hawaii location for young couple needed
 

my husband and i want to visit hawaii in september for 5 days. we are 30 and looking for a relaxing/romantic trip without a ton of screaming kids doing cannonballs :) we would like to visit a place where we can snorkel and hike if we want but also stay in a resort or hotel that has a lot to offer.

we were looking at koa kea hotel in poipu (kauai), and a friend just recommended turtle bay resort in oahu. would really appreciate any recommendations from people who know hawaii!

There are so many great resorts on the Hawaiian islands. Depends on your budget, really. We liked the Mauna Lani, on the Big Island, for instance. Avoid the Hilton Waikaloa because it's overrun with kids.

More importantly, can you stay more than 5 days? Is that just 4 nights? TRY TO STAY LONGER.

i REALLY want to stay a week - im trying to convince my husband to take more days off. we don't want to spend more than 400/night. thanks for recommending the mauna lani! i will check it out

Koa kea is nice but the rooms are a little small for the money you pay. Even though it has kids, I would take a look at the Grand Hyatt, there is an adults only pool and nice salt water lagoon as well to escape from the kids. Mauna Lani looked nice when we stopped in for lunch a number of years ago. Guess it depends on what island you decide upon.

thanks jamie!

The problem with resorts that have "a lot to offer" is that they also typically attract families though at that time of year it would be more babies/toddlers than school age kids. September also tends to be a quiet time in general. You can look for resorts with adult/quiet pools but sometimes even that isn't well enforced.

September is Hawaii's hottest month. I would stay north on Kauai, Oahu or Maui. Of these, Maui has the best sea life and plenty of easy-access beaches. (Big Island has the best snorkeling, but beaches are limited to the Kohala Coast area, and the coast really *bakes* due to so much bare lava.)

This site has aerials, reviews and rates on almost every lodging in Hawaii: www.hawaiirevealed.com

I would not spend a minimum of five hours getting TO Hawaii for a stay of less than a week. Day One is adjusting to the time change.

I would go with your first suggestion, Koa Kea in Poipu on Kauai.

Kauai is gorgeous and relaxing. It is small in size, so you can see and do much on the island in 5 days. Getting over jetlag is easy in Hawaii: lay on the beach.

You will have wonderful time, and can plan more trips to visit larger islands later. My favorite is the Big Island, where I have a house in a tiny town of Hawi, so I also recommend the Mauna Lani and exploring north and south Kohala. The Big Island is daunting in size, though, so better save it for a longer vacation.

Oahu and Maui are too busy for me, but everyone has their favorite, and they are all beautiful and exciting to explore.

Another ((Y)) for the Mauna Lani. Very quiet, serene, and within a 5-minute walk of one of the best snorkeling beaches in the State of Hawaii. If not the Mauna Lani, I'd suggest you shift gears and find a cottage on the north shore of Kaua'i. We stayed here - http://jalbum.net/en/browse/user/album/926701 - a couple years ago, and would go back in a heartbeat.

The trade-off between the Big Island and Kaua'i is that Big Island is the most beautiful Hawaiian island under the water, while Kaua'i is the most beautiful above it.

Does anyone have experience staying at the new-ish resort on Lanai? I think it's expensive, and on a protected beach/reef.

We have been to Molokai, but I don't think there's enough to do for this young couple. We got bored there, in 4 nights.

"The trade-off between the Big Island and Kaua'i is that Big Island is the most beautiful Hawaiian island under the water, while Kaua'i is the most beautiful above it.". I agree for the most part. Although the Big Island is open, green ranch country up north, by the Mauna Lani. Unless its been developed in recent years. We have gone to the Big Island several times.

I'm forgetting the name of the really nice hotel/public beach on Hawaii, that's between Kona and the Mauna Lani. You enter through the golf course area, and the guard allows a limited number of non-guest visitors. It has facilities at the beach.

That could be a good hotel for the OP, and probably less expensive than the ML.

Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. Next to Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.

I'd check those out.

Aren't the two resorts on Lanai the same ones that have been there (just rebranded)? They won't likely be an option in September http://www.businessinsider.com/larry...n-lanai-2015-5

Thanks for the link, Patty. I'll look at it.

I would not look to your resort/hotel to provide lots of activities. Get off of the property (regardless of which island you choose) and do things on your own.

thank you so much for all of your replies. you guys make some really good points. i was able to get my husband to agree to 6 days, unfortunately we can't stay a full week. im checking out all the recommendations on this thread! i did stay at the mauna lani as a kid and i have great memories- i would appreciate it so much more now.

would also love anyone's insight on turtle bay in oahu.

should add that i will be 6 months pregnant when we take our trip-- and i don't think i'll be as adventurous as i normally would be.

Tabernash - what the freak are you talking about regarding Lanai? You clearly don't have a clue what's been going on on the island. And getting bored in 4 days on Molokai speeks more about your travel style then that magnificant island.

congrats on your pregnancy!!! that's just wonderful. You may want to stay away from the VOG on Big Island due to your condition.

inakauaidavidababy- thanks! good call about the big island.

I adore the Island of Hawaii, but Pele has been rather active and unpredictable lately, as well as the seismic activity.

Yes, Pele has been active lately, but VOG usually isn't a problem on the Kohala Coast. And when it is, if often extends up the island chain. Doubt that it would ever be much of a problem at Turtle Bay though.

I've experience VOG all the way over on Oahu but on the southern side.

Turtle Bay should be fine in September. You will need a rental car to get there and back to HNL, and you will need to allow time for that drive. (You can see a lot of Turtle Bay in the sophomoric movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall".) I would consider booking two or three nights at Turtle Bay in the middle of your stay, with the other nights on Waikiki.

Are you flying from the west coast of the mainland? If you live farther than that, I'd really think hard about spending the time and money for only six days (five nights?). Hawaii is fun with a baby, too, if you'd have more time after he/she is born.

we're flying from southern california for our 6 day trip. since were only going to one place we hoped that would be enough time. my like turtle bay-- my husband thinks it's too remote and therefore prefers south shore kauai, so we're leaning toward that

Poipu is quiet, but less so than Turtle Bay, and you can spend a day touring Kauai's most gorgeous north and/or visit Waimea Canyon. We've enjoyed the Sheraton, Poipu Kapili, and Kiahuna Plantation in Poipu, although not recently. (We bought in South Maui in 2001.) The Hyatt is a luxe property in Poipu.

Good choice! Be sure and visit the North Shore beaches one day, should be calm in September, the seas do not start to transition until October.
Canyon another day is a must, try and get there a bit early as the fog rolls in often after 9-10am. I would drive north to Koke'e State Park first and visit the Kalalau Lookout, then stop at the Canyon on your way back down.
For lunch I like Wrangler's in Waimea, others prefer Shrimp Station.

Great advice chisue and jamie! we will definitely visit the canyon and the north shore. it looks like we're going to stay at the hyatt in poipu.

We stayed at the Hyatt a few years ago - it's a great property!

The Hyatt in Poipu is one of our most favorite places in the world. The resort has nice restaurants and the grounds are gorgeous. Lots of people like the north shore of Kauai, but I prefer to do a day trip to the north shore and stay on the south shore.

You're going to have an awesome time!

Good choice, kbhejna!

We had a nice dinner there many years ago.

Love the Poipu area! You will have a great time. I have a trip report from our trip in February this year.

http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?page_id=1285

I've also stayed at Turtle Bay for a few nights (pre-renovation), but I found that when I'm on Oahu I like to be in the thick of things. Turtle Bay was a bit remote for me, considering Haleiwa was about a 30 minute drive away, and the road is pitch black at night. It's a beautiful resort though and I think the villas are really pretty so I'd combine a stay in Honolulu with a few days there.

Trip report from a few years ago but we did stay at Turtle bay for the last 3 days of our trip: http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?page_id=299

Thank you for the trip reports tifa2276! good to hear you guys liked the hyatt. i think we might do a big family reunion at turtle bay eventually -- but it sounds like its not right for what we want for this trip specifically.