Please help! Where to stay for Hawaii honeymoon?
 

Hello! We just booked our flights for our Hawaii honeymoon in October, however we can't decide on a place to stay. We are open to the different islands as long as it's not the big one ;) I'm a big beach lover and a hotel/resort with a beautiful beach is a MUST. The pictures I've seen posted by visitors for some of the beaches of the resorts haven't wowed me like I expected or they were obviously not as nice as the pictures on the hotel/resort website. For example we are considering Hotel Wailea (on the fancier end of the spectrum of resorts we've looked at), but the "real life" pictures of the beach I saw on Trip Advisor didn't amaze me. I could be wrong however and the pictures might not be doing the place justice. Of course most beaches in Hawaii are going to be beautiful, I'm just really looking for a islandy/tropical experience! An amazing pool is nice, but I can lay out by a pool anywhere!

Thank you!!

You might consider the Koa Kea on Kauai - a lovely boutique high end hotel, on a great beach (which it shares with the Kiahuna Plantation and the Sheraton).

I like the beaches in Wailea, but then I'm also very happy sitting in the shade by a fabulous pool.

Which island did you "book the flights" to? DW and I took the red eye out of OGG (Maui) on Sunday before Memorial Day. We had a good time. The volcano on the east end of the island of Hawaii (Big Island) is affecting about .3 of 1 percent of the island. More than half of the island is just fine for tourism.

We booked our flight to Honolulu, so then we will book the island jumper flights to whatever island we decide to go to. I'm surprised people are still going to the Big Island because the toxic gases are what really concern me- I would think the direction of the winds could send them anywhere in the area but I'm no geologist/meteorologist! Lol! As for Wailea we are considering the Wailea Marriott to get the points. How is the Wailea area for attractions? We are interested in hiking and exploring the surrounding area and not being stuck at the resort. Is there a town nearby to get less expensive food? Thank you both for your answers! And I will look into Koa Kea :)

The Wailea area has plenty of restaurants available. I don't know where you are from, but for many people, all of the food in Hawaii seems expensive. I'm from Seattle and I find the restaurant prices in Hawaii to be similar to Seattle. In terms of being "stuck at the resort" are you renting a car? That will be the most important factor in feeling you have the freedom to explore. Maui is a large island - there is lots to see and do.

The Koh Kea is lovely, and it has a great restaurant called Red Salt. Kauai is lusher, greener and quieter than Maui.

Only a small part of the Big Island is being impacted by the toxic gases.

Wailea is near Kihei, which is a regular town with regular restaurants that can be much less expensive than those within the Wailea resort.

Wailea/Kihei is not a difficult drive to upcountry (lovely drive, and the cute little town of Makawao) and to Haleakala. We've hiked down into Haleakala and thought it was great -- completely uncovered because it's the inside of a dormant volcano, but such an interesting/different landscape.

All that said, personally, since you're flying into Oahu, I'd stay there, or if you feel you must do two islands, then I'd do Oahu and Kauai. There is so much to do and see on Oahu -- so much beautiful scenery, great/beautiful beaches. etc. Look at pictures of Lanikai and Kailua beaches. We went kayaking there and loved it. Also the north shore beaches - Sunset, Waimea, etc. That's where the Banzai Pipeline is. Haleiwa is a cute little town, with great shave ice and lots of restaurants. And Diamond Head, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, etc. The drive across the island H3 from Kailua to Haleiwa is spectacular.

Then on Kauai you have excellent hiking, fantastic beaches, lower-key hotels/resorts, very good restaurants (though not as many), the cute towns of Hanalei (north) and Hanapepe (south), Waimea Canyon, etc.

Wailea area is beautiful, but the Marriot itself is on a rocky outcrop with no beach at all. There is a beach nearby, Ulua I believe, but not directly at the resort.

We are beach lovers and I always check out satellite view on google maps before booking. It also gives a good look at the surrounding area so you can see how close attractions and restaurants are. We stayed at Wailea but at a golf resort, so had to drive to beaches (went for a family wedding so did not book the location ourselves).
I believe the Fairmont and Four Seasons are on beaches. There are also plenty of condo rentals nearby.

I have not been to other Hawaiian islands so cannot compare beaches.

I didn't notice you mentioned the Wailea Marriott. We stayed there. It's a nice but run-of-the-mill Marriott. We liked the feel of the other area hotels (Andaz, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Grand Wailea -- although the latter has loads of kids) much more, although we were (as I said) very happy at the pool at the Marriott.

Check out the St. Regis and the Grand Hyatt on Kauai, but they are pricey.
I agree that since you are flying into Honolulu I would stay there part of the time.
Maui is not my cup of tea, but many people love it. Just realize that parts of Oahu and Maui are very developed, i.e. high-rises on the beach and freeway-type roads.
With your interests I'd suggest Kauai, but you'll have a great time whatever you decide.

Not sure how you define "beautiful beach." But if you decide to stay on Oahu and you want to be away from the bustle of Waikiki, I would take a look at:

The Kahala, which is a few miles from Waikiki Beach and
Turtle Bay Resort, which is on the north shore

Well, Waikiki is a beautiful beach, have you looked at the Royal Hawaiian?

The Royal Hawaiian is a fine honeymoon hotel. I prefer the Moana Surfrider on the same stretch of beach. You could have a honeymoon with some time in Waikiki (which is always fun, IMO) and some time in a quieter location, such as Kauai.

The St. Regis is a fine hotel, but if you want to be on the beach, this isn't it. It's high above the beach situated on a cliff. Great views - bur you can't wall out the good and onto the sand.

That depends on what you consider beautiful. That's why I think it's hard to make recommendations. I know a lot of people who wouldn't consider Waikiki Beach "beautiful" - they'd think it was way too crowded and developed.

I'd also pick Kauai over Maui, second choice would be Big Island, Mauna Lani looked beautiful when we had lunch there a long time ago.

I would call Waikiki a fun beach, but not a beautiful beach (except when it's free of the hordes of people who are usually there). Kailua and Lanikai, Sunset -- those are beautiful IMHO.

Wow thank you all for your responses I really appreciate it! This gives us a lot to think about it. We're now leaning more towards staying on Oahu because of everything they have to offer there. Thank you again! :)

I stayed at the Grand Wailea in Maui in November. The weather was perfect and the resort was beautiful. However, I was not impressed with the beach. I live in Oregon and I thought it was similar to an Oregon beach. We rented a car and drove to Lahaina were the beaches were stunning. Maui had a lot to do which was nice, but I would suggest finding an island with less tourism. Oahu or Kaui seem to offer amazing beaches. Good luck and congrats!

I just want to be sure you understand that almost all accommodations for tourists (hotels, as opposed to airbnb) are in the highly-developed Waikiki area. This was a purposeful decision made many years ago to not allow resort developments in other parts of the island. There are a few outliers (Turtle Bay, Kahala). We enjoy staying in Waikiki with all that it has to offer (we're urban people at heart -- an empty beach gives me heart palpitations after a little time there :-) ) and having the opportunity to visit the other parts of the island.

I also prefer a more populated beach as I like to walk it and people watch. Waikiki can be a little too populated at times. If the OP likes more seclusion (no idea if she does), I think the Kahala could be a good option as the beach will be quieter but it's still close enough to Waikiki to be able to enjoy all of the restaurants and other offerings.

Kathie -- The St. Regis is on a beautiful beach. I promise. I was there yesterday and I visit it regularly ;-)
While the lobby of the hotel is above the beach (and offers gorgeous views), the elevator (or stairs) take you down to beach level where they have a stunning pool, cabanas, and lots of lounge chairs.

(There are no private beaches. So anyone can share the beach with those paying $600 + per night -- but you can't use the pool or lounge chairs.)