Maui or Kauai

I've never been to Maui, but as the oldest island, Kauai is lushly green. The Zodiac tours of the Na Pali Coast are wonderful.

I second Kauai....particularly the North Shore....it too is magical

I'd have to say Maui this year and maybe Kauai once they figure out the new north shore shuttles and parking. It's been pretty crazy since the storms hit last year. I think Maui is the best island for first timers with the most variety of activities. Maui has great beaches, Haleakala for hiking, upcountry for something not beachy, great luaus, you can learn to SUP and surf (although for surfing Oahu is the best). Come over to the TA for Hawaii and you will get more help then you can imagine. Donna

We were on both islands last spring and Kauai is my choice, it is just so beautiful and lush, Likewise it seems a bit more low key than Maui

We've been to every island except Molokai. We are Maui fans and return to the South side (Kihei) of the island every Spring. We rent a condo on the beach from a private owner. We enjoy the various terrain and views from beautiful upcountry, to the multitude of beaches for snorkeling, paddle boarding, etc. Lots of hiking opportunities as well. With a rental car you can explore the island and visit the Volcano, Lavender Farm, west side (Lahaina) or travel to Hana for an amazing adventure. There are also plenty of upscale hotels further south in Wailea. Lovely area.

Kauai is another favorite. The Poipu area might be a consideration. Centrally located. Great beach. We took the Zodiac boat tour many years ago and loved it!

So many great choices! You can't go wrong.

Edit** To Irv's point, Maui on the south side is more "low key." For us, the West side is way too touristy.

We had a full day in Maui while on a cruise and did a private tour the took us on a loop to very scenic places.
We should have do the volcano, the loop was OK, but when going through an area were a lot of celebrities live, we went through a terrible slum with junk cars and trash all over the yards, it took some of the excitement out of Maui.

Agreeing with Donna. Maui first. We've twice stayed at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel because we liked it so much. Not the newest or fanciest, but right on the excellent beach (snorkel-able), and they do a free-for-guests nightly cultural music and dance show there that was better than any of the paid luaus we'd been to. I don't normally like to recommend specific places, but you mentioned culture. Also recommend the bike ride down the volcano and a visit to the "cowboy towns" and winery, inland from there.

We loved Kauai too, so its not a bad choice, but it is more laid back.

It’s looks like the North Shore Shuttle has opened:

https://www.thegardenisland.com/2019/06/13/hawaii-news/hanalei-initiative-to-launch-north-shore-shuttle/

https://kauainsshuttle.com/

I have only been to Kauai once pre-Hurricane Ike. Back then is was green and very quite. Drive c'clockwise from Lihue to Princeville one day, drive clockwise to Waimea the next day then rest and relax the rest of the trip.

Maui has more to see and more to do. The disadvantage of Maui is there are more people and tourist seeing and doing. As someone else noted, a Kehei condo is more low keyed than a luxury hotel on the Lahaina side.

If you and your daughter are into enjoying the ocean, then Maui is a much better choice than Kauai. Kauai is very small and my husband and I, who are avid swimmers, could find only one beach there that was considered safe for swimming, and that beach was swimmable only at high tide. (At low tide, it was too shallow.) I believe the contrast would hold for paddleboarding as well.

We went to all four of the major islands on the same trip and liked Kauai the least. There were constant helicopters and too much traffic - only one major ring road with too many cars. And it wasn't even high season when we were there.

In contrast, in Kihei on Maui we were able to stay across the street from the beach and swim at a safe small beach with lifeguards every day of the week. As others said, it was low-key and enjoyable. Little or no night life, just families and couples having a great (relatively quiet, undrunken) time.

Kihei has a cove where most people on the island learn to surf because most days it has gentle shallow waves that are perfect for beginners.

I like Kauai, my brothers like Maui. They like biking down the volcano and snorkeling. I like walking the canyon and shells on the beach. I think the west coast of Kauai has better sunsets. There are certainly fewer people on Kauai, especially if you go west, as the resorts are on the east side. To me Maui is more developed, Kauai is more rural.

If you go to Kauai try to visit Barking Sands and Polihale beaches. Best in the islands for shells.

We went to Kauai two years ago. Never again. Bumper to bumper traffic everywhere we went. It was not an enjoyable experience. The beach at the hotel was filled with plastic shards plus there was a jelly fish alert. Laying around the pool is not our style. We had a lot more fun on Oahu both with friends who live there and on our own.
Last time we went to Maui was 1980 so I can't comment what it's like now.

I prefer Maui. We have been to Kaui once and Maui twice. We spent 8 nights on Maui 3 years ago: We arrived at the airport and drove directly to Hana, where we spent two nights in the Hana Kai condos. Then we drove back to a bed and breakfast on the slopes of Haleakala and got up early to drive up and see the sunrise and hike around the area. After that we went to Napili beach for 5 nights. That gave us a great taste of the variety of the island. On an earlier trip we stayed at a quieter beach area near Makena. You might like that. There are many condo rentals in low rises near Napili beach, which is why we chose that area.

We didn't bother with a Haleakala sunrise during our visit this pass May. Sunrise at 10K elevation is too early for being on vacation. And the clouds may roll over the summit 15 minutes before sunrise. But if you do want to experience sunrise at 10K, get your reservation: https://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/haleakala-sunrise-reservations.htm

Kauai is very quiet. Unless you are staying in a resort, you will find they “roll in the sidewalks” after 7:00 pm. I love Kauai for all the daytime activities, but I found I was bored in the evenings. Kauai has spectacular scenery. Maui has more nightlife in my opinion. Maui’s scenery is very beautiful, but not quite as nice as Kauai. Kauai, in general, has more rain. I would probably choose Maui and stay near Lahaina or Ka’anapali if I had a teenage daughter going with me.

Thank you everyone! All the islands are so different but I wrote down your responses and will do some more research.

Which ever you decide, the Maui Revealed guidebook ( there’s one for each island) is incredibly helpful! Mile marker directions to all kinds of hidden gems around the island. Maybe check it out at your library to see if you’d like to buy, I bought mine on Amazon. I have one for 3 of the islands!

Oh yes, the blue "revealed" books are the best for the islands. Just go to your local thrift store and get one for a couple bucks. Nothing on the islands has moved, so unless you really need the current prices and eating recommendations it doesn't matter which edition you get.

If you mentioned those "blue" books on the TA forums all heck rains down. They are really hated on that forum. But I find them a good place to start. The other thing on the Maui TA forum that's hated is the bike down Haleakala - lots of accidents. We visit Maui, BI and Kauai pretty regularly. My concern with Kauai is getting to the NS even with the shuttle. Traffic is BAD in Lihue so avoid rush hour as much as possible. There are some great "smallish" local restaurants on Kauai and the best ever dinner cruise I've ever done is on Kauai. My favorite hike though is closed right now but the Waimea Canyon hike to the waterfall is a top 5 fav.

BTW the Hawaiian Islands have climatic zones influenced by the prevailing trade winds. Winds generally blow from the east/north east towards the west/south west. The windward side is generally wetter than the leeward side. Tourist generally seek dry and resort areas are generally developed on the leeward side of each island - Waikiki on Oahu, Lahaina and Kehei on Maui, Kona on the Big Island.

I have the Big Island Revealed book from our last trip and found it very helpful.

Funny that you mention the tourists seek Kona on the Big Island...that was my least favorite. We stayed in Hawi and really loved it. Much greener (which means rain of course) and cooler than Kona. Also preferred the "country, local" vibe vs the resort feel in Kona.

Big Island Kona or Hilo. Tourist vote their dollars (or loonies). Hilo International Airport (ITO) use to be the Big Island's major airport. Kona International (KOA) is now the big airport on the Big Island. Hilo's ITO is down to being served by Hawaiian and United. Kona's (KOA) in contrast is served by airlines from Air Canada to Japan and West Jet and a host of major US carriers.

We too like the Hilo side with its proximity to Volcano and Volcano National Park. But as said, the typical tourist likes sun and doesn't like rain.