Hawaii in Oct. A few questions...
 

Planning a honeymoon to Kauai and likely Maui. Was strongly considering the BI but am worried that the Iron Man will make things very busy there. What about the other islands or simply plane flights? Should we avoid this time?

Which hotel has the best swimming beach on Maui--Four Seasons, Hyatt, Ritz Carlton, Fairmont...........?

Thanks!

Just have got back from Kauai and BI. I do not recommend the Hyatt in Kauai. I spent 8 days there, and it was so pricey. The service was awful, and the food was below average (especially breakfasts....which at 60 dollars for 2 was a disgrace, as the food was disgusting!).
I can, however, highly recommend the 4 seasons on the BI. As ever, you really get what you pay for here, and it is stunning. I think things do get busy on the BI island during October, but to be honest, it seems to have grown in popularity, so busy all year around.

Just got back today from Kauai and a fantastic stay at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. The resort is filled with many happy honeymooners. You will love it. Check out the Sunshine on Sale package. One night is free and the daily buffet breakfast is included in the price! They also have Hyatt Stay Certificates for $249 a night, off their website. The grounds are fantastic, and service everywhere was superb. Nightly turndown service with a chocolate and orchid on your pillow.
8-)

Have been to Maui at end of October and it was a great time to go, except no whalewatching.
:S-
Our favorite swimming beach is Wailea Beach in front of Grand Wailea and Four Seasons.

On the maui leg of our honeymoon my hubbie and i stayed half at the sheraton maui and half down in Hana at a place called Hale Malamalama. Both places were astonishingly lovely and the drive up around the north pali and then down the coast to hana was the best! The hotel Hana Maui is absolutely sublime in my opinion..but it is pretty pricey.

Interesting. I was at Grand Wailea two years ago October during the Tri and have great photos of Wailea Beach.

Count one more vote for that area as "the best swimming beach on Maui". It's clean, not so rocky there, you might even see some turtles...

Also, this is not traditionally the area where shark bites make the news. On our return flight, we learned of the shark bite of teenage pro surfer Bethany Hamilton offshore Kauai.

Thanks for the responses. I had heard that during the triathalon on the BI--rental cars and rooms can be harder to come by!

Alisa, we are going to be staying on the BI during the ironman competition. I will confirm for you that it is a busy time and rooms and cars are booking up fast. However, the race participants generally stay as close to the pier as possible, so those areas away from Kona should not be as busy. It seems that the bigger cars are almost all booked (SUV's, minivans etc) as the participants need the room to transport their bikes etc. You shouldn't have a problem if you look for a room outside of Kona and rent a smaller car. Good luck!

We were on the BI last October and yes, it is very busy during Ironman. However, even the day after, it is almost back to normal. However, we loved it! We also volunteered for the event, which was one of the highlights of our trip. Maybe it is something you might want to consider. There is lots of volunteer info on the Ironman website. ironmanlive.com