Where to stay on Honeymoon?
Dec 5th, 2002, 05:29 PM
#1
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Where to stay on Honeymoon?
My Fiance and I are looking to go to two different islands of Hawaii next September for our Honeymoon? Does anyone have any recommendations on four or five star hotels? We're thinking one island should definitely be Maui, we're not sure of the other.
Dec 5th, 2002, 06:35 PM
#2
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Susie, If you only chose 1 island, chose Kauaii over Maui. Maui is so overated in my opinion, it certainly isn't what it was when I first visited it 23 years ago. My other recommendation would be to rent a luxury condo rather than stay in a 5 star hotel. They're so much nicer and roomier than even the nicest hotel rooms. Other than room service, they have all the ammentities and then some!! Many are located with ocean front views, after all many of the owners (timeshare owners particularly) pay BIG BIG bucks for these units and won't accept less than the best. look into the RCI Gold Crown Properties for the nicest ones. Happy Honeymooning!
Dec 6th, 2002, 04:26 AM
#8
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If you went to one other island besides Maui, I'd go to Kauai. It is very green, lush and in my opinion the prettiest of all the islands. It is completely different than Maui as Maui is quite over built and commercialized. Kauai has strict ordinances (no high rises here) and they're trying to protect it from the mistakes Maui has made. September should be a great time of year for you.
Dec 6th, 2002, 06:29 AM
#9
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Susie, if I were honeymooning in Hawaii and picking two islands, I'd consider the big island of Hawaii for it's diversity and Kauai for it's beauty. I wouldn't bother with Maui or Oahu. With this said though, if you're golfers than I believe Maui probably has the nicest golf courses.
Dec 6th, 2002, 01:10 PM
#11
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Susie,
My wife and I just got back from our honeymoon 5 nights in Maui and 6 nights in Kauai. We stayed at the Kea Lani in Maui and the Hyatt in Kauai. While we were surprised at how built up Maui was, dont be scared off by that, we really thought it was beautiful and it has a little bit of everything. We stayed at the Kea Lani after we cancelled our reservations at the 4 seasons b/c of construction. I am really glad we did, it was 1st class all the way and the rooms were amazing, all suites, and upon arrival they upgraded us to an ocean front on the 3rd floor and offered us top floor for extra $50/nite. We had a massage at the 4s and used a couple of their rooms as temp spa facilities, even the suite paled in comparison and the pool is quite small, while Kea Lani is bigger and has an Adult only pool (nice on the honeymoon). I am sure it is a great hotel but we really loved Kea Lani. One thing about condos, I would be sure you know exactly what you are getting. We met a couple who had an oceanfront condo in a comlpex, but off the main hotel strip and woke up with a burgler in their room. Can happen anywhere, but just make sure you research it! We loved Kauai too, loved the hyatt, went to the P'ville one day, beautiful place. We thought the island was great, plenty of outdoor activities to do or just lie out and relax. True there is not a ton of nightlife but there are great restaurants and we tended to go to bed early anyway. A couple of nights we came home after dinner and had a few drinks at Stevensons Library in the Hyatt which was a cool place. One thing re: the Hyatt, I think some of the rooms are a little tired and need updating, esp. at a min. of $350/ nite. Dont settle, we actually requested 2 new rooms before they upgraded us to the top floor which seemingly has been redon or is newer. One last note, we were there late Oct/Nov which like Sept is the slow period and the hotels are not as full, you should have an easier time getting upgraded. We just had a great experience all the way around, the people on Hawaii are sooo nice, I imagine wherever you go in Hawaii you will have an excellent time.
My wife and I just got back from our honeymoon 5 nights in Maui and 6 nights in Kauai. We stayed at the Kea Lani in Maui and the Hyatt in Kauai. While we were surprised at how built up Maui was, dont be scared off by that, we really thought it was beautiful and it has a little bit of everything. We stayed at the Kea Lani after we cancelled our reservations at the 4 seasons b/c of construction. I am really glad we did, it was 1st class all the way and the rooms were amazing, all suites, and upon arrival they upgraded us to an ocean front on the 3rd floor and offered us top floor for extra $50/nite. We had a massage at the 4s and used a couple of their rooms as temp spa facilities, even the suite paled in comparison and the pool is quite small, while Kea Lani is bigger and has an Adult only pool (nice on the honeymoon). I am sure it is a great hotel but we really loved Kea Lani. One thing about condos, I would be sure you know exactly what you are getting. We met a couple who had an oceanfront condo in a comlpex, but off the main hotel strip and woke up with a burgler in their room. Can happen anywhere, but just make sure you research it! We loved Kauai too, loved the hyatt, went to the P'ville one day, beautiful place. We thought the island was great, plenty of outdoor activities to do or just lie out and relax. True there is not a ton of nightlife but there are great restaurants and we tended to go to bed early anyway. A couple of nights we came home after dinner and had a few drinks at Stevensons Library in the Hyatt which was a cool place. One thing re: the Hyatt, I think some of the rooms are a little tired and need updating, esp. at a min. of $350/ nite. Dont settle, we actually requested 2 new rooms before they upgraded us to the top floor which seemingly has been redon or is newer. One last note, we were there late Oct/Nov which like Sept is the slow period and the hotels are not as full, you should have an easier time getting upgraded. We just had a great experience all the way around, the people on Hawaii are sooo nice, I imagine wherever you go in Hawaii you will have an excellent time.
Dec 6th, 2002, 02:25 PM
#12
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Hi Susie!!
My husband and I are leaving for Maui on Monday for a belated honeymoon.After ALOT of research and wanting to stay somewhere secluded at a 5 star hotel we decided on the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. I have heard only fabulous reviews about the Ritz so I will let you know how the trip went when we get back in 10 days. Aloha!!
My husband and I are leaving for Maui on Monday for a belated honeymoon.After ALOT of research and wanting to stay somewhere secluded at a 5 star hotel we decided on the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. I have heard only fabulous reviews about the Ritz so I will let you know how the trip went when we get back in 10 days. Aloha!!
Dec 6th, 2002, 08:28 PM
#13
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If you are not rich, go to the Kona Tiki in Kona, Hawaii (Big Island). It cost $75 a night, including breakfast. You open your terrace door and the ocean is right there. Breakfast is served outside, there are lounges for sunning and a pool. It is near Kaapalua State Park, which you can reach by bus for $2, and has great snorkeling. Buy a snorkel set at WalMart for $30 before you leave home, and use it all vacation long. Wear contact lenses underneath if you have them; then you don't need a prescription mask to see everything.
Dec 6th, 2002, 09:24 PM
#14
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We were in both Maui and Kauai in late September on our honeymoon like you! It was absolutely fabulous. We stayed at the Hyatt in Kauai and were very pleased. I loved eating breakfast while watching the beautiful swans swim right next to us. In Maui, we rented a 5 star RCI Gold Crown condo (actually it was a timeshare). This was really the best of all worlds and I'd recommend it over any hotels. We paid $600 for something like 8 nights. It seemed so cheap for what we got. We had a lovely lanai, full livingroom, full kitchen (although we didn't use it much except for coffee and toast) and a washer and dryer (this really came in handy!!), all with a ocean front view. It was such a great honeymoon and we had perfect weather. We actually got our condo rental on ebay.com (unfortunately there wasn't anything available in Kauai during our time period so we opted for the Hyatt which was a good second choice). Although Kauai is our favorite island, Maui wasn't bad either. There is a lot more night life in Maui. It is just quite overbuilt and kind of reminds you of being in Miami or something. It's too bad that it isn't as "natural" as it once was from what I've heard. Hopefully, we'll go back to Hawaii for our 5 year anniversary. We never made it to the big island, maybe next trip. In Kauai, try to go for a helicopter ride. You go up in the mountains and see the waterfalls close up. It was quite spectacular. While in Kauai, we did a lot of snorkling too which was fun.
Dec 7th, 2002, 08:38 PM
#16
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We spent our honeymoon in Hawaii as well (October 2001, just shortly after 9/11) We visited 3 islands, Maui, Kauai and the big island. Although we really enjoyed the big island, we found it to not have the beauty we were expecting. It was quite deserty on most of it. Our favorite island by a landslide was Kauai. Maui is also nice in it's own way but like others have commented, you may not feel like you're really in Hawaii (someone compared it to Miami which may be closer to the truth). We are both 25 and weren't really looking for nightlife, we enjoyed the daytime activities so much that by 9:00 after dinner and wine, we were pooped! If you only chose one other island besides Maui, I'd make it Kauai. To be completely honest, we could have easily spent more time in Kauai and skipped Maui all together. If I chose a 2nd island, it would be the volcano side of the big island. We stayed in a treehouse hotel/B & B which was awesome!! Although, again...no nightlife if this is what you're looking for. Without knowing your taste, it's difficult to make suggestions. We did go parasailing in Maui which was fun. Maui seemed a bit overpriced in all respects to us. Someone suggested the 5 star condo idea...good idea! We visited some on timeshare presentations and they're much much nicer than even the finest hotel standard rooms. You may get lucky and get twice the room for 1/2 the price.
I'd look into this.
I'd look into this.
Dec 8th, 2002, 07:31 PM
#18
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Yes, I think 10 days in Kauai is probably too long. It is the prettiest of all (and my personal favorite) but I think 10 days would be too long. See another, probably Maui or the big island. I too recommend the luxury condo idea if you can work it out. It's so much nicer feeling like you have your own private space. A better value for sure.
Dec 20th, 2002, 01:23 PM
#19
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My husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii in June and we live on Oahu now (for one year only, thankfully). There are many opinions on which island is the best. It is wonderful and surprising that each island is so different from all of the others. Oahu is great because there is a city and nightlife but once you get out of the city, the island is spectacular.
Kauai is my favorite island. My husband and I spent 8 nigths there on our honeymoon and wished we had stayed longer. We stayed at the Princeville and it was beyond words extraordinary. The view was mind blowing and the rooms were really terrific including the secret window in the bathroom. Get the Ultimate Kauai Guide and spend every other day exploring the magnificent Garden Island. That is what we did while on alternate days we stayed at the spectacular Princeville and relaxed, golfed, and got massaged by the ocean. Heaven! By the way, the golf on Kauai is definitely better than on Maui. Why else would the Prince Course be the number one course in the state?
As for Maui, we have stayed at the Hyatt (quite decent and it is on the beach in Maui, so can't disappoint). The Four Seasons was nice, great service, clean, big rooms. Tiny pool designed so that while you sit around it, it is a place to see and be seen. Still, a nice relaxing resort but Wailea is nothing special. Can be anywhere. Kapalua is beautiful and the Ritz is nice enough but the weather sucks in the winter. Truly.
If you want the best place on Maui, you should go out to Hana and spend a couple of days at the newly redone Hotel Hana Maui. It is unforgettable and Hana is such a special place. That resort is something special and go now before it is discovered and the rates go way up. You get to stay in little luxury cabins that are so beautiful with spectacular ocean views. Splurge for on with a hot tub on the porch. Sitting in there looking at the ocean and up at every star in the sky is something you will never forget. And the resort basically owns the town and there is so much to see. One last word of advice: go all the way around Hana so that you see both sides of the Famous Hana Highway. Incredible!!!
By the way, just go to the Big Island and see the volcano for a day trip from whatever island you decide on. No need to stay there.
Kauai is my favorite island. My husband and I spent 8 nigths there on our honeymoon and wished we had stayed longer. We stayed at the Princeville and it was beyond words extraordinary. The view was mind blowing and the rooms were really terrific including the secret window in the bathroom. Get the Ultimate Kauai Guide and spend every other day exploring the magnificent Garden Island. That is what we did while on alternate days we stayed at the spectacular Princeville and relaxed, golfed, and got massaged by the ocean. Heaven! By the way, the golf on Kauai is definitely better than on Maui. Why else would the Prince Course be the number one course in the state?
As for Maui, we have stayed at the Hyatt (quite decent and it is on the beach in Maui, so can't disappoint). The Four Seasons was nice, great service, clean, big rooms. Tiny pool designed so that while you sit around it, it is a place to see and be seen. Still, a nice relaxing resort but Wailea is nothing special. Can be anywhere. Kapalua is beautiful and the Ritz is nice enough but the weather sucks in the winter. Truly.
If you want the best place on Maui, you should go out to Hana and spend a couple of days at the newly redone Hotel Hana Maui. It is unforgettable and Hana is such a special place. That resort is something special and go now before it is discovered and the rates go way up. You get to stay in little luxury cabins that are so beautiful with spectacular ocean views. Splurge for on with a hot tub on the porch. Sitting in there looking at the ocean and up at every star in the sky is something you will never forget. And the resort basically owns the town and there is so much to see. One last word of advice: go all the way around Hana so that you see both sides of the Famous Hana Highway. Incredible!!!
By the way, just go to the Big Island and see the volcano for a day trip from whatever island you decide on. No need to stay there.
