If your idea of a vacation includes beaches, mountains, and palm trees, Hawaii won’t disappoint you. The palm-tree-lined beaches are beautiful. There are mountains and hiking trails aplenty. The traffic is slow and the people are laid back.

Not much not to like. Except, for the cost.

It was my first trip to Hawaii.

My wife had won a work trip to Maui and I was tagging along as the plus-one. Since we had been planning a Hawaii vacation for a while, we decided to go ahead and extend the trip to include Kauai and Oahu.

Just a caveat: This post is not meant to be an exhaustive post about Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. It is mostly about my personal experiences and impressions of the two islands (Maui & Kauai) and Honolulu, the city. Since pictures and videos communicate the beauty of Hawaii better than words, I decided to break this post into three web stories.

So, here we go.

Maui

Kahului Airport (OGG), the main airport in Maui, services inter-island flights as well as flights from Canada and the US Mainland. With a time difference of six hours, the eight-hour flight to and from Toronto can feel long and exhausting.

Taxis in Hawaii are pricey and often have to be pre-booked. While Uber is available, the wait for a pick-up can be long and frustrating. If you are on a short vacation, renting a car would be the right way to go. The sights and activities in Maui are spread out and not easily accessible by public transport. Book ahead. Car rental companies have been known to run out of cars during the touristy season.

As for stay, the Wailea Beach area is chock-a-block with high-end resorts such as The Grand Wailea and The Fairmont, which I had the fortune of staying at. You can read the web story here. Airbnb and other relatively reasonably priced accommodations are the go-to for most tourists who visit Maui.

Food options range from popular food trucks to high-end restaurants, and as expected, are centred around seafood. If you like cocktails, you can get your fill of Mai Tais, Blue Hawaiis, and Pina Coladas in Maui.

The Maui that I saw is shown above.

Kauai

With lush green rainforests, dramatic cliffs, sprawling mountains, and beaches galore, Kauai is often referred to as the Garden Island. For tourists seeking adventure and a respite from their busy lives, Kauai provides the perfect mix of rest, relaxation, and choices of outdoor activities.

A fifty-minute flight from Maui will get you to Kauai. There is no taxi rank at the airport which would mean that you call for a taxi and wait for it to show up. Without a rental car, transportation in Maui can be a pain. Roads are mostly single lane and traffic jams are not unusual. Keep a little buffer when you head back to the airport to avoid last-minute stress situations.

Kauai hotels and resorts, and the food served at these establishments, tend to be pricey. Food trucks are popular options for tourists in Kauai.

Weather in Kauai can be unpredictable. I suppose one should not be surprised that it often rains in a rainforest!

Honolulu

If partying and nightlife are part of your Hawaii travel plans, you can find plenty of it in Honolulu. Located on the island of Oahu, Honolulu is the most visited city in Hawaii. Waikiki, the famous beach and city centre of Honolulu, is vibrant with high-end shops and restaurants lining its main street — Kalakaua Avenue. Bruno Mars, who started as a street performer in Honolulu, is an inspiration for the many buskers who perform on the streets of Waiki.

Contrary to what you may think, Honolulu has its share of beaches and mountains albeit in an urban setting. Taxis and shared rides are easily available, while food and accommodations are less expensive compared to Maui and Kauai.

Plan ahead to visit the museum and memorials at Pearl Harbour and tour the Jurassic Park sets if that is of interest to you.

I loved Honolulu. I would go back.

You can read more travel web stories here.