Maui VS Kauai

Before Covid, I took a cruise around Hawaii.

I overnighted in Maui and spent a few hours in Kauai.

They are both beautiful and there are similarities while also differences.

I suggest that you do research using State of Hawaii Visitor information. I also suggest that you buy a guide book. Also check out youtube videos.

Update: Here is a link to State of Hawaii Visitor Information. It is very valuable.

https://www.gohawaii.com

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers a seven day cruise to four islands.

broncojack3,
I have stayed on Kauai (2 times) Hawaii (big island 1 time) and Oahu (1 time). I haven't been to Mauai, although that seems to be the most popular with travelers. For that reason, I put that at the bottom of my list as it seems to me to be the most touristy. I may be way off base here, and I don't know how the general recovery has been since the fires. Kauai is absolutely beautiful with a variety of landscapes (swamps, rain forests, long white beaches, mountains, craters, deep valleys, the Na Pali coast). It is the oldest island as well, and to me is a great place to stay. Every island is beautiful with great beaches, if that is your main reason for going there.

(My favorite is the big island, however, on the Hilo side, rain and all....it is what I consider to be "old Hawaii", the most authentic.)

Where are you coming from? One factor for you may be the availability of flights directly from the mainland, which Maui and Kona (Big Island) have. Maui has the best beaches. Kauai is the most lush tropical and peaceful. Don't count out Oahu, as it has a lot of things to see and do.

Both islands are beautiful but we prefer Kauai, especially when based on the northern shore. You can rent bikes and spend a day at deserted beaches along the bike path. The Napali Coast hike is gorgeous and you can continue to a waterfall that makes it a great, but difficult day! There are places to rent kayaks and canoes (not for the ocean). The Wailea area of Maui is also lovely for walks or snorkeling and the road to Hana is fun. We spent a night at a tiny place at Hana and hiked at the Oheo Pools the next day, returning the 'back way' to Wailea. You need to figure out what you want to do in Hawaii and what kind of base you would enjoy---we don't like the less congested areas. Some people like the high rise hotel areas. You also need to consider where large waves are at that time of year if you plan a lot of beach time or boat tours.

I wouldn't write off Maui because of the fires. The island desperately needs tourist revenue. The considerate thing to do if you go to Maui is NOT got to Lahaina where the devastation occurred. You could still go to Kihei and Wailea or north to Kapalua. Regarding Kauai in the summer: generally speaking the north end of the island (the Princeville area) will have calmer waves than the southern end around Poipu. If you are coming from the west coast of the US mainland you may be able to get direct flights to Princeville and by pass the long drive from the primary airport in Lihue.

You didn't mention the ages of your children ("family of five"). If they're younger, Maui has more to offer school-age kids, with an aquarium and options for day-trips up Haleakalā or to Hana on the other side of the island. We prefer Kauai (Nā Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon are hard to beat), but it's a LOT more quiet and laidback than Maui. You can't go wrong with either choice, both have beautiful beaches and shave ice. :) My recommendation would be to 'right size' the trip (base your decision) according to family demographics and interests.

If you are coming from the west coast of the US mainland you may be able to get direct flights to Princeville and by pass the long drive from the primary airport in Lihue.

Not a possibility. The only useage of Princeville airport is for helicopter tours.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeville_Airport

EDIT- Additional Princeville airport info

https://www.airnav.com/airport/HI01
With a 3560' long runway, you might be able to land a 737, the smallest commercial plane with the range to get there from the mainland, but would have to fly it out empty to have any chance of getting off the ground

As for which island, if this is a first trip, Maui is probably the better choice. It is larger and has more places to go & thing to do. Sitting poolside or beach side is a perfectly good 'activity'.

If you do choose Maui, Sunset on Haleakala is as impressive as sunrise, doesn't require a reservation ( at least didn't this past April ) and getting there for it happens at a more civilized time of day.

Depending on your financial situation you may want to add up the cost of lodging/flights/rental car for each island and let that be your guide. Be sure to add all 3 to get a true comparison.

There is no bad/wrong choice. Just plan to do the 'other' island on the next trip.

The only useage of Princeville airport is for helicopter tours.

Shoot, is that relatively new? I thought you used to be able to fly Seattle-Princeville.

"Shoot, is that relatively new? I thought you used to be able to fly Seattle-Princeville"

Maybe you are thinking Lihue Airport? There are direct flights Seattle->Lihue on both Delta and Alaska.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lihue_Airport

There is no flying into Princeville (never in the history of ever) unless coming by helicopter.

Broncojack, hard to say which island is "best" without knowing your criteria. What ages are your kids? Is your family active and adventurous? Do you want to focus on water activities, including snorkeling, surfing, etc.? Are you interested in visiting cultural/historic sites? Do you want to stay in a condo or apartment?

There is no flying into Princeville (never in the history of ever)

Ugh, sorry. I could have sworn Alaska had a perhaps seasonal flight into Princeville. Maybe they had just proposed it.

As a longtime resident of Kauai I can recommend it without hesitation. The north shore around Princeville and Hanalai is glorious, with picture postcard scenery around every bend in the road. It does tend to be a bit showery up there though which explains why it's so lush and generally well-watered. Summer showers are transient and pass quickly however, revealing some of the prettiest landscapes you'll see anywhere.
The south shore around Poipu is the dry side of the island featuring terrific beaches and, a bit further west, magnificent Kokee Park.
All that said, I agree with Judy that the Big Island would be my choice too - in fact it is our choice every year whenever we go back to visit family on Oahu. We always carve out extra time for a visit to Kona or Hilo ... or both.

Can you fly direct to both of them? If not, then with 6 days and 3 kids I would pick the one I could fly direct to.

Updated original post.

Another vote for the Big Island. We have also been to Maui, Kauai, Oahu ( husband was stationed there and did multiple years of reserve duty). Kids had a great time on Oahu with sailing, North Shore, and Honolulu. But I think they enjoyed the visit to Hawai’i National Park the most. They were about the same age as your children on their last visit.

But with 5, I would definitely look at ticket prices and availability. With 6 days it will be hard to go wrong. Also accommodations that fit your requirements.

Have a great trip!

We went as a family to Maui last summer- do look at The Mauian Hotel, located north of Lahaina, locally owned and just steps from the beautiful beach. We could snorkel right from there but one day splurged on an excursion via boat- memorable!
Going up the mountain for the sunrise would be an adventure, too, albeit a very early start.
I disagree about impeding the fire recovery efforts- it felt like we were helping the best way possible. We were repeatedly told that the funds from tourism were vital and thanked for coming!
We visited a lot of food trucks and the food was always just delicious.
It was heart wrenching to see the impact and aftermath of the fire and the reconstruction underway was encouraging...