Which Hawaiian island is best? Start with where you'll wake up.

Morning coffee on the lanai, with the beach already glowing below. You swim before breakfast, then follow the beachfront path to Whalers Village for lunch. In the afternoon, snorkel at Black Rock and look for sea turtles. At sunset a cliff diver lights the torches on the rock and leaps into the sea, and dinner is a short walk away.

You wake to birdsong and the rustle of palms. Mornings are spent walking the lovely costal trail, with a snorkel at Kapalua Bay or swim at Napili Bay. Spend the evening on the lanai, watching the sun sink beside the island of Molokai.

Sunshine is almost a given. Cross the road to the Kamaole beaches for a morning swim, then grab fish tacos from a food truck. Trade winds pick up in the afternoons but you're exploring the island's attractions - 'Iao Valley, Haleakala, Pa'ia town and Twin Falls. Evenings are relaxed: a beach-bar sunset with Kahoolawe and Lanai on the horizon.

Wailea runs on a gentle rhythm. Swim at Ulua Beach while the water is still glassy, then walk the coastal path that links five crescent beaches. Spend the afternoon by the pool, or play a round of golf. At sunset, the Shops at Wailea and some of Maui's best restaurants are minutes away.

From your clifftop lanai, the peak called Bali Hai rises across Hanalei Bay, and after a night shower waterfalls thread down the mountains. Have breakfast in Hanalei town and a swim in the bay, then drive over one-lane bridges to the end of the road. Get back in time for the sunset that made Princeville famous.

Set an alarm you'll be glad about: the sun rises straight out of the ocean in front of you. Rent a bike and ride the coastal path past quiet coves, then browse Old Kapaa town and its food trucks. In the afternoon, kayak the Wailua River to a waterfall. Both ends of the island are about an hour away.

Poipu is where Kauai relaxes. Sea turtles graze in the shallows, and a Hawaiian monk seal may be napping on the sand at Poipu Beach Park. Snorkel in the calm, reef-protected water, walk the sea cliffs of the Mahaulepu trail, then watch Spouting Horn blow on your way to dinner.

Step out the door and you're in it: a surf lesson on gentle waves, the walk up Diamond Head, and shave ice on Kalakaua Avenue. Lunch can be anything from a poke bowl to a chef's tasting menu. After sunset there's live music, rooftop bars and the city lights shining along the shore.

The lagoons are the magic here: four sheltered, sandy coves where the water barely ripples. Kids paddle while you read in the shade. Walk the path from lagoon to lagoon, snorkel the rocks for turtles, then watch a sunset that turns the whole sky orange. Honolulu is 40 minutes away when you want the city.

Wake up to the sound of the North Shore. In winter, watch the world's best surfers ride giant waves a few miles down the coast. In summer the sea turns calm and clear. Swim with turtles in the cove, ride horses along the beach, then stop at the Kahuku shrimp trucks on the way to Haleiwa for shave ice.

Your lanai sits right above the waves, and spinner dolphins sometimes pass by in the morning. Snorkel with turtles at Kahaluu Bay, taste coffee on a farm up the hill, then stroll the seawall along Alii Drive. After dark, take a boat out to snorkel with giant manta rays.

It hardly ever rains here. Spend the morning on Hapuna or Mauna Kea Beach, two of the finest in Hawaii, then laze by a resort-style pool. Walk among ancient petroglyphs, tee off on a golf course framed by lava, and end the day with a sunset dinner and a sky full of stars.