speedy_353

Hi,

My fiance and I will be traveling to hawaii this November for 9 days. We have purchased our airplane tickets to arrive in Maui and depart from Kauai. Those are the only two islands we plan on visiting during this trip.

We are looking for recommendations on must do things for both islands (actvities, restaurants, etc), how many days should be spent in maui vs. kauai, hotel/condo recommendations (Under $200), and anything else that you feel would be something that we shouldn't miss or help us on our travels.

Thanks for your advice and time,
Dave

LVAMY

For either of those islands, at under 200 u could get a condo on the beach for nov, but u would probably need a stay of 7 days on that island, we have stayed in Kihei and the Mahana area and had an awesome trip, we have also had a great time in Kauai at a Kapaa condo, for 9 days you might want to stay on one island, rent a condo, be more relaxed, and have an incredible time!

qwovadis

Priceline.com great deals bidding the Westins from $80 for me

betterbidding.com join spg.com for upgrades to best available

for FREE.

Awesome experience for me in the past especially Princeville

Sometimes a bit of rain in Nov usually head for Hapuna

Prince or Mauna Kea on the Kohala coast then

for better weather...

Placename

I would start looking on the TripAdvisor Hawaii boards.

It that 9 days/10 nights? Makes a difference. 4 nights on one of those islands is really going to feel rushed.

Are you departing after the wedding? For some people, the stress of the months of preparation and the frenzy/excitement of the wedding day can be exhausting and it is wise not to overplan for the honeymoon, but allow a couple of days to de-stress, especially if you have long flights.

I find the northern Kauai area of Hanalei/Princeville to be lovely and serene and not to be missed. Quo vadis (above) is discussing areas on The Big Island of Hawaii (Hapuna, Mauna Kea, Kohala coast), so ignore those comments as you don't have time to go there unless you change your flights.

LaurenP

Just got back from my honeymoon in Kauai and Maui. We had 14 nights and did 8 in Kauai and 6 in Maui. I could have spent the entire two weeks in Kauai. We did 4 nights on the North shore and 4 on the South shore. We preferred the North but enjoyed seeing both sides. Weather was great on both sides in September, not sure what November is like. We did kayaking, hiking, snorkleing, ziplining, stand up paddle boarding. Loved it! Maui was nice but hard to appreciate after coming from Kauai.

speedy_353

Thanks for the advice and recommendations. I think based on all the responses I am going to spend more time on Kauai, than on Maui.

We will be in Hawaii for 8 nights 9 days. We arrive Nov 14 (around 10pm) and depart Nov 22 (mid-day).

LaurenP where did you go kayaking at? We are interested in kayaking, snorkeling group tour, deep sea fishing, and possibly zipline/tandem pairsail or horseback ride. Any companies that you would recommend?

Placename- Thanks! We are looking for a hotel in Kauai in the princeville area. We found a deal on costcotravel for the Westin Princeville ocean resort villas. Any experience with them?


qwovadis- I'll check out priceline for our maui hotel. Thanks!

Thanks!

Placename

Go to TripAdvisor and look on the Kauai and Maui forums. You can also check out reviews for Westing Princeville resort, and other properties in the area

Placename

Oh. You really only have 7 days/8 nights. That first day is entirely on the plane and the last day is at the airport.

I'd seriously consider staying on only one island.

sf7307

I'd also seriously consider only one island with 7 days. I've done two islands when I've had 9 days, but with only 7, I'd rather not move.

Songdoc

I'd spend the whole time on Kauai. Check out Sealodge condos in Princeville. Great prices for million-dollar views.

speedy_353

Sealodge condos doesn't look like it has A/C. Will that be a problem in November?

RockCrawler

On the advice of an article I read (I tried searching for the link but couldn't find it - sorry!) my fiance and I went on a sunset zip line in Maui. It was both romantic and breathtaking, and gave us some of our favorite photos from our trip! I couldn't find the article but here's the website of the company we went with: http://gozipmaui.com .

Also on Maui, you have to try surf lessons! We went with Goofy Foot (goofyfootsurfschool.com) and it was a blast. Going in November to both of these places will be great, it's off-season in Maui and you'll have minimal crowds.

Needless to say we're the active types and wanted to do something different for our trip instead of wasting days by the pool. We didn't find the zip lining strenuous at all and don't imagine most people would! Word of advice on surfing though... stretch and be sure to feel strong for your surf lesson, it's the most fun I've had in the water but also the most tired I've ever felt!

Enjoy your trip

edjim

I would also try to stay on one island. There is a lot to do on both islands, but you may have more beach choices and accomodations on Maui. Plenty of non-beach stuff to do as well. Kauai is a little quieter and more lush, but also has a ton of hiking ops.

Leburta

We had a great time ziplining in Kapalua on Maui: http://www.kapalua.com/index.php?opt...=78&Itemid=249

Lots of great restaurants on Maui and very friendly locals. Kauai is more laid back. In late November you risk rain on Kauai, which is our wettest island. But you could get lucky and have fantastic weather.

rachelnyc04

we spent our two week honeymoon in kauai and maui as well, and i agree with the previous poster that also though maui was very nice (and more choices for off-resort restaurants/bars/nightlife), we just loved kauai and it felt it to be more exotic, lush, very romantic. in both places our hotel rooms had empty refrigerators which was awesome to buy our own wine/champagne plus snacks which could easily have replaced the $35 per person breakfast if that wasn't already included for us. we stayed at the grand hyatt in kauai and did eat at tidepools there for our "1 week anniversary" it was a stunning setting, delicious food (i still remember the linguini with slipper lobster that i had!) and if you were going to splurge on something romantic, that could be it. no sea view, but the design of the space is all adjoined individual rooms so it almost felt like a private dinner on the koi ponds. we also love whiskey and can recommend stevensons library at the hyatt for a drink...i know its pricey, but the bartender was quite knowledgable, they have live music and billiards tables, and was a perfect night "out" considering it was our honeymoon. off the resort, we enjoyed keoki's...i know its not waterfront, but the staff were so friendly, food quite nice, and had a lively happy atmosphere so we actually went back twice. we went to the beach house restaurant to watch the sunset after reading so much about it - it was nice, but i wouldn't say it was the most memorable meal ever (i guess we felt a bit like cattle) we found kimo's in lahaina to be similar to keoki's - nice outdoor spaces on the water and lively casual happy hour atmosphere. we enjoyed the sea house in maui - also a great place to see the sunset and it seemed a bit more intimate than the beach house on kauai. for our last night we ate at the swan court at the hyatt regency - nice setting with open air along their pond, great wine list.

happy planning!