Hawaii experts - please help me decide accommodation!!

[bliss_cathy]

I decided to go with the Moana Surfrider, as per most suggestions here. Thank you for the responses. Not only that, they had another deal where it ended up being even cheaper than the Outrigger! For anyone interested my NRMA card, just a road side assistance card in case I get a flat tyre etc, has 3 AAAs on the back, this enables additional discounts! Ocean front panoramic view

I can't wait to go shopping! Relax and have an wonderful time, eating, sleeping, shopping and the occasional cocktail

Leave on Saturday for 9 days!

Hey Cathy, DH and I are already booked to stay there later in the summer. Do you mind disclosing the deal you got? If it makes sense for us, we would be interested in seeing if we could change our reservation. Completely understand if you don't want to disclose here. Would be nice to have private message feature on the site.

Anyway, got me thinking I should check to see if Costco or USAA can arrange favorable reservations.

Hi Mary Pippins, have you been able to find the deal I mentioned? Please try to go on their direct website now, I checked last night and the same deal is still there. They will be also able to figure out if you are an AAA member, or anything else that can help with the rate. Please let me know how you go.

 

[bliss_cathy]

We've stayed at the royal Hawaiian and were happy as can be. Best bed ever. The idea for me was a great room and balcony with a really nice view but ideally you're not spending so much time there that it should weigh that much. My folks like Surfrider as well as a few others.

The royal hawaiian must have been amazing. I'm glad there's lots of people that here that have stayed at the westin moana surfrider or know of people who have. Everyone in PS is fussy and has good taste

Yes, can't wait to balance between the going out and having a beautiful room

it was! We spent half of our honeymoon there and loved it. We want the bed and the bed sheets still to this day! It was perfectly located for us and they had transportation for ala moana center. Then we went to Maii and spent the other half on Maui.

Gorgeous! How romantic. No wonder you splurged! I love Maui as well. What a beautiful sounding honeymoon and a perfect balance of total bliss and relaxation on Maui and a bit of excitement on Waikiki. Oh I hope the westin has transport to alamoana!!

I've always loved Hawaii. It was the first place my husband and I looked at engagement rings together, so holds a special place in my heart. I know I'll be over spending but am thinking of buying some small diamond earrings from Tiffany as that was the first shop we looked at engagement rings and I fell in love with it since so it's a special place to me. All the PSer recoil

I love hearing about the beautiful places people go to for their honeymoons. I hope everyone has a honeymoon, if for someone reason they postpone it I hope they have a special anniversary planned. We stayed in Bora Bora for our honeymoon, omg that was pure decadence, unbelievable how spoilt I felt. My husband organised it as I was a major stress head with the wedding and though I knew it was a destination choice I'd love to visit, I hadn't researched it much. I was in absolute awe when we flew into the island. It is absolutely stunning.

oh man, it was heaven. We never slept so great in our lives. We still talk about that freakin' bed.

Haha, you had me checking out the royal hawaiian last night. One sleep to go and we'll be on our way!!!

 

[bliss_cathy]

Yes! The Moana Surfrider - Thanks for your feedback.

HI:

Enjoyable spot. Glad you are choosing an ocean view b/c the street view sides...are noisy! PS they are great pina colada's!

Have not stayed at the other for decades, so I would recommend the Westin.

cheers--Sharon

Thanks Sharon, oh a great cocktail is definitely a big plus!

Yes! Booking beach cabanas required some small learning curve...once done, the cocktails, just, added value...

It is really a gorgeous spot.

cheers--Sharon

So you recommend paying for the cabanas vs sitting by the pool or on the beach

Oh I do! I found the pool area very crowded and noisy. But if you have small kids you do need to hang there...and the beach is nice , but it also gets crowded. The cabanas are the solace from the crowds that are Waikiki (also I love Waikiki for this--but not 24/7!)
Mix it up--you'll find what works! Then have a few maitai's, then go to Harry Winston down the street...

cheers--Sharon

Okay, we will have to book Cabana one day at least, you have me convinced. I've already started my pre holiday shopping. I've already rung ahead to Louis Vuitton, I know this is a bling forum and not the place for LV, but it's something I've always wanted to have and probably not everyone's cup of tea. Anyhow I rang the store in Waikiki to check their availability as there is a lot more selection in Hawaii than in Australia. They are fantastic. I just recently purchased a wallet from LV in Sydney, but the selection is terrible so they suggested I ring LV in Hawaii. LV in Hawaii said they will let me trade it with them for whatever I want!

the shopping has already started!!!

 

[bliss_cathy]

I decided to go with the Moana Surfrider, as per most suggestions here. Thank you for the responses. Not only that, they had another deal where it ended up being even cheaper than the Outrigger! For anyone interested my NRMA card, just a road side assistance card in case I get a flat tyre etc, has 3 AAAs on the back, this enables additional discounts! Ocean front panoramic view

I can't wait to go shopping! Relax and have an wonderful time, eating, sleeping, shopping and the occasional cocktail

Leave on Saturday for 9 days!

Hey Cathy, DH and I are already booked to stay there later in the summer. Do you mind disclosing the deal you got? If it makes sense for us, we would be interested in seeing if we could change our reservation. Completely understand if you don't want to disclose here. Would be nice to have private message feature on the site.

Anyway, got me thinking I should check to see if Costco or USAA can arrange favorable reservations.

Hi! Technically it's cheaper than the outrigger if you take into account Valet Parking is an additional $35 or so a day at the Outrigger whereas on site parking is complimentary at the Westin.

Anyhow I had previously booked when I started this thread at the Westin Moana Surfrider and paid the equivalent of the room plus what the valet parking would have been. This was for a king bed ocean front in the diamond wing.

I'm an SPG member starwoods preferred guest and also have what we call in Australia an NRMA card, which in America is considered an AAA membership or automobile card or something. Conceirge asked if I was an AAA member and I had no idea, but I checked the back of some of my cards and saw the symbol. A roadside assist card essentially is a membership I pay for that allows me to ring if I have a breakdown, flat tyre etc and someone comes and fixes my car. It's the weirdest thing to be associated with accommodation and something I will certainly always look for now. Reservations asked me to check closer to the date to see if further discounts could be made.

A few days ago I was online, plugged in the SPG membership and AAA membership and it came up more than another 10% off! Over 9 days at the westin moana this is pretty good! Plus there was an additional x to spend at the resort as a complimentary thrown in. I rang and asked if it would be exactly the same room with the king bed and reservations they said they would do that for me! The deal was technically the oceanfront double bed rooms but because I had already booked the king bed she just allowed that to be discounted!!

Their tower partial ocean views even cheaper, and banyan rooms cheaper still, but we really wanted to have the ocean front experience.
Definitely ask them about it.

Mary Poppins please let me know how you go, I can try and help you navigate the website if you need me to.

 

[hathalove]

Curious Ame where you stayed on Maui? If anyone else has some recommendations I would love to hear them. I am thinking of surprising DH and booking a December vacation...possible vow renewal? How is Hawaii in December lol?

 

[bliss_cathy]

Curious Ame where you stayed on Maui? If anyone else has some recommendations I would love to hear them. I am thinking of surprising DH and booking a December vacation...possible vow renewal? How is Hawaii in December lol?

We've stayed in Maui a couple of times and love it. The first time we stayed at the Westin (starting to sound like i work for the Westin lol) and the second time we stayed at the Ka'anapali Maui Hotel. We loved it. We had two rooms a kitchen and a lounge and big balcony. We could see the sea from the bedroom. The inner courtyard was a bit windy but in Maui there are so many remote beaches, it's not like Waikiki where everyone is a bit on top of each other. You can find beaches that are practically empty.

We hired a car and really enjoyed ourselves. Lahaina is the main part where there are restaurants and a few shops, right on the water, amazing cocktails and an absolutely relaxing gorgeous place to walk around at night.

The resorts are all on one side of the island, on the other side there are more beaches and that's were the windsurfers and kitesurfers are. My husband is a Windsurfer and you can easily hire gear. You can also do lessons, he did a kitesurfing one last time.

It's definitely way more remote, much more relaxing and definitely a place I would recommend to visit.

I know I'm not Ame but hope I was some help.

PS it's a romantic spot, my husband walking along the beach one afternoon and saw a proposal as he was walking by!!!
PPS I absolutely love the idea of a vow renewal as well, so so romantic

 

[joolsiepetunia]

We stayed at the Outrigger a couple years ago! It's convenient and right on the ocean which is nice. I loved having a ocean side view because you could watch the sun and hang out on the balcony to watch all the surfers/paddle boarders. The cons of the Outrigger is their beach is super small. I'm not sure if things have changed, but I remember having to rent little dinky chairs and tubes so be prepared for that. The pool at the hotel is kind of in the middle of the hotel and there is only sun when it peaks during the day, which is kind of a bummer. We ended up walking down the beach most days to the public beach area and closer by the Hilton. If I went back, I would likely stay at the Hilton if we were in that area again. We had friends stay at the Hilton and they have a nice big private beach area just for guests, a lot of activities for children and an LV store on site, which is always a plus in my book!!!!!!!!! The 'downtown' area is VERY touristy, but there is GREAT shopping!! We rented a car and drove up to the other side of the Island to go swim with sharks. You basically drive a few miles out at the crack of dawn and jump into a metal cage to swim/see sharks. It was quite awesome and if you're a thrill seeker I would definitely recommend doing that. We had an underwater camera and took some crazy photos!

 

[ame]

Curious Ame where you stayed on Maui? If anyone else has some recommendations I would love to hear them. I am thinking of surprising DH and booking a December vacation...possible vow renewal? How is Hawaii in December lol?

We stayed at the Sheraton Maui, which is in Ka'anapali Beach. My parents go to Hawaii with friends every year, and when they don't stay in a timeshare (they and their friends (another couple) both own time shares, but sometimes they're "used up" by the time they go to Hawaii so they stay in hotels), they stay at the Sheraton now as well, based on our experience. Between them and their friends, they've stayed all over in the islands, and this is their favorite on Maui. They like the location, and they like the amenities and view for the pricepoint.

For us, we felt it was reasonable and really nice, considering we would be coming from the RH and we were honeymooning. The room we were supposed to get was really nice but we got in there, I went to the balcony to gawk at the view and was like "wow," and like a minute later, the concierge knocked on the door and said "it came to my attention you were honeymooning, and we're moving you to a different suite." THAT was like whoa by comparison! I mean, we were really happy with the first room but this was a delightful surprise. It was a nice hotel, though not as nice as the RH, what would be! lol. We were literally like 3 rooms from Black Rock, and had a killer view. It was a really nice balcony which was more private than before and the bathroom was really nice.

We were on Big Island over this past summer in a private residence, but when we go back, if we do Big Island again we'll likely stay in Waikaloa or just north of that, I think. I liked the view regardless but we liked the hotel selection better.

 

[Nyc2chigal]

before reading your post, the first thing I thought was "WESTIN MOANA SURFRIDER!!!!"

So glad you decided on that one! Location is great, and the rocking chairs......
you'll know what I mean

 

[bliss_cathy]

before reading your post, the first thing I thought was "WESTIN MOANA SURFRIDER!!!!"

So glad you decided on that one! Location is great, and the rocking chairs......
you'll know what I mean

Thank you, that's a definite positive recommendation.

 

[mary poppins]

Thanks for your input for looking into better rates, bliss_cathy. We are still in the planning process.

I forgot how great the beds are. The mattress and accessories are all available for purchase. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=twat+waffle&page=2

Well, have a blast and please post with a review afterwards! I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience.

 

[mary poppins]

Curious Ame where you stayed on Maui? If anyone else has some recommendations I would love to hear them. I am thinking of surprising DH and booking a December vacation...possible vow renewal? How is Hawaii in December lol?

DH and I are planning a trip to Hawaii scheduled for later this summer. We are going on a Pride of America cruise (visiting four islands in one week, originating from and returning to Honolulu), and staying in Honolulu a couple of days before and after the cruise. A travel book I picked up from the library today says the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki (Honolulu) hosts a complementary vow renewal ceremony every Saturday night in the hotel's courtyard. Members of the general public as well as guests are invited to attend.

Book says December temperatures are high around 85 and low around 70, with more precipitation than during the summer.

Moana Surfrider is the hotel bliss_cathy is now and where DH and I already reserved a room for part of our trip.

Not sure if any of that interests you, but figured I'd mention it just in case.

 

[bliss_cathy]

We arrived yesterday I am in an AMAZING place.

We are in the Westin Moana Surfrider and it is STUNNING.

I don't know what happened but we have been given the top floor, ocean front room in the diamond wing. It is seriously one of the best rooms in the wing. The room is twice as big as the other ocean front rooms in the diamond wing and the balcony is HUGE. We have 2 couches a chaise, a large coffee table and sun chair and still more space on our own private balcony that looks out to 180 degrees of water. The other balconies in this wing are about 20% of the size of our one, but because we are on the top floor its amazing, it's like our own private area! We want to know the secret to how we got the best room in the building!! I was tempted to go for the tower rooms at the time of booking because of the balcony size but we are so happy with this room and convinced we somehow got seriously lucky and got one of the best rooms in the hotel. Our bed looks directly at the sea so gorgeous!!!

The entrance to the Moana West in is so gorgeous. The place is beautiful.

Yesterday we arrived, we ate at dukes for breakfast and dinner. Yum.

Last time we were in Waikiki we stayed at the Sheraton with a partial ocean view and it felt like we were still in a city, not a resort. Half the view was a pink building. This room and place is completely different. The court yard is amazing and you walk straight onto the beach. And this special top floor balcony we somehow got is absolutely amazinng. We ordered cocktails yesterday and had them on the couches on our balcony.

I'm still a bit jet lagged but probably won't write until I back.

But thank you for all those who helped me decide.

PS Harry Winston is still not open.
PPS Shopping heaven as well!!! Am going to Coach today. The SA said to come back today as there would be a surprise! In Australia Coach is so expensive but in the US I always have to stock up!

 

[ame]

OH MAN! Holy envy!!! That sounds like a dream! Id never leave!

 

[bliss_cathy]

Haha, thanks Ame, yes, we want to move into the hotel room.

Okay, I can't help it - I had to post these pictures because they are so ridiculous, and this is a bling forum and are the only people who can understand how crazy it, but have a fascination with it too .... I don't think my friends would appreciate or understand it lol
Found Harry Winston at Alamoana. The eternity band it 0.5ct diamonds all the way around the entire band, and the emerald cut diamond I don't know what the carat size is...this is when big just becomes tooooooo big lol

We've eaten now at the Cheesecake restaurant place and also red lobster, making our way around the food places

Oh and the surprise at Coach was 50% off the two bags I was looking at yesterday!!!! I went absolutely crazy at Coach!!!

 

[ame]

OMG SWOON.