Hawaii help, best island?

Hi all, hope everyone is well. I wonder if anyone can help me...

My better half and I want to go to Hawaii at the end of Sept. Today we are booking the flights from London to San Fran, where we can hopefully stay with a friend, and so now we need to book the hotel and Hawaii part of the trip.

However, we have no idea at all which island is the best bet or what part of what island to stay on. I will be taking my camera but not the big guns (unless there is suitable wildlife to warrant a 200-400?) and have the plan of doing landscapes and time lapse mostly - I hear there are some of the best views of the sky at night from parts of Hawaii..!?

So I was just wondering if anyone here has any experience of Hawaii and could offer some tips on where to stay etc as we literally have no idea, and don't want to fly all that way to be disappointed.

We want a mixture of city and quiet, with more emphasis on the quiet (read as, romantic) aspect but the photography plays a very big part for me as well so need those photo ops.

So, any advice appreciated in a very big way :)

Richard,

You will probably get different opinions from different people. I lived in Hawaii for 7 years (former UH associate professor). Each island has unique aspects and charm.

I personally like the Big Island (island of Hawaii). I like the diversity from rain forests to volcanoes. I usually stay in the Kona region and my favorite beach is "A" beach, between Kona and the airport. You can walk along the beach and have large sections to yourself. You can also hike at altitude where is is cooler and drier, including at Volcanoes National Park. Being the largest island, you can find seclusion in many places.

Roger

I should add, rarely stay in a hotel on the Big Island. I usually rent a condo on the beach. Check out VRBO.com (vacation rentals by owner). Read reviews (e.g. tripadvisor.com) before booking.

Roger

I've birded Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. Each has good birding and good activities. But Kauai is my favorite. Tere are great hikes in the canyon and in the worlds highest marsh and some good rarities there. There is also great birding at the lighthouse. On Maui, the volcano (sunrise from the top) and road up to it has good birds especially the grove where the iwii thrive. If you scuba, all have something to offer. And the curises for whale watching can be wonderful. Oahu is a bit touristy, but even area that tourists throng to like hanama bay to snorkel has good birds and lifers if you are a Brit. If you are also doing landscapes the io needle on Maui is very photographic. Happy trails. If you are staying over in sf and looking for birding locations let me know, the city has some spectacular vantages for photographers - especially near the bridge.