kauai and kona

Planning a week long trip to hawaii in December. Would like to go to Kauai and Kona for the week and split my time at both. Question is which island do we spend more time at? We%26#39;re a couple in our late 20%26#39;s who enjoys activities as well as laying on the beach.

Thanks!

kauai and kona

well Kona will be a whole lot dryer in December with better beach weather and water. On the other hand Kauai has more sand beach, but Kona has better snorkeling, diving, activities and variety

kauai is 1/10 the size of the Big Island and thus in 2 hours you can drive the whole island..... whereas it takes 10 hours to drive the big island........ without stopping.

Owing to this large size it will take much longer to see.. Volcano, Hawi, Kona,Kohala, Hamakua,Hilo Mona Kea, and Place of refuge

kauai and kona

The Big Island is bigger than all the other islands put together. I would spend most of my time there. A week isn%26#39;t much but a 3/4 split should at least give you some time for exploring and then when you return (just about everyone does) you will have a better handle on where to go.

Aloha gc, Poipu Kauai is really worth seeing especially since it is ranked #1 in the islands for snorkeling. The beach there is the best and as others have said you can see it all in 3 days. Bridal Veil Falls is a must see too. Kauai is very different from BI more tropical ..you need to see both to appreciate the differences.

Both have their own forums and both have their own follows so check out the forums and decide. Better week on both.

To say you can drive the whole island of Kaua%26#39;i in two hours is a little misleading. Yes, you can drive the whole thing in two hours. Will you see anything except what%26#39;s immediately visible from the road? No. Will you be able to stop at all? No. Will you feel like you%26#39;ve gotten a real taste of the island? No.

That said, I think you%26#39;re pushing it to try to do any two islands in 7 days. I%26#39;d stick with one.

Just got back from 12 days on the Big Island (not enough time) and 6 days on Kauai( just enough time) Both were great but I much prefer the BI. Better snorkeling, kayaking,volcano.Although I went surfing and Waimea Canyon is great on Kauai. Activities wise my vote is the BI.

You%26#39;ll have a great time no matter what.

Enjoy!

In December, no question I would pick the Big Island, for weather alone. Big Island is enough farther south that the weather is definitely warmer and still tropical in winter.

Kaua%26#39;i is beautiful but gets a lot of winter rain. You can%26#39;t count on seeing the north shore dry at all. Poipu supposedly is sunny in winter ... I wasn%26#39;t so fortunate as to encounter sunshine there. So maybe if you are OK with Poipu and points west it would be nice there. Personally I%26#39;d save Kaua%26#39;i for a second trip, not in winter.

My first trip to the Big Island we spent 15 days and there were sill lots of areas we didn%26#39;t explore. A week is nothing, don%26#39;t even try to see the Big Island on half a week. You will shortchange both islands by splitting it.

I fully agree with pzp that driving around Kaua%26#39;i doesn%26#39;t mean that you%26#39;ve explored Kaua%26#39;i. Kaua%26#39;i isn%26#39;t a drive-by.

My question for you would be what activities and what kind of scenery??? That might help determine some things for you as well . . .though I have to agree with most folks that it should be a minimum of one week for an island. I just spent one week on Kauai and it simply wasn%26#39;t enough . . . and that was a return visit! :) Each island has lots of activities - depends on what you want to do besides the laying on the beach. Kauai has better beaches and the lush tropical scenery many people expect for their Hawaiian vacation . . . but it does come with rain. Good luck choosing! :)