Anonymous wrote:Hawaii. I won't go to a second or third world country for vacation.

Oh yes, never go to Costa Rica, or Morocco, or do a safari in any African country. Never ever go to Argentina or Chile or to Cuzco in Peru. Don't visit Vietnam nor Indonesia and be terrified of the Bahamas. You must be a Trump voter.

I've never been to Mexico so can't really comment but I've heard they have a seaweed problem and that it's really a place to go to and stay onsite at a resort - maybe with 1-2 excursions. Whereas in Hawaii, what is so special is the beautiful beaches and nature. We've been to Hawaii 3x. Twice without kids and once with:

First time: Wakikiki on Ohau and Maui. Underwhelmed by Waikiki but loved Mauil


Second time: Kauai and Big Island. Kauai nice but we liked Big Island better.

Third time (this past summer with kids): Oahu north shore and Maui. We chose the north shore of Oahu bc we wanted to minimize travel time and knew we didn't want to go to Waikiki. We loved it. We stayed right on Sunset Beach and watched the surf / sunsets every day. Close to a small town and lots of hiking and other adventures (we went surfing and snorkeling) easily accessible. Maui was underwhelming this time around.

We'd love to go again. If we do we would do the north shore again and likely combine with Big Island.

Hawaii by a mile. We preferred the Big Island. Not as commercial as Maui. Loved the volcano hiking and the many different types of terrain.


We stayed in Wailea when in Maui at that time was called the Grande hotel. It was next to the Four seasons. Good location to go on snorkeling excursions. Excellent spa.

Someday, we're going to Hawaii. No interest in Mexico.

Want to do two islands. Prefer hiking, beaches, nature. Don't do golf. Don't care for nightlife and likely to cook most of our own food.

Kauai is the first choice island. What should our second choice island be...Maui or Big Island?

Anonymous wrote:We went to Hawaii last summer. The flight wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. Stayed on Oahu and Big Island. Loved Waikiki. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and did Diamond Head, a magic show, really enjoyed the beach. Our rental house on Big Island was underwhelming (my fault), and I didn't really get much out of the volcano visit. It was a long drive for a so-so hike. One day we went snorkeling and swam with dolphins - that was the highlight of the trip! Aulani resort (back on Oahu) was OK, but overpriced. Kids liked it, but it was pretty crowded. Had to sit poolside and drink pina coladas! haha!

What airport did you fly through? I went to the Big Island and the flight (the 2nd one) took forever.

Most people do not do this, but the green sand beach on the Big Island is worth walking (or renting a jeep) to.

These are not comparable.
Different countries, far different air travel.
Both nice, but really different.

Love both. Mexico you do not need much money and you can do a lot. Hawaii is expensive. Also if you want to travel to a place thats developed you should go to Hawaii. Mexico is a different type of vacation. Either is great.

We went to Hawaii last summer. The flight wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. Stayed on Oahu and Big Island. Loved Waikiki. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and did Diamond Head, a magic show, really enjoyed the beach. Our rental house on Big Island was underwhelming (my fault), and I didn't really get much out of the volcano visit. It was a long drive for a so-so hike. One day we went snorkeling and swam with dolphins - that was the highlight of the trip! Aulani resort (back on Oahu) was OK, but overpriced. Kids liked it, but it was pretty crowded. Had to sit poolside and drink pina coladas! haha!

Hawaii.

Mexico-much closer to DC, so shorter flight and great food. Look at the lonely planet site for highlights of both places. There is too much for a person to write on a forum like this one.

Hawaii

Hawaii. My favorite island is Kauai

Hawaii. I won't go to a second or third world country for vacation.

I love Mexico but Hawaii looks so beautiful in pictures. My vote is Hawaii.

So which of these two would you prefer for a vacation? And please share some of the great places to visit as well Thanks.