This following guide will help you to select the appropriate Hawaiian islands to visit according to the activity that you want to pursue. Although you will find an activity present in almost all of the 6 major and most frequently visited islands in one form or another, but this article will enable you to find that activity at its best in Hawaii.
These recommendations are actually based on the valued opinion of many visitors and on our research of these locations.

The Best Beaches

1. Maui – Red Sand Beach (Hana)
2. The Big Island – Punaluu Black Sand Beach
3. The Big Island – Mahana Green Sand (Seasonal)

Surfing Destinations (Advanced Level) (Seasonal)

1. Oahu – North Shore
2. Kauai – Hanalei Bay
3. Maui – Honolua Bay

Surfing Destinations (Novice Level) (Seasonal)

1. Oahu – Waikiki
2. Kauai – Kalapaki Beach
3. Maui – Launiupoko Park

Windsurfing & Kite Surfing Destinations

1. Maui – Hookipa Beach Park (Advanced Level)
2. Maui – Kanaha Beach (Novice Level)
3. Oahu – Kailua Beach

Best Scuba Diving Destinations

1. Maui – Molokini
2. Maui – Lanai Coast
3. The Big Island – West Coast

Best Snorkeling Experience

1. Oahu – Haunama Bay
2. Maui – Kaanapali (Black Rock)
3. Kauai – Lydgate Beach & Tunnels

Top Natural Wonders

1. Kauai – Na Pali Coast
2. The Big Island – Kilauea Volcano
3. Maui or Lanai – whale watching (seasonal)

Best Hiking Tracks

1. Kauai – Na Pali Coast (seasonal)
2. Kauai – Waimea Canyon
3. The Big Island – Mt. Kilauea

Best Nude Sunbathing Beaches

1. Maui – Little Beach in Makena
2. The Big Island – Various Locations
3. Kauai – Secret Beach in Kilauea

The Most Colorful Nightlife

1.Oahu Waikiki
2.Maui Lahaina
3.The Big Island Kailua Kona

The Best Places To Shop

1. Oahu – Aloha Market & Waikiki
2. Maui – Lahaina
3. Big Island – Kailua Kona

Hawaii is home to one of the most spectacular and breath-taking natural wonders and scenic beauty, and is famous for rewarding its visitors to experience priceless natural phenomena and marvels.

One such wonder is whale-watching. Humpback Whales gather to mate in the temperate waters of the Pacific around Hawaii, migrating some good 4,000 miles all over from Alaska, their summer feeding haven. Whales tend to increase their activity during mating, and that causes them to make a lot of surface appearances. Whale moves like breaching and tail-slaps provide scenes that are awaited by enthusiastic whale watchers all over the year.

As a local Hawaiian and a keen whale-watcher myself, allow me to offer five useful tips to you, which will ensure your whale watching experience in Hawaii to be a thing to remember.

1. Plan Your Trip During Whale-Watching Months

The arrival of the Humpbacks commences in the month of November, and they do not return back to Alaska before May starts. Plan your tour to Hawaii between these months, even more so in February and March, during which the activity of the whales is at its peak. You will easily spot whales, with some nice potential shots for the photographers. If you havent yet made your plan for Hawaii, remember to do so in the mentioned months.

2. Be at the Right Places

Another important factor is to be at the right places and right islands in order to get better views. Kauai, Maui and the Big Island are the favorites of whale-watchers. You can see some whales from Oahu too, but not as much as from the former three.

3. Take A Boat Tour

It is a natural coincidence that a popular tourist spot as Hawaii also serves as the natural habitat for the Humpback Whales, which actually allows visitors to witness a show arranged by nature herself. But you can get unimaginably close and of course, better views if you take a boat tour. The Humpback Whales are curious animals and always approach a boat, offering you almost a pleasant close encounter with the wonderful creatures.

You can find a lot of boat tours on the Lahaina Harbor all through the day during the whale-watching seasons. Whale-watching is also pretty organized in Kauai and the Big Island, and tours are arranged with schedules, which also feature expert guides that enrich your whale-watching experience by the relevant knowledge.

However, if youre not the boating type, you can even enjoy the whale-watching experience from the shore. But in order to get the best possible views from land, you need to choose some really good spots. Some of such locations on the Kauai island are the Kealia Lookout, the Kilauea Lighthouse, and many of the high spots on the coastline. Once you settle into a nice spot with all your optics focused, you can relish the joys of witnessing the spectacular spouting water plumes and the playful moves of the enormous creatures.

4. Take Care to Respect Their Space

Whale-watching can be a fun activity, but remember that it involves living creatures, and there are strict rules and ethics that regulate it in order to protect the freedom and safety of these beautiful creatures. Any observer is not allowed to get within a distance of 100 yards from the whale, whether by boat or by swimming. However there is no such rule that can prevent whales from getting closer, but experienced Hawaiian guides and tour leaders exactly have the idea of how to interact with and approach these peaceful creatures, and to encourage them to feel safe and come closer.

5. Take Care to Preserve the Species

Due to the unrestrained and unethical practice of mass commercial whaling during the early half of the 20th century, the Humpback Whales almost saw extinction staring in the eye by 1966. As you are reading these lines, there are roughly 30,000 to 40,000 Humpbacks around the world. Federal Legislation is made to protect the creatures, but the real difference is made if every individual understands his or her responsibility, and to help preserve these magnificent creatures, so that the generations to come can enjoy whale-watching, just like we do. You could take care of the following:

Only be a part of responsible whale-watching groups or activities
Keep the beach clean and never dispose off any debris to the beach and the sea. Support groups that work against illegal whaling & stop buying related products. Support relevant legislation, preservation programs and research meant for this purpose. Support and donate to environment friendly organizations and groups

Hawaii whale-watching is as close as you can possibly get to these amazing creatures without being a researcher or a biologist. There is one thing reading about it in books, and watching it on TV, but it is entirely different living the experience yourself. There is no reason why you shouldnt try. Its perfectly safe, is a fun-filled activity for the whole family. It could be one of the greatest reasons that attract you to the shores of Hawaii.

The benefits it offers, like comfort, luxury, the scenic beauty, economy and most of all, privacy are unmatched by conventional hotels. After all, thats what a vacation is supposed to bring you. Afterwards, you must also have searched vacation rentals at Oahu, and the search would have returned no less than 300,000 results.

Rather than getting lost in that labyrinth, here are a couple of tricks to help you find a vacation rental in Oahu, Hawaii.

Look for Reservation Service

Find and use a reliable reservation service in order to conveniently land yourself a rental place successfully. There are two important reasons why you should do that. Firstly, you are unlikely to get anywhere if you are looking at an unending rental listing sorted with respect to the owners. Moreover, accommodation in Hawaii remains occupied to almost 90% at any given time, so unless you know for sure on what dates will you be traveling to Hawaii, it is very hard to get yourself a place.

Secondly, as Hawaii is a frequent destination of tourists, the property owners are only concerned with making most of the profits out of their rented property, and will not give you their realistic preview, which a reservation service will provide you with.

Select the Right Reservation Service

If you realize the importance of availing a reservation service, you should be even more conscious of the fact that it should be a reliable and efficient one. To begin making a choice, always go for a company that is a Hawaiian local. Travel websites often talk fancy, but hardly know a thing about the islands, the geography, the weather, the culture, the people and the events, and will not be able to advise you on enhancing the experience of your vacation.

For example, a good reservation service will tell you that you need to stay in the windward parts, in order to enjoy a whale watching vacation in Oahu.

A useful tip to evade websites that are likely to make you end up in a pricy and terrible accommodation, stay away from websites that offer more than a 100 entries in their rental lists. There are not really that many reasonable picks in Oahu. Also, do not trust websites that make reservations in an automated manner, like through the credit card. Such website offer you no personal interaction and value, and are not really concerned to learn about your needs and just want to pocket your payments.

Also, beware of sites that make offers like luxurious hotels or condos at Kailua. Laws prevent people to establish a hotel or a condo in Kailua, and such websites are designed only to pocket payments rather than providing you any real service. It is obvious, because someone in San Francisco or Salt Lake City will barely have a clue about accommodation in Hawaii.

Always enquire about who you are talking to and where the service is located. You would not be able to get a refund if you book a rental deal, so make absolutely sure that you are dealing with the right reservation service.

A quality reservation service will rather ask you about what you want in an accommodation, the places you would like to see and the things you are likely to be doing on your vacation. Not to breach your privacy, or for thrusting their selling skills on you, but to narrow down and find just the appropriate and fitting place for your vacation.

One of such service is Ingrid Carvalhos Pacific Islands Reservations. Ingrid was born and raised in Hawaii, so were her ancestors, and knows the place inside out. She has 90 vacation rentals in Oahu and another 90 in Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. She has been serving tourists since 1996. She has been to each and every one of the rental locations and has done all the photography that features on her websites herself.

She wont ask for a credit card booking. All she will offer you is just the solution to all your problems concerning finding a rental accommodation in Hawaii, by talking to you.

So, select the right reservation service like the Pacific Islands Reservations, and enjoy your vacation in Hawaii with unforgettable satisfaction.

So you have finally decided to go to Hawaii for your vacation. But have you decided on the destination in the Aloha State? Hawaii has no shortage of beautiful locations, including Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai, Kauai and the Big Island. So you have a lot of choices to choose from.

However before you do so, please consider the following factors that will prove to bring a lot of convenience to your vacations in Hawaii.

Overnight Accommodation

In Hawaii, you will find quite a few options for your overnight accommodation. A lot of tourists like to book a hotel room or a suite, a vacation resort, a vacation home, a vacation condo or a villa. But you will not find all of those options available for every single destination in Hawaii, for example, some destinations would not offer any hotels. Therefore, it would be more convenient and settling to look for Hawaii Villa Rentals for your accommodation, and the locations offering them, while you decide your destination.

Your Vacation Requirements

What is more important than anything else is how you want your vacation to be, and what it is really that you have in your mind to do, and that will really determine where you will be heading. It is up to you to decide what kind of a vacation you want to have. If you just want to relax by the beach, then you should look for destinations that offer better beaches, while also keeping convenience of accommodation and luxury in mind. Keep in mind your vacation needs and wants, and of those who accompany you, and they will take you to your destination.

Local Attractions & Activities

Another important factor while choosing a destination is what it offers you to have a good time. You would want to make sure you research what attractions do different locations in Hawaii hold, and the kind of activities you can participate in there, like surfing. You dont want to bore yourself on your vacation, neither are you visiting Hawaii to remain confined within your lodging.

Use the internet to learn more about the kinds of attractions in different Hawaiian destinations other than what you already know, and to find out what kinds of activities are available in those destinations. There are different attractions that almost every island has to offer, such as two major national parks in two separate islands. Molokai, one of those islands, will enable you to witness the tallest sea cliffs in the world and you can also enjoy a ride on a mule to the Kalaupapa National Park.

The Availability & Quality of Vacation Rentals

As discussed earlier, make sure that your destination hosts a variety of vacation rental options. The more vacation rental options your intended destination holds, the more likely you are to get a successful, and more importantly, a comfortable booking. It is also important that those vacation rentals are available on the dates of your vacations, and if you really have your mind set on a particular location, it is advisable to make a reservation as early as you can.

However, dont just worry yourself by the availability factor. Make sure you check other factors, like size, facilities, amenities, features, regulations and the price to your satisfaction before you finalize the reservation.

Traveling Costs

Traveling costs is a central factor to the planning of your whole vacation, and especially for the selection of your destination. If your itinerary features a visit to Molokai, you may have to plan a trip to the island separately. You may not find a direct flight to each and every island from your particular location in the United States; the flight factor becomes further difficult if you are outside the States. Your choice of destinations will really determine your traveling costs.

Make the most of the time that you have before you make up your mind and do keep all these factors in mind. But no matter what destination you select, make sure you enjoy it to the fullest, for every location in Hawaii is special.

Hawaii is one of the top favorites when it comes to vacations and tourist destinations, and if you have made up your mind to set your sails to this Pacific paradise, then you should start packing your bags and making reservations right away. To simplify it, you really should know what you are going to do in Hawaii way before you actually are just about to make the trip. As a part of that, take your time out and try to find out something about the attractions in Hawaii, and the activities that you can take part in.

There are five solid reasons for doing so, which will make you enjoy the sun, while enjoying the richness of adventure and culture on your vacation to Hawaii.

1. Helps to Select Your Destination

You dont want to be in a situation when you dont know where to go when you reach Hawaii. If you know what you will do, you can determine where you should go. The activities of your interest will most likely set up your itinerary for Hawaii. Hawaii is a tourist haven, and has a lot to see than you can imagine. It boasts wonderful destinations like Oahu, Maui and the Big Island itself, which hold attractions and potential for activities that will essentially complete your Hawaiian experience.

You will find a lot of places offering similar activities when you research what to see and do in Hawaii. For instance, there are activities like surfing, which is loved by all the Hawaiian islands. If you are into surfing as well, make sure you find out the right time and the right place for that, so you dont miss out on all the fun.

2. Helps Select Your Rental Accommodation

Having a good idea of the activities of your interest, and of the places you want to see, will make your search for a decent rental accommodation in Hawaii pretty simple. You are most likely to take an accommodation near the places you want to see, or near the center of the activities you are planning to involve in. For example, if you are into surfing or would like to relax on a sunny beach, you may want a rental accommodation next to a beach. If you want to witness another side of nature by exploring the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you would like an accommodation in the Big Island that proves convenient as far as the proximity to your favorite destination is concerned. It will save you both time and money. An appropriate travel rental will help you cut traveling costs, and will keep in checking overspendings, which is often a likely trend during vacations.

3. Helps Planning Your Vacation

Although everyone would love the pleasant surprise that the magical Hawaiian islands can bring you if you land there unsure of the delights that await you. However, you will be losing a lot on all other fun activities at the same time. If you want to have a taste of little bit of everything Hawaii has to offer you, making a travel plan will be helpful, for which you must research the activities and attractions in Hawaii.

4. Helps You With Your Packing

As you know what kind of activities will you pursue in Hawaii, and what exactly will be the places you will be seeing, it will help you prepare better for the trip, and will enable you to take appropriate accessories and gear with you. For example, if you are into hiking, you must take your comfortable jogging shoes with you, and for most people, packing a swimsuit and sunscreen are a must. It will also save you from making unnecessary purchases on the trip, as such products are pretty expensive in Hawaii as compared to the rest of the United States.

5. Helps You With Your Budget

Vacations can really drain a lot of your savings, so you dont want to end up overspending when your vacation in Hawaii is over. In order to perfectly budget and plan your trip, you need to know what kind of activities will you be keeping yourself busy with, and what places will you visit. This will at least help you plan and to find more about admission fee for certain activities and other rents through the internet. Planning beforehand will at least enable you to make careful estimates.

So make sure that you research a little on how to have fun in Hawaii, rather than just flying to the islands with a blank mind. Not only planning in advance will help you save time and money, but will also prevent you from a lot of inconvenience, which will enable you to enjoy yourself more. Internet is the most useful tool in your hands. Use it to plan your trip to Hawaii. Take free vacation guides and check out activities and attractions out there.

Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It has a beautiful blend of nature, scenic beauty, culture and people, and is one of the most popular places for vacations. If you have never had the pleasure to visit the beautiful islands, you may want to consider it. Here are a few tips that would be useful for your visit in Hawaii and would make you keep in touch with nature there.

Hawaii is famous around the world for its shell volcanoes like Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth. In fact, it was volcanic activity itself which gave rise to these islands. Even today most of the parts of the Hawaiian islands are made up of volcanic rock, which make Hawaii a geological wonder, along with its reputation for scenic beauty. The Big Island is made up of five volcanoes, out of which Kilauea is the most active of all volcanoes and is continuously vomiting out liquid lava since 1983. The spectacular sight of Kilaueas eruption spilling into the ocean is one of the things to watch when you visit Hawaii. The rising of the steam produced by the union of red hot lava with the cool waters of the Pacific is actually a tourist attraction, and is one of the many manifestations of the wonders of Mother Nature.

The volcanic nature of the terrain of the Big Island create yet another natural wonder: The famous black sand beaches. You may fight white sand beaches at many places around the world, but you will not find a black sand beach anywhere else. You have to see it to believe it.

The natural beauty of Hawaii is not confined to its volcanoes, but also appears in waterfalls. Hawaii is home to one of the most spectacular waterfalls. The Akaka Falls State Park contains the beautiful Akaka Falls, a 442-foot high waterfall, which is worth every second of your time to watch and admire.

The spectacle is simply overwhelming, and words can hardly describe what your eyes will show you, as the park offers you various viewpoints to watch the fall.

Hawaii, a tourist magnet, can offer you top class accommodation, with standards comparable to the best lodgings around the world. The island of Oahu alone offers no less than 30,000 hotel rooms of world class quality. You could also choose to stay in a number of private villas, houses, cottages, resorts and apartments available on rent all over Hawaii.

Hawaii usually has excellent weather at any given time of the year, and summers are when you really can enjoy yourself in Hawaii, with the temperatures reaching up to 90 degrees. Winters are relatively cooler, but you still get temperatures around 80 degrees from time to time.

Hawaii is a must-visit place on the travel plans of every traveler who loves to see the natural beauty and cultural richness around the world. Find a decent and affordable place in Hawaii and prepare yourself to indulge in the beauty of the exotic islands of Hawaii. The experience will surely bring you back.