Kauai vs The Big Island; Which Island is Better?

Ok, each island is different and pretty and awesome in it's own way. So give you my opinion, and then talk about some of the differences in the islands that hopefully will help you say "ok, ok, now I know which one I want to go to".

I like to say "You can't go wrong in Hawaii". :)

That being said, if I were visiting Hawaii, for the very first time, and I weren't sure which island to go to, but I knew I wanted to see either Kauai or the Big Island, I would pick Kauai if 'typically pretty hawaii' were more important to me, or I would pick the Big Island if 'adventure and diversity' were more important to me.

What does this mean? Let me explain.

Kauai is the oldest major Hawaiian Island. It's mountains are green and lush and sculpted and almost perfect looking. It's beaches are huge and long and surround everything. When you look at a Kauai beach you think "wow, that is what Hawaii should look like". It's small and compact and you can easily get from here to anywhere.

The Big Island is the newest Hawaiian island. It is huge and lumbering and takes hours and hours just to drive all the way around it. It has an active volcano and a black sand beach and a green sand beach. It's kind of wild and crazy and there's jagged lava lining the highways.

See how these two are so very different? See how a vacation at either could be so very crazily different?

Kauai has the following attractions and coolness:

Tons of Movies have been made here
Lots of waterfalls
Idyllic honeymoon and marriage island
quiet
Amazing beaches
AMAZING Hiking
Golf
Botanical Gardens
River and Ocean Kayaking
Cool Ocean Bike Path

And the things to do that are totally UNIQUE to Kauai are:

the Na Pali Coast
Waimea Canyon
Barking Sands PMRF (Navy MWR - only for military)
Fern Grotto
Spouting Horn Blow Hole
Kilauea Lighthouse

So, if any of these sound like somethin you JUST HAVE to see, or really want to see, maybe you should think about Kauai.

Lots of Waterfalls
It's Share of awesome beaches
Botanical Gardens
Golf
Cool Hiking opportunities
Lava Tubes

And the activities that are UNIQUE to the Big Island are:

An Active Volcano with lava flow you can sometimes get really close to
Waipio Valley
Pololu Valley
Punaluu and other Black Sand Beaches
Green Sand Beach
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
11 different climates
Mauna Kea observatories and tours

So, if any of these sound like something you MUST do, then maybe consider the Big Island. Lot's of people really want to see the volcano.

OK, so if you are going to live in Hawaii, or anywhere, there are probably certain things that are important to you, and this list is different for everyone. Common things that people care about are safety, quiet, peace, job availability, night life, dating scene, land prices, rent prices, job salary, weather, and recreational activities.

So, let's talk about this list as it relates to the two islands. Me, I lived on the Big Island and Oahu and only visited Kauai and Maui, so I'll be giving you my impressions and then pointing you to further resources because I can't say for sure what it's like to live on Kauai.

I lived in Puna for many years, and lived in Hilo for a few years. I never lived in Kona or Waimea or Kau but I was in all these areas a lot; camping, staying in hotels, and taking day trips.

I loved living on the Big Island for a long time, and then my son was born. After he was born I started feeling limited. There were no museums, no water parks, no real travel to be done without flying. There weren't a whole lot of bug varieties (my son was into bugs) or bird varieties or seasons or that kind of thing. Not a big deal, but when home is actually the mainland, it's stuff you notice.

What was living on the Big Island like? It was nice. The weather was always really great. Sure, we had rain, but it was a warm rain. Kona was almost always hot and sunny. Hilo was overcast and still warm. Waimea was frequently rainy. Kohala was always dry. Kau was almost always pretty windy.

There's a lot of space on the Big Island compared to Kauai, so in some places you can get relatively inexpensive, large lots. In Puna, where the active volcano is, most lots are an acre or more.

Cost of living will be similar on Kauai and the Big Island. Jobs? Jobs are probably similar. Unemployment rates are generally similar between the two islands.

One impression I get of a HUGE difference between Kauai and the Big Island is economoic status. On the Big Island, for years, people have been drawn to Puna as an inexpensive way to live in Paradise. Kauai has no such area. I get the impression that many people that live on Hawaii are much more wealthy than most who live on the Big Island.

Of course, the Big Island does have it's wealthy areas too.