Where to stay in Hawaii: the best islands, areas and resorts

Waikiki is Hawaii at full volume, and gloriously so. A golden beach curves towards the extinct crater of Diamond Head, beginners wobble on longboards over gentle waves, and behind the sand runs Kalakaua Avenue, a parade of shops, restaurants, bars and hula shows. Its two grand old hotels set the tone: the pink Royal Hawaiian and the Moana Surfrider, Waikiki's oldest, all white verandas and a banyan tree in the courtyard.

Elsewhere it is high-rises, from the vast Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki's widest stretch of beach to the serene Halekulani on Gray's Beach. It suits first-timers, families and anyone who wants to walk to dinner. Hanauma Bay's snorkelling is about 20 minutes away by car, Pearl Harbor about half an hour, and the airport around 20 minutes.

If Waikiki sounds too busy, Oahu has two very good escape routes. On the sunny west coast, Ko Olina is a purpose-built resort of four calm, crescent-shaped lagoons, perfect for small children and nervous swimmers, with golf and big family resorts behind. East of Diamond Head, the Kahala Hotel sits on a white-sand beach in an exclusive residential neighbourhood, with a shuttle to Waikiki in about 15 minutes.

Both suit travellers who want Oahu's sights without Waikiki's crowds: Pearl Harbor is an easy drive from Ko Olina, and Kahala is close to Diamond Head and the snorkelling at Hanauma Bay. Whichever you choose, hire a car for a day on the North Shore, where giant winter waves draw the world's best surfers and roadside shrimp trucks feed everyone else.

On Maui's dry, sunny south shore, Wailea is a string of golden crescents, Mokapu, Ulua, Wailea and Polo among them, each backed by a resort that seems determined to outdo its neighbour. Think acres of tropical gardens, pools with rope swings and waterslides, an adults-only infinity pool at the Four Seasons and sunset views across to the islands of Kahoolawe and Lanai.

It is the island's luxury heartland, ideal for honeymooners and families with a generous budget. A coastal path links the beaches and hotels, the Shops at Wailea cover dinner, and in winter you can watch humpback whales from your sunbed.

Kihei is Wailea's easy-going neighbour, a long, low-rise stretch of the same sunny south coast with condos, small hotels, food trucks and a string of beach parks, Kamaole I, II and III among them. Keawakapu Beach, at the Wailea end, is one of the loveliest on the island.

This is where to come for apartment-style stays with kitchens and a more local feel, at a fraction of Wailea's prices. You will want a car, but it is a central base for Haleakala sunrises and the Road to Hana.

Kaanapali was Hawaii's first planned resort, and its beach is still one of the best on Maui: miles of golden sand, calm water, and snorkelling around Black Rock, where cliff divers leap at sunset. Big resorts line the shore, joined by a beach walk, with the shops and restaurants of Whalers Village in the middle.

Further north, Kapalua is quieter and greener, a former pineapple plantation with championship golf courses and sheltered bays. Lahaina town itself, to the south, was devastated by the 2023 wildfire and is still rebuilding; the resorts of Kaanapali and Kapalua were spared. Kahului airport is around 50 minutes away.

Fly into Kona and the first thing you see is lava: black fields of it, stretching to the sea. Then, suddenly, green fairways and the resorts of the Kohala Coast, one of the sunniest corners of the islands. Waikoloa is the heart of it, a cluster of big resorts around calm bays and ancient fishponds, with shopping villages and golf courses in between.

It is brilliant for families. The Hilton Waikoloa Village has a four-acre swimming and snorkelling lagoon, others have waterslides and villa-style suites with space to spread out, and green sea turtles haul themselves onto the beaches. At night, the summit of Mauna Kea makes for some of the best stargazing on Earth.

Kailua-Kona is the Big Island's sunny, easy-going hub: a seafront strip of restaurants, bars and shops along Alii Drive, a harbour full of fishing and snorkelling boats and coffee farms climbing the slopes behind. Down the coast at Keauhou Bay, night snorkels with giant manta rays are the island's most unforgettable outing.

Hotels in town are mostly simple and good value; the exception is the Four Seasons at Hualalai, one of the finest resorts in Hawaii, about seven miles north of the airport. Kona airport is close to everything here.

Hilo is the Big Island's other face: wet, green and refreshingly untouristy, an old wooden town on a wide bay with waterfalls, rainforest gardens and a farmers' market. Rainbow Falls is a few minutes out of town. Most people come for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, an hour or so up the road, where Kilauea's crater steams and smoulders.

Hotels are simple and good value, with a couple of classic bayfront stays and charming bed and breakfasts. Stay a night or two here to see the volcano properly, then cross to the sunny Kona side for the beaches.

Kauai is the Garden Isle, and Poipu is where it reliably gets sunshine. The south shore is a run of golden beaches and rocky coves, with monk seals and green turtles hauling out on the sand and calm, reef-sheltered water for snorkelling. Resorts here range from the grand Grand Hyatt, with its lagoon-style pools, to low-rise plantation-style bungalows in palm gardens.

It is the best all-round base on the island for families and couples, with restaurants and shops in Poipu and the old plantation town of Koloa close by, and an easy drive from Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and the lookouts over the Na Pali Coast. Lihue airport is about 24 km away.

Kauai's north shore is the Hawaii of film sets: jagged green mountains streaked with waterfalls, taro fields, and the perfect arc of Hanalei Bay. Princeville, on the clifftops above it, is a manicured resort community with golf courses and ocean-view villas; little Hanalei town below has surf shops, cafés and a laid-back crowd.

The road ends soon after, at the start of the Na Pali Coast. Come for scenery and peace rather than guaranteed sun: the north shore is wetter, especially in winter, when big surf also makes many beaches unsafe for swimming.

The east side, nicknamed the Coconut Coast, is Kauai's most practical base. Kapaa is a laid-back old plantation town of cafés, food trucks and shops, the Wailua River winds inland to waterfalls such as Opaekaa, and family-friendly Lydgate Beach has protected rock pools for paddling.

Hotels and condo resorts sit along the shore, many with kitchens and some with waterslide pools, and they are generally cheaper than Poipu or Princeville. Being in the middle of the island, both the sunny south and the lush north are within reach for day trips, and Lihue airport is a short drive south.