Mexico or Hawaii?

Sammydan703 · April 2011

After a ton of research I think we narrowed it down to Mexico or Hawaii. We have not been to either places but I can't decide which one. I feel like we can go to Mexico anytime but the benefit of going to Mexico is booking an all inclusive resort. Hawaii is further away and once we decide what island or islands to go to we still have to figure out food and excursions.

Any recommendations? I feel torn.

hz80408 · April 2011

I've been to both (Riveria Maya and big island and Oahu). Both are absolutely gorgeous!

There are benefits to both, but I think the biggest differences are cost and travel time. If you have the vacation time and budget, out of the two I'd pick HI.

However, we HMed in Riveria Maya (Secrets Maroma Beach) and loved it!

LauraT25 · April 2011

Like PP, we picked Mexico because we wanted an AI for our HM, and it was cheaper. We would definitely like to go to Hawaii at some point in the future, though, so if our budget had been bigger we may have gone with HI.

Edit: We loved our HM, though, in case I didn't make that clear. We plan to go back (we went to Dreams Los Cabos). I think it really depends on the kind of vacation you want and what you're willing to spend. Our HM was still not cheap, and we wanted to be able to plan the total cost in advance and budget for it (hence the AI). We also really liked the idea of not having to open our wallets while we were there and we're the kind of people that can just sit on the beach or by the pool and sip drinks all day without getting bored. That's not for everyone. I don't mind putting in the effort to plan a vacation, and want to do so at some point for a Hawaii vacation, but that didn't suit our needs at the time.

jemmini6 · April 2011

I've been to Hawaii a couple times (Oahu, Maui, BI) and I absolutely love it there. It's really not that difficult to navigate in terms of finding food, excursions, etc.

However, we wanted to go somewhere we haven't already been for our HM, so we are going to Cabo. We aren't going the AI route there either, so I really can't compare what is easiest. I've never had problems with finding my own way in that respect so that wasn't too much of a concern for us.

I would suggest thinking about what kind of HM you want to have. Do you want to just lay on the beach and drink cocktails? Or do you want to go out and explore? What kinds of excursions would you like to do? etc, etc, etc and then see which destination best matches what you want to do. I think you'll have a blast no matter which route you go and you can always go to the other destination for an anniversary or something later.

MrsChasey · April 2011

I've been to Maui and Cabo. Both are amazing. I'd also pick Maui over Cabo (well... Mexico). When is the wedding? We went on vacation right in the middle of the Mercedes Benz golf championship. We aren't golfers so we didn't know, but flights were crazy booked.

I can tell you that we stayed in LaHaina which is right on the beach. We had rented a condo and got stuff for breakfast and snacks and then just ate out for lunch and dinner to save some cash. Also, we find this farmer's market...it had a little store and they had awesome hot food for sale. Oooh, they make tasty acai bowls for breakfast too (did treat ourselves a couple times to those mmmmmm!).

You know, I did get one of those travel books from Fodor's and it recommended the luau called the Feast of Lele. We didn't end up doing it...our condo had a deal with another company. I really wish we did the Feast of Lele because theirs looked amazing and they had much better food. I also like Maui better simply because you don't have to convert money. They'll gladly accept dollars in Cabo, but they usually won't have change for a twenty. Like I'm surprised.

We stayed in Pedregal while in Cabo. It's high up on the mountain. We learned quickly to look in the port for cruise ships and avoid going into the city that day. I highly recommend Cabo Wabo and Desperado for casual good eats, La Galeria for a nicer place. My favorite place for a treat is Senor Sweets. And definitely go down to Medano Beach...get there early so you can get a chair. They'll move the umbrellas for you. We like Billygan's. Last year when we went, we went snorkeling which was amazing. This year we went on a whale watching cruise with Ocean Expeditions and were very disappointed.

Good luck choosing!

Mandi

fallbride1109 · April 2011

To me, Mexico is a place I can go anytime for fairly cheap and I've never really understood the allure of AIs anyway. We went to Maui because it had always been my dream to go there. If budget is a concern, Mexico is certainly less expensive.

bridetobemo · April 2011

I totally agree that if you have the budget and time for Hawaii I'd definitely choose that over Mexico!! Hawaii is breathtakingly beautiful and there is so much to do you can do everything or nothing at all!!

topchef33 · April 2011

I definitely think that time and cost will be the big factor.

You figure you'll be spending about 2 days traveling b/c the of time difference. And for what we paid for the all inclusive resort in Mexico that we'll be staying at; that's what it would have cost for flights and hotel in Hawaii....so we would still have to pay for food/drinks. And we wouldn't have been able to stay as long b/c of the travel time.

hydrangeablue · April 2011

Hawaii, no question.

kitty23a · April 2011

For sure Hawaii. You don't have to worry about passports, money exchanging or language barriers (not that they'd be that big of a deal at a resort though). Also Mexico is so close and cheap it's something you can most likely afford anytime vs. Hawaii may be a place that's extra special b/c you actually have a reason to splurge for your honeymoon for it. Not to mention I just saw a news story about how out of control the drug related crimes are in Mexico and how they are seeping into tourist areas.

dshrawder · April 2011

Hawaii without a doubt! To me, Mexico is a cheap vacation you can do any time.

mkjpop · May 2011

We were struggling with the same (lovely) dilemma, and we decided to go with an all inclusive in Mexico. We love the idea of not having to open our wallets the whole time except for tips, and we didn't want to have to decide daily where to go for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and we didn't want to have to get on an airplane and go to different islands. We'd like to explore Hawaii someday, but we want a lazy, no-stress, relaxing, luxurious honeymoon, and for our budget, that's an AI in Mexico.

Also, to switch things up, we're going to New Orleans for three days at the tail end of our trip. I've never been, and we thought it would be a fun way to get in some sightseeing, gambling, and have a change of scenery, in case we get "bored" after a week of drinking and hanging by the pool. As PPs mentioned, what type of honeymoon do you envision? While Mexico has excursions, my impression is that if you're looking for a more active honeymoon, Hawaii is the way to go.

Mexico or Hawaii?

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