CJo11

Hi, my fiancee and I will be spending two weeks in Hawaii for our honeymoon, in the beginning of July. We would like to visit Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island. We are looking for recommendations on lodging, sight-seeing and those special "can't miss gems".

We are very adventurous people, and love exploring the outdoors. We love the beach and are SCUBA certified. We want to be able to do a lot of diving, snorkling, and swimming. We want to see the volcanoes, and hike a little bit as well. We love seeing things that are "off the beaten path" and don't want to be mixed up in a ton of tourists. We would love our trip to be quiet, calming and adventurous.

As far as accommodations go, we would like to stay in one REALLY nice location. The other lodging accommodations don't need to be as nice. We don't mind staying in local accommodations, and really into the big, resort type places. We do like comfortable beds though!

We would appreciate any suggestions you may have! Thanks!!

Placename

A good rule of thumb is one week per island. From your description, I think you could cut out Oahu.

Nicest hotels on Hawaii are Four Seasons Hualalai, Mauna Kea Resort.

On Kauai, it's between the St Regis in Princeville or maybe Koa Kea in Poipu.

You could also rent a house. There are some doozies out there if your budget is generous.

Placename

Or maybe something like this:

http://www.parrishkauai.com/kauai-homes/halem/

sunbum1944

Oh wow- love the link Placename provided- kind of looks like the homes in the movie the Descendents- I want to go there - need to win the lottery though

Tomsd

I think you can easily do Oahu for a couple/three of days (go snorkeling/diving at Hanauma Bay http://tinyurl.com/6pyy8bm where there are more varieties of fish than anywhere else in Paradise) - and maybe up at the North Shore as you drive around the Island. Then spend say 4/5 days in either Kauai or Big Island and kick back for a week on the other.

We did that on our Honeymoon, and the flights from Oahu to Kauai are 20 minutes (just as the Flight Attendant brings you your beverage - the Captain says - prepare for descent/landing), and the flight from Oahu to Big Island are a bit longer, more like 45 minutes - unless you have to transfer in Maui.. The outer-island airports are also small and easy to navigate around/pick up your rental car, etc. If we take our dive stuff - one of us goes to get the checked bags and the other goes to get the rental car.

Actually - come to think of it - I also dove/went spear fishing off the east side of Oahu - by Chinaman's Hat.

Here are some Oahu dive sites - and the one up on the North Shore is just above Waimea Bay - where we snorkeled but didn't dive is called Shark's Cove? or some such - but there really aren't any sharks. http://www.hawaiiscubadiving.com/oahu/dive-sites.html

For more diving - I have always wanted to get over to a small crescent island by Niihau - http://tinyurl.com/73rfdmj off the SW coast of Kauai - and was scheduled to dive there when somebody chartered the whole boat for a Honeymoon party. Daggone.

My wife was certified on the North Shore of Kauai - in Hanalei bay - by this great group - Bubbles Below http://bubblesbelowkauai.com/ (his mother was a famous photographer/diver for National Geographic and dove while she was pregnant with him. ).

and there is good diving in Hanalei Bay - and at nearby Tunnels, and also down the Napili Coast, which in the summer you can possibly reach by Zodiac from the North Shore - or take a Catamaran out of Port Allen down on the south side. I think we went with this outfit, and we dove offside the beautiful red cliffs of Napili.

Actually - this is for Captain Andy's - or we might have gone with Ken's - but check on the biggest Catamaran going out and suggest you take that one if you want a smooth ride up the beautiful Napili Coast.

http://www.napali.com/

On Big Island - on my first dive off the Kona Coast - had fun looking at the fish - and then I just went to touch down at 135 feet - and came back up - but on another trip - my wife and I did a night dive - and had fun seeing an Octopus just jet away. The Big Island has a lot of diving spots. Can't remember our dive outfit - but here is an idea of the various shore diving spots: http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/index.htm

And next time - I want to go to dive off Lanai - or Molokai. Have also snorkeled there - and hey - like most places in Hawaii - including the rocky outcropping by the old Sheraton in Kaanapali, Maui - if the vis is good - you can also have a lot of fun snorkeling.

Also check other posts under Hawaii for more info.

Aloha.

Tomsd

And here is a good pic of Hanauma Bay on Oahu - about 20 minutes south of Waikiki. Can't count how many times have enjoyed snorkeling here (sometimes we take a sushi/picnic lunch - but always go early to beat the crowds) and even dove here once. Saw a Hammerhead shark - out beyond the reef. Just waved at the lad as he swam by - and while they normally aren't aggressive, this guy was a good six plus feet and they do have sharp teeth. http://tinyurl.com/7vjqyyl

CJo11

ADDITION TO ORIGINAL POST!
So, after reading tons of great posts (thanks fellow travelers), we have decided to do Maui, instead of Oahu. So, the final trip will include visits to Kauai, Maui and the Big Island. Again, any suggestions you have would be great! Also, we don't like staying in big resort type places, but wouldn't mind staying in just one, on one of the islands. Thanks!

montereybob

Three islands in two weeks takes up a lot of your honeymoon packing, unpacking, driving to and from airports, going through airport hassles. For a more relaxing enjoyable trip, I would recommend visiting only two islands. On Maui the two major resort areas are Kaanapali and Wailea. You can Google those areas to compare the pictures and prices of the various hotels. There is sooooooooooo much to do and see on each island that I would recommend getting a good travelguide book for each island you visit so you can read about all the possibilities and choose the most fun for you.
Have a great time!

Placename

Not knowing where you are flying from, I would caution you not too try to do too much. Many couples need down time just to de-stress from the months-long wedding preparations and the hubris of the wedding. I don't think you really need to try to do three islands in what is probably a 13-night trip.

Determining a nightly accomodation budget is key to organizing your planning. You will also need to rent a car on any island other than Oahu. Rates for everything seem to be significantly higher this year, so it is not too soon to be researching rental car rates, too.

There are some wonderful places on Maui to stay. You might consider several nights at the Travaasa Hotel in Hana, Maui.

http://www.travaasa.com/hana

Placename

Although the inter-island flights are technically short, it takes about 4 hours to get to another island, when you factor in rental car return, security linesm, picking up your baggage, and getting your next rental car. That doesn't include driving to/from the airport.

sunbum1944

Agree with Placename on the about of time needed at airport- was just in Maui a week ago and the security lines were unreal- met one couple who missed their flight because although they thought they had allowed plenty of time- they had not and were trying to get back to Anchorage.

I would be inclined to do 2 islands instead of 3

Tomsd

Just GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CJo11

If we did just Maui and Kauai, don't you think we would miss out on the marvels of the volcanoes on the Big Island? We are okay with doing only a few days on the Big Island, we just wanted the opportunity to see the volcanoes. We will be flying from California. Also, has anyone used VRBO for accommodations? I am looking for some good places, and would like to see if anyone has stayed in a particular one.

chepar

As far as diving, do not miss out on the night time manta ray dive on the Big Island. Most dive operators will do a two tank dive, the first being at sunset and the second for the mantas. You can also snorkel instead of diving, but it's a lot better sitting at the bottom and watching them from below.

Just make sure you 1) overweight yourselves a little so you can basically park yourself on the floor and 2) watch out for the urchins creeping around.

Generally the diving on the Big Island is acknowledged to be the best of all the islands. On Maui you can do a dive at Molokini Crater, which is a marine preserve. The usual dive is inside the crater at shallower depths. If you are more advanced divers, you might find an operator doing a dive on the back wall.

For reviews of dive operators on the various islands you can find a lot of info in the Hawaii forum at scubaboard.com.

montereybob

If the Big Island volcano is a must see for you, then the additional travel hassles might be worth it to you.

Other options:

Since its an easy and affordable flight from CA to HI, you could visit 2 islands for your honeymoon and the third island for your one year anniversary or other future vacation. Most people who go to Hawaii once want to go back again and again, so no need to do it all in one trip.

If you google "Big Island volcano tours from Maui", you will find one day trips from Maui to see the volcano.

Tomsd

Geesh: Getting from one island to another is easy: Wake up early - coffee up and have some fresh fruit and maybe Hawaiian Bread or fried rice - or even sushi - and get to the airport - enjoy the scenic hop to another island - and then you can be checking into your new pad before noon.

For me - it's energiziing to see as much as you can the first time and then decide where you might come back to and spend more kick back time. You can still break it up so you stay a minimum of 4 days on each of the 3 islands - and that should afford some nap time.

If you can fly into Hilo - that is easier to get up to the Volcano area - as well as drive north of Hilo to see some of the beautiful rain forest, including at Akaka Falls. http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/park....cfm?park_id=2

You might stay a night or two up at Volcano (check out the Volcano House at the Visitors center and also the Volcano Village - and the Volcano Village Inn is great - a former artist's retreat in a rain forest http://emmaspencerliving.com/volcano-village-lodge/ - and then finish by driving over to Kona for a few days. Lovely drive - but it will take a couple of hours.

And then you could fly from Kona to say Maui from Big Island, or back to the Inter-Island terminal on Oahu and over to Kauai.

BTW - on Maui - for a quiet - reasonably priced place - I love the Napili Sunset - very reasonable and right on the beach - with a lawn area in front. They even used to have a cam out in front on one of the Palm Trees and you could wave to friends back wherever. http://www.napilisunset.com/

If you can arrange diving with the Manta Rays at night, super. When we were there - for some reason it wasn't happening. They used to turn the lights on by the old Hilton - just south of Kona town and they would come in.

Years later - I did dive with 22 foot gentle-giant Manta Rays of the NW coast of Costa Rica - by Flamingo - and it was mucho fun.

Oh yes: Check with the various rental car companies so you can sign up on the first island you go to and then streamline the process when you arrive on the next island. You can do a two week rental and probably get a pretty good rate. I always use www.carrentals.com, but you can also check directly with all the various rental car companies.

And depending on how much snorkeling/diving gear you want to pay for lugging along - check out the Snorkel Bob's (and others) of Paradise - where you can rent on one island and turn in on another. http://snorkelbob.com/cgi-local/Soft....htm?E+scstore

When you first arrive - just pick up the tourist mags at the airport and there should be plenty of coupons/deals, and they also have good maps for driving around the islands.

Placename

I would advise you to start reviewing the Hawaii travel forum on www.tripadvisor.com

I am reading there that airfares and car rentals are getting more expensive. For some reason, LAX flights seeme to be much higher than in past years. I wouldn't delay making flight reservations. It looks like $800 round trip from LA is about the going rate and you can expect it to go up closer to July. If you are flying from the SF bay area, you have the additional option of Hawaiian Airlines out of non-SFO airports and can get better deals.

utahtea

Tomsd, Your plan for island hop sounds good...but then there are those that can't get a flight till afternoon

I don't know if Alaska Airlines is still having their good flight rates, but for two round trip tickets in April we got them for only $750 total.

Utahtea

Tomsd

ut - if that is the case, enjoy the beach that day at the island you are on - and then catch the sunset at the next island - toasting pehaps a "Green Flash" - with a Mai Tai (Rum is fairly inexpensive -to find in Paradise) - or even a tasty Chi-Chi - which is Vodka based:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chi-chi/

That's of course, if one imbibes. You can also use iced tea!!

martym

We have used VRBO in Hawaii and elsewhere--here's a place we enjoyed on Hawaii http://www.vrbo.com/343436 A little pricy (for us) but very private and luxurious.