When is a good month to visit Hawaii?

shrink9

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Hi, everyone. I know, the answer to the Title should be EVERY month!!!

Honestly, though, we are talking about making a trip to Hawaii in 2011 and wonder if there is a particular month that is more attuned to tourists? I'd really rather avoid times like spring break or when it is full of tourists, if possible. If we could include some ukulele event(s), that would be great too.

Any suggestions?
 
I'm also interested in going to Hawai'i, possibly in February to participate in the Great Aloha Run in Honolulu. I was looking for ukulele-related activities and found this website -- http://www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org/en/index.htm -- which lists the following festivals for 2011:

Big Island: March 5, 2011, in Waikoloa
Oahu: July 17, 2011, in Honolulu/Waikiki
Maui: October 16, 2011, in Kahului
Kauai: Date TBA in Lihue
 
The Ukulele Picnic is in February in Honolulu. It was a happy accident that it coincided with the week I was able to find a good deal on hotel and airfare. I'm not sure if mid-February is the non-tourist season (if there is one at all), but prices seemed to go up later in the month.
 
I lived in Hawaii for 20 years. I always enjoyed the winter months. Winter surf is a sight to behold on the North Shore. Humpback whale watching is good in the winter. Be sure to visit the outer islands if time permits. If you visit Ko'olau factory in Wahiawa, stop at 'Dots' for lunch (across from the Hawaiian Eye Center on Kilani Ave.).

You might consider contacting musicguymic@aol.com or call 757-777-7873 and ask about ukulele events for 2011. Be sure to stop by his shop too.
 
The best month depends on the events you want to see. I've been three times: in December, April and November. I like vacant beaches and resorts. The best time for this is when the weather is still good on the mainland. My next trip will be in September or August.
 
I've spent the past two thanksgivings in Hawaii. The weather is perfect not to hot and not to cold. It is usually not as crowded as the summer months. Hopefully I'll make it again this year.
 
I don't care much for rain while I'm on vacation and despite what the tourist bureau might tell you, we do get winter here, especially on the Big Island. I've seen in rain for 38 days straight in March so I would prefer Spring through Fall. The Winters here can be beautiful but you take your chances. (I feel badly for anyone who vacationed on Oahu a couple of weeks back.) Peter is correct, August and September are nice and it is the low season as far as visitors go. May is also nice.
EDIT: July is when the big Ukulele Festival is held on Oahu. On second thought, any time is a good time for a visit!
 
I'd recommend September or October. when I lived on Maui, I worked at the Grand Wailea Resort and I always remember our occupancy being down those two months.
 
I always go in April or May and in November. Never had any bad weather.
 
If you want to snorkel while you're there the water is clearest/calmest in May-Sept. I've been several time in winter too but the water is rougher and not as clear. You can snorkel most anytime of year but it's not as brilliant in the winter.
 
I've seen in rain for 38 days straight in March so I would prefer Spring through Fall.

This is so true! When I was growing up, my family spent spring vacation in Hawaii almost every year in either March or April. Inevitably it would rain the entire time. I'd come back without a tan, and all of my friends would tease me because they thought I was lying about where I went! Good thing I had my annual "Hawaii 76" (or whatever year it was) t-shirt as proof :)
 
If you want to snorkel while you're there the water is clearest/calmest in May-Sept. I've been several time in winter too but the water is rougher and not as clear. You can snorkel most anytime of year but it's not as brilliant in the winter.

depends on the shore. winter time, you want to go south shore. Swells come from the North in the winter so any shore facing that direction will not be as clear in the winter time.
 
I usually go to Hawaii a few times a year, and I try to always avoid going in the summer -- there are tons of tourists and prices for airfare are usually very high. The one exception I made was last July for the Roy Sakuma Ukulele Festival. If you don't mind the crowds, it is really something every uke fan should try to see. There are tons of great performers and all the big uke companies are in attendance.

But if you aren't going for that specific reason, I would avoid the summer like the plague. Case in point, I planned four trips for this year and none of them are in the summer (February, May, September and October).

If you go in the early part of the year (Jan/Feb), you might catch some whales (particularly in Maui), and the spring and fall are both very nice. I also highly recommend going in December as it is a lot of fun to see all the Christmas decorations up every where.

Have fun! :)
 
Wow you guys are wonderful. I'm currently thinking May but, of course, that is subject to change. Thank you everyone for your input.
 
We tend to go the week before Memorial Day in May. It's real quiet at that time.

We just got back from Maui at the beginning of December to watch some whales and it was pretty quiet then also. I kept asking all the locals what they did with all the tourists! LOL!
 
We tend to go the week before Memorial Day in May. It's real quiet at that time.

We just got back from Maui at the beginning of December to watch some whales and it was pretty quiet then also. I kept asking all the locals what they did with all the tourists! LOL!

did the locals tell you to ask Captain Cook?
 
"The esteem in which he was nevertheless held by the Hawaiians resulted in his body being retained by their chiefs and elders. Following the practice of the time, Cook's body underwent funerary rituals similar to those reserved for the chiefs and highest elders of the society. The body was disembowelled, baked to facilitate removal of the flesh, and the bones were carefully cleaned for preservation as religious icons in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of the treatment of European saints in the Middle Ages. Some of Cook's remains, disclosing some corroborating evidence to this effect, were eventually returned to the British for a formal burial at sea following an appeal by the crew."

No, they didn't.
 
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