We are planning a wedding/honeymoon in Hawaii during September.

We are planning our first week in Maui and have found a great place on a cliff near Huelo. But not sure whether to stay there for the whole week.

We plan to arrive in Maui, get situated that night (where??), get up at 3 am to do the bike ride at the crater the first morning, as we will still be on Eastern Time. That evening we plan to meet up with 2 other couples who will be our witnesses for our wedding the following day and go out somewhere or do a luau (maybe). The next day it won't be a big wedding,just the 6 of us, but we do want a special place for the vows and photos then a wonderful celebration dinner afterwards – one with awesome food – luxury – and great ocean views from the restaurant, the next day the other couples will go off on their own.

Here is my dilemma:

Where do we stay the first half of our time on Maui for this celebration? And a hotel location that makes sense for the sunrise bike ride, but different from Huelo stay. From reading others threads – Grand Weilia doesn't sound like the place I want to stay. Too Disney/Vegas Style it seems. We are looking for classy, upscale, luxury for this celebration and then we will head for the more remote, relaxing northshore of Maui and also Kauai's northshore the next week.

IMO Kapalua is the most quiet part of the island with upscale hotels, but it is about 30 mins from Lahaina. Agree about the Grand Wailea, although is is very pretty it is also very crowded. It's hard to say, if you really want more peace and quiet try the Kapalua Bay or the Ritz Carlton, If location is more important any hotel in Lahaina(most busy) or Wailea will be more crowded with families. Not sure exactly which you prefer but I hope this helps a little. Congratulations!

Is the bike tour easier from one of these areas than the other. I'm not really looking for quite on this part of the trip, more concerned with Luxury. Classy. Beautiful Restaurants and beach area.

Which side of the Island is Huelo? Have also stayed at 4S, the property is beautiful but can be quite noisy. As you've probably already read lots of people like the Kea Lani. My parents stayed at the Sheraton and really liked it (in spite of some negative reviews) & all the staff to be very accomodating. The beach at both resorts are very nice and would make for some excellent wedding photos. One thing, my sister in law got married at the Grand Wailea and the photos turned out so beautiful. The wedding chapel looked like a fantasy, almost like cartoon animated in the pictures. Just like a dream. For that reason alone I would consider the resort. They stay there every year but it is too busy for me, but I guess it is the most opulent of the hotels.

We are planning a trip to Maui this spring...and are looking into splitting the trip up. 1/2 time in the Wailea area staying at the Fairmont Kea Lani. It looks very classy and upscale but not too stuffy or overrun with kids. All the rooms are suites and very spacious. We looked at the Grand Wailea and agree with the Disney/Las Vegas aspect. You can't go wrong with the 4Seasons, but I think the Kea Lani is a better match for us. While in this area we plan to do the volcano bike ride adventure since it is relatively nearby.

The other half of the trip we are looking into staying in the Kapalua area at the Kapalua Bay Hotel. This place embodies exactly what we want...understated elegance and a true Hawaiian feel. This may be the place for you too! Check out their website.

congrats and enjoy!

Huelo is on the northside 1/2 way to Hana. Nothing but waterfalls and view from there. No night life etc. but again we can get nightlife in South Beach Miami. I don't mind kids around as between the 2 of us - we have 7 although almost all are grown. I just don't want the pool, lobby etc to look like disney. I'm hoping from more luxurious. GW just looked too "play-ground" I don't know much about the Fairmont but I will look for others posts here too. I appreciate all the suggestions here.

Hi again Nancy! The GW is really laid out, although there are many families there, the lobby is is huge, the kids are most rowdy in the pool area. At least in my experience, have been there 3 times for family functions. I hope this helps, Maui is one of the more busy islands, we just visit the BI mostly now. Hope you find what you're lookiing for! Best wishes!