Hawaii

[Bihan]

Planning a dream trip but haven't ever been abroad so hoping for some tips!

We are a family of 5 with kids ranging from 14 - 8 years old.

What are the must haves to have in itinerary for a 10 day holiday in Hawaii? Which islands would you recommend in particular? TIA!

We went to the Big Island and were lucky enough to see lava flowing into the ocean from a boat.

Stayed with some B&B type hosts, the best one being on a small coffee and fruit farm up away from the coast. The host there was a former chef, but I cannot find him online anymore.

We also stayed with a German family, but their home was destroyed by volcanic activity (lava flows) a few years back.

Thank you all. All of this is useful and I'll return to read again to check out some of the new places suggested. As well as, just research Hawaii a little better, for next time if nothing else.

What a bunch of kind strangers you all are! 🎄

We have spent a couple of weeks in Hawaii (Oahu and Maui). It is insanely far to go and it is incredibly expensive and you won't have much change left over from your 14k. We spent a few days in SF on the way there just to break up the journey. On the way back we stopped over in San Diego.

Honolulu is fun and Waikiki, as touristy as it is, is great. You can check hike up Diamond Head Crater just south of Honolulu, go across to the other side of the island (Waimanolo, Lanikai), check out Kualoa Ranch (the Jurassic Park movies were filmed there, Lost as well), the North Shore is for surfers and a bit wild and stunning to see. Dole pineapple plantation is a fab stop over. Best whippy ever!

We took it a bit more easy on Maui, did the Hana Highway drive and also drove up the Haleakala volcano.

If I was to go over just for 10 days, excluding travel time, I'd do Oahu for a week and maybe 3 days on the Big Island for the volcanos. Kaui is stunning but if you've teenagers there's only so much hiking in the jungle they will want to do. Oahu has a bit of everything and would probably cater for everyone a bit better.

if you can stretch it to around 16 days inclusive of travel time, go for it! You won't regret the trip. Some of our best holiday memories are from Hawaii and we cannot wait to go back again.

A friend went and was underwhelmed- she also took her family following a modest inheritance. She herself has quite limited funds and the costs plus the journey from U.K. were dreadful. She did go for family reasons but I know it was a bit of a letdown and a nightmare.

I'd be amazed if you could do it for less than £20k for everyone, to be honest.

I took myself for my 40th and it was really expensive... although I did visit more than one island.

I'm glad I've been, for many reasons, but I don't recommend it for a first trip.

If you’ve never been abroad, I’d stick to short haul flights, or long haul but not too far - perhaps 8 or 9 hours? This should keep jet lag down, and be a bit less stressful.

if you’re just looking for sun, sea and some nature, I’d go to somewhere like Greece, or the Balearics, depending on the time of year.

Or if you want to go further afield, Mexico or Costa Rica would be ideal. Or perhaps a two centre holiday - New York or Orlando, with a few days in the Florida Keys might suit.

Also, if you’ve never been aboard, I’d consider a package holiday with transfers, so you don’t have to think too much about how what to do when you get there, you’ll have a resort rep etc, which can be useful sometimes if you are not used to traveling, just for peace of mind.