Since you mentioned volcanoes, I would suggest you spend time on the Big Island since that is where the active volcano is. Exploring both the caldera area and the road of craters down to the sea can take up a day.

My wife and I usually recommend trying to spend time on two different islands if you going to be there at least a week. We like Maui and the Big Island.

Once you decide which island(s), there is an excellent series of books: Hawaii the Big Island Revealed, Maui Revealed, etc.. (one book for each island) that can help you plan your activities.

We have started writing a few articles and reviews based on our experiences, and you can check out this one about the different areas to stay on the Big Island:
–Which-area

I’d suggest Oahu if you want to have GREAT food and LOTS OF FUN…I went there three times. A few things I’d suggest doing that I found fun were the following:

-Rent a moped and you can drive it around the island, I went from Waikiki beach to Diamond Head, then hiked.. great views, killer mountain… you’ll definitely break a sweat but the views are spectacular from there.

-Hanauma Bay for snorkling– yes they say its soOo touristy– but I went to the local spots, I’ve done the boat rides where they drop you off in the middle of the ocean to snorkel–but the variety you get at Hanauma is the best… and it’s pretty easy for you to stand if you need to.

- Go to all the yummy places to eat:
* Matsumoto Shaved Ice
* Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck
* Leonard’s Bakery- famous malasadas (like a doughnut but Hawaiian style)
* Ted’s Bakery- cheap plate lunches and the best guava strawberry pie and chocolate haupia pie; super cheap (near Sunset Beach off the kamehameha hwy)
* Alan Wong’s- great restaurant, must try the macadamia nut crusted lamb and the mochi crusted onaga (1857 S. King St. 3rd floor (808)949-2526) reservations recommended
* Waiola’s Shave Ice- good shave ice, try the lychee flavored shave ice with vanilla ice cream on the bottom or condensed milk (525 Kapahulu Avenue)
* Rainbow Drive Inn- cheap local food, good HUGE plate lunches and chili (3308 Kanaina Avenue)
* Sam Choy’s Diamond Head Restaurant- large portions, Hawaiian/Fusion food (449 Kapahulu Avenue, Second Floor

Those are all the places that I liked, when I went to eat there…:)
(I’ve given this list of restaurants to all my friends who go and they rave about the food)

- International Market Place is fun to try and bargain with the vendors–But the Flea Market is cheaper

- North Shore is good IF you swim and like heavy waves.. otherwise it may be too crazy for you, and you’ll just be sitting on the beach

- They have lots of nice spa places if you want to be indoor and get pampered.

- We did go swimming at night too in Waikiki Beach

OOOooO and if you like Spam Masubi, I’ve had my fair share there and 7-11 has the best one.. no joke! I swear… it’s the best.

I went to Maui… and I was bored and disappointed.. The Road to Hana was boring, the waterfalls are much more extravagant in pictures..the water is filled with mossy green plantlife all over the rocks… we went jetskiing and all you do is go in circles, we did the snorkeling tour to all these beautiful places and the molokini crater but after 3-4 stops it all started to feel the same…. and the food is NOTHING compared to oahu’s food… but that’s just in my opinion, and i consider myself a foodie..

Hope this helps. – if you didn’t know, I was trying to sway you more to oahu!

Hope you have a WONDERFUL time.. it’s still my favorite Hawaiian island..

Go to the Maui Hyatt! Its so beautiful and there is so much to do! The beach is right there when you walk out of your room and there are huge pools with waterfalls, slides, and caves. When I went there were mostly adults with some families. There are also many excursions like snorkeling, scuba diving, and going to different mountains and inactive volcanoes. It is amazing there and I highly recommend it!

just at night walk on the beach talk enjoy yourself and remember why u married this man

From what you describe, the best island for you to visit would be Kauai. It isn’t as much of a tourist destination as Oahu and Maui, so less crowds. There’s no adrenalin rush like surfing, so maybe you and your husband can take some surf lessons while you’re here. There is also endless amounts of hiking trails that take you deep into the forests and, ohh, the natural beauty is unbelievable.

And if you go to any public places and get into a conversation with pretty much any local, they’d be more than happy to talk about local customs, most tourists don’t really care about them so it’s pretty refreshing for us when someone is keen to learn.

Party!