Hawaii Guide
Six inhabited islands, each with its own weather system, and a drive time that rarely means what the map suggests.
Hawaii is not one trip but several — Oahu's Waikiki resort strip, Maui's Road to Hana switchbacks and the Big Island's lava fields all sit hours apart by plane, not by road. Most visitors base on a single island and treat the others as separate future trips, since inter-island flights add real time and cost to any itinerary. Trade winds and microclimates mean sun on one coast and rain twenty minutes away is entirely normal, so pack for both regardless of season.
Waikiki to the volcanoes, island by island
Illustrated
Drawn by hand for the KEY2 Hawaii guide
Where to stay
Hotels
The KEY2 list
Happy Hour
Daylight
Hotel Pools & Pool Clubs
Eat
Best Food
Mornings
Breakfast & Brunch
Recover
Health & Wellness
After dark
Nightlife
Arenas
Sports
Tonight
Concerts & Comedy
Say it here
Weddings
Book the room
Event Spaces
Experiences
100 Other Things To Do
Hawaii explained
Hour-by-hour plans drawn by hand — pick one and follow it from first coffee to last call.
24 Hours in Hawaii
A single Oahu-focused day from Diamond Head's crater rim to a Waikiki sunset.
48 Hours in Hawaii
Two days spanning Oahu's Waikiki shoreline and a Big Island volcano-and-stars loop.
Hawaii travel guide
The practical layer: when to come, how to arrive, how to move, where to base yourself and what it costs.
Best time to visit
April, May, September and October combine dry-season weather with lower airfares and thinner crowds than the June–August and late-December peaks; December through April also brings humpback whale season off Maui.
Getting in
Most visitors arrive via Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) on Oahu, with direct flights also serving Kahului (Maui), Kona and Hilo (Big Island), and Lihue (Kauai). Inter-island flights on Hawaiian or Southwest run 30–45 minutes and are the standard way to add a second island to a trip.
Getting around
A rental car is close to essential outside Waikiki, since public transit is limited and attractions like Haleakala, the Road to Hana and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are far from any hotel zone. Oahu's TheBus network covers Honolulu and Waikiki reasonably well for visitors staying centrally.
What it costs
A mid-range resort runs $350–600 a night in peak season; dinner for two at a good restaurant costs $100–180; a one-way inter-island flight typically costs $80–150.
Where to stay
- Waikiki, Oahu
- The classic high-rise beach resort strip, walkable and dense with dining, shopping and nightlife.
- Wailea, Maui
- Maui's upscale resort corridor on the sunny south shore, close to good snorkeling beaches.
- Kailua-Kona, Big Island
- A relaxed west-coast base for coffee farms, snorkeling and access to Hualalai and volcano country.
- North Shore, Oahu
- A laid-back surf-town alternative to Waikiki, best in winter for big-wave watching.
Traveller tips
- Book Road to Hana and Haleakala sunrise reservations in advance; both have limited daily permits or fill quickly.
- Rental cars book out fastest and priciest during peak season — reserve as early as your flights.
- Reef-safe sunscreen is required by state law at many beaches and snorkeling spots; other formulations are sometimes turned away.
- Trade winds and microclimates mean the leeward (west/south) coasts are usually drier than the windward (north/east) coasts on the same island.
- Tipping follows US norms: 18–20% at restaurants, $1–2 per bag for bellhops.
- If island-hopping, build in a buffer day rather than same-day connections — inter-island flights delay easily with weather.
The Hawaii calendar
The dates that actually move prices, crowds and opening hours.
January
Sony Open in Hawaii
PGA Tour event at Waialae Country Club on Oahu draws golf crowds and fills nearby Honolulu hotels.
February
Waimea Bay big-wave season
Winter swells bring world-class surf spectating to Oahu's North Shore through March.
April
Merrie Monarch Festival, Hilo
A week-long hula competition on the Big Island that books out Hilo hotels a year in advance.
May
Lei Day
Islandwide celebrations on May 1st with lei-making contests and hula performances.
August
Maui swap meet and county fair season
Local markets and agricultural fairs pick up across the islands during summer.
November
Triple Crown of Surfing, North Shore Oahu
A month-long professional surf series that fills North Shore accommodation.
Seasonal highlights
- Dry season (Apr–Oct)
- Warmer and drier across most islands, with the calmest ocean conditions on south and west shores.
- Wet season (Nov–Mar)
- Cooler with more rainfall, especially on windward coasts, but also the season for big winter surf on the North Shore.
- Whale season (Dec–Apr)
- Humpback whales migrate through Maui's Auau Channel, visible from shore on the south and west coasts.
- Peak travel (Jun–Aug, late Dec)
- Summer school break and the winter holidays bring the highest airfares and hotel rates of the year.
Off-peak intel
- April, May, September and October offer good weather with noticeably lower airfare than summer or the winter holidays.
- Book Road to Hana and Haleakala sunrise slots for weekday mornings to avoid the heaviest tour-van traffic.
- Whale-watching season (December–April) doesn't require a peak-season booking; shoulder weeks still have strong sightings.
- Weekday inter-island flights are consistently cheaper and easier to book than weekend departures.