Honeymoon Discussions

French Polynesia vs SE Asia vs Hawaii

Hi everyone! I know these are 3 totally different locations but my fiancee and I are so torn! We want our honeymoon to be exotic, tropical and romantic.  We love beautiful sights, volcanoes, beaches, rainforests and are big time foodies.  We like french polynesia as they are known for their beaches and over water bungalows, but I'm concerned about the cost.  SE asia seems exciting (vietnam, malaysia, thailand) but don't really know what to do there.  Then Hawaii looks beautiful and the pro is how close it is (we live in CT) and the other 2 vacas are nearly a days worth of travel.  We are just concerned about Hawaii being too crowded and commercialized.  Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences that they can share?!
Thanks so much!

Re: French Polynesia vs SE Asia vs Hawaii

  • If you are worried about Hawaii being too crowded and commercialized, then I would suggest sticking to Kauai.  It is the least developed island.  It does not even have a road that allows you to drive completely around it.  There is also another island that is very undeveloped.  I think its Lanai?  I think it only has one resort there.  To the best of my knowledge Hawaii doesn't have any over the water bungalows.

    I can't speak to the other locations, so maybe someone else who is familiar with them will stop by and comment.  Maybe @jells2dot knows about the other locations, she is very well traveled.

  • I've been to French Polynesia 6 times and to almost all of their tourist class islands/resorts. I have been to Hawaii a few times and to almost all of the tourist class islands (minus the BI). What @OliveOilsMom said is true about Kauai. It's probably my favorite Hawaiian island because it's lush, green, laid back, still has access to things to do, but it's not overly developed. It's like Moorea but a little more modern. I also really like Lanai because it only has two resorts, both are upscale, and it's just unique and secluded. 

    So, French Polynesia. Yes, it is VERY expensive. The beaches are not that great, either. Most of them, though not all, are broken up coral, so it's not the soft, white powdery sand you think you see in the pictures. You can find that, though, along the one side of the island of Bora Bora, primarily at Le Meridien, the InterContinental Thalasso, St. Regis, and Four Seasons. But, guess what? They are the most expensive resorts in the country. So, if budget is of concern, it might be tough. You also won't really see true rainforests or volcanoes like you would in Hawaii or Costa Rica. The volcanoes in FP are super super old and not active. The good news is that I personally think going to FP is worth it and there are ways to have an excellent experience there without breaking the bank. You don't have to stay in Bora Bora or in an OWB to have it be magical. Some of my best trips were in beach bungalows on outer islands. If you feel strongly about staying in an OWB and wants to keep costs somewhat reasonable, consider looking into staying on one in Moorea or Huahine, or perhaps heading to the Cook Islands and splitting your stay between Rarotonga and Aitutaki. But, the Cooks are super laid back and there is not much to do there. A good in between place for relaxation and adventure would be Fiji, but the OWBs in Fiji are not worth it IMO.

    I have not been to SE Asia as it's not very high on my personal list of places to travel in the near future. 


     







  • JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited March 2015
    We did French Polynesia (Moorea and Bora Bora) for our honeymoon and recently went to Hawaii (primarily Maui, though a couple nights in Oahu).  We really enjoyed both spots, though we're glad we chose FP for the honeymoon.  It was just the vibe we were looking for though.  What is your budget?  

    Haven't been to SE Asia yet, but it's on our wishlist (especially Phuket).  It's just really hard to get enough days off from work, especially with the even longer flight and the time changes.
  • Hawaii is going to feel more commercialized on Oahu.  It's full of tourist, many from Japan as that's a big vacation destination for them.  Once you go to the other islands, though, it get's way less commercialized.  The big island offers lots of hiking, including up close views of volcanoes and lava tubes.  If you're lucky, you might even get to see some active lava flows.  It's also the newest island of them all.  The great part about Hawaii is that each island is different from the next.  Maui will offer a lot of beautiful beaches, and hiking.  Maui has a dormant volcano that you can drive to the top of.  It's also a beautiful place to watch the sunrise and sunset.  Then Kauai has the rainforest feel to it.  It rains a bit more on Kauai, but it's a beautiful island with lots of hiking, waterfalls, and beaches.  The best way to avoid tourist traps is to look on a site like VRBO.com and find private homes for rent.  You won't have such easy access to restaurants, but they have some romantic options (tree houses on the big island) that look amazing.  We also wanted to avoid the "typical" hawaii honeymoon, so we are splitting our time up between the Big Island, Maui and Kauai.  But we decided we did want some time to relax, so we found a beautiful resort on Maui which we will be staying at and pretty much not leaving during the time we are there.  The rest of the trip will be hopping from hostels, to vacation rentals, to B&Bs to do more of the off the beaten path stuff.  

    I haven't been to the FP but I heard it's beautiful.  I would have chosen a place like that but I felt like the honeymoon would get cut short because it is fairly expensive.  

    If you decide on Hawaii, I can give you a lot of tip and ways to save.  Hawaiian airlines is having a promotion where you get 35,000 miles when you sign up for their credit card and spend $1000 in 3 months.  We both got the card and in total for two round trip tickets, we paid $200 which includes to annual fee and taxes on the flights.  We also signed up for the hyatt credit card which awards you 2 free nights at any hyatt in the world.  So we are stringing together our night at the Hyatt Andaz Wailea which is typically $600 + a night which we will get for free (minus the annual fee again)  So we've saved around $3000 already.   
  • I was in SE Asia in January on a cruise.  There are lovely resorts in Thailand and Bali (Indonesia).  It is hot and humid!  You should talk to a good travel agent who is familiar with resorts.  Also, check on www.tripadvisor.com.
    Weather-wise, Hawaii is superior.  You might consider Kona on the big island of Hawaii.  The big island has the volcanoes, and the economy is agricultural.  (Cattle ranches, coffee)
    The resorts in SE Asia cater to foreigners, but the culture is accessible.  I wish I had more than two days in Bali.  The Hindu temples are amazing, and the music and dancing is fascinating.  You will want to buy woodcarving and batik cloth.  Thailand is mostly Buddist.  I was uncomfortable with the wide gap between the rich and the poor.
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  • We just got back from Oahu on Sunday from our honeymoon.  It's beautiful, but I don't think I would go back - way too many people and skyscrapers for me.  I would also prefer the volcanoes and jungles, etc.  We did enjoy the island away from Waikiki Beach where we were staying, it's beautiful, but once was enough for me on that particular island due to the traffic and development. 
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  • I've been to Moorea (FP), Maui, Oahu and The Big Island (all HI).  Moorea was a lot cheaper then Bora Bora and I loved it.  The quaint little place I stayed was on a beautiful beach.  I don't rate Oahu very highly.  It was to busy and touristy for me.  Maui was beautiful and we really liked it.  There was a lot of variety in terms of  how busy an area was.  The Big Island was absolutely amazing!  By far, my favourite.  It is beautiful and so diverse.  The Kona area was a bit busier.  We loved Hilo and Kohala Coast.  We stayed at a place called the volcano House in Volcano National Park and it was incredible (but pricey, so we only stayed there one night).  I would go back there in a heart beat! 
  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited May 2015
    I would not recommend Oahu.  It is another big city, but with a beach.  Kauai is my favorite island.  It is where so many movies were filmed.  (Jurassic Park,  Raiders of the Lost Ark opening sequence, South Pacific).  Beautiful scenery, flowers, beaches, but if you want active volcanoes, you  must go to the big island.
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  • Fi and I went to the island of Hawaii (BI) for our honeymoon. We were there for a week and absolutely loved it. We could get away from people when we wanted to and we had access to amazing restaurants when we wanted that. Also, Lava! We were able to see lava flowing from a helicopter tour we did.

    Next time, I would stay at least 1 night in Hilo (the east side, the rainy side, where the active volcano is) and see all their sights. We stayed the whole time at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (don't recommend) and drove everywhere. a rental car is a must.

    I had also been to Oahu and Kauai on a family trip I had gone on years ago, and unless you're looking for Miami with better surf, I don't recommend Oahu. Kauai was beautiful from what I remember, but the majority for the island is not accessible by foot. My stepdad went on a helicopter tour with his daughter on the island and was able to see all the beautiful sights from tv and movies. It was a much quieter island, with lots of hiking opportunities. 


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