The first two and a half weeks of December are quiet, green and priced much like November. From roughly the 18th, Hawaii becomes the most expensive place in the United States to take a family, and stays that way until the first week of January.
Nothing about the islands changes on the 18th. Only the demand does.
What the holiday premium actually looks like
Flights, hotels, condos and rental cars all peak together, and it is not a modest increase. Resort rooms that go for one rate in early December carry a very different rate over Christmas, most properties impose minimum stays of five to seven nights, and rental cars on Maui and Kauaʻi genuinely sell out rather than merely getting expensive.
If your dates are fixed, the practical advice is unglamorous: book six to nine months out, take free cancellation everywhere you can get it, and re-check periodically. A condo is usually better value than a resort at this time of year, because condo rates rise less steeply and parking is normally included.
Look at condos for the holidays
The surf is the reason to come
December is when the North Pacific delivers. Waimea Bay, Pipeline and Sunset Beach on Oʻahu's North Shore are at their most dramatic, and watching from the sand is free and genuinely worth a day of your trip.
The Eddie Aikau big wave invitational at Waimea only runs when the swell is large enough, which is rarely, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.
The same swell means north-facing beaches are not swimming beaches. If you want to be in the water, stay south or west, and read posted warnings rather than judging by how it looks from the parking lot.
Whales
Humpbacks arrive through December and are dependable by the end of the month, especially in the Auʻau Channel between Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi. Sightings from shore are common along Maui's west coast.
Boat trips run all month. If whales are your priority rather than a bonus, February is the peak and is covered in the February guide.
The weather
December is a wet-season month, with the same windward and leeward split as November. Highs around 80, water around 77 to 79, and the mountains at their greenest.
Kona-side Hawaiʻi Island, Wailea and Kīhei on Maui, Waikīkī and Poʻipū are the dry places to base yourself. Hilo and Hāna are the wet ones, and both are worth visiting anyway.
What to pack
The same as November: a rain shell, one warm layer, reef-safe sunscreen. Add a genuinely warm jacket if Haleakalā or Mauna Kea are on the list, because summit temperatures in December are near freezing and the wind makes it worse.
The full packing list covers the rest.
If you can move your dates
The first two weeks of December are one of the least appreciated windows of the year. Whales are arriving, the mountains are green, the surf is up, the decorations are out and the prices have not moved yet.
Ten days earlier than the crowd is a materially cheaper trip for a very similar island.
Check the live numbers
Every month, side by side, is on the Hawaii weather reference: monthly rainfall for five stations plus sea temperature, taken from NOAA. The figures on this page describe a typical year. For the one you are actually travelling in:
- Water temperature, NOAA station 1612340. Live and historic readings from Honolulu Harbor. The monthly averages quoted here are the 34,802 hourly observations, 2021 to 2024 mean from this station.
- National Weather Service, Honolulu. Forecasts and warnings for every island, including the high surf advisories that decide which coasts are swimmable this week.
- National Hurricane Center. Worth a look in the week before you fly between June and November, and worth ignoring the rest of the year.
