Things to do in Hawaii for Couples [2026]

There are plenty of things to do in Hawaii for couples. This post will provide a broad overview of the 50th State of the Union. We hope you will enjoy our favorite place to visit. Cos has been visiting for over 45 years and finds new things to do each trip.

Learn About Things to Do in Hawaii for Couples

If you have never traveled to Hawaii, or you have never read James Michener's book "Hawaii", and you're planning a trip, get the book and read it. Published in 1959, the year Hawaii became the 50th state, the book is an excellent introduction to the state's history and culture. It discusses the arrival of the various people who make up the islands' mixed culture, starting with the original Hawaiians who sailed from Bora Bora. Having this knowledge will prepare you to more meaningfully interact with local Hawaiians. Cos read the book on two different occasions prior to arrival in Hawaii, and it totally enhanced his visits both times. You can get the book at Amazon.com. 

How to Travel to and Around Hawaii for Couples

Each Hawaiian island is beautiful and unique in its own way. The most visited islands are Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (The Big Island), and Kauai. Oahu is the most visited of all the Hawaiian islands, with nearly 4.7 million visitors annually. It is primarily defined by the state capital of Honolulu. Maui and Hawaii (The Big Island) are also popular choices. Kauai is the smallest and least visited of the 4 main islands, but many argue it's the most beautiful. You can learn more at https://www.hawaii-guide.com/selecting-the-best-hawaiian-island. Because Hawaii is a series of Islands, if you plan on visiting multiple islands, you will need to fly with inter-island flights. While there are some options to inter-island flights, we recommend using Hawaiian Airlines. We also prefer Hawaiian Airlines for traveling to the islands. We recommend renting a car in Hawaii unless you plan to just visit Waikiki. Unfortunately, renting a car can be expensive in Hawaii (it was outrageous when Hawaii reopened right after Covid). We suggest you look into renting from Rental Cars.com or Discount Hawaii Car Rental, as they offer the best selections.  

Things to do in Hawaii for Couples: OAHU

Better known as Honolulu, the island of Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the most populous, with 70% of the people of Hawaii living on the island. Waikiki Beach, sitting in the shadow of Diamond Head, is the number one attraction on the Island and home to most of the hotels on the island.

Our Recent 2024 Visit to Oahu

Cos has visited Hawaii around a dozen times now, and most of the trips have begun in Oahu. On his first trip, he stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1978 and finally returned 46 years later. The place had definitely changed, as back in 1978, the only hotel was the Rainbow Tower. Now there are a half-dozen different hotels.   On the recent trip in February 2024, Cos and Robin did a 10-day tour, first to Oahu and later to the Big Island. One of the highlights this year was a drive around Oahu using the GuideALong Oahu GPS Tour Guide.

Tours Around Oahu

Previously, we had used the GPS Guide on Maui while taking the trip to Hana and found it very helpful. It was also very helpful in Oahu as we visited some places that were new to us. Two of our new favorites were the blowhole at Koko Crater Arch Trail and the view of the valley at Koko Head Scenic Point.

  But our best new experience overall was visiting the surfing championship at Banzai Pipeline.

If you prefer a tour and having someone else do the driving, here is a GetYourGuide tour we recommend that takes you around the entire island. Just click on the link below to learn more about the tour, 

Hawaii's Historic WWII Sites

The USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Missouri, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also called the "Punchbowl", are all worth a visit. Cos has been to the USS Arizona at least four times, and every time he fails to leave with a dry eye. The pictures below are from a visit to Honolulu in 2015. You could still see oil leaking from the sunken USS Arizona. The picture above is the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, which took place on the USS Missouri. The best way to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial site is to take a "skip-the-line tour." Click below to learn about the best tour at Get Your Guide.

Visiting Oahu by Cruise Ship

In 2026, we once again visited Hawaii, but this time by Cruise Ship. We had been on a thirty-day Celebrity cruise starting in Singapore, and visiting Bali, Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, and American Samoa before departing from Oahu. It was a wonderful cruise, and if interested in learning more about Celebrity or Princess cruises that visit Hawaii, please click on the links below: After landing in Oahu, we spent a day in Waikiki.  We took a catamaran ride from Waikiki Beach and took some wonderful pictures. Before we got on the catamaran, we took photos of two of Waikiki's famous heroes: Don Ho and Duke Kahanamoku. Once on the catamaran, we took some great photos, including Diamond Head and dolphins having fun just offshore. Needless to say, we booked the tour through GetYourGuide.  If interested, click below:

Things to do in Hawaii for Couples: Maui

When you ask American tourists which Hawaiian island is their favorite, Maui is often the answer. Cos and Robin got married on Maui in April of 2021. Pictured below are photos from their wedding dinner that night. Maui is popular because there is so much to do. We usually stay in the Ka'anapali part of the Island, since it is close to Kapalua, and we love its golf course, Lahaina and Merriman's Restaurant. The ocean is also very active at Kapalua as shown in the picture below. You can take a nice easy gorgeous hike along the beach. We also now have access in Kihei to a brand-new Hilton Grand Vacation Resort (please visit hiltongrandvacations.com for more information). It has an outstanding pool setup and is closer to Wailea and Makena where we got married.

Road to Hana

One of the fun things to do on Maui is to travel the road to Hana. It is a windy road that takes you past some magnificent waterfalls and ends up in a beautiful scenic part of the island. If you continue beyond Hana, you will reach the Haleakala National Park which has some great hikes and views. Beyond this park is the grave site of Charles Lindberg, a peaceful setting next to the Palapala Ho'omau Church. Robin is a fan of Anne Morrow Lindberg, so this was a must do. Continuing on this road is the less travelled part of the road which has some gorgeous scenery. It's quite a treat. We recently hired a tour that spent the full day driving the road to Hana. We were especially looking forward to having someone else drive this rugged road but we were pleasantly surprised that our guide was a native Polynesian. She shared many local stories and customs. We also did the road in reverse, which made for a much more pleasant experience with little traffic and frequent beautiful stops. However the day was long, starting at 6:15 a.m. and returning at 3:45 p.m. Because there had been a lot of rain just before our trip, the waterfalls were especially robust and the forest was a lush green. We made several stops including one with chopped fresh coconuts, yielding coconut water and fresh coconut meat. We also visited the Hana Cultural Farmstand with the biggest avocados I’ve ever seen and some delicious banana bread (of course), ginger and coconut candy and a real ginger soft drink.

Other Road Trips

For more information about Road Trips, please visit our Road Trips Post.

Stories from the Road Trip

One particularly poignant story the guide shared was the story of the arrest and imprisonment of Queen Lili’uokalani in her home with the landing of U.S. Marines after the attempted uprising to restore the monarchy in 1893. On January 24, 1895, Lili’uokalani was forced to sign a document of abdication, choosing this alternative to save the lives of those who supported the Queen. She lived out her life in her residence as a private citizen in Washington Place until her death November 11, 1917.

Things to do in Hawaii for Couples: Helicopter Rides

Another fun thing to do on Maui is to enjoy a helicopter ride. One path takes you over the northern part of the island of Maui and gives you a bird's eye view of the Island of Molokai. The picture below is the northern coast of Molokai. You can take helicopter rides on all of the islands. Cos also took one on a previous trip when he was on Kauai. That trip is magnificent as it takes you over the Na Pali Coast, see below.

Other Fun Activities on Maui

Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate offers farm tours and tastings of their premium chocolates grown in the hills above Lahaina. This local product has had some amazing award-winning success, including the 2021 Cocoa of Excellence Gold Award for the Asia Pacific region and the 2022 Good Food Award.

UPDATE

Unfortunately, Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate's farm was seriously damaged by the August 2023 Wildfire. Fortunately, no one was hurt and their factory and show room is ok, but a number of the employees lost their homes. For more information, please visit Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate (@mauichocolate) • Instagram photos and videos.

Things to do for Couples in the Big Island of Hawaii

The Island of Hawaii is the biggest of the Hawaiian Islands and has the second largest population. It has an active volcano and is more rugged than the other islands. The two pictures below on the left show the impact of the volcano and the fact that it is still active. The third picture is a beautiful sunset on the south shore where most of the hotels are located. The sign on the right, is from the Merriman Restaurant in Waimea. Peter Merriman has restaurants on all four of the islands described in this blog post. For more information about the restaurants in Hawaii and around the world please visit Our Favorite Restaurants.  

Our Recent Visit to The Big Island

As part of our February, 2024 trip to Hawaii, after we visited Oahu we spent five days on the Big Ialand. We stayed at Hilton's Waikola Resort. The views are spectacular.   Next to the Hilton is the Marriott Waikola Resort. It is equally spectacular.

Whale Watching

Hidden Gems on the Big Island

One true Hidden Gem on Hawaii is the Painted Church. It is in a small area called Honaunau that is off the beaten path. We strongly recommend a visit. It is near a memorial for Captain Cook where he was killed during his last visit.  

Pu'ukohola Heiau

Another Hidden Gem that we discovered on our recent trip was the Pu'kukohola Heiau which is just down the road (HI 270) from the Mauna Kea Resort. A Heiau was a temple that was a very sacred site for the Hawaiians. This particular temple is fairly well preserved and was important as the place where Kamehameha first gained full control of the Island of Hawaii. This ultimately led to his becoming the first King of all Hawaii. the site is a US National Historic site. It has an impressive site, and the Ranger Station shows a very professional film explaining the history of the site.

Luau at Mauna Kea

Things to do in Hawaii for Couples: Kauai

Kauai is the westernmost of the Islands and the fourth largest. It is nicknamed the "Garden Isle", as it has a more wet, tropical climate than the other islands. Waimea Canyon State Park and the Na Pali Coast State Park on the northwest coast of Kauai are two of the most beautiful places you could imagine. Na Pali cannot be reached by car. Cos has visited the Na Pali Coast both by a wild catamaran ride and an equally wild helicopter ride. It is truly spectacular and well worth a visit. In addition to Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast, Kauai provides a number of great places to hike. See Survival tips for hiking for more information on hiking. The Wailua Heritage Trail, on the eastern side of Kauai offers some beautiful scenic views as it follows the Wailua River. Note: As an Amazon Associate, CosGuide4Travel earns a small commission for any qualifying purchases made on their website. We also have affiliate links with other providers. If you visit their sites, we may also receive a small commission. This helps offset the cost of providing our service. This in no way increases your cost of any product or service that you may purchase on their sites.