I'm planning a 12 night honeymoon to Hawaii. This is our first trip to Hawaii and we don't know if we'll ever get back. Because of this, we want to see as much as possible, but also want to relax and not spend half our honeymoon in cabs, airports and airplanes. This is what we are planning, but I'm scared that it's just too much:

4 nights Kauai, 3 nights Maui, 4 nights Big Island, 1 night oahu.

We don't want to lose Oahu because we want to fly out of Honolulu and we also want to see Pearl Harbor. We also don't want to lose any of the other three islands. Is this feasible?

I think 4 islands in 12 days is way too much...I have been to all 4 recently (on different trips) and will offer my own opinon...others may disagree.

Since you need the HNL stay to make connections, that stays. I would go to Maui since it is my favorite island...it is built up in spots, but there is a lot to do there and it is not urban the way HNL is...Kauai is beautiful, but very quiet.

I would drop the Big Island from your trip (this time). Although there are several beautiful resorts on the big island, it is, to me, less tourist friendly than the others. Volcano National Park is great, but it is about a 3 hour drive from the major resorts. Hilo is a dump and Kona could be a suburb or any US city...the resorts on the Kona side are beautiful, but no better than the best of the resorts on Maui or Kauai.

If you skip the Big Island, I think you won't miss anything (unless you have your heart set on Volcano National Park) and you will be much more relaxed...

I think it's way too much too. In October we went to only two islands in 10 days: 5 days on Maui and 5 on Kauai, and I could not have imagined having less time than that and in fact, would have liked having at least 1 more day on each island. I promise you that once you're there, there is so much on each island to do and see that you don't want to pack up and leave to go somewhere else. I highly recommend that you narrow it down to 2 islands (5 nights on one, 6 on the other) plus the one night on Oahu. We loved Kauai and Maui, but I haven't been to the Big Island so I can't compare that.

I used to live in Hawaii (big island) and concur with the advice above. One thing to remember that travel between island can eat up as much as half a day when you take into account dropping off rental cars, checking out of totels, getting to the airports and parking, etc. not to mention if the flight has even a slight delay.

Wow! Thanks for the input. My wife and I are going for 12 days, flying into Maui then flying out of Honolulu 12 days later. My question is this: We will be staying on South Maui, in Kihei. Is it too far to travel up north and then see the entire Hanna Road? Should we book into another hotel on Maui for a chang of scenery and so we are closer to other places to see? Or, should we stay in Kihei and make long drives to see all of Maui? OR, should we just spend 5 days on Maui and then 5 on Kauai?? Please let me know if 11 day on Maui is too much, or just right. Tnank you all. Robert

Robert:
Lisa gave you a great suggestion. Stay on two Islands Maui and Kauai or Hawaii. We did not stayed on Kauai but loved Hawaii and flowing and glowing lava is "must" IMHO. Do not stay on one Island for 11 days you will miss too much and going to other Islands for a day is not very practical. I would stay on Oahu for two nights to make sure you will get to see Pearl Harbour. Start planning your next trip.

I should say Mark and then Robert

Aloha Mark,

I think everyone agrees that 12 days for 3 islands is a bit short. As an additional suggestion, if you want to get a sampling of all the islands you may want to try a cruise through the islands. No multiple interisland flights and rental cars on each island and best of all - only unpack once.

Have a great honeymoon!

Robert -- On Maui we stayed in Wailea which is just south of Kihei, and we did the entire "road to Hana" drive in one day. We started around 8:30 a.m. and arrived back at our hotel around 5 p.m. We drove all the way around the east side of the island rather than driving there and back the same way. The scenery was great. We stopped at several waterfalls and fruit stands, at the black sand beach, at the general store in Hana, at Charles Lindbergh's grave, and at O'heo Gulch (seven sacred pools). Just remember it is the journey and not the destination. I think a lot of people make the drive expecting Hana to be the high point of the trip, and they are disappointed -- but that's because the highlight of the drive is all the beautiful scenery along the way.

Thanks for all the replies. Here's a related question: what are your opinions on a day trip from either Maui or the Big Island to Oahu? We would take an early AM flight and then have the whole day and some of the night to explore and see the important stuff (Pearl Harbor, Diamondhead) before we would return at night. Is this feasible or too much of a hassle and waste of money?
In addition, does anyone know how much money it would cost to get a car and driver to take us around Oahu for the day? It doesn't have to be a limo, just a comfy sedan and knowledgeable driver.

Mark:
You mention that you plan to fly out of Oahu, at what time is your flight? If it is an evening (or even late afternoon) flight, you could fly into Honolulu from a neighbor island early your last morning, store your luggage in a locker at the airport, and visit Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head. Friends of mine have done it and it works.

If you are arriving in Honolulu, you could do what I have done, which is visit Diamond Head in the late afternoon, spend the night in Waikiki, and go to Pearl Harbor first thing in the morning and make an afternoon flight to another island. To do this, I rented a car, which cost me about $30 for the car and $10 for overnight parking.

Yes, this was ambitious, but it worked. I had been to Hawaii before, but had never been to Pearl Harbor and wanted to go, so I did it.

For a 12 night honeymoon, you could do 1 or 2 nights on Oahu, but then I would do no more than two other islands at 5 nights each. To add another island, and do less than 5 nights on the others, would be really tough.

If you are committed to seeing all the islands you mentioned, you could fly to the Big Island for the day to see the volcano. But to undertake this day trip, I think that it would have to be really important to you.

Good luck with your planning. KT

Not trying to be a stick in the mud but you need to get to Pearl Harbor early. We got there at 9:00 on a Thurs. and still had an hour and half wait. Pearl Harbor is definately a must must see!! We did Pearl Harbor, hiked up Diamond Head in day and caught a 4:10 flight to Kona without a lot of hurrying. However, I like your plan on dividing time between Maui & Kauai. Having been to both- spend more days on Kauai

Aloha,
Our first few trips over we usually did 2-3 islands in 14 days, 8 Kauai, 4 Molokai and 2 Oahu. Lot of hustling.

We then eliminated Oahu and split 10/4 days on Kauai/Molokai.

Now, we just plop on Kauai and set the alarm for "Time to go home" and enjoy every last grain of sand, rock, flower, leaf, blade of grass, people, golf course, micro brews and rainbow on that gorgeous island.

It was a great 10th anniversary island.
In fact we called it our "First Honeymoon" island since we were struggling grads when we first married.

Either way you pick, you're still in Hawaii, so ENJOY!
Mahalo,
Kal

Kal - I loved your line about setting the alarm on "Time to go home!" That is so true of our family when we travel - especially to Hawaii. I think it's best to plan active "must-sees" for the early part of any trip to take that kickback factor into account.

Mark, our trip to Pearl Harbor took more than half a day, and it left us rather saddened, so that we were glad not to have planned anything for the rest of that day. It's your honeymoon, what's the rush? Spend the time on the beach, not in the airport. Besides, the more time-dependent plans you make, the more chances for foul-ups which could only sour your memories of the trip.

Save some of the islands for your tenth anniversary - believe me, the best trip is where you leave feeling you can't wait to come back.

Just wanna add my 2 cents. Sorry for shouting, but GET TO PEARL HARBOR EARLY, EARLY, EARLY! My first trip to Hawaii I only had one night in Oahu. Got to Pearl Harbor FIRST thing in the morning and was able to get tickets for the 4th boat out. Well, guess what? We waited a couple of hours only to hear an announcement after the third boat left saying the rest of the boat rides out to the memorial were cancelled due to strong wind. What a disappointment and a waste of precious time. Also, I've been to 6 of the islands (all more than once, except Lanai) and I agree with the previous poster that you're trying to do too much. Do 1 or 2 nights in Oahu when you first arrive (if you do Oahu at the end of your trip you won't enjoy it a much, trust me) and then split the rest between 2 islands. If you had been there before I'd tell you to spend ALL your time on one island. That's the only way to REALLY let your body and soul convert to "Hawaii Time" (ask a local what that means). Remember, it's your HONEYMOON...not a race to get in the most attractions.

From what I understand from friends, these messages are right on the money. Make it two islands and take the time to enjoy yourselves. A friend who travelled 5 islands in 15 days on a package was reminded by the tour company, "this is not a vacation, it is a tour". Make your honeymoon a vacation/honeymoon, not a tour.