Two Newbies Asking for Hawaii Honeymoon Advice
 

Hello all!
My fiance and I are getting married in late August (after way too long, according to her). Anyway, we have *finally* decided to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon. We both have never been there before, so we're excited!!!

Details:
- We'll probably stay for 7 nights in August.
- Travel shouldnt be too bad since we live in LA
- We're both in our mid-20's, but we're not crazy party-goers or anything. We like good food more than anything.

Questions:
1) What island would you recommend us staying at? It's our first time, so we definitely want to "feel" like we're in Hawaii. We want a place thats relaxing, but with some action so we arent sitting on the beach for 7 straight days. Good food would be a plus.

2) Depending on the answer to #1, what hotel and/or B&B do you recommend? Price limit is $400/night. We're on our honeymoon, so I'm torn between getting a really nice room at an average place or a "regular" room at a really nice place.

3) One hotel/place the entire time, or do you recommend us moving once?

Thanks!

Maui would probably be best for you.

Lots of info. Just ignore the Oahu info:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564

Congratulations! You've made a wise choice for a wonderful honeymoon. The general rule of thumb is for 7 (or less) days = one island. Trying to add more takes up valuable time that could be better spent than in airports and in packing & unpacking. Especially on your honeymoon.

Since Oahu is my personal favorite - that's where I'd suggest since you're first-timers to Hawaii. You can have it all on Oahu. Get some books on the islands from the library and see what strikes you and then go from there.

On Oahu you could either stay in a Waikiki hotel - and with a $400 per night budget you could stay somewhere very nice. Staying in Waikiki gives you easy access to dining, night-life and shopping. But it is more crowded, which may or may not thrill you. If it doesn't, check into either the Turtle Bay Resort or JW Marriott Ko'Olina. Both are out away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki, but still close enough to drive in for dining, shopping, etc.

Enjoy the planning, too - that's half the fun!

My husband and I (same age range)spent our honeymoon in Hawaii as well and we spent 5 nights in Kauai & 5 nts in Maui. Personally Kauai was our favorite because we are big outdoor people and love nature. The whole island just felt like a lush tropical rainforest. There was not a "ton" of nightlife but enough to keep us happy. Anyway by the end of the day we were so tired from our various excursions that it was nice just to lounge by the pool in the evening with some drinks. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt which was phenomenal. If you can get a special offer they will probably throw 1 night in free and possibly include the breakfast buffet (massive selection & very good). If you can snag a deal (check the room, car, breakfast pkg on the website)then you'll probably be around your $400 nt rate.

We did like Maui but it was more commercial and we were not into the whole tourist shopping thing and going to the mall. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of areas on the island that are magnificent but it was a lot more crowded and IMO the Kaanapali, Lahaina, Wailea areas are no different than any beach resort type town. Again to each their own especially when it comes to Hawaii

Maui and Kanapalli Beach if you can find a place. Try the Whaler or the Kanapalli Alii even if you have to get a studio it is well worth it. Also the Resort Quest just north of Kanapalli is nice, but there isn't much within walking distance.

Best kept secret is if you have not booked flights yet try to fly into Maui's Kapulua (JHM) airport rather than OGG. JHM is small, no very small, 10 minutes from the beach, and security takes about 20 minutes. Heck the ticket counter doesn't even open until 45 minutes before the plane leaves.

"After Way Too Long!" Funny stuff!!

1. Maui or Kauai, though Kauai is much mellower. Kauai feels more like Hawaii, but so do some parts of Maui. Maybe do Hana for 3 days to get the rainforest feel, then do South or West Maui for the rest.

2. Don't spend a lot of money on your place. You'll not be there for much time anyways. So long as the Honeymoon bed is nice, I wouldn't worry about spending extra money to have a view. You most likely will be spending very little time during the day in your room. Rent a condo and save some money. This way you save money on food with a kitchen, and you can put the rest of the money into a Hana excursion. Rent a nice place there.

3. Don't stay in more than 2 places. Keep to the same island too. Island hopping is less relaxing then you'd think.

"After Way Too Long!" Funny stuff!!

1. Maui or Kauai, though Kauai is much mellower. Kauai feels more like Hawaii, but so do some parts of Maui. Maybe do Hana for 3 days to get the rainforest feel, then do South or West Maui for the rest.

2. Don't spend a lot of money on your place. You'll not be there for much time anyways. So long as the Honeymoon bed is nice, I wouldn't worry about spending extra money to have a view. You most likely will be spending very little time during the day in your room. Rent a condo and save some money. This way you save money on food with a kitchen, and you can put the rest of the money into a Hana excursion. Rent a nice place there.

3. Don't stay in more than 2 places. Keep to the same island too. Island hopping is less relaxing then you'd think.

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon too; based on your description of what you like, I'd say Maui is the spot for you. You really only have time for one island. We stayed in the Wailea area and loved it - really romantic and more upscale than other areas. Maui had a more sophisticated vibe than some of the other islands, but it was also more expensive. Lots to do including the Road to Hana, the sunrise at Haleakala, snorkel trip to Molokini with Trilogy, the Old Lahaina Luau, and whale watching during certain times of the year. We loved Kauai and BI too, but in terms of good food and lots of activities, I'd lean toward Maui.

I'd choose one island, one hotel and stay there the entire time.

If you're in LA, you will probably have the option of flying directly to Maui or the Big Island (no one seems to have recommended that yet, but it has nice resorts and that volcano thing going for it) -- so, if you choose one of those, try to fly direct, just to stretch your time there.

The end of August is a relatively inexpensive time to visit Hawaii, so I think you should be able to get a pretty nice hotel for your budget. And I vote for the "regular room at the really nice place" because you can take advantage of all the really nice amenities. Enjoy!

I recommend just staying on one island and for a 7 day Hawaii honeymoon. I'd recommend either Maui or Kauai. If you like good food, in my opinion, Maui has better restaurants. That being said, Kauai restaurants are not bad at all!

As for what hotels to consider based on your budget, here's where I'd consider:
- For Maui - one of the hotels on the northern end of Kaanapali beach. I think the Sheraton has a nice location for a honeymoon. http://www.sheraton-maui.com/
http://www.govisithawaii.com/2007/10...maui-vacation/

- For Kauai - I'd go with the Hyatt in Poipu.

By the way, a reader of www.GoVisitHawaii.com (my personal unbiased website with Hawaii vacation advice) just returned from his honeymoon and wrote an article on Hawaii honeymoon do's and don'ts. You might find some useful tips in the article: http://www.govisithawaii.com/2008/04...dos-and-donts/

Congrats on your upcoming wedding. You've made a wise choice to honeymoon in Hawaii! :-)

I love the Hyatt in Poipu, and have stayed there 4 times, but I would NOT go there on my honeymoon in August. It will be FILLED with kids.

I would recommend Kauai for your honeymoon. In my opinion, it's the prettiest and most romantic of the islands.

I disagree about getting a lackluster room-- I'd spend your budget on a lush room at a great resort hotel. Heck, it's your honeymoon. You can be practical later!

We liked the Grand Hyatt on Kauai, several years ago. http://kauai.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
:)>-

I've just returned from my second visit to Hawai'i and from where I live its FAR. From that you can conclude that we thought it was very worthwhile to return. We also returned to Lahaina which I absolutely love. There is always a difference which seems to be U.S. posters v. others as to only large resorts being acceptable. There are of course many of those at Kanapili and elsewhere on Maui.
Falling into the "other" camp can I recommend the Plantation Inn in Lahaina? Let me tell you what I like about it
1. Location-right in Lahaina(with free parking)-30 seconds to the nearest restaurant but very quiet .You can walk anywhere
2. Comfortable nicely furnished rooms with A/C-not too expensive.
3.Small premises but nicely designed.
4. Pool which is hidden from the public where you can stay all day if you want to.
5. Breakfast by the pool in the morning which was nice- 4 specials-eggs basquaise, smoked salmon and bagels,pancakes -can't remember the fourth and very good coffee.
I will return to the Plantation-next year if it wasn't so far!

I'd recommend Maui, but I'd avoid the Kanaapali area- way too busy, congested, and touristy.

Look for one of the South Maui (Makena) area resorts.

For only 7 nights, I wouldn't do more than one island.

Or, you could stay a couple of nights in Hotel Hana, then switch to the Makena area.

This is your honeymoon, splurge a little on luxury.

Wow - thank you all for the awesome replies! Thats why I love this board so much.

From everybody's replies, I think it's between Maui and Kauai. From each of your comments, here is what I gather from each:

Maui:
- Can fly directly into from LAX
- More commercial
- Higher quality restaurants?
- More crowded
- More expensive

Kauai:
- Have to take a connecting flight
- More outdoors-y
- More active pursuits
- Less commercial and crowded
- Less expensive

Tough decision, huh?! I'll talk with my fiance tonight. We are active people, but not necessarily really outdoors-y. We dont want to camp in a tent somewhere, but we're down with bicycling, snorkeling, etc. I think if she were choosing, here would be her criteria:

1) Nice beach to lay on
2) Nice room to *ahem* sleep in
3) Active pursuits to keep us busy for 3 of the 7 days
4) Good food

Thanks again!

I vote for Maui, hands down. It is absolutely gorgeous and honeymoon-worthy.

I think Kauai is too "boring" for a first trip to Hawaii, and for a honeymoon. Save it for your 25th anniversary -haha.

While your list (which is very slanted to the negative I might add) may be technically true, that's sure not the first 5 things I'd list when I think of Maui!!! The entire island is NOT crowded and commercial for one thing. Nor does it have to be more expensive. There are plenty of mid-priced places to stay, things to see and do. I love the town of Lahaina and that would give you some nice places to eat and have a touch of nightlife, if you stay in or somewhere near there.

Johnny, you can fly nonstop from LAX to LIH Kauai...

I vote for getting Mauied. :)

Marginal is right, the south beaches on Maui are great for this.

Yep, you want Maui.

The Grand Hyatt on Kauai is certainly not any cheaper than a Maui resort. And, my big gripe is that the beach there is not great.

You want beautiful swimmable beaches, great hotels, I'd chose one of the south Maui hotels.

If you do this, you will want a flight from LAX to OGG, the main aiport for Maui on Kanaapali. The Kapalua airport is not directly served from the mainland, and it is very small.