Today we’re talking about the best time to visit Hawaii to avoid crowds. If you want a relaxed, worry-free vacation, it’s worth considering visiting during a less busy time. Luckily, you have many options if you want to avoid peak travel times!
We’ll discuss the best times to travel if you want to avoid crowds, and top tips if you want a less crowded experience.
There’s also one important topic we’ll cover, too: whether you need to time your travel around crowds. After all, you may be causing yourself unnecessary planning stress if you’re focusing too much on crowd levels.
So let’s dig in and find out your best time to visit Hawaii if you want to avoid crowds!
Crowded Hawaii: What to Know
You’ve formed your fantasy of a Hawaii vacation. It probably involves a quiet beach, the sound of swaying palm trees, a tropical beverage in hand. Perhaps you’re pursuing a row of shops, wandering through a peaceful garden, or getting an oceanside seat at a scenic restaurant.
But you’re also worried. You know that crowds can quickly turn your fantasy vacation into a noisy, nonsensical whirlwind. Could that happen in Hawaii?
Our answer: it’s definitely possible, but it’s also easy to avoid (for the most part!).
The key is knowing when to visit Hawaii to avoid crowds, where to visit, and how to structure your vacation so you get the most R&R with the least amount of C&C (crowds and chaos!).
Avoiding Crowds in Hawaii: Your Step-By-Step Planning Guide
Ahead, we’re outlining our simple step-by-step process to avoid crowds during your Hawaii vacation, from planning your visit to how you spend your time here. You can follow all the steps, or choose the ones that work best for you. Even small steps can help you enjoy a little more peace and quiet while you’re in the islands.
Step 1: Know When to Visit Hawaii to Avoid Crowds
If you want to avoid crowds as much as possible, you’ll want to time your Hawaii vacation right.
Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you visit when school’s in session on the mainland, you’ll likely experience fewer crowds and better travel prices. That means you should try to visit during late August, September, October, early November, early December, January, February, late April, and early May.
That’s a lot of months to choose from, and some will still be busier than others. Here’s a quick month-by-month guide to show you when Hawaii might be crowded:
January: Christmas and New Year’s crowds linger for the first week. Then you’ll see some “snowbirds” arrive for their extended winter stay.
February: Hawaii sees an increase in business conferences, which may affect hotel availability. Otherwise it’s a pretty chill month for travel.
March: Almost all of March is busy with spring break travelers.
April: The first couple weeks of April will have remaining spring breakers, with the second half of the month staying pretty quiet.
May: April 29 – May 5 is “Golden Week” in Japan, which brings some Japanese travelers to Oahu. Other islands don’t see as much of a boom during this time. Then, May stays pretty relaxed up to Memorial Day, when summer break begins in the mainland U.S.
June: This is the start of summer travel and one of the busiest times in Hawaii.
July: July remains busy, with the biggest travel boom happening around U.S. Independence Day.
August: You’ll see some lingering summer breakers in the first week or two of August, then crowds go down for the second half of the month.
September: Labor Day brings a little bit of crowds, but the rest of September is quiet and is one of our favorite times for a Hawaii vacation.
October: October is a slow travel time for Hawaii and crowds are often down during the month.
November: If you’re looking to avoid crowds in Hawaii, aim to visit before Thanksgiving week. The holiday is a big travel time for the islands.
December: Early December is an extremely quiet time to visit Hawaii, but that all changes in the week leading up to Christmas, which is one of the busiest times for Hawaii travel.
Step 2: Choose the Right Areas of Hawaii to Avoid Crowds
Knowing when to visit Hawaii is just part of avoiding crowds. After all, some spots feel crowded year-round, and some are secluded even during peak travel times. Here are some tips to help you choose the right spots for your relaxed getaway:
- Avoid Waikiki if you want to avoid crowds: it’s one of the busiest spots in all of Hawaii.
- Condos will feel less crowded than big resorts – especially the really big resorts where you have to navigate through elevators, hallways, and common areas to get to your room. Condos with fewer units will also have less crowded pools.
- Hotels in secluded communities, like Hana-Maui Resort or the Four Seasons Lanai offer the ultimate secluded getaway, so you can avoid Hawaii crowds any time of year.
Step 3: Plan Hawaii Activities for Less Crowded Times
There’s another key part for planning a Hawaii vacation to avoid crowds: timing your activities. A beach trip on a Saturday afternoon is going to be WAY more crowded than a weekday morning. A popular restaurant at 6 PM will be WAY more packed than at 2 PM.
So, are you supposed to become an early riser and an early diner? Well, yes, if you want to avoid crowds. And it may be easier than you think. After all, if you’re traveling from the mainland US, your internal clock might be waking you up in time for an early-morning beach trip. And hunger may strike long before your typical dinner time.
And early starts don’t just go for beaches. Booking tours and activities right at opening will often see lower crowds – it’s our favorite time to visit the Dole Plantation or Waimea Falls on Oahu.
Early morning is also our favorite time to enjoy the streets of Waikiki and the often-busy grocery stores. Just remember to keep traffic in mind – roads can start backing up for rush hour around 7:30 AM.
So, what should you do around mid-day when the pools and beaches get crowded? We think that’s the perfect time to relax on your hotel lanai, take a shaded hike, or enjoy a driving tour around the island.
And around sunset? Skip the dinner rush and instead set up a picnic – beaches get more quiet in the evening hours.
Step 4: Prepare for Crowds!
If you follow steps 1-3 the best you can, you will probably get a little taste of seclusion. A moment so peaceful and beautiful, you’ll wish you could freeze time. And that’s exactly what we want for you.
But we also want you to have realistic expectations. Hawaii is a popular travel destination, and it can feel crowded, especially in popular areas.
So here’s some advice for you: Don’t skip doing an activity just because you want to avoid crowds (unless, of course, you have sensory sensitivities that will prevent you from enjoying it at all).
Embrace travel as a universally-loved experience. Seek the community that can come from well-loved activities. And know that when you’re enjoying Hawaii, you’re part of something bigger than yourself.
So there’s a best time to visit Hawaii to avoid crowds, and there are good places to stay, and hidden-gems, and all that great stuff. But there are also things that will attract a lot of people – including you. And it’s ok to join the crowds and have some fun!
Having the Best Time in Hawaii & Avoiding Crowds
Need some help planning your Hawaii vacation? Hawaii Aloha Travel is here to help. We’ve got a team of locally-based experts ready to assist with bookings and activities. Plus, our Hawaii Travel Blog is an incredible resource for travel tips and tricks.
So whether you want to avoid crowds, plan kid-friendly activities, find unique things to do, or choose the best hotel for your trip (or all of the above!), we’re here for you.
We’ll see you in Hawaii, traveler!
