Abe

From Toronto, Canada. Just got back from Hawaii a couple of weeks ago and this sight helped me enough to return the favour to those still planning their honeymoon/trip.

Some information of where I stayed and what I did. I'll comment on the points as people request them...

Maui
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Hotel: Renaissance Hotel for 6 nights

Car Rental: Chrysler Convertible

Activities:
- Saw sunrise on top of mountain (drove up ourselves)
- Road to Hana (all the way to Hana)
- Blue water rafting (boat/snorkel tour)
- Saw a show, forgive my spelling this is a LONG shot of a guess: 'uleka...(something)
- Snorkeled Kapalua
- Snorkeled Black Rock
- Visited the Maui Ocean Center

Restaurants:
- Roy's Kahana
- Maui Onion
- Pacific O's
- Mama's Fish House
- Plantation House
- ...maybe more...all I can remember for now.

Kauai
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Hotels:
- Hyatt Poipu for 2 nights
- Princeville for 3 nights

Car Rental: Jeep

Activities:
- Napali boat/snorkel tour
- Visited and hiked Wailemea (sp?) Canyon
- Snorkeled Poipu Beach
- Snorkeled Tunnels Beach
- Snorkeled Ke'e Beach (Yes, we love to snorkel!)
- hiked Napali Trail (part way)

Restaurants:
- Breakfast at a cafe in Hanapepe (Can't remember the name)
- Buffets breakfasts and dinner at the Princeville
- Italian Restaurant at the Princeville (we were too lazy to leave the hotel)
- The Beach House
- A Pacific Cafe
- Bali Hai
- Bubba's Burgers for lunch

I'm sure I forgot a whole bunch things to say but I'll remember as people ask questions...

Talk to you soon!

lisa

Hi Abe. I'm interested to hear what you thought of the Renaissance Wailea, since we'll be staying there in October for 5 nights (not a honeymoon though -- I'm going with my mom!). We are in a garden view -- what kind of room did you have and how did you like it? How long did it take to drive to the top of Haleakala from there, and how long did the drive to Hana take? Any tips? Also, of the restaurants you went to which were your favorites and which were not so great (if any)?
On Kauai we're staying at the Hanalei Bay Resort, so I'm interested to hear what you thought of the whole north shore vs. south shore thing (since you experienced both). Which Napali boat/snorkel trip did you take (what company), and would you recommend them? We are planning on hiking Waimea Canyon and part of the Napali trail as well so would appreciate any tips; also which of the snorkel spots you mentioned were the best (I've heard Ke'e and Tunnels are both good)? And which restaurants on Kauai that you went to should we not miss?
Any details you'd care to share would be great! Thanks.

Marie

Hi Abe:

Very curious of what your opinions were of Maui vs Kauai, not sure at this point if we will be able to do both and quite frankly are leaning more towards Kauai. What did you like about each and if you had to choose one island which would it be.

Which Kauai hotel did you like better and why??

Sounds like you liked the snorkeling better on Kauai, or did it just work out that way.

Abe

To Lisa:

I used the Entertainment card 50% discount at the Renaissance and was to afford a Mokapu Beach Club room. Definitely worth it! I didn't get to see the regular hotel rooms but the club rooms are really nice and the service was amazing! Say hi to Ernie if you see him, he is the concierge specifically for the club rooms. If you get a second floor room you'll also have 15 foot ceilings. And nothing tops complimentary breakfasts each morning served on your balcony overlooking the ocean.

I wish I can remember the time we left because it was great. We barely made it on time and didn't have to deal with the traffic going up or the wait in frigid weather (comfortable for us Torontonians) I believe it was just before 5am but don't take my word for it. Sorry...I'll ask my wife tonight.

The trip to Hana took the entire day if you consider that you have to drive back before sunset. The bellman was kind enough to lend us the acompanying audio tape. We even skipped a few stops too. The best parts were the tropical rainforest hike at the start (after twin falls) but the overall winner has to be the red sand beach...yes RED!

The tape never mentioned anything about it. But we read it in a book somewhere and just started asking around. When people started saying they were trying to find it too but failed, it only made us more determined to find it. Finally an elderly couple who had lived there for 12 years provided directions. Its a somewhat dangerous hike. Warning signs are posted EVERYWHERE....but was it ever worth it! INCREDIBLE!

As for restaurants, Mama's Fishhouse wins for their MahiMahi in wine-mushroom sauce and my wife LOVED their relaxers (drink). Roys was a great restaurant overall. Had several baskets of onion rings at the Maui Onion. The Plantation house is perfect for a reasonably priced late lunch. Pacific O's was recommended but would be at the bottom of my list. Although that is a very nice list.

Kauai - I loved the North Shore. Even if it is cloudy 80% of the time.

Can't remember the name of the tour but the guide/owner was the best. I'll reply at a later date with the company name. Our plane took off at 8pm so we squeezed this in the last day. There were much fancier sailing tours but this company ports in Hanalei Bay which was next to the Princeville (where we were staying at the time.

For hiking the Canyon, a 4x4 helps to get you to the start of the trails faster. Cars are not allowed to go down the start of the trail. Bring plenty of water and shoes that won't slide too much in lose dirt/sand.

For hiking the Napali trail. This was also on the last days on the trip and we didn't have the strength to do the full 2 mi. Seeing the mud on some of the people walking back wasn't incouraging us to do it either. We made it to the windy point where you can get a good view of the cost then headed back. Took us an hour or so.

For snorkeling, Tunnels was good. Beautiful backdrop of a waterfall down the mountain. Ke'e wins though for snorkeling. Poipu sucked. They still have it fenced for the seals. We left after 10 mins.

The beach house restaurant and bali hai had amazing views but A Pacific Cafe wins for food. Get there early and have the taster menu. A little bit of everything. It's only available until 6:30pm I believe.

Marie:

I gotta go so I'll make this quick...

Maui vs Kauai....Maui. A little bit of everything. But if you were to choose Kauai then we definitely liked the Princeville hotel better.

Snorkeling was equally good on both islands. The best snorkling is on the tours though. Make sure you go out on one...

bye for now!

annemarie

Hi, Abe...it's me Annemarie. Hardly come on this board anymore, but thrilled to read about your trip. I am glad you had a terrific time and enjoyed the Mokapu and Princeville properties. Curious though, why did you eventually cancel out Gloria's B&B?? The Poipu beach is bad in the summer, isn't it?? Anyways, all the best to the both of you and take care!

Abe

Hi Annemarie,

Thanks for your help. The trip was wonderful. We didn't cancel the B&B, the hold I had on the room expired and we lost the reservation. That's ok though, we still had a wonderful time.

Suzanne

Hi Abe. We are planning our honeymoon for next March and only have 8 days. Do you recommend to stay on one island, or go half and half between Maui and Kauai? I think we would choose Maui for the one b/c it has the most to do. We were thinking of the Hyatt. Also, were you on your honeymoon? If so, did you reserve your room as a honeymoon suite? Thanks for your help.

Abe

Hi Suzanne,

Hmm...8 days is right on the border. I would fully enjoy Maui this time rather than rush it. 6 days was barely enough for us. 4 would be too short.

Yes, it was our honeymoon. We stayed at the Hyatt on Kauai not on Maui and they upgraded us to a suite I believe. Unless all oceanview rooms at the Hyatt have 2 couches, a dinette, a HUGE bathroom and a wet bar.

On Maui we only stayed at the Renaissance and had a Club room and it was very nice. We didn't mind the drive up to the nightlife from the south.

Hope this helps.

lisa

Thanks for the details Abe! Now I really can't wait.

Dave

Abe, how did you get a Makapu Beach Club room using the Entertainment Card ? I have a reservation for an oceanview room for June of next year. I would love to upgrade to a Beach Club room but probably could not afford it without the Entertainment Club discount.

Abe

My pleasure Lisa...have fun!

Dave,

Yes, I used the Entertainment Card to get the 50% off the Mokapu Club room. It's a great deal and definitely worth the upgrade!

turnkey

Just tell me all the dirty parts.

Dave

FYI to all who read this I contacted the Renaissance and they informed that they are not offering the Entertainment Club discount on the Makapu Beach Club rooms in 2001. Bummer!

J

I want to have my wedding in Hawaii (yes, the whole thing gt; ) and was considering Kauai as the site for my event. I'm leaning more on Kauai because I've read that it is of a "couple's" island with more natural beauty (which may not matter... we're having a church wedding and I've found some wedsites for coordinators that list the most BEAUTIFUL churches I've ever seen).

Any other island that you think would be a better "host" for my event??

Jan

Hi Abe

How would you compare Wailea to Kaanapali??? We are going to Maui in October for our anniversary, and not sure which area we should stay in?? Wailea or Kaanapali??? I hear Wailea is beautiful and we would stay at Renaissance Wailea if we decide to stay in Wailea??? We are currently booked at the Maui Marriott in Kaanapali (under construction) so we are swithcing hotels.. Also, how did you like the Renaissance Wailea?? Do they have lots of activities??
Thx
Jan

Lianne

Hi Abe,
We are also Torontonians and thinking of spending our June 2001 honeymoon in Hawaii (unsure of which islands at this time). We are not frequent flyers and unsure about the long flight. Exactly how long was it from TO and any suggestions re: tour operators (and who seemed most competitive with their prices ?). Thanks

Abe

Jan,

Kannapali is closer to the action, but busy and more crowded. I liked Wailea for its calmness. Its more of a getaway. The Renaissance did not have too much activities going on while we were there. But they are more then happy to help you plan your vacation.

Lianne,

The flight was long. We took Canadien airlines direct from T.O. to Honolulu. left at 7pm and arrived at 11:30pm (remember there is a 6 hour difference). Pray you don't have a baby crying near you and you might be able to sleep away most of the flight. The other option is to stop in Vancouver for a few days before Hawaii....we wish we could have afforded to do that!

I actually booked the whole thing over the phone! The entertainment rate at the Renaissance made it hard to beat by any travel tours.

Kristin

My husband and I are close to booking a trip to Kauai and considering the Hyatt. Was it great like everyone talks about?? We've been looking at the Hyatt and the Marriott.

mary

Kristin, it is hard to beat the Hyatt at Poipu for sheer beauty, a couple of wonderful pools, including one large enough and meandering enough to put a kayak in, and location. The Marriott is an odd hybrid of corporate looking hotel and beach hotel. It is located close to the airport and that means a lot of planes flying overheard. It is also close to Nawiliwila which is industrial and not terribly scenic. For a honeymoon, the Hyatt is the way to go. Beautiful!

Tim

FORGET the Marriott -- it's simply AWFUL beyond words!!!