There was a thing on Travel Channel about Hawaii's top ten beach resorts, and I'm still surprised at how different most people to view Hawaii.
My position is this: Waikiki is not Hawaii, it's Daytona. Why would you travel that distance to stay in an area that looks like any town on Atlantic coast of Florida? I'm also not a fan of the completely manufactured resorts, like the Hilton Waikoloa Village, which is carved out of the middle of a lava field. To me, Hawaii is tropical and exotic, and while I like nice places to stay, I also appreciate some privacy and getting away from mobs of people.
To their credit, the show did plug both the Grand Hyatt on Kauai, where we did part of our honeymoon, as well as the Princeville resort on Kauai. But I just don't understand the desire of people to fly there and not leave Oahu. The middle-of-nowhere bed-and-breakfast we stayed at on the big island was so beautiful and remote. The little restaurants and places around Kauai were amazing, to say nothing of the stunning natural diversity of everything from Waimea to the Na'pali coast.
I feel like people just miss out on the "real" Hawaii.
My one trip to Hawaii was a long weekend for a friend's wedding (flew out Thursday afternoon, home on the Sunday redeye). My time was limited to Kona, and I had a blast -- the Volcano national park, a ride around the island, hitting some little obscure hut of a restaurant.
That to me was Hawaii. I'm not big on beaches, and at least on Kona there's no need for hitting them.