enough cold weather yet to flock that way. It?s a little early for the whales if you?re into that sort of thing but when they start migrating through in October is when the crowds start to form.

Every time I?ve been in September I haven?t had much in the way of rain to deal with. Maybe the occasional late afternoon shower that moves through pretty quick around dinner time.

[FoxtArt]

check vehicle rental rates before you book airline tickets. Companies have been GOUGING. You may find car rental fees to exceed your flight if traveling soon (even if only for 4-5 days)... and who knows what the future holds.

[flogger]

March in Maui. Lots to see/do. Kihei has the best beaches and sunsets.

Don't miss the 1/5 Mile Dirt Track Stock Car Races in the Isthmus! Great redneck fun (one of the sponsors is the local cheap rent-a-car places). HIGHLY recommend the rental car place.

[KS63]

I’m from Hawaii and the only thing I got is to not vacation on O’ahu. Stay in a nice resort on Kaua’i and drive around the island. The only time we go back home is for family stuff and I can’t wait to leave.

[wyome]

Retired mil....stay in the Hale Koa Hotel....

[ChickNorris]

Kauai. Plenty of touristy but legit things to see & do any time of year. I prefer late winter/ spring but that's just me & if you're keen on more small town flavor then it's the one. Had a place in Kapaa for a long time so I can't speak from personal experience for staying @ any resorts/hotels but there are some lovely choices.

If you're curious about Oahu, save it for your way out, maybe. Not a bad place just not where Id chose to spend my time & money for a vacation though the memorial is worth the hassle of a day trip.

[ruthabagah]

I have been on all the islands, except big island. Kauai is the best one for me. a lot of outdoor stuff to do, no crowd outside of the resorts at Poipu. the best time is probably early fall, but I have had excellent weather in the summer, and march too. stay away from Oahu, except for pearl harbor and maybe one night partying on Waikiki. Maui is an overcrowded, dirty, tourist trap imho. lanai is ok if you can afford it, Molokai is cool, but the locals are not friendly. I am going again this summer since it was easier to find an air BnB in Kauai than a camping spot in colorado!

[Doc45]

Another vote for Kauai, been there every time of the year and can’t complain about any season. I have a friend with a rental condo on Poipu so I’ve been spoiled. The most relaxed I’ve ever been is when I’m there.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Vehicle rental rates have skyrocketed but that's because demand has gone up and the supply went way down. Apparently companies shipped some of the cars to the mainland because demand was SO low this past year and rates consequently tanked. I wouldn't call it gouging, it's basic supply and demand. OTOH, it is something to think about. Some people even ship their cars when they are considering longer stays: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawaii/2040683-anyone-shipped-their-car-hawaii-us-mainland-car-rental-alternatives.html

I will repeat that I think it's best for first-timers to hit the sites on O`ahu first and then go to the Neighbor Islands rather than the reverse. I think they will appreciate both more in that order. The transportation issue is a whole other reason to do O`ahu -- the public transportation system isn't exactly fast but it's there and it's extensive. I have literally taken TheBus around the island a couple of times and in many ways, you can get a better appreciation for it that way. Having said that, OP is talking about 2022 so there's a whole year for rates to change and rental car availability to settle out.

[ChickNorris]

Some people even ship their cars when they are considering longer stays: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawaii/2040683-anyone-shipped-their-car-hawaii-us-mainland-car-rental-alternatives.html



Wow. Rates haven't increased as much as I would have thought.

[Martinjmpr]

So I'm resurrecting this old thread as I get closer to the booking window for the places I'm looking at.

I guess my biggest one would be: About the only thing we are interested in seeing on Oahu is the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri. I've been to Oahu with the Army back in 2003 and except for the historic sites, there's not really a lot I'm interested in.

I'd rather spend more time on one island than spend a lot of time sitting in airports waiting to fly from island-to-island. From what I can see, The Big Island is where we likely want to spend our time.

So my question would be: How inexpensive is it to fly between islands on Hawaii? From what I've seen it's easier to get a flight to Honolulu vs flying directly to Hilo on the Big Island. If we wanted to spend most of our time on Hawaii, would it make sense to fly into Honolulu and then catch a "commuter" flight to the Big Island? Or is it more sensible to just bite the bullet and fly directly into Hilo?

Also, can anyone tell me anything about the Kiluea Military Camp on the Big Island? It seems to offer an attractive alternative to the bigger, pricier hotels, but I'm wondering what it's actually like, whether it's a dump or nice, etc. Price for the KMC for a 1 bedroom cottage is better than a hotel in Hilo but not spectacularly better - for a good vacation I'll spend what I need to spend to keep the Mrs. Happy (happy wife/happy life, etc.) My guess is that she will want to spend a lot of time just relaxing by the pool and I don't know if that's an option on the KMC, so it might make more sense to just book a traditional hotel.

I'm thinking a sample itinerary would look like this: Day 1, fly Denver to Honolulu. I know it's a long flight so plan the first two nights in Honolulu. That will give us an overnight to rest and then at least a full day seeing Pearl Harbor, the Arizona, etc.

Day 3 fly to the Big Island. Spend at least 5 - 7 days there. Will likely rent a car unless that is prohibitively expensive (if it is, what other options are there for getting around?)

From there, it's a question mark - does it make more sense to fly back to Honolulu and then catch a connecting flight back to the Mainland? Or fly directly back from Hilo? From what I can see on the various flight planning web pages, the only airline that regularly flies between Denver and Hilo is United, and every experience I've had with them has sucked balls. That being the case, my inclination is to fly back to Honolulu and possibly have one more overnight there before flying back.

So does this seem like a reasonable itinerary? Anything I should consider?

[ray1970]

Let me know how you like the big island. I?m more of a Maui guy.

Mahalo.

[O2HeN2]

1 week: Maui (and from Denver you can fly directly there).
2 weeks: Kauai and Hawaii.

Unless you're a bar hopper. If that's the case just go to any big city on the mainland.

I don't know how it's held up over time, but I used to recommend the book "Hidden Hawaii". I think it has been split into separate islands now, though.

O2

[Aloha_Shooter]

So I'm resurrecting this old thread as I get closer to the booking window for the places I'm looking at.

I guess my biggest one would be: About the only thing we are interested in seeing on Oahu is the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri. I've been to Oahu with the Army back in 2003 and except for the historic sites, there's not really a lot I'm interested in.

My general advice is for people to spend their first time or first week in Hawai`i doing the usual tourist items on O`ahu but since you were there before, I highly recommend the Neighbor Islands.


I'd rather spend more time on one island than spend a lot of time sitting in airports waiting to fly from island-to-island. From what I can see, The Big Island is where we likely want to spend our time.

That's a good choice. What do you want to do there? There's a lot but it's all spread out.


So my question would be: How inexpensive is it to fly between islands on Hawaii? From what I've seen it's easier to get a flight to Honolulu vs flying directly to Hilo on the Big Island. If we wanted to spend most of our time on Hawaii, would it make sense to fly into Honolulu and then catch a "commuter" flight to the Big Island? Or is it more sensible to just bite the bullet and fly directly into Hilo?

It's usually fairly easy to fly between islands (the pandemic made that more difficult with tests required. The Hawaii forum over on FlyerTalk has a lot of good discussion and recent information on what's going on, including updates on inter-island travel: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawaii-435/.
Having said that, if you already know you want to spend most of your time on the Big Island, I would book the flights to go directly into Hilo. You may get an itinerary that goes into Honolulu and then transfers to an interisland flight. If you do, you can try to break it up to do at least one overnight in HNL.
(https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawaii-435/Also)

Also, can anyone tell me anything about the Kiluea Military Camp on the Big Island? It seems to offer an attractive alternative to the bigger, pricier hotels, but I'm wondering what it's actually like, whether it's a dump or nice, etc. Price for the KMC for a 1 bedroom cottage is better than a hotel in Hilo but not spectacularly better - for a good vacation I'll spend what I need to spend to keep the Mrs. Happy (happy wife/happy life, etc.) My guess is that she will want to spend a lot of time just relaxing by the pool and I don't know if that's an option on the KMC, so it might make more sense to just book a traditional hotel.

I love KMC and it is more attractive but it is just that: a military camp. It is not luxurious but it is convenient. What you can rent (and only if you have military privileges) are bungalows with kitchenettes. There's a small shop on the camp where you can buy groceries or you can get them in town. Otherwise, they used to run a cafeteria operation for guests who didn't want to cook. Relaxing by the pool is not an option at KMC -- I don't even know if they have one but temperatures there are generally pretty cool -- often in the 60s and 70s. Remember, it's generally at or above the cloud layer. If that's what she wants, I recommend getting a hotel in Hilo and then driving to other attractions. Hiking through the crater, visiting the art gallery, going through the museum, etc. are options at KMC. KMC is often booked out 6 months in advance -- so are the bungalows at Bellows AFS on O`ahu. The bright side with Bellows is that you have great beaches and easy access to Waimanalo, one of the more laidback neighborhoods on O`ahu.


I'm thinking a sample itinerary would look like this: Day 1, fly Denver to Honolulu. I know it's a long flight so plan the first two nights in Honolulu. That will give us an overnight to rest and then at least a full day seeing Pearl Harbor, the Arizona, etc.

Day 3 fly to the Big Island. Spend at least 5 - 7 days there. Will likely rent a car unless that is prohibitively expensive (if it is, what other options are there for getting around?)

The flight from DEN to HNL isn't bad -- about 7 hours long depending on time of year. The 1205 flight from DEN gets into HNL around 1511. It's a 777-200 with Premium Plus and even Polaris seating available (for a price). The 1345 flight is a 767-300 --- nice, but no Premium Plus. Premium Plus is United's intermediate class between Economy and Domestic First/International Business (aka Polaris). It's sort of what business class used to be 20 years ago with more leg room and better meals but not the level of first class.

In-flight meals have returned to the front of the plane but from what I understand, snack boxes are all that's available in the back. I would recommend bringing your own food for the flight.

Flights to Hilo (ITO) may go through LAX, SFO, OGG (Kahalui), or HNL. You can see the flight times and itineraries if you go to United or Google Flights.

Car rentals appear to be an issue on all islands. Some chains show no availability at all depending on when you book. It's gotten so bad that some visitors to Maui and Kona actually ship their cars (obviously it takes time and is only worth it financially if you're going to spend a couple weeks or more there). A friend of my mother's was going to get charged $2000 for 8 days back in June -- and honestly, he was lucky he was getting a vehicle at all. Public transportation on the Big Island is nothing like in Honolulu -- think of the Big Island like being in western Colorado, everything is spread out. It's easier if your company has a business relationship that lets you get in with one of the major chains.


From there, it's a question mark - does it make more sense to fly back to Honolulu and then catch a connecting flight back to the Mainland? Or fly directly back from Hilo? From what I can see on the various flight planning web pages, the only airline that regularly flies between Denver and Hilo is United, and every experience I've had with them has sucked balls. That being the case, my inclination is to fly back to Honolulu and possibly have one more overnight there before flying back.

So does this seem like a reasonable itinerary? Anything I should consider?

I wouldn't bother with overnighting in Honolulu unless you were doing it specifically to drive down the cost of the airfare, catch up with friends, or see something like the Arizona or Missouri and even then, I'd probably get a morning flight from Hilo to Honolulu with my bags checked through, leave the airport by grabbing a cab or shuttle bus to the Arizona Memorial, and then return in time to catch the 2030 or 2130 flights to DEN. The one exception to this would be if you want to catch the 0700 flight from HNL to DEN (avoiding the redeyes). I've never done it because I don't want to make my family take me to the airport at oh-dark-thirty but it would make sense for you -- in that case, fly from Hilo to Honolulu in the morning, use the afternoon to see what you want, RON in Honolulu, and catch a cab for the early morning flight back to DEN. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I would recommend you fly into Hilo directly and go directly to your hotel, do what you want on the Big Island, then fly from Hilo to Honolulu, RON one or two nights (depending on what you want to do in Honolulu) and then catch the morning flight back to DEN so you can avoid the redeyes.

I almost always flight United but I always return on the redeye so I suck it up and pay for First on the way back. Sleeping in coach is just ... painful ... now. In First, dinner this summer (yes, they serve dinner even for the 2130 flight!) has been a choice of pineapple fried rice or chicken katsu. The chicken katsu was actually very tasty and well-portioned -- my only complaint is that they heat it up with the foil cover so the katsu is moist instead of crisp.

Booking the flights is actually easier than the rental cars so I would first check on rental car availability then book around that for your flights. Decide on what you want to do -- if the Mrs. wants to lay around the pool or beach, you might be better off at one of the resorts near Kona or just consign yourself to Honolulu. If you are going to Volcanoes National Park, I recommend checking out Volcano Lodge. It's outside the park but has easy access. They have fine dining and great guest rooms. You don't have to stay there to get reservations at the restaurant but it helps.

[thedave1164]

Best time to visit Hawaii?

When someone else is paying.

:D

[tric3imagery]

Probably 50 years ago, Hawaii and its sister islands were truly a paradise,
Now its people, tourist, and locals that hate tourists.
Good luck have fun !

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[bradbn4]

My normal answer is off holiday vacation schedule; esp Christmas / New Years where the snow birds fly to defrost.

[BREATHER]

Not ever, I would not go even if someone else paid for it

[bradbn4]

Funny you should say that - my last trip to Hawaii was when someone paid me to go. I will say Hawaii trip was worth going on once, nice to see what I could see.
The first time I hit their beaches was during a blizzard(back home), so the temp change was wonderful. We had a bungalow near the beach for a few days. Perfect.

When I went for work on [fixed] Oahu, the only thing I remember was the crowds, and how small Waikiki beach felt. I went to my first and only real ramen place. The food was perfect. I remember driving the coast and seeing a few spots that I was able to ID as being on the TV show Lost. I pretty much walked most of the area in Waikiki to kill time while waiting for access to the hardware we were doing a remove and replace.

Would I go back for a vacation trip? No
Would I go back for work again(non-covid times)? I could see it being enjoyable. And besides, I would like to have another good bowl of ramen.

[ray1970]

When I went for work on Maui, the only thing I remember was the crowds, and how small Waikiki beach felt. I went to my first and only real ramen place. The food was perfect. I remember driving the coast and seeing a few spots that I was able to ID as being on the TV show Lost. I pretty much walked most of the area in Waikiki to kill time while waiting for access to the hardware we were doing a remove and replace.



Silly rabbit.

Waikiki is on Oahu, not Maui.

[arbol]

Hawaii is not to be missed, if you can go.

February, is when I went and it was whale season. I was snorkling at Turtle Beach (on Maui), and could hear the whales singing. Sounded like they were right next to me. Beautiful.

I spent my time on Maui, and the second highlight of my trip was the Road to Hana (and back) which basically circumnavigates the island. Whales splashing their flippers offshore, breaching, etc.

Oh, and so many waterfalls, and beautiful beaches, etc. Lost my camera on the first day jumping 10 feet into a waterfall, etc.

Just beautiful.

The flight sucks, way too long over unremarkable ocean.

Oahu (?) is cool, there are some sights to see (it's an Island, in the middle of the Pacific) but it's the most populated island, and feels like a normal city.

Milk, is $8 per gallon. Cereal, another $4, so, yeah, you probably want to bring lots of money.

Hope you have a great time...

[BushMasterBoy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qjpG-0Qg0s