Maui Honeymoon in NOVEMBER - HELP!!
 

Been considering a 10 day honeymoon in St. Lucia (Anse Chastanet) or Puerto Rico (El Conquistador) November 21 - Dec 1? People have been telling me Maui is awesome, but I don't know if I can afford it number 1 and if a flight from Boston, MA would kill us. Is it worth it and how much would it be approx. for 10 days? I want a nice hotel room, not the cheapest. Thank you!!

Hi Alex. I have been to St. Lucia -- stayed at Ladera and snorkeled & ate at Anse Chastanet -- Anse Chastanet is wonderful and I think it's a great honeymoon location. But in terms of price, I know it's not exactly inexpensive! <BR> <BR>I've never been to Maui but I'm currently planning a 10-day trip for this October (5 days on Maui followed by 5 days on Kauai). We live on the east coast as well and once I started researching it immediately became apparent that airfare is by far the most expensive part of the trip, so we decided to use frequent flier miles. Cheapest airfare we could find was into Honolulu on Continental for just under $800 apiece so we said no thanks and are using American Airlines. Aside from the airfare, there are great deals out there to be had on hotels and rental cars. You can get 50% off many wonderful hotels with the Entertainment Book discount card (www.entertainment.com). It costs $30 but is worth it for what it's saving us on hotels -- using the card we're paying $155/night at the Renaissance Wailea on Maui which is supposed to be a wonderful hotel and has gotten great reviews on this forum, and $85/night at Hanalei Bay Resort on Kauai which is also supposed to be really nice. The best rate I could find on a rental car was also using the Entertainment Book -- paying about $33/day for an intermediate-sized car on Maui and a standard-sized car on Kauai. If you don't have frequent flier miles to use for your airfare though then an air-hotel-car package is probably your best bet. Look into Pleasant Holidays (www.pleasantholidays.com) and Travel Hawaii (www.travel-hawaii.com) -- these are both discount packagers with good reputations that handle nice hotels. <BR> <BR>By the way, if you're looking for a "get away from it all" honeymoon then I think you're more likely to find that at Anse Chastanet (no phones, no TVs, intimate resort, quiet & remote location) than you are on Maui which seems more heavily-touristed and commercial based on what I've read and heard. But if you're looking for nightlife and shopping then you may be happier with Maui than St. Lucia -- just depends on what you're looking for. <BR> <BR>Can't help with Puerto Rico, although I've heard good things about El Conquistador, and Puerto Rico is probably easier to get to than St. Lucia or Maui. <BR> <BR>Good luck.

Alex, <BR> <BR>Lisa is right on the money about several things, mainly the Entertainment Card, the Renaissance Wailea (Lisa, what room view are you getting for $155 at the Renaissance?); sometimes, my AAA discount will beat the E. rate on the rental cars, but not always. Always ask! <BR> <BR>As for your airfare, Alex, if you are willing to wait to make reservations for your flight until September, there's always a sale on tickets to Hawaii for October-November thru Dec. 15 because that's the slowest season for Hawaii. The airlines will say they can't guarantee it, but it happens every year. You won't have any problem getting a flight then, cause it is slow season. From Raleigh (RDU), you usually see the tickets drop to around $650 at that time; from NY/NEWARK/BOSTON, I suspect they drop even lower. It won't hurt to wait, because the worst that could happen is that you'd pay the same fare you will now. There'll be plenty of tickets available that time of year. And Lisa is right - if you decide to go with a package, Pleasant Hawaiian is usually impossible to beat. I wish you the very best, and congrats on your upcoming marriage! <BR> <BR>Aloha, Lani

Alex: IMO the info you've been given is excellent. Lisa has gone to great lengths to work out the 'perfect' Hawaiian trip without throwing budgetary considerations to the wind. <BR>The only disagreement I would have is with the 'heavily touristed' comment. Maui often gets a 'bad rap' on these boards for being touristy. Granted, it's a whole lot more 'touristy' than Lanai and Hawaii and Kauai overall. But for those who haven't visited, I think these comments sometimes create the impression that Maui is like Miami or something. Couldn't be farther from the truth unless one chooses to stay right in Lahaina. And perhaps the Kaanapali hotels sometimes give a crowded feel during peak occupancies, esp if conventioneers are around. <BR>My point: if a quiet, relaxing, getaway vacation is desired, Maui is be one of the best bets on the planet if you choose your hotel correctly. I'm betting Lisa will enjoy her stay at the Renaissance and won't find it hectic/touristy. It won't be as quiet as Hanalei Bay. But having visited most of the main Caribbean Islands, I just don't think they can hold a candle to a well-planned Hawaiian vacation. You just can't beat it in the Western Hemisphere. Write back if you think it could be an option for you.

Lani -- the $155 rate is for terrace view -- obviously not our first choice, but garden view and ocean view were more & we'd rather save on the room since we don't plan to be there much, and spend the extra savings on excursions, etc.

Lisa, <BR> <BR>In February, 1999, we paid $189 for a terrace view at Renaissance (it was high season so we couldn't use the E. Card - they had booked up), and this was the lowest rate available. There were plumeria trees outside our lanai, and when you walked out on the lanai, you could see a good chunk of ocean! I think you will be very pleased. (I love ocean-view, and don't mind paying for it, but we couldn't get one then.) You won't be disappointed, I'm sure! <BR> <BR>I agree with the above poster that says Maui is more touristy than some other spots in the Hawaiian Islands, but not compared to touristy spots on the Mainland (like Miami or God forbid, resorts in the Caribbean). And the Wailea Resort, where Renaissance is located, is fabulous - totally different from Lahaina and Kaanapali Beach in peak season. Which is to say, wonderful but crowded but still not remotely like Mainland "touristy." <BR> <BR>Lisa, be sure to do a trip report when you come back. You'll love the buffet breakfast at Palm Court at Renaissance, and the Maui Onion there is wonderful! Be sure not to miss the Cafe Coco in Kapaa, Kauai, such a great place to eat at night! <BR> <BR>Aloha, Lani

i have to put my 2 cents in....maui is NOT the tropical paradise you think it is. there are tons of big hotels and you have to drive everywhere. and at our hotel there were tons of new yorker honeymoon couples, which being from Long Island, I was trying to get away from. a bunch of honeymooners at the pool comparing notes with other new yorkers as far as what sorority they belonged to and where on the upper east side they live is not my idea of fun. if i had flown all the way to HI and maui was my only stop, i'd be bummed <BR>we did 5 days at the ritz in maui, and 5 days at Kona Village on the big island. i researched Anse chastanet, but we got married in october, so the hurricanes put me off. however, Kona Village was our dream honeymoon place and it is very similar to Anse chastanet, no phones, tvs, clocks, just total relaxation and privacy and delicious all inclusive food. after planning my wedding, working FT and buying a house, five days with no "real world" and no decisions was heaven. email me if you'd like more specifics about kona village, or they have a website, konavillage.com <BR>my advice is, if anse chastanet is your first choice for the caribbean, then kona village would be right up your alley.

Wow, you folks have been most helpful. Thank you. I'm going to look into everything you suggested. I just can't get over the fact that everywhere I've chosen to go in the Caribbean so far has had so many +'s and -'s. Hawaii seems like a dreamland. Just wish it were next door. If I can do it for 5000 or so, I'll see what my fiance has to say about it. If my fiance is against such a long trip, for a honeymoon, is Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia going to satisfy me for activity and beaches?

Hi again Alex. In terms of whether Anse Chastanet will satisfy you for activities & beaches, that depends on what kind of traveller you are, but frankly, I don't see how anyone could NOT love it. We loved St. Lucia and found 7 days at Ladera to be just about the perfect amount of time. There is certainly plenty to do to keep you busy for ten days. The main activities at Anse Chastanet are snorkeling and scuba diving, but I understand they have recently added mountain biking also (which wasn't available when we were there). But you will have to leave Anse Chastanet to truly appreciate what St. Lucia has to offer. We took a daytrip hiking in the rainforest with a local guide which was well worthwhile and I highly recommend it. We also took another day and toured the volcano, botanical gardens, and local waterfalls. The botanical gardens are a don't miss. Another don't miss is sunset and dinner at Dasheene restaurant at Ladera, the best restaurant on the island (at least go there for drinks at sunset, if not for dinner). Also, make sure you go to the beach at the Jalousie Hilton at least one day while you're there. It is a white-sand beach (imported) unlike Anse Chastanet's. The snorkeling is better at Anse Chastanet but the setting and the beach at Jalousie Hilton are breathtaking due to the location between the Pitons. You can hire a water-taxi driver to take you there -- it's a short trip. You can also hire water taxis to take you to more isolated beaches if you want more privacy (although we didn't find the beaches at Anse Chastanet/Jalousie to be crowded at all). There is also horseback riding available on the island, and catamaran trips up and down the coast, although we didn't do those but I've heard they're wonderful. Anse Chastanet offers lots of excursions so I don't see how anyone could really be bored there. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think you'll enjoy your ten days on St. Lucia more if you break it up -- we alternated beach days with excursion days and that worked out well because we never got bored. It is really gorgeous and relaxing there. But if you're looking for nightclubs and such, that's not the place for it. By the way, in my opinion November is the perfect time to go to St. Lucia -- it's still the low season so rates are more reasonable and things are uncrowded, but it's after the rainy season so the weather is pretty great (at least it was when we were there in mid-November). If you decide to go with Anse Chastanet, I think you'll be really pleased with your decision. <BR> <BR>But I'm sure Hawaii would be great too -- and if you do decide to go to Hawaii, you might want to consider splitting your 10 days between two islands. Interisland flights are really inexpensive (search old threads on this forum using the words "inter-island flights" for lots of info on how to get discounts -- we are flying from Maui to Kauai for about $60 on Hawaiian). To me personally, Kauai (especially the north coast around Hanalei-Princeville area) sounds pretty unbeatable as a honeymoon destination (pick up a guidebook at the bookstore and look at the photos of the Na Pali coast -- it looks just breathtaking). <BR> <BR>By the way, the 2000 Frommer's Hawaii book has been indispensible in planning my trip there for this fall and I highly recommend it. <BR> <BR>Whichever you decide for your honeymoon, just remember you can always do the other destination another time -- maybe for an anniversary trip! Good luck.

Lisa, <BR> <BR>If you're a travel agent, please email me, I want to book through YOU! Thank you so much for taking the time to type all that information. I am still pulling out my hair trying to find the best place, but your idea of going to the library and using the Frommer's books, etc is a great idea. You can get shell shocked reading all these people's opinions!! If you're not a travel agent, too bad. Thank you, <BR>Alex (correction, like Dear Abbey: Signed, almost home)

No, I'm not a travel agent, but I do love planning trips almost as much as taking them! Maybe I missed my true calling. Let us know what you decide & how it goes.

Hi Alex <BR>I just got back from Maui and Kaui and I live on Cape Cod. Was a long trip but definately worth it. I would go again tomorrow (good thing the sun has finally come out) I would spend 4 days on Maui and 6 nights on Kauai. Maui is fun and has its good points even though it is resort heaven. To really relax Kauai is the place. They don't call it the garden isle for no reason. The Napali coast is outstanding if you see it by air or by boat. Also it is a little more relaxing and still has quite a bit of local flavor that it seems harder to find on Maui. Dining is expensive in the island. When I go back we will look for a rental house on the water that has a luxury bath and views from every room and then grill some fish ourselves and get a good bottle of wine and enjoy the view from our deck. <BR>Despite development, hawaii is a bit of paradise, especially all those tropical plants and trees. Something we just never see hear on the east coast. And you will really feel like you have been away. Takes about 5 days to get over the jet lag once you get home. <BR>Hope this helps <BR>Paula

Hi Alex, <BR>You are getting some great advice. <BR> <BR>My husband and I just got back from a 2 week trip to Hawaii. We went to St. Lucia in 1999 and stayed at Sandal's Halcyon which we loved. But, now that we've been to Hawaii (Oahu, Kauai and Maui) we don't plan on going back to the Carribean any time soon. We live near Chicago so the Caribbean is quite a bit closer than Hawaii for us too. <BR> <BR>The southern portion of St. Lucia is very lush and beautiful, we were amazed at how most of Kauai was drop dead gorgeous. It blew St. Lucia away. <BR>We loved the feeling of safety we had in Hawaii - no problem renting a car and exploring. We didn't feel comfortable enough to rent a car on St. Lucia and venture out on our own - even though the local people were very nice. I also liked the fact that there is first rate medical care available on the Hawaiian islands(you never know when you may need it!). The beaches on Maui were awesome and so was the snorkeling - much better than the beaches on St. Lucia. We used Frommer's guide for Hawaii and it was very helpful in planning and deciding were to stay. <BR> <BR>Congratulations on you upcoming wedding!