ChiSue

How much total time do you have in Hawaii now? You may find the order will depend on your air options.

There are more flight options for Maui than for Kauai. Most flights between the two are via HNL. And your best flight options in and out of Hawaii are HNL.

Sorry if I seem too concerned about flights, but 'getting around' can be a hassle within the islands. Getting TO Hawaii involves a big hunk of your time; try to make that less grueling if you can.

Many newlyweds spend a night in nice hotel to catch their breaths after the wedding stress...and THEN fly out to Hawaii. (Not a new idea. My DH and I spent a night in NYC before flying to London -- and that was a VERY long time ago!)

pijeta

Our honeymoon was Oahu and then Maui, which was perfect: plenty of activity on Oahu and then relaxation on Maui. Now, we've been back and absolutely love Kauai. I would say ending there would be the best if you can get your flights to coordinate. And as a pp said, the Grand Hyatt will wow you so much that your other selection may seem a little less satisfying if you go there second.

Have fun!

bridetobe2013

ChiSue - we are planning on flying directly into either Maui or Kauai and directly out of either one. We found options for both locations that are almost identical coming and going, so that is not an issue. Also, we are getting married on Saturday, and leaving first thing Monday morning, so we will have Sunday to catch our breaths.

Another few questions I've thought of - after doing a lot of research, I am starting to worry that while the Grand Hyatt looks absolutely incredible, most people seem to love the North Shore of Kauai more. My thought was the south shores would be calmer than the north in October and would give us nicer weather that time of year. Would it be sufficient to do a day trip to the North Shore where the entire day is spent exploring and to also do a sunset cruise of the Napali coast another evening? Has anyone done a boat cruise of the Napali coast in late October or is the water too rough? Is it better to stay in the south during late October and just explore the Northern beaches, or will we be sorry we didn't just stay up there in the first place? Thanks for all the help!

sf7307

If you want a fancy hotel at 'ground level' you have to stay in Poipu. The fancy hotels up north (which is, BTW, wonderful and gorgeous, but we still stay in Poipu) are high up on a cliff. Some people like that, some (my husband and I are in this group) don't.

tifa2276

I tried to plan according to the predicted weather the same way - we stayed in Poipu to avoid the "wetness" of the North Shore in January...turns out...it rained in Poipu (but only a little bit) and was hot and sunny on the North Shore, LOL! Either way, we did make the North Shore a major destination for the day. I wouldn't stress out too much about it. But like a few posters mentioned, the North in Princeville is more cliffs and great views and you have to walk down to the beach, and Poipu you pretty much are on the beach itself. It depends what you want. On the North Shore, the St. Regis looks fabulous!

ChiSue

You are right about north shore Kauai being the more gorgeous -- AND about the ocean having started to turn from calmer north to calmer south. If you do most of your snorkeling off Maui (better sealife anyway), perhaps you don't *care* about the currents. The generic style of the St. Regis has never appealed to me as much as the Hyatt, but north IS prettier. There are more restaurant choices south. You should still be OK with Na Pali boats or helicopter. (IMO Kauai is THE island for a helicopter tour.)

I don't think I'm helping! LOL You could enjoy either location. I don't know how much time you have. Could you stay a few nights in each area? Maybe you want to do Kauai first, since you're coming *late* in October.

You can't fly *direct* into Maui or Kauai from New York. I'd try to fly direct into HNL on a nice widebody aircraft, then hop. We avoid the usual 757's into Maui or Kauai from some connecting city. (If you're *really* unlucky, you could have TWO legs on 757's. Hope you have found better.)

edjim

We've done this trip several times -- flown from east coast via SFO or LAX directly into Kauai and left from Maui, or vice versa. It completely depended on the available direct flights and the airfare. We always have taken a red-eye back, leaving around 10 or 11 p.m. from Hawaii and returning east coast around 6 p.m., usually with a stop in LAX.
There hasn't been a time when we wished we had left early. We always wished we had one or two more days in Hawaii.
One thing to remember -- if you leave early enough on east coast, you can get to Hawaii around 3 to 4 p.m., just in time for happy hour and a sunset at your hotel. And if you go to Maui first, you'll end up waking up at 3 a.m. ready to go. Many east coasters head up to see Haleakela crater sunrise since they're up anyway ... plenty of time to see the rest later.

MichelleY

Ahhhh. Arrive just in time for a Mai Tai and pupus!

Lookin_Glass

chiSue, you fly from chicaga, so stop giving your exert advice about traveling from the east coast. The east coast is much larger then the few direct flights that leave out of the NY area airports. Your insistence on your flight opinion being superior is tiresome. From Boston, it just isn't a logical option for me. I always when possible fly direct to the first island I will be staying at, unless flying thru Honolulu get's me to my destination earlier in the afternoon/evening.

bridetobe - October is really a toss of the dice for Kauai. You could have weather or high surf at either area as it is a shoulder season.

Personally I am not a fan of the revamped, St. Regis. We have many many fond memories of the old Princeville before they took over, both staying there and taking friends and family from our rentals in Hanalei. Last time I was there, it really lacked the 'aloha' vibe. We lived in a condo next door for 9 nights and never even had a cocktail there. The pool area was cramped with too many loungers. I'd stick with your original plan and visit the north shore early in case you want to visit it again!

pijeta

We stayed all 8 days at the Grand Hyatt and drove to the north shore 3 of those days. It is gorgeous and the drive is long, but if you plan out your days you can visit efficiently and enjoy the rest of your time at your resort.

When we go back, if we have a huge amount of time, I'd split my stay... 1/2 Grand Hyatt, 1/2 a condo or house rental near Hanalei. With less than a week, I'd be very content with staying at the Grand Hyatt the entire time and just making trips to the north shore.

I can't answer for October, but we had sprinkles of rain while at Ke'e Beach one day and never had rain in Poipu. Also, not sure about October conditions, but we did a boat trip with Liko Kauai Cruises, which left from the west (southwest), and were very happy with it.

sf7307

We were also at the Grand Hyatt in early October (2011) and had one early morning rainfall in 5 days. By the time I got off the treadmill, it was over and we were on our way to the pool.