Amber

My fiancee and I are planning a late July honeymoon in Hawaii. We have two free tickets anywhere that United flies, but I think we are settled on Hawaii. He scuba dives and we both snorkel. Any ideas where the best beaches are that time of year? Thanks!!

Melissa

Everyone on this board seems to like Hanauma Bay. I also heard that there is some good snorkeling on the North Shore.

Jan

Which island?
What's your budget?
How important is a 'luxury' hotel vs. a condo?
Where else have you been for comparison?

Cory

Hi Sweetie!
Look at the one Hyatt Kauai or Hapuna Beach...that one has some good info! I'll keep looking for ya!

Love you
me

Amber

Thanks for the input so far. We don't need a super fancy hotel, but location is pretty important. Can anyone sum up the difference between Maui and Kauai in a nutshell? And why the hell is there such a price difference?

JMM

Kaui - Quiet,magnificent scenery,good snorkeling, good swimming,friendly
Maui - much busier than Kaui,more activities, beautiful scenery,OK snorkeling
I found the water rougher on Maui (we were there in May.
I know north shore of Kaui can be rough in winter but since you will be there in summer this should not be a concern. Note on Kaui - in summer north shore water is calmer and south shore water is rougher - in Winter reverse is true. For snorkeling on Kaui, we liked Anini Beach (northeast shore) - very safe, lots of fish, coral not good tho. The best snorkeling we had was on the Big Island at Kealakakua Bay.

joe

The leeward(dry) side of Maui(Kihei,Wailea,Makena etc.)has excellent snorkeling and diving. The advantage in my opinion is the number of beach or rock entry spots that lead to good dives. You can save a lot of money by renting tanks and gear at Maui Divers or Bobs Scuba Shack. They can give you good advice on locations and conditions.There are dozens of good condo rentals in the area.