Hawaii is a stunning location with plenty of fun things to do, no matter which island you visit. If you're in the market for a beachy, relaxing vacation, you may want to head to Maui. Otherwise, consider Honolulu for its abundance of hotels, things to do and plentiful flight connections to other U.S. cities.
You won't find many ferries braving the choppy seas between the major islands in Hawaii, so flying is the best way to travel between Hawaiian islands. Only three airlines operate scheduled flights between them: Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Mokulele Airlines.
Boeing B717s are at the heart of Hawaiian Airlines' fast and frequent Neighbor Island service. As a group, they complete over 160 takeoffs and landings every day!
An Introduction To Inter-Island Day TripsExploring more islands in the great state of Hawaii means you will need to fly to each of the other islands. Taking day trips is a great way to see the unique features on each island. An active volcano, incredible rainforests, huge canyons and so much more to see.
Ferry operations were suspended in March 2009 after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a state law allowing the Superferry to operate without a second complete environmental impact statement was unconstitutional.
The ferry service between Honolulu and Maui is provided by a company called Expeditions. The ferry takes approximately 2.5 hours to get from one island to another and operates daily. A one-way ticket costs $39 for adults, $20 for children between the ages of 2-12, and kids under two can ride the ferry for free.
Hawaii is a beautiful state with six main islands to explore. Each island has beautiful beaches and natural beauty, but if you're a first-time visitor, O?ahu is the best island to visit. The Hawaiian island that is home to the state capital (Honolulu) has something for everyone.
That being said, Oahu is also the easiest island to travel to from other islands thanks to the Honolulu Airport. If you're visiting for enough time to take a mini-trip, you can easily get to Oahu from any of the major islands in about two hours from check-in to taxi.
Oahu is the cheapest Hawaiian island to visit, with a total cost of $3,015. A Ko Olina Resort lagoon on Oahu. Maui is the most expensive island to visit, coming in over $2,000 more expensive, with a total cost of $5,142. The Grand Wailea in Maui, a luxury resort.
Though I generally recommend that first-time visitors stick to one island, since there's more than enough to see and do, island hopping is not difficult to do. The flights -- yes, you'll be going by air to most of them -- are short, so you won't miss much of the day.
The cheapest time to fly to Hawaii is during February and March. The most expensive month to fly is December when the holiday period falls, with January being very expensive as well. The peak travel months of June and July are surprisingly not the most expensive months for flights, with middle figure prices.