Just got back yesterday...we try to go every spring now.

We own 2 timeshare weeks there. It's not a good financial investment, but it is a great relationship investment, because it forces us to go away, and it regenerates us.

We now only go to Maui, but have gone to Kauai, Oahu and the big island. The big island is the youngest and thus has the least vegetation. Kona is a very popular spot now. The active volcano is on this island.

Oahu is a very busy island. Waikiki is there, as well as Sunset Beach (my DH almost died there while boogie boarding the first time we went to hawaii-I wouldn't recommend it). Also has Pearl Harbor. We find it too commercial for our taste.

Kauai is the oldest island, and the prettiest. Waimea Canyon is on this island, the "Grand Canyon of Hawaii." It's beautiful. Also loads of waterfalls. But there isn't much to do here if you like to shop. Lots of hiking though.

Maui is our favorite. Lots of beautiful beaches, snorkeling, hiking. Lots of great restaurants, and shopping. There are many great towns to visit. Haleakala is the 10,000 ft. high mountain that you can bike down (did it once-never again!), and you can also ride up to see the sunrise. Helicopter rides show many beautiful waterfalls. The Road to Hana takes four hours one way, but you can see many, many beautiful waterfalls. Lots of great hiking here as well.

If you want to rent a resort, go to Redweek.com. There are many great deals. Our favorite place to stay is the Westin Kaanapali Villas, a timeshare. There are great hotel deals right now, as well. Go to Westin.com, or Marriott.com to check out the hotels. Marriott also has a wonderful timeshare on Kaanapali as well.

Plane fares are expensive, but I have to tell you that hawaii is so worth it!! We use credit cards for groceries, etc and pay them off monthly to build up frequent flyer points and fly free. It's a hassle to plan, because the airlines only have a couple of seats per flight, so my DH plans everything very carefully (which also means we're in the sardine section of the plane instead of the roomy first class, which is so much better for my spastic legs).

I was talking to someone the other day by the pool. she said Hawaiian airlines isn't too expensive from the west coast. If you can get a flight to there and then take them, it might be cheaper.

We always overpack...my SIL takes a carryon and that's all. The airlines charge for checked luggage, so she saves money and time this way. The westin villas have washer &dryer in the room, so she only takes a couple of outfits and washes a lot. We live in our swimsuits there, and only really need a couple of casual outifts and one nice outfit for a fancy dinner. The Westin and Marriott villas also have grills that you can cook out on, which makes eating there so much cheaper! We only eat 2x per day too to cut food costs. Food and gas are very expensive...gas was $4.69 on Sunday

Also, if you rent a car, go to priceline and bid for a rental...we ended up only paying $22/day for a compact car, which is preferable due to small parking spaces and good gas mileage.

Check out the various websites to see what they're like, and Redweek.com too...