tanq621

My husband and I are planning our honeymoon to Hawaii at the end of December, beginning of January, hopefully for New Year's Eve if feasible. We have chosen Maui as our main destination. Looking for advice on where to stay, is it cheaper to do a house or condo rental rather than a hotel? I'm thinking the south or west part of the island, accommodations are more important to me than my husband but don't need to be overly fancy and not super expensive. I would like ocean front or at least views with a lanai. Also if we decided to travel to another island, where do you recommend? Is it worth it to go to another island if we plan our trip for 10 days? We want to do the road to Hana and I love good food so any restaurants and must do recommendations are welcome too! Any and all advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

suze

I would stay on Maui the entire 10 days. Just because to me that would be most enjoyable. The house or condo rental vs. hotel isn't so much about price (there are cheaper and more expensive in both categories) it's more about what you want from the place you stay. Do you want a pool? Do you want to cook? Do you want maid service? Etc.

tanq621

Also, we are traveling from Boston and are not sure if we should make a stop for one night somewhere first, like San Francisco or Las Vegas.

garyt22

It is fun to stop in a CA coastal city along the way... it gives you the chance to break up a super long flight. get your bearings and spend an amazing special night with dinner in a romantic city and hotel... others will tell you to drag yourself all the way to Hawaii, but why not add a "quickie" along the way...?

EmilyPost

We like to make the long trip to Hawaii from Boston or NYC in one fell swoop but break up our return flight and stop for a 'last hurrah' in CA or Seattle on the way back to the East Coast. We arrive in Boston refreshed! I'd stay on Maui for the entire 10 days but you might spend the last part of your trip at a resort; could be fun to be in a resort on New Year's Eve and enjoy a little pampering for a long weekend before returning to reality and the cold Northeast.

beanweb24

Oceanfront + not super expensive is probably not entirely realistic during the holiday season. Hawaii is quite expensive over the holidays. You'll also be traveling during whale season, though peak is usually February/March.

Look at Costco - they have some pretty good "package" deals that don't necessarily have to include air (I've gotten some good deals on hotel + car packages). For private rentals like a house or condo, I really like vrbo.com. The benefit to having a house/condo over a resort will be that you will likely have access to kitchen and laundry facilities (which can help with both cost + amount of baggage). On the flip side, I also like resorts which tend to have more services and great amenities (like spas, pools, etc).

eamc

Great place for a honeymoon! Hubby & I didn't get there until our 25th anniversary & our first trip was also to Maui. We too did 10 days but for the last 3 we flew to The Big Island (Hilo side) to visit Volcano Nat'l Park. We stayed at Kilauea Lodge (kilauealodge.com). Very quiet, secluded; historic; just up the road from the Park. Owner/chef serves continental cuisine with European flare. Not 5 star luxury but oh so relaxing. The Park is a must see especially if you don't think you will get back to Islands again. Didn't feel at all like we crammed too much into the trip. Could be bias since our 1st trip to Islands is my favorite but might be something to consider.

suze

Personally I'd rather spend all my time in Hawaii (not subtract the days for a California stop).

tanq621

Thanks for all the info, now I just need more recommendations on lodging on Maui, there are too many to choose from. Where are places you have stayed and why did you love it or hate it? I think we will do a resort or hotel over a house/condo rental.

tifa2276

Maui is awesome. I was there in November of last year with my husband for our 5th anniversary. It was our 3rd trip to Maui together. We've always done a split stay between South Maui and West Maui. Usually we'll be pretty low-key for a few nights and then splurge on the rest. I'll give you my take on the resorts I've stayed at along with approximate cost:

$$- Maui Coast Hotel - this was a nice moderate hotel in Kihei and was a great "base" to explore a lot of Upcountry Maui, Haleakala and Road to Hana. It was convenient and very reasonably priced for Maui. I'd book one of the suite rooms for more space. From what I remember the laundry rooms were free too. Small pool but across from one of the Kihei beaches.

$$ - Outrigger Aina Nalu in Lahaina - This is a boutique-y resort in Lahaina right behind the main drag called "Front Street". It's a convenient location for the West side and offers condo style amenities. It was nice but a bit squishy for a condo and not as sprawling as I would like, but it did have a pretty pool area. I liked that it was low-key.

$$$ - Marriott Wailea - Big sprawling resort that overlooks a lovely beach. You have to walk down a path to the beach but the infinity pool was beautiful so we spent most of our time there. The spa is overpriced and lackluster and the service is OK to good. Some people (a lady who worked at the spa) were really snooty! Rooms were standard hotel rooms (but we didn't get an ocean view room so maybe those are nicer). I pricelined this hotel and got a great deal though, about 120 bucks a night. For that price it's worth it, but if I had to pay retail (like 300+) then probably not.

$$$$ - Ritz Carlton Kapalua - Gorgeous traditional-style resort on the cliffs of Kapalua. It's really beautiful and secluded there, so touring the island may not be as convenient as other locations but it is only 20 minutes from Lahaina so not completely isolated. Beautiful rooms with hardwood floors (I appreciate that more than tile and carpet), giant bathrooms and luxurious spa. It's pricey but worth it and you can often find deals that include upgrades, free breakfast etc. Try www.Whatahotel.com

$$$ to $$$$ Sheraton Kaanapali at Blackrock - this is in front of one of my favorite beaches for snorkeling with turtles! Really great service and wonderful people. Haven't stayed there, but my sister did, and she liked it a lot.

$$$$ - Honua Kai in Kaanapali - a condo resort that has many units but a really great pool area and is next to lovely kaanapali beach. I loved all the luxury amenities like gourmet kitchen, washer dryer, huge bathrooms, and the units are big and spacious. The price will range on what type of unit you get and I would go through a private owner i.e. VRBO, flipkey etc, rather than going through the resort directly as the prices were better. Lots of people and families with kids though, if you are concerned about that.

$$$$ Hyatt Andaz at Wailea - This is probably my most favorite hotel in Maui at this point and we stayed here for 4 nights last fall. I really loved the clean modern aesthetic - the rooms and bathrooms with rain shower head were wonderful. Minibar of non alcoholic drinks are included. Some rooms don't have a tub, just an FYI. The spa is AMAZING! the views are awesome and they have 4 levels of infinity pools. This is an $$$ resort but one that I would gladly pay for. We used hyatt free night certificates and got 4 nights for free, and since we are hyatt visa card holders, we got upgrades too. definitely check it out if you can.


That's all the info I have but there are still plenty more I want to check out. I haven't stayed in Hana yet, and really want to check out the Four Seasons Wailea (we did eat there though, meal was good but not great), and the Fairmont Wailea.

Note that most resorts will charge a resort fee, or parking fee, or both (The andaz only had a mandatory valet but no resort fee).

I found there were great restaurants, both high and low-end, in South and West Maui so plenty to eat no matter where you stay! I personally am a fan of South Maui. I feel like it has more of an exclusive vibe and low-key feel rolled into one (if that makes any sense). I also like how it's very convenient.

You can check out some posts I did on Maui on my blog: www.asplashofaloha.com - just click on Trip Reports and then Maui.

Happy Honeymoon!

tanq621

tifa2276, thank you, great info!
If someone could just plan the trip for me that would be great, lol. There are so many choices. To give people a little more info, we would like to spend about $5,000 on the flight and hotel for the 10 days. The dates can be flexible too. It seems like it might be cheaper to wait until after the holiday, early January.

ChiSue

The very least expensive time to visit Hawaii is early December. The weather is not the greatest at the start of winter, but is the same people that will pay top dollar for over Christmas/New Years. January is a bit less than the holidays or February, but all of Whale Season (January-March) is expensive. Summer and all school holidays are higher.


Your best flight option is a nonstop on a widebody aircraft into Honolulu, or at least on the longest leg of your trip: JFK, Newark. We fly to Maui most winters. We can take a smaller plane for two hours to DFW, then a 767 into either OGG or HNL. I avoid 757's and would never stop 'just to break the flight'.

You'll need to look into condos if you have a $3K budget for food, lodging, and car rental for ten nights. (Our flights for this winter are $1200 pp.)

tifa2276

You're welcome! BTW, I also prefer to spend all the time on one island and 10 days is plenty to do a split stay so you could experience two mini-vacays in one. I love to explore new hotels/resorts and for me it's not an issue to move from one location to another. I actually see that the Hotel Wailea just recently underwent a massive renovation and it looks gorgeous! All suite rooms too. www.jetsetter.com is having a flash sale right now on the Hotel Wailea. It's not on the beach but is very close to the Wailea and Makena beaches.

Shar

I 2nd the idea of checking out Costco Travel. We have used them numerous times in Hawaii and never been disappointed. They will save you some money and for their car rental (included in set price)they waives the mandatory $10.00 a day for extra driver. That alone saves you money. IT is a good deal