Honeymoon in Hawaii
 

We're going to Hawaii for our honeymoon in the beginning of June '06. We're going for 14 days and dont know anything about the islands. With some looking around lookslike going to Maui and Kauai would be amazing. We are active, but love to relax, and also love golf. Are we wrong to pick just these two places? Are we missing anything by not going to Oahu or the big island? If we pick Maui and Kauai can we fly direct to either from NY?

ANy help is appreciated!!

dski45,
"Are we missing anything by not going to Oahu or the big island?"

Well...yes of course you would, but if you feel that Maui and Kaua`i would be best after some preliminary poking around, I'd go with that initial feeling and start planning. Keep investigating and don't be afraid to change plans. There are so many choices to be made when planning a Hawaiian vacation. Don't get bogged down in trying to see and do everything.

I would personally not plan more than two islands in two weeks. There are plenty of people who spend 4 or 5 days on an island and move on the next one for another 4 or 5. Not me! We spend 10-14 on Kaua`i and love it.

Maui happens to be my least favorite island, but it is still fabulous with lots of things to do, unusual trips to take and one of the best snorkeling spots of all the islands (Honuloa Bay).

Your choices for shnazzy resorts are greater on the Big Island and on Maui than it is on Kaua`i and possibly Oahu.

If you do end up going to Kaua`i, I would check on Secret Beach Cottages on the north shore of Kaua`i (www.secretbeachkauai.com) for a romantic and secluded stay. We are renting a little cottage in Hanalei this summer, but on our two previous trips we've stayed in Poipu on the south end of the island. We stayed at the Hyatt there and loved it. Big, but not snooty and surprisingly low key.

Congratulations on your engagement.

-Bill

As Bill said, you can drive yourself nuts trying to pick the "right" islands, but since you asked:

What you're missing on Oahu: The North Shore, Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, the Byodo In Buddhist Temple, Bishop Museum, Chinatown.

What you're missing on the BI: Active volcano/flowing lava, green sand beach, Parker Ranch, petroglyph fields, Ahu'ena Heiau.

I think the direct flights from the East Coast and Midwest are all to Honolulu, although there are some flights to Maui and Kauai from West Coast airports.

14 days is plenty of time to see three islands. Many people see all four major islands in 14 days. Cruise ships visit all four islands in seven days. But, can you imagine what little you can do on each island if you are only there for one or two days? I like 4-5 days on each island. It gives you a chance to see and do things on several islands and still be able to relax.

At least you have a year to look at things and make some plans.

Oahu has by far the most things to do and see. It has the best restaurants, nightlife, museums, military history with USS Arizona, USS Missouri and Punchbowl.

USS Arizona Memorial should not be missed.

Polynesian Cultural Center is the best Polynesian attraction in all of Hawaii.

Oahu is the most crowded, but most of the people are in Honolulu and Waikiki.

Here are some websites that will give you info on all the islands:

www.gohawaii.com
www.spotlighthawaii.com
www.thisweek.com
www.101things.com
www.alternative-hawaii.com
www.hawaiiweb.com

We went to Maui and Kaua'i for our honeymoon last July, 1 week on each. We loved both islands.

Our flight from Cleveland stopped in Dallas Texas and then flew direct to Maui from there.

DH and I are going for our 1 year anniversary and picked Maui and Kauai. WE are going for a little over 2 weeks and also enjoy lots of activities and beautiful landscape! Get the Maui Revealed and Kauai Revealed books. They give lots of info.

Also-we are flying direct from Newark on Continental. We have to fly to Oahu and then onto Maui.

Second the advice for <font color="blue">www.wizardpub.com</font> &quot;Revealed&quot; Guidebooks and agree that Maui and Kaua`i are great choices for a honeymoon but with 14 days would also recommend a couple days on the Big Island where it might be possible to observe active <font color="red">lava</font> flows in addition to awesome snorkeling. Congratulations! :S-