My fiance and I (late 20's) will be going to Hawaii in late October of this year for our honeymoon and are very excited. She and I have never been and are in need of a little guidance.

The scenario is this: We want to see 2 islands and settled on Maui and Kauai. We are looking for pampering and relaxation for the first few days to recover from the stresses of a wedding and good restaurants/sights/activity/nightlife the last part of the trip, simply because she and I just can't sit on a beach for that long before going stir crazy. I have about 150K Marriott points (~5 nights), so I am looking to offset part of the trip with that, but I do want the highest quality pampering for the first part. After much research, I have come up with the following 2 scenarios: 3 nights at the Four Seasons in Maui and then 5 nights at the Marriott in Kauai or 4 nights at the Hyatt or Princeville in Kauai and then 4 nights at one of the two Marriotts in Maui. With those hotel choices and expectations, what are everyones thoughts? I know it probably depends on my definition of activity for the back end of the trip (i.e. outdoors of Kauai or nightlife of Maui). I have heard the 4S in Maui is just amazing and am itching to go there, but afraid that Kauai is too slow for the last part of the trip. On the flipside, I am afraid that the Hyatt is not nice enough (compared to the 4S) on the front end to make it feel really special.

I am not totally limited to these hotels, so if there are any other suggestions, please let me know. The help is VERY much appreciated!

I'd do a 4/4 split with 4S Maui and Marriott Kauai. You'll want more than three nights on Maui. With the extra day at the 4S you can have the pampering more time to enjoy Maui's activities. Happy planning.

Thanks iamg. Any other thoughts out there? Thanks you in advance!

Considering what you want - especially in the nightlife area - you may want to change the last part of your trip to the Waikiki Marriott or the Ko'Olina (also a Marriott, also on Oahu). There is little nightlife on Maui and far less than that on Kauai.

I would definetely agree with the 4 Seasons on Maui to start the honeymoon off with lots of pampering and special memories, but Kauai seems too quiet and laid back to fit the description of what you want for the second half of your trip.

Oahu offers some of everything - Ko'Olina is not in Waikiki but would still give you access to the great restaurants, shopping and nightlife in Waikiki while also offering you a beautiful, peaceful and less crowded place to stay. The Waikiki Marriott is a nice hotel, right across from the beach and in the hustle & bustle if that suits you. With either choice you're only a drive away from the awesome North Shore, Kailua or Lanikai beaches. Also, on Oahu there are numerous other activities to keep you as busy as you want to be, or you could choose to just chill out & relax and spend your time at the beach.

I just thought I'd mention these things since - IMHO - Kauai would not fulfill what you're looking for. In any event, whatever you do decide - congratulations and have a great honeymoon in paradise - wherever you end up going and whatever you end up doing you will come away with terrific memories.

I vote for 4 nights Princeville Hotel, it is just so scenic up north, and if you like pools and fun over pampering would choose 4 nights Grand Wailea Resort, however 4S or Wailea Marriott also fine choices.

Thanks bashfulLV and JohnD for the responses...a couple quick questions. I have heard Oahu from a couple other people as well, but is Oahu as touristy as I am afraid it might be? When I was talking about finding activity on the back end of the trip, I was thinking a great outdoors stuff to do during the day (surfing/drives/snorkeling/scuba) but nothing that feels real touristy. I really don't like touristy ;-). As for nightlife, a great laid back beach bars with a great band in the evening. Something that still has a tropical/laid back locals feel. Does Oahu still make sense after this clarification? Is Kauai still too remote? I fell like I am describing Maui from the impression I get, but I want to make sure we see 2 islands while we are out there. Does it sound like I am overanalyzing and thoroughly confusing myself? I am. Thanks again for the advice!

ALL of Hawaii is "touristy". Tourists outnumber locals wherever you go. Waikiki is more "touristy" than anywhere else.

Oahu has all kinds of nightlife (maybe too much). Kauai has almost no nightlife. Maui is somewhere in between, with a reasonable amount of nightlife (mainly in the Lahaina/Kaanapali area).

Kauai is not "touristy". Spent our honeynoon there at the Hyatt, and we were on the go the whole time. THere is so much to see- waterfalls, hiking, Napali coast tours, etc. We went back the next year to actually relax!

Kauai is by far less touristy that Oahu.

I say

Kauai:
Princeville Resort - 2 nights
Hyatt Regency - 2 nights
Maui:
Four Seasons: 2 nights
Hotel Hana-Maui: 2 nights

This way you'll see various sides of each island.

If you decide to go to the Big Island, go to
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows

I wouldn't go so far as to say that tourists out-number residents, nor that Maui as a whole is touristy, although it may seem that way if you visit west Maui! LOL

We have a population of about 125,000, with an average daily visitor population of around 40,000. Some days I wonder where they have all gone, because I will see very few rental cars, but then again, I don't go up to Ka`anapali unless I have really good reason. It is actually possible to stay off the touist path if you want to. There are still a few places left they haven't pushed in Maui Revealed, and I am luck enough to be married to a old local dude who can still remember where some of them are.

Reply to jacksote,
Suggest you consider how important the beach/bar music scene is versus whether you would like hiking or kayaking in a tropical landscape with awesome sealife under pristine ocean conditions with a backdrop of dramatic mountains. If you like hiking, suggest you stick with Maui and Kauai.

Another island option for the music scene and snorkeling/scuba/drives would be the Kona area of the Big Island, where snorkeling is the best I've seen anywhere (e.g. Capt Cook, Honaunau) and there is also a manta ray dive/snorkel. Driving through Volcanoes Natl Park also highly memorable, one of a kind experience.

Suggest you consider Maui and the Big Island or Maui and Kauai for your honeymoon (we married and honeymooned on Kauai, 2 years ago), and save Oahu for a return visit (e.g. anniversary), unless surfing and nightlife are the highest priority.

oops... just realized you wanted to use Marriott points... OK here's the update w/ Marriott added in:

Kauai:
Princeville Resort - 2 nights
Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club - 2 nights

Maui:
Hotel Hana-Maui: 2 nights
Resnaissance Wailea Beach Resort: 2 nights

You have to go to Princeville and Hana on a honeymoon!!

I would not move around that much, staying only two nights per hotel... you waste so much of your day moving and to and from hotels. But that's just me.

I'm sure you would love Kauai... but you will probably love anywhere in Hawaii. Oahu is more touristy and hectic, but that is pretty much limited to the Honolulu and Waikiki areas. There is so much more to the island than that. But that's what people usually think of when they here Oahu. Personally, I liked staying in Waikiki for a few nights and exploring the island.

One thing I would recommend is not to get too hung up on the hotel selection. The 4S and the Hyatt are both great hotels, as are the others mentioned here.

I vote for the 3 days Maui, 5 days Kauai. My husband and I LOVED Kauai on our honeymoon and wished we could have stayed there longer than Maui. Maui was nice & full of activities but struck us as more commercial.
Four Seasons Maui is beautiful. (We stayed at the Kea Lani next door which we would highly recommend.) My most memorable experience on Maui was the sunrise on Haleakala.

The Marriott Kauai, though not commented on as often as the Hyatt & Princeville, is also a gorgeous resort. It's in a great location for exploring the island b/c you are between the North and South Shores. Dukes Beach Bar on property is a fun spot at night. On Kauai, the helicopter trip, hiking, snorkeling, secluded beaches, etc, etc, etc will keep you more than busy.

Where are you coming from? That may help to provide additional advice.

No offense to those who replied by saying: stay two nights here, then 2 nights there, then 2 nights, etc...but why would anyone in their right mind want to move from hotel to hotel that much? I can't think of anything LESS relaxing than having to pack, and move to another hotel 3 more times in 8 days!

And to bashfulLV, Ko'Olina is a 45 minute drive from Waikiki (each way), and while it's beautiful, it's also isolated and expensive. There's not much of anything else in the area, so all their meals would most likely be taken at the resort, which is very costly. Should they go into Waikiki (90 min. total driving time r/t) the designated driver can't even enjoy drinks with dinner, because he/she has to drive back to the hotel.

Kauai and Maui seem much better choices, though the lack of night life may be something they'll have to live with.

Just FYI, most of the hotels you've mentioned offer 5th night free packages, you may want to consider that option to help save $$.

I agree with *bashfulLV* that Oahu should be in the mix, if you mean what I think you do, by *nightlife.* There's nightlife, as in Duke's outdoor bar at the Outrigger Waikiki and surrounds, and then there's nightlife, as in a restaurant/bar in Lahaina. If you tell us what you enjoy as "nightlife" where you live, maybe that would be helpful?

If I did Maui/Kauai, I would definitely do a 4/4 split, especially if you do Maui first, because you sort of lose that first day and night to travel/jet-lag. Bear in mind, people who love outdoor beach/mountain activity and gorgeous scenery tend to love Kauai (I do!) BUT I have known people who were bored to tears there.......... Way too quiet for them, and they would have been happier in Waikiki. I personally love Waikiki for a few nights, and the rest of Oahu is magnificent, with a lot of what you find on the other islands!

But I love ALL the Hawaiian Islands......... you can hardly go wrong there! Good luck!