1st time maui & Kauai

Hi, 1st time to Hawaii. Want to spend 3 nights in Kauia %26amp; 4 in Maui.I love to take pictures, especially of waterfalls. Looking for reccommendations on where to stay %26amp; where to eat in both locations. We do not want spend time lying on the beach, prefer to be out in nature and find a place that in the evening we can walk to restraunts and bars. What part of the islands do you reccommend?

Thanks.

1st time maui %26amp; Kauai

What month?

Kauai%26#39;s north shore is great in the summer -- less rainy, incredible shades of green, lush, tropical...ahhh. Lots of hikes, botanical garden, etc. There is plenty of nature on Kauai. You can find lots of condo and bungalow rentals on Kauai%26#39;s north shore, many near or in Hanalei, which is a very small town but has a few shops and restaurants to walk around (ideal for strolling). Princeville has the ritzy upscale lodging and the resort. Popipu on the sunny south shore is drier mostly all year and can be hotter and is not as green and lush. Most stay on this side b/c of the better beaches/resorts and some shopping/restaurants.

One day you can do the north shore, or if you are into hiking you can hike that crazy trail along the Na Pali coasline. Most opt for the Na Pali boat cruise. In September we saw waterfalls, they weren%26#39;t outrageous with water, but still saw falls. The boat tour is probably a can%26#39;t miss, unless you hike the trail, but then you can%26#39;t see the coastline on the trail like you can from the water or air, but then being on a boat isn%26#39;t maybe your idea of being in nature?

Also, the drive up through Waimea Canyon offers a few lookouts for siteseeing and taking pictures of waterfalls. Many say you can%26#39;t miss the Helicopter tour on Kauai out of any other island, which I haven%26#39;t done since I%26#39;m not excited about helicopters. But 3 nights in Kauai means only 2 full days of activities since you%26#39;ll be packing/checking out and getting over to Maui a big part of one of those days.

For nature and waterfalls on Maui, then you have to do the drive to Hana one day, or consider staying on the Hana side (more pricey) but lush and nature-rific. Haleakala Crater...I%26#39;ao Valley. All non-beach nature things to do on Maui.

Kauai has pretty much zero nightlife. Kapa%26#39;a town is cute and quaint and has some nice restaurants and bars, but only a small section of it is really what I would call ';walkable';.

Maui has some nightlife at either a resort or in Lahaina town. Lahaina is great for evenings and strolling through the many shops and visiting the many restaurants. Kihei is more condo-strip-mall oriented but if you stay in that area, there are sidewalks and beach parks to walk along...not as fun as Lahaina by any means.

Since you%26#39;re not quite the beach person, I really think Maui is all about beaches and more crowds -- have you thought about just doing Kauai only? Though Kauai has not much in the way of the walking around restaurant thing in the evening like Lahaina on Maui...

1st time maui %26amp; Kauai

Just do Kauai. It is by far the most beautiful of the islands. Why loose a day hastling the flight between the islands? North shore in the summer is fantastic. Stay around Hanalei. If you want a little more action, stay in the south, Poipu area. Kauai and the Big Island are the two islands for nature lovers. Maui is very nice, but has lost a lot of it%26#39;s laid back atmosphere. My 2cents.

I agree with the previous two posters, with only seven days, just do Kauai. My husband and I were 1st timers in November. 5 days on Kauai and 5 on Maui. While I enjoyed both islands, I would have preferred to spend the whole time at either one. Kauai is certainly the waterfall island with a ton of nature activities. We did a 4 mile (round-trip) hike on the north shore along the Napali Coast...highly recommend...and then snorkeled at the beach there afterwards. We did an 10-11 mile hike at Waimea Canyon, and quite frankly, it scared the crap out of me in spots as it was very narrow and the dirt was so loose. The views the first 6 miles were amazing, but basically on the way back your just %26#39;paying the piper%26#39;. The helicopter tour of the Napali Coast is a must-do. You%26#39;ll see tons of waterfalls. There are several waterfalls in Kauai that you can drive to and are within a short hike, but we did a Kayak Tour to a waterfall that was amazing. It%26#39;s about a 45 min. kayak then a 1/2 hour hike to the waterfall. The river has no current, so the kayaking was, IMHO, boring...but the waterfall made it worth it.

I would recommend staying in the Kap%26#39;a or Poipu area. We stayed in Lihue which we liked but were not within walking distance to restaurants. Have FUN!