If you have that much time, my suggestion would be Hawaii. Planning this trip with anything less than two weeks, youll be sorry. Two weeks is great, three is even better!
Plan 1 day for travel and 1 back. The flight is 5 hours from the west coast, even more if you're from any other part of the US. Hit Oahu first, since thats where you'll be landing anyway. Its very touristy and offers the best "nightlife". You won't want to spend more than 3 or 4 days there, but do hit the Polynesian Cultural center, the Pearl Harbor Tour and the Punchbowl tour, which hits the key points of the city of Honolulu. The Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort, is where we stayed and it was perfect for that island and conveniently located on Waikiki Beach and close to all the touristy stuff. Hit the north shore if you can... Big waves and nice surfing, but I wouldn't try it there! heh Save the all inclusive resorts for the smaller islands.
A word of advice about planning the touristy stuff: Plan it yourself! Tour guides tend to put you on a strict itenerary, which doesn't allow for things you'll find that you want to do once you get there. Makes it very difficult to get to the beach or find time to relax. Always hit the tourist desk at each hotel/resort as soon as you get there so you can plan what you want to do.
I would suggest hitting as many islands as possible... Oahu, the big island of Hawaii, Kuai and Maui are the key ones to hit. If you want to pick only two, Oahu and Maui or Oahu and Hawaii are my suggestions, but here is the breakdown for each.
Oahu - Very touristy, lots of attractions and Nightlife. Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor Tour, Punchbowl Tour, Honolulu Zoo, Marketplace, very crowded Waikiki Beach. If you're a first-timer, these are all fun and worth hitting. The hotel I mentioned above is located on Waikiki Beach and we had a great view. That beach is worth visiting, but you'll be visiting much nicer, less crowded beaches if you visit other islands.
Hawaii - [The Big Island] Black Sand Beach, Kilauea Volcano, Volcanoes National Park, Helicopter Tours [Available on all islands, but recommend big island] A lot of the coastline is very rugged and rocky, but there are some nice beaches. Royal Kona Resort is where we stayed. Watching the Manta Rays swimming around at night beneath our balcony was incredible!
Kauai - Recommend all inclusive resort. Very slow pace on this island. There are a few tours available, but the entire island has a country, small town feel to it. Really nice beaches, most are sort of secluded and not crowded. Can't remember the name of the place we stayed, but it was nice. Blue Hawaii was filmed near there, but the name escapes me.
Maui - Recommend all inclusive resort. Fairly slow paced, but much more to do here. Attractions include Ka'eleku Caverns, Tedeschi Vineyard & Winery, Maui Ocean Center. We also took scuba lessons [with guided dive], did some snorkling, rented scooters and did some touring on our own. The Westin Maui Resort & Spa is where we stayed.
We were pleased with all the hotels/resorts mentioned.
Also... You can get by on just about any island without a car rental. On Oahu, use public transportation or walk to shop. Taxi's are helpful and if you'd like to rent a van for a couple of hours just to hit the high points of the city on your own, leave word at the tourist desk that you are looking to split the fee's with another group and leave contact numbers.
Where ever you end up vacationing, enjoy your trip!
PS... I've been there 3 times. Sorry for the lengthy post! lol
