proudjuneaumom

We are planning on taking our honeymoon in October 2011!! We want to honeymoon in Hawaii and looking for advice on where to go. We would like to fly to just one island and have a romantic hotel. We would like a regular hotel versus a hut/cabana. We aren't looking to spend a large sum of money, just a small relaxing honeymoon for 5 days. Any ideas or suggestions?

carolyn

My favorite island is Oahu, and if you stay on Waikiki you have a large choice of hotels and price ranges and it's easy to just walk everywhere so that you don't have to rent a car unless you want to drive around the island. I do recommend doing that one day; Waikiki has lots of people and activity, but the rest of the island is quiet. It's all beautiful.

FrankS

Ka'anapali Beach Hotel is a nice Maui choice in the inexpensive category. From there you can walk to some nice places, see shows and take advantage of good happy hours

http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mrkaanapalibeach.html

From the above link you can navigate to other hotels and condos. btw: Hawaii has hotel like condo resorts that afford you the ability to cook some of your own meals to save $

suze

While I enjoy Waikiki, and you might too if you want a more urban environment, for a honeymoon I'd pick Maui. I've heard good things about the hotel mentioned above.

You don't have to spend a ton of money to have a good vacation in Hawaii. Especially if you have a room with a frig so you can stock beverages and snacks. And just don't do the expensive tours like helicopter rides, etc.

jamie99

Hi, what is your approximate budget per night for hotels and will you be renting a car? They really are needed on all islands except Oahu, and even there it's recommended you have one for a day or two to see the North Shore, etc.

birdergirl

If you can only do one island, I strongly believe it should be the Big Island. It has the most biodiversity of all the major islands. There's lots to do there, and you can't to do ALL of these on another island:

See green and black sand beaches
Hike recent lava field (Kilauea Iki) where there's still steam coming from the ground
Take a helicopter tour over an active volcano
Stay in a rainforest cottage
Go play "dude" at a cattle ranch
Watch manta rays feeding at night
Visit a winery
Snorkel with sea turtles
Go see ancient petroglyphs
Watch the sun set from the top of the world's tallest (but not highest) mountain. (It is SOOO INCREDIBLE!)

And of course there are luaus, great food, and shopping, too. To me, if you're only going to see one island, this is the one.

The best "budget" accommodation I would recommend is Kilauea Lodge in the village of Volcano. It's a mile from Volcanoes National Park entrance. You can rent a cottage for $200 a night and wake up in a rainforest town with tropical landscaping around you. And unlike the regular hotels, breakfast is included, and the lodge has a great history. Lodge rooms are a little cheaper, but a private house is a great change from hotel living.

You can fly into Kona or Hilo, spend time on one side of the island, drive across to the other, and fly out from there. I suggest flying in to Hilo, spend two nights at Volcano, check out the park and the Hilo area, and then drive around to the Kohala Coast. Kona's great and all, but for a honeymoon it's worth spending a little extra to get pampered somewhere like the Hapuna Beach Prince or it's sister resort, the Mauna Kea.

I could go on and on (I just love Hawaii!) But this is just my suggestion. Congratulations on your wedding and I hope you have the time of your lives!

dusty56438

Lots of info, mostly for Oahu, but a lot of websites for all islands:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...trip-to-hi.cfm

Order the free Hawaii planner & the free planner for each island:

1-800-GOHAWAII

sf7307

What kind of honeymoon are you looking for? Do you want to do traditional "cultural" sightseeing? The kinds of things birdergirl mentioned? Or just relaxing on a nice beach and taking a drive or two to see beautiful natural sights? Is nightlife important to you? How "luxe" do you want in a hotel?

I ask all these questions because we have been to Hawaii many times. We do not go to museums in Hawaii, nor do we go to dude ranches or wineries (others might, we don't). We do love to relax at the pool and beach, to take walks, snorkel, take nice drives (ex. Hana Road, Haleakala on Maui, Waimea Canyon on Kauai, Kailua and the north shore beaches on Oahu).

The point is you have to figure out what it is you want to do and see before anyone can really recommend anything.

okoshi2002

It is possible to find a good deal on Lanai which I think terribly romantic. It is perfect if you are looking for a quiet holiday with your new spouse
You will not need a rental car. A three day stay can cost as little as vacation elsewhere. Stay at Koele Lodge if you prefer a cool mountain setting, or Manele Bay if you enjoy white sands and sun. The Lanai Hotel might also be an option but have never stayed there.

suze

Before my first trip to Hawaii I went to the library and got a stack of Hawaii guidebooks. Not for researching hotels specifically, but to look at the photos and get a feel for what each of the islands have to offer. They are unique and all have things to recommend them.