My fiance and I just planned our honeymoon for December 2000. We are going for 12 days/13 nights and are going to: Big Island, Four Seasons; Maui, Four Seasons; and then finishing up in Kauai at the Hyatt.

Is it too much to do 3 islands in 12 days? Should we skip Maui and go to The Big Island and Kauai?

We would love to hear feedback. Thanks.

Deborah,

Congratulations on your coming marriage!

If this is your first trip to the Hawaiian Islands, I would not do the Big Island this first time. It's so big, needs a week to do justice to it. I would do 6 nights, Maui; 5 nights, Kauai; then finish with 2 nights in Waikiki/Honolulu, so you can see Pearl Harbor and have an evening strolling Waikiki Beach, listening to the music, watching the sunset, and the lights coming on in the hotels!

Having said this, whatever you do in Hawaii will be wonderful! But unless you're totally into hiking and outdoorsy pursuits, I would not give up Maui in favor of BI & Kauai!

Have a great honeymoon.

Aloha,

Lani

Deborah,
My husband and I had the same itinerary planned for our honeymoon last September. We ended up dropping the Big Island (I just didn't want to pack/unpack every 4 days)in favor of Maui and Kauai. I'm really glad that we didn't skip Maui. I was told by many that it was overcrowded and touristy but I didn't see that. I thought Maui was great. I loved it.
The Four Seasons Maui is fabulous. We stayed there first for 6 nights and then went on to the Hyatt Kauai for 6 nights. My husband and I both wished we had reversed the order because the Hyatt, while a beautiful hotel, was kind of a let down after the Four Seasons.
I would take Lani's advice and visit Oahu for a couple of days. We decided to skip it and we're sorry we did.
Have a great honeymoon.

Deborah - I would agree with what Lani stated, but I think I would prefer the 2 days in Honolulu in the beginning; chances are you'll be flying into Honolulu anyway, and I think you might want to get over jet lag there as opposed to anywhere else. Also, as other posters have said, although Wakiki Beach is really beautiful, it's not what most'mainlanders' imagines when you think about Hawaii, so I think the progression should be Honolulu first. Also, I think it's better to end a Hi. vacation with either Maui or Kauai in mind, rather than Waikiki.

Actually, Deborah, in spite of what others have said, your itinerary is really okay! Four nights each on all of those islands will be just right to give you a little "taste" of all of them. All you need, really, is just ONE day for driving around each island, and the remaining days for enjoying the beach (get up even EARLIER for the Big Island, though, because it's HUGE)! However, if you are into A LOT of touristy-type activities, then perhaps you would need more time, although it's still not an impossibility to stick with your schedule. I feel you may as well see as many islands as possible, especially if you don't plan to return anytime soon. Also, as for the comment from a previous poster about the Hyatt on Kauai, she couldn't be further from the truth! The Hyatt is a FANTASTIC resort (certainly for a Hyatt) and, I would venture to say, so much bigger and more lushly landscaped than the 4 Seasons, and the standard rooms are just as large and nice as well (640 sq. ft. or thereabouts!) DON'T drop it from your list! Also, I hope you'll post a trip report on this Board upon your return!

Thanks so far for all of the advice on our trip!

John, thank you very much because I think we are going to keep our trip the way it is planned. I will certainly post when we return.

While I do agree that the Hyatt Kauai is a great hotel/resort, it is not perfect in any way...I just returned from 2 weeks there. The hotel is very very large...it can take 10 minutes to walk from the lobby to many of the rooms (especially the ocean"fron" rooms)...there are lots of kids...this is a rather small adults-only pool, but there were many kids there as well...

The beach is totally unswimable...it is all about the pools (and the wonderful saltwater lagoon, which is very special!) The cost of my ocean "front" room was $498 and not a good value by anyone's standards...many other hotels charge more and deliver more...it was a standard hotel room (nothing special) with an OK view...not on or even near the beach...

The restaurants were good, but not great...best to eat off campus...(Roys, Pacific Cafe, Beach House)...

The service was spotty...some days the room was made up early others not until dinner...the front desk is not fully empowered to make decisions...

The biggest complaint I have and the one I heard several times from other guests is that the ocean front rooms are just barely ocean view (across the lawns and pools) rooms...not worth the extra cost!

The Four Seasons is a much nicer hotel...smaller, fewer (but some kids), great beach, close to super restaurants and shops. For the money I would also look into Kea Lani...(although their rooms are also not ocean front, regardless of what they call them).

TJ,
Can you give some more details about why the beach is unswimmable? Also, considering your comments would you stay there again?
Thanks.
Michelle

I would consider staying there, although I might try Princeville instead (as long as it was summer and not the rainy season). I would not pay the extra for ocean front...it is a rip off...

Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice hotel, but the whole package was not up to par with the hotels in Wailea, Maui.

Kauai is a beautiful island, especially if you like to hike and are into nature. I think there is more to see and do (non nature wise) on Maui. And, I disagreee that Maui is too commercial...there is a lot of honkey-tonk there (like Kehei and Lahaina), but there is a lot of unspoiled stuff as well...

The surf at the Hyatt beach is too rough to allow swimming...maybe it is less in the winter? When I was there in August-September, the waves were in the 8-15 foot high range...The beach at the Sheraton and at Princeville looked OK to swim when I was there.

I'll also chime in on HBR, although it is a beautiful setting, it is several notches below the Hyatt or Princeville (and much less expensive) and it is a timeshare first and foremost with all of the non-resort imagery that implies...do go for lunch or a drink at their restaurant...the best views in all of Hawaii...

I guess everyone has defferent opinons on things. I took, just finished a 4 night stay last week at the Hyatt, and completely disagree with everything TJ has to say, except that the beach right infront is not really a swimming beach, and some rooms are far from the pool. The latter is not really a problem; there are many hotels whre pools are not 'right in front' of every room. Look at the Grand Wailea in Maui or The ritz Carlton in Kapula; there are many rooms not close to the main pool, but nobody seems to complain about them. Besides, who's to say everyone one's a room right at the pool?
I thought the service was wonderful at the Hyatt. Everyone, from chambermaids, to porters, to waiters all had smiles, and always said hello, and amost engaged in friendly small talk. The Hyatt is one of the fewhotels I've ever been to where every employess seems happy to be working there.
Here's one anedote: I was strooling down one of the hallways where I past an opened room, where 2 maids were chatting and walking out. When she saw me walk by, she became very embarrassed and said" I'm very sorry sir, I said a bad word I shouldn't have. I very sorry. I never actually heard what she said to her co-worker, but for me, it was really nice that she was 'concerned' what a guest may have over heard. In these times where even a recent cover story in BusinessWeek coomplains about the decline of good service in America, this maid's concern for me was a breathe of fresh air.

The rooms at the Hyatt are exstremely large, and so are the bathrooms, where there is a separate watercloset, which I think is great when you have 2 people trying to get ready in the morning.

Although there are kids in the hotel, I never thought there were 'too many', nor did I ever see kids running wild or scraming at the tops of there lungs. We regulRLY SUNNED AT THE 'Lgoon' area, and it was actually quite peaceful. There were only a hadful of kids in the lagoon, all being supervised by their parents.
We attended a cooking demonstration and luncheon by Ming Tsai and Alan Wong @ The Kea Lani. (BTW; the show was wonderful, and the lunchoen, which included wine, was superb!)
We found many more children at the Kea Lani playing in the pool; in fact, I was ssurprised tosee that many children; I didn't know that hotel was kid-friendly.
In summary, this is what travel boards are all about: to get various opinons which you take all in, consider each comment carefully, decided what's important to you , and manke your decision based on all the knowlegde you've obtained.

By the same token, I NEVER take ercommendations even from sourses like Consumer Reports at face value; every source has a bias; understanding what they are and then factoring them in your analysis of the information assures the best possible results.

You're on your Honeymoon. Definitely
the Princeville Resort - Sheraton.

Alright, after reading TJ's response, I would like to make a few revisions, etc., to my prior one (and I will try to be objective here). First off, TJ, the reason it's such a long walk from your room to the beach is because of the huge amount of GORGEOUS landscaping in front of the hotel! Second, you ARE incorrect about the room size -- they really are quite large, not average sized at all. However, I DO agree with you about the room views being "spotty." But, I simply asked the front desk if I could check out a couple of differing views before I checked in and there was no problem with that. Yes, it is somewhat of a pain but that's how I operate anyway. Besides, I'm sort of used to playing "musical chairs" vis-a-vis the rooms/view with many hotels that I visit! Also, I DO agree with you about the food, though: not spectacular, but I could live with that. I also agree with you about the beach area: It WAS disappointing to me personally because it's definitely a very ROUGH SURF beach, not my idea of an ideal beach at all (I couldn't and wouldn't even go in)! So, would I return there again (Michelle, are you paying attention?)? The answer is NO, I would not, but that's strictly because of the beach area and for no other reason at all! I consider myself a beach fanatic rather than a POOL person, and since the beach area is not my type of beach I would have no reason to go back there! But in spite of my disappointment with the beach at that time, we still had a WONDERFUL experience there because the resort is so beautiful and lush (and the man-made lagoon IS wonderful -- and CALM, of course!) Also, as for the Four Seasons on Maui: Yes, it certainly is a very fine resort, but I stayed next door at the Grand Wailea which is even much more grand and beautiful, in MY opinion! The Four Seasons couldn't hold a candle to it as far as I'm concerned. But don't let that deter you, Deborah, as the Four Seasons really IS a beautiful, marvelous resort, guaranteed! It's just not as "grand" as the Grand Wailea! Also, Deborah, if the rough surf beach at the Hyatt is going to bother you, then you might consider the Princeville Resort on the other side of the island which is also quite beautiful but faces a much calmer beach. That's entirely up to you. But again, as a true beach fanatic, looking back on our trip to the Hyatt, it was really quite nice, indeed! Deborah, one final note about the Big Island. The side of the island that the Four Seasons resides on is the DRY side of the island and is NOT very lush, so be sure you take a drive along the coastline on the other side of island down to Hilo as you will find that it's very, very beautiful along that particular drive! (But even so, ALL of the 5-star properties on the DRY side of the island are very beautiful!!)

Maui is the best! If you are only going to Hawaii once in your lifetime, you should spend half your time on Maui, a couple days in Kauai, and a day or two on Oahu. If you are going to go back to Hawaii in the future, then spend all of your first trip on Maui, and see the lesser islands some other time.

LOTS more info about Maui restaurants, hotels, activities, sights, etc, at this web site:
http://www.mauihawaii.org
(note it ends in org, not com)
Jon

We loved Hawaii (twice). I think that your main question is how many islands to see. I agree that you could go to three islands, but you will be doing a lot of packing and unpacking. Each island has a different "feel" to it. Oahu is very bustling and has a lot of energy. Waikiki beach is really wonderful (that is why everyone goes there). I would agree with a two day stay there- on Waikiki. Mauii is quite different, it has much more of a resort feel to it, a slower pace, and a lot of things to do. Kauai is even quieter, the pace is quite slow there and the best weather and beaches are going to be on the southern and western side of the island in December. This means you may need to do some driving- which is the best way to see any of the islands.
My advice (just one guys opinion) would be to keep Maui, and the big island, consider a brief stay in Honolulu (on Waikiki), and consider dropping Kauai. We covered Kauai completely and really enjoyed Maui much more. (Remember the wetest place on earth is on Kauai.)
No matter what you decide, you should have a great time. You can always go back for more.

You have picked an ideal location for a honeymoon. We were in Hawaii July of 99 and did the 4 islands in 13 days. Way to much. If and when I return I will concentrate on Kauai. It was the most gorgeous place.. helicopter ride a must and waterfalls galore. Depending on where on the Big Island, I would concentrate on Maui & Kauai. The Kona side of the Hawaii was very grey from all the volcanic rock. Not what you picture for a Hawaiian Island. Although the Volanco Nat'l Pk was nice and the Hilo side was pretty. But from a romantic point of view - Kauai wins hands down. Maui has gorgeous rainbows, double rainbows. Always a mist it seems to cool you even in the sun. You'll love your choice of honeymoon locations.

Sounds like John and I have very similar taste in resorts! I also changed rooms...the first was tiny and overlooked, not the ocean, but a large (beautifully landscaped) lawn on which a group of noisey teens played football! When I got moved, the room was bigger.

My comments about the front desk center on the room situation...when I went to complain there were 2 other people with the same problem (clearly a lack of truth in advertising...ocean front sould be on the ocean!)...I was told there was nothing they could do...when I pushed, they were able to "switch someone else who hasn't checked in yet." This just made me angry since they could have done this when I initially asked...in a GREAT hotel at $500/night, that is the kind of front desk responsiveness I expect...

For my money the Hyatt Kauai is a VERY GOOD, but not a GREAT hotel...