Overwhelmed by the possibilities.?

Travel Info
I am trying to plan a low budget trip to Hawaii and I am completely overwhelmed with all the choices. Our family is not very commercial and we like cute bed and breakfest inn's. We are willing to spend money on kayaks and things like that but we don't mind simplicty like hiking so any good hiking areas would be good. There are six of us and we are trying to go christmas time to a little past new years. So ideas? Any of the islands are fine just remember non-commercial and low budget.

Travel Tips

Each of the Hawaiian Islands has its own personality and character. So, knowing what type of person you are and what you like to do will help you decide which of the islands you will like.

If you like tourists and fishing you should like the Kona area of the 鈥淏ig Island鈥?of Hawaii.
If you like solitude, a tropical feel, a rural atmosphere and you don鈥檛 mind rain, you should like the Hilo area of the Big Island. The west side of the Big Island has a few nice small beaches, including black sand beaches. Near Ka Lae, the southernmost point of the island you will find a green sand beach. Big beaches are not prevalent on the Big Island.

If you enjoy scenery, hiking, snorkeling, kayaking or surfing and don鈥檛 yearn for 鈥渘ight life鈥?br /> then the oldest of the islands, Kauai is for you.

If you are the kind of person who keep a bathing suit, snorkel gear or a surfboard in your car, then Maui is for you, because it has 120 miles of easily accessible and swimmable coastline, more than any other island.

If you have an artistic temperament or perhaps you like to get away and write, then seek out the island of Lanai.

If you love nature, hiking and solitude, then 鈥渢he most Hawaiian鈥?of the islands, Molokai is for you.

You鈥檒l enjoy Oahu if you like beaches, shopping, tourists, high-rises, traffic and don鈥檛 mind a lot of other people. Honolulu is like a tropical version of NYC, or LA as it was in the smog-free 1950's. Source(s): "So you want to live in Hawaii" by Toni Polancy

Other Travel Tips
Aloha:
Check out the state parks. Some offer cabins for rent. They are spartan, but clean and adequate. The cabins at Wainapanapa state park, for example, give you access to some lovely, private beaches and some great hikes and walks. There is also a state park near the Parker Ranch on the big island of Hawaii. Totally different landscape, totally different holiday. But both of them are very reasonable and work well for families.
If you are looking for non-commercial and such, I would stay away from Oahu. There were giant hotels everywhere. Sheraton for example, owned 2 hotels on Waikiki. Not to mention that Waikiki is so crowded that it's hard to find an empty spot on the sand.

Try Kauai or Maui. I recommend staying in a condo. People that own condos will rent them out to tourists. Sugar Beach is the one my friends and I stayed at. There is one right next to that one too but I forget the name. You'll be able to house more people in condos. I've never been to Kauai but I heard it's more laidback and less commercial.

Our stay on Maui was wonderful. Haleakala is a great place to hike and bike. It's a nat'l park so there will be a fee. Great picture ops too. Iao Valley is beautiful and doesn't cost a thing. If you are into culture, there are many opportunities to learn about the ancient Hawaiians.

Advice from one tourist to another: Wherever you go, just be nice to the local hawaiians (the few that are left). Some of them can be bitter, with good reason. I saw other tourists that were being complete snobs to these people. I mean come on... they've had their land taken, got nothing for it, and now the only jobs available are serving people.
I don't think you really can go wrong with choosing any of the islands. But since you mentioned being "not very commercial", kayaking, and hiking, I would recommend either Kauai, Maui, and Oahu, in that order.

Kauai has some good hiking trails up at Waimea Canyon State Park. If you're experienced kayakers, you have the Na Pali coast "tour" where you can kayak just of the coast of one of the most unspoiled spots in the entire state.

Maui's hiking is also pretty good. Besides the Iao hike, you can check out some of the trails up on Mount Haleakala--and see the beautiful sunrise at the same time. Quite cold, though.

Oahu is very crowded and the traffic can give you a headache (it gives me one everyday), but on the east side of the island, you have a LOT of bed and breakfast inns. The only problem is that Oahu is so crowded that no matter what hiking trail you go on, you're bound to run into hundreds (literally) of people (tourists and residents) doing the same thing.