We just got back this morning from one week in Kauai and 4 days on Oahu. We loved it! Kauai is THE BEST island we've ever been on. It's so luch and tropical and just absolutely the perfect island to RELAX on. We stayed at the Lihue Marriott and it was outstanding. We were very impressed with the facilities. The pool is huge and never crowded the whole time we were there. We spent most of our time snorkleing at Beach House Beach. The waves during the winter are just too much for us to enjoy swimming. We drove all around the island and saw every beach we could. The north shore is gorgeous but not swim-able in the winter. Everything was beautiful. When we flew into Oahu I was not thrilled....after being in Kauai, Oahu looked so bare. But, we stayed at Ko'Olina Marriott and that was it's on little piece of heaven with the wonderful lagoons for great swimming and OK snorkeling. We also drove to the north shore for the surf competition and that was fun. The dole plantation tour was nice, but the train ride was silly and pointless if you just read the brochure, since they have it pre-recorded for the trip.
We had one of the best trips ever. All our hotels were more than we expected and had the best views. How often does that happen? We were impressed with Hawaii. The only thing we don't like is the trip from Chicago!!