Maui consistently tops “best island” lists and it earns it. Road to Hana for a legendary drive past waterfalls and black sand beaches. Kaanapali and Wailea for resort luxury. Molokini Crater for snorkeling. Haleakala summit for a sunrise above the clouds. Maui has it all.

The youngest island and still growing — lava fields flow into the sea creating new land before your eyes. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is otherworldly. The Kohala Coast has some of Hawaii’s most dramatic resort beaches. Snorkel with manta rays at night off Kona. Green sand beach at Papakolea.

Oahu is Hawaii’s most visited island and it handles it well — Waikiki is genuinely iconic with Diamond Head as a backdrop, and the North Shore in winter delivers some of the world’s most famous big-wave surf at Pipeline and Sunset Beach. Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head hike, shave ice in Haleiwa.

The oldest Hawaiian island is the most dramatically beautiful — the emerald Na Pali Coast with its fluted sea cliffs is one of the most photographed landscapes on earth. Waimea Canyon is the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” Tunnels Beach for snorkeling. Hanalei Bay for the perfect crescent of golden sand.