Hawaii for Honeymoon? Need advice!

[SarahLovesJS]

I know there''s been threads like this before, but hey what''s wrong with starting another? Travel threads are fun! So FI and I are thinking about Hawaii for the honeymoon. We have a long time to plan, we''re not at our 12 month mark yet, but I really want to start pricing things out since we have to save money. I was looking at asscher_girl''s beautiful wedding photos and realized I should post this thread. Anyway here''s the questions:

Where did you stay?:

What did you do?:

What was your favorite island? If you can pick only one!:

Favorite place to eat?:

Favorite beach?:

Any recommendations for me?: We''re looking for a nice hotel, but it can only be so expensive. For example, we can''t afford the four seasons I believe.

But I want an ocean front room. Okay, I know this sounds picky, but it has to be ocean front!

Other than that the only hotel requirements are windows (as opposed to just screens, I am a light sleeper and hate bugs, not sure if there would be a ton, but I need windows!), AC (I can only do so much heat), balcony (preferably private), and private bathroom.

Hopefully I don''t sound too spoiled/demanding.

 

[Skippy123]

Well, I guess you have to narrow down where you want to go. I usually go to the library and check out some books and read what appeals most to me. I have been to all 4 of the big island; I want to go to the smaller ones someday. They are all so different but all beautiful. Do you like water sports, hiking and more adventure? Do you like shopping? Do you need a big city? Big resort? I think if you have a limited budget a condo on the water would be nice check out www.vrbo.com . Also what time of year do you plan to go? The fall tends to be less expensive and Christmas the most expensive. eta: Kauai is my favorite

 

[littlelysser]

Must jump in here and say that I absolutely love Hawaii. I''ve been five times. Four with family and once for my honeymoon.

I''ve been to Maui, Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai.

Kauai is FAR AND AWAY my favorite. I miss it almost everyday. That is where DH and I went for our honeymoon. Sooo wonderful.

Where did you stay?: on Kauai, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt. The grounds were absolutely breathtaking. Amazing. The rooms were fine, but the grounds and pools are really awesome.


What did you do?: Hung by the pool, hung by the ocean, went to Waimea Canyon and took a boat tour of the Napali Coast. Both are lovely and unique to Kauai. Also did some some shopping and eating.


What was your favorite island? If you can pick only one!: Kauai. No question. It is sooo beautiful and not very touristy. It was absolutely beautiful. The Big Island is second - I love it too. Volcanoes National Park is amazing. Maui is next. I think it is a bit more developed and better shopping and food than the previous two - but still lovely and awesome. Last is Oahu. I''ve been to the northern and southern parts of the island and I don''t love it. Really Honolulu is kind of the same as any major city on a beach. Not particularly Hawaiian, if that makes sense. However, the best food and shopping is there.


Favorite place to eat?: Hmmm. Not a lot of great food on Kauai. We loved the Shrimp Station (cheap, good eats), Casa D''amici, Roy''s.

Favorite beach?: Really, all of them are amazing. On Kauai, we loved Poipu beach, it was close to our hotel and had some very nice snorkeling.


Any recommendations for me?: Like I said, Kauai was just lovely. Of the islands I''ve been to, it was my favorite by far. So lovely. The Hyatt is fairly spendy, but if you go offseason, the rooms are MUCH less expensive, and we had a great complimentary breakfast buffet included in our room rate. However, it one of the more expensive places to stay on the island and there are PLENTY of other great places to stay, which would meet your requirements.

I miss Kauai soooo much!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I completely agree with Skippy--Hawaii is a place that has something for everybody, so it's helfpul to really focus on things you love and want to do.

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon (Maui and the Big Island) and we loved it.

Where did you stay?: On Maui we stayed at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, which is oceanfront, but not a resort. The rooms are condos, I believe, and they aren't super nice, but we liked our room. The reason we chose the hotel was because of the location. It's right on Ka'anapali Beach between some other more high-end resorts so we saved some money, didn't have to stay in a resort (we don't really like resorts, but we're weird like that) and the location couldn't have been better.

We only stayed on the Big Island for 4 or 5 days and stayed at the Sheraton. It was a bit too resort-like for me, but it did have a waterslide and that made me happy. It was south of Kona whereas the nicer resorts are North, but I preferred the location because it was closer to local towns where we ate.
What did you do?: On Maui we did the usual things--biking down Haleakala, whale watching (we were there during whale season), drove around the island on the road to Hana--in fact, I loved Hana and wished we'd stayed a night or two, spent a day on Big Beach, snorkeled next to black rock, hked the seven falls, did some hiking to various blow holes, saw a luau at the Old Lahaina Luau...I forget what else. We ate a LOT.

On the Big Island we saw the volcanoes and hiked about 9 miles to see some active lava. We also went up Mauna Kea, which was great. We snorkeled with the manta rays at nightime, went to the the Valley of the Kings and South Point and went to Lava Java every morning for fresh Kona coffee. Mmmmm.

What was your favorite island? If you can pick only one!: The Big Island, hands down. When we go back, we're going to Kauai, I think we'll love it.

Favorite place to eat?: Mama's Fish House on Maui--probably one of the best meals I've ever had. On the Big Island it was Ke'ei Cafe (I believe it was Miss Skippy's suggestion)

Favorite beach?: Big Beach near Wailea--plus if you trek over the rocks to Little Beach you can giggle at all the nude sunbathers (apparenlty little beach is a nude beach)

Any recommendations for me?: I second Skippy's suggestion of looking at VRBO.com--there are so many great oceanfront condos. We went through a travel agency, but I've used VRBO for other vacations (not Hawaii) and it was great. I know that for us we looked at what location we wanted first, then considered what was in the area.

You're going to have a fantastic time!!!!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/2/2008 11:20:16 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Favorite place to eat?: Mama's Fish House on Maui--probably one of the best meals I've ever had. On the Big Island it was Ke'ei Cafe (I believe it was Miss Skippy's suggestion)

Thanks NEL,I did love Ke'ei Cafe, yum!!! I am super excited for you to go to Kauai next time. My favorite is Kauai but very close second is the Big Island; I love all the waterfalls there and the sea turtles!!!!

Sarah, I love the Shrimp Station like Littlelyser after visiting Waimea (the Grand Canyon of the Pacific) Kalalau lookout. Here are some Pics of Kauai
Hanalai has some good restaurants and same with the Princeville Resort. I really like the bakery by the lighthouse.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Thank you everyone! I am really excited that I am getting some help! I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Omg Skippy I

turtles!

Anyway to answer your questions: Not really into hiking or water sports, but willing to try if I can get in better shape before then. Hehe. I like shopping, but don't plan on doing it the whole time. I'd like at least two days in a bigger city with lots of shopping and restaurants. Honolulu I guess would be good for that? The rest of the time I'd like to explore and just hang out on the beach with some kind of restaurant or something nearby, but it doesn't have to be a huge city. Our wedding date is June 20, 2009, so we'd like to go right after the wedding if possible. So I guess around the end of June?

And your photos are gorgeous!! I am going to show them to FI.

I'd love to see the Volcanoes if possible, that sound so cool!! I've never been surfing or scuba diving or anything like that, so that'd be cool, too. FI has done both I believe.

ETA: Thank you for the vrbo link! I am checking that out now.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/2/2008 10:03:27 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Thank you everyone! I am really excited that I am getting some help! I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Omg Skippy I

turtles!

Anyway to answer your questions: Not really into hiking or water sports, but willing to try if I can get in better shape before then. Hehe. I like shopping, but don't plan on doing it the whole time. I'd like at least two days in a bigger city with lots of shopping and restaurants. Honolulu I guess would be good for that? The rest of the time I'd like to explore and just hang out on the beach with some kind of restaurant or something nearby, but it doesn't have to be a huge city. Our wedding date is June 20, 2009, so we'd like to go right after the wedding if possible. So I guess around the end of June?

And your photos are gorgeous!! I am going to show them to FI.

I'd love to see the Volcanos if possible, that sound so cool!! I've never been surfing or scuba diving or anything like that, so that'd be cool, too. FI has done both I believe.

Well then it might be good to do Oahu and the Big Island. I think I read somewhere that most people go to Oahu for the 1st time. I should look for the statistics. The Big Island has the valcano which is sooooo cool! I am excited for you! We are here for you when it gets close to plan this if you want help

 

[ginzagirl]

If you like to shop, then Oahu would be best. There are lots of shops on the main strip where all the major designers and jewelers are. These shop open much later than the malls too! If you''d like the shops to be near your hotel then try the Helekulani. Ala Moana mall is about a 10-15 minutes drive from the hotel, depending on traffic. You can walk to the zoo, the aquarium and hang out on the famous Kuhio beach from this hotel. Their spa is also something to talk about! There are also many restaurants on the strip to choose from. So, if you are not planning to get a car, you should stay either at this hotel or someplace near by.

We married at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental so of course I love the hotel. It is now under a different name and has been renovated so I''m not sure if you can still swim with dolphins or not. It is however a little bit far away from the main tourist strip but very charming if you like to sit back and read a book.

Maui is also a great place for a honeymoon. If you go there, I''d suggest staying at the Fairmont Kea Lani. But of course, there are so many other wonderful hotels there that it''s hard to go wrong.

I''m off to NYC this summer so Dh does not get to go to Hawaii until Xmas so he is trying to convince me to take another trip before then.

 

[diamondfan]

I have only stayed at the Four Season in Wailea, Maui and the Mauna Lani on the big island. Hawaii overall is so pricey. Maui is my favorite island, but the dry side, Wailea, which is likely soooo changed from when I was there last. I do not care for Lahaina or Kanaapali to stay in, though certainly you can go there. I love Hawaii overall though.

All beaches are public there, and there is coast access to all beaches. I hated things like luaus, I did one, but really would pass on it. Very touristy, unless you get sent to a high end one by a nice hotel concierge.

The hotel in the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall looked nice, I think it was Turtle Bay on Oahu. If you want to save a bit, avoid Christmas and NY. Not sure when you are going, but I am sure there is a season that is less expensive, where you can get the room for a bit less.

I know the island of Lanai is supposed to be great, Manele Bay and the Lodge at Kohele (probably not spelled right) are lovely. Both are Four Seasons, gain, pricey. Very private, great for a honeymoon.

I used to get to Hawaii a lot as a kid, we would stay at the Mauna Kea on the big island. Honolulu is like NY City on the beach to me, a lot to do, but less tranquil and tropical. It can be fun but expensive to island hop but you can get a nice variety of things.

I hate some of the really touristy stuff, and the crowds. But for true shopping I think the Ala Moana mall and some of the other stores in Honolulu are going to be the most posh. Otherwise, I cannot recall doing much shopping except in the hotel stores, as the stuff was not anything I had to have.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/3/2008 12:30:39 AM
Author: diamondfan
I have only stayed at the Four Season in Wailea, Maui and the Mauna Lani on the big island. Hawaii overall is so pricey. Maui is my favorite island, but the dry side, Wailea, which is likely soooo changed from when I was there last. I do not care for Lahaina or Kanaapali to stay in, though certainly you can go there. I love Hawaii overall though.

All beaches are public there, and there is coast access to all beaches. I hated things like luaus, I did one, but really would pass on it. Very touristy, unless you get sent to a high end one by a nice hotel concierge.

The hotel in the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall looked nice, I think it was Turtle Bay. Not sure what island. If you want to save a bit, avoid Christmas and NY. Not sure when you are going, but I am sure there is a season that is less expensive, where you can get the room for a bit less.

I know the island of Lanai is supposed to be great, Manele Bay and the Lodge at Kohele (probably not spelled right) are lovely. Again, pricey. And very private.

I used to get to Hawaii a lot as a kid, we would stay at the Mauna Kea on the big island.

I hate some of the really touristy stuff, and the crowds. But for true shopping I think the Ala Moana mall and some of the other stores in Honolulu are going to be the most posh. Otherwise, I cannot recall doing much shopping except in the hotel stores, as the stuff was not anything I had to have.

Ala Moana is still wonderful and there are some good restaurants like Alan Wong's Pineapple Room in Macy's and Mariposa in Neiman Marcus; both delicious but I am not sure if they are still there I am assuming they were as I ate there 2 year's ago. The Royal Hawaiian has a few really good shops too but nothing like Ala Moana for volume. hehe

 

[ginzagirl]

Date: 6/3/2008 12:40:22 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 6/3/2008 12:30:39 AM

Author: diamondfan

I have only stayed at the Four Season in Wailea, Maui and the Mauna Lani on the big island. Hawaii overall is so pricey. Maui is my favorite island, but the dry side, Wailea, which is likely soooo changed from when I was there last. I do not care for Lahaina or Kanaapali to stay in, though certainly you can go there. I love Hawaii overall though.


All beaches are public there, and there is coast access to all beaches. I hated things like luaus, I did one, but really would pass on it. Very touristy, unless you get sent to a high end one by a nice hotel concierge.


The hotel in the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall looked nice, I think it was Turtle Bay. Not sure what island. If you want to save a bit, avoid Christmas and NY. Not sure when you are going, but I am sure there is a season that is less expensive, where you can get the room for a bit less.


I know the island of Lanai is supposed to be great, Manele Bay and the Lodge at Kohele (probably not spelled right) are lovely. Again, pricey. And very private.


I used to get to Hawaii a lot as a kid, we would stay at the Mauna Kea on the big island.


I hate some of the really touristy stuff, and the crowds. But for true shopping I think the Ala Moana mall and some of the other stores in Honolulu are going to be the most posh. Otherwise, I cannot recall doing much shopping except in the hotel stores, as the stuff was not anything I had to have.

Ala Moana is still wonderful and there are some good restaurants like Alan Wong''s Pineapple Room in Macy''s and Mariposa in Neiman Marcus; both delicious but I am not sure if they are still there I am assuming they were as I ate there 2 year''s ago. The Royal Hawaiian has a few really good shops too but nothing like Ala Moana for volume. hehe

Mariposa was still there as of last October. Ala Moana is fantastic for shopping. Harry Winston is there too

As for restaurants, Ruth''s Chris is close by on the main strip.

 

[diamondfan]

I call Chanel there all of the time. It is 8 hours earlier so I can call even when it is quite late here, and they often have the things I am looking for.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Ooh shopping!

Thank you for the advice everyone, I am excited!

 

[nicolejrx]

Just an FYI for planning purposes, airfare right now to Hawaii seems to be outrageous. 1200 per person from San Diego for economy! It is around 1000 per person right now from LA. Just a heads up as my hubby and I may be canceling our Kauai trip in October due to the cost of airfare.
Nicole
P.S. Kauai is my fave!!!

 

[jewelerman]

My advice is to do your homework and shop around!I went with friends and we went off season to save money...Its an expensive place to eat or shop so we used the coupon books availiable from our hotel.If you are going to buy any type of jewelry there remember to shop around and compare prices because most of the jewelry items will be availiable at several places that you shop.I shopped for hawaiian heirloom jewelry and found several levels or quality and price.I also bought jade but found that there was alot of dyed jade that was expensive.I was lucky enough to find a very un-usual edwardian pendant with carved white jade at a shop on wikki beach that sold used and vintage collectables.I paid only about 15%of actual value for the piece ,so you can still find some really cool things shopping in Hawaii.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 6/4/2008 1:41:40 AM
Author: nicolejrx
Just an FYI for planning purposes, airfare right now to Hawaii seems to be outrageous. 1200 per person from San Diego for economy! It is around 1000 per person right now from LA. Just a heads up as my hubby and I may be canceling our Kauai trip in October due to the cost of airfare.

Nicole

P.S. Kauai is my fave!!!

I know unfortunately.

I assumed those were normal prices, but glad to find out they're not. Haha! Anwyay, we'll just have to see what we can do I guess, right?

ETA: Also thanks for the advice jeweler! I love antiques and vintage stuff and I hadn't even thought to ask!

 

[wishful]

Date: 6/2/2008 7:53:31 AM
Author:SarahLovesJS
I know there''s been threads like this before, but hey what''s wrong with starting another? Travel threads are fun! So FI and I are thinking about Hawaii for the honeymoon. We have a long time to plan, we''re not at our 12 month mark yet, but I really want to start pricing things out since we have to save money. I was looking at asscher_girl''s beautiful wedding photos and realized I should post this thread. Anyway here''s the questions:

Where did you stay?:

What did you do?:

What was your favorite island? If you can pick only one!:

Favorite place to eat?:

Favorite beach?:

Any recommendations for me?: We''re looking for a nice hotel, but it can only be so expensive. For example, we can''t afford the four seasons I believe.

But I want an ocean front room. Okay, I know this sounds picky, but it has to be ocean front!

Other than that the only hotel requirements are windows (as opposed to just screens, I am a light sleeper and hate bugs, not sure if there would be a ton, but I need windows!), AC (I can only do so much heat), balcony (preferably private), and private bathroom.

Hopefully I don''t sound too spoiled/demanding.

I''ve only been to Hawaii once and we stayed on Maui - I absolutely loved it!

Where did you stay?: Westin at Kaanapali Beach. Really liked it. Our hotel had a nice balcony which faced the ocean - great view. The hotel had several restaurants which we ate at a lot. Also they had 5 pools one of wich was an Adult Only pool so it was nice to get an escape from all the "kikis"

What did you do?: My goal was to do a whole lot of nuthin''! But we did a sail/snorkel trip out to Molokini through Paragon. They were great! My BF really wanted to sail rather than be on a sail boat that just used the motor the whole time, so this company''s main thing was that they sailed as much as possible. The boat was fun because they didn''t cram tons of people on it ... there were plenty of places to sit and relax as well as food, wine, beer, soda etc. They also supplied you with snorkel gear if you needed it (we brough our own) and we had about an hour to snorkel at Molokini. So much fun!

What was your favorite island? If you can pick only one!: We only went to Maui but I''d love to go back and check out Kauai.

Favorite place to eat?: I can''t remember exactly.... most of the food was good. Nothing stood out as being OMG. But there is a fantastic book called Maui Revealed that you MUST GET if you plan to go to Maui. It''s written by a guy who lives there and he kind of reveals some of the hidden secrets as well as what tourist traps to not bother with. He also rates all the restaurants. So we only ate at places he recommended.

Favorite beach?: Our hotel beach...public - but wonderful. We just walked right on out and went swimming and snorkeling! We were close to Black Rock so we would snorkel almost every night over there and would see the Sea Turtles who come in to feed around sunset. SOOOOOOOO COOOOL!

Any recommendations for me? I''d say just make sure you leave some time for rest and relaxation. We were there for 5 days (including travel) so I felt a bit rushed. I wish we had more time to do a few more things as well as have some days where we just chilled out and did nothing.

 

[wishful]

Here is a photo taken from our balcony to give you and idea of the view.

 

[wishful]

Ohh, also one other thing...you mentioned wanting to price things out...
We went in late May into early June and although there were plenty of people it was not nearly as crowded and traffic-y as we had expected.

One of the hotel employees said that May is one of the slowest months for them. (he said the hotel was only at 75% of capacity)
I guess supposedly there is more chance for rain...but we had gorgeous weather the whole time.

Anyway...I''m not sure that it will save you $$ but just a little tidbit I thought I''d share with you!

 

[DM]

We are going for our honey moon in october and we are getting a package from funjet for 2 islands. It may be cheaper to go with a package since air fare is so expensive at the momment. Check sidestep, they have airfare for about $750/person.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Ooh thanks everyone! I just found that I had more help, yaaay! I was not around yesterday, sorry for taking so long to respond.

ETA: Wishful that view is amazing!

 

[Bev]

Where did you stay?: We stayed at the Sheraton

What did you do?: We stayed in Kauai, which I think is an amazing Island!!! So much vegetation and outdoorsy stuff to do. We hiked, Ziplined, canoed, snorkled, and stayed on the beach a lot.

What was your favorite island? If you can pick only one!: kauai!

Favorite place to eat?: There weren''t a lot of eating places, as kauai has a very local feel...so no fancy stuff, but there were some decent food places!

Favorite beach?: Poipu. Great snorkeling!

Any recommendations for me?: If you love outdoors, go to this island! It''s an amazing place!