Hawaii Honeymoon Plan...?

buckeyesweetz

Hi all!

My fiance and I are planning on going to Maui and either Oahu or Big Island for 10 days next summer for our honeymoon and need input. We have been researching flights, hotels, etc and I was wondering how you all booked your trip if you're planning on going to more than one place. For example... do I book a one way ticket to Oahu or Big Island and 'X' number of nights, then a one way ticket to Maui for "x" number of nights, followed by a one way ticket home? Maybe we should look into a travel agent!

Also, I've seen some posts about how it can be cheaper to rent a condo instead of a hotel. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding that on either of those islands?

Thanks in advance!

strlzfan11

I know that Expedia & Travelocity will let you build an itinerary for multiple destinations.  In my experience it's cheaper to do it that way than making three separate bookings.

I don't have any advice for your second question, but there are people around who can help you with that.

buckeyesweetz

Oh I never noticed the multiple destination option before - I will definitely use that! Thank you very much for the tip!

kcscejal

You can also book sort of a round trip option where you leave from a separate airport than you arrive (i.e. arrive in Maui, leave from Big Island) and then book a separate flight between the islands on an airline like Hawaiian Air.

emilyinchile

Definitely do NOT book all one-way tickets - they are often more expensive than a round-trip. Use the multiple destination option, and you can also price compare a RT from Cincinnati to Big Island with a separate RT Big Island-Maui if you'd be open to having that extra stop on the way back.

I've seen people suggest looking at vrbo.com for condo/house rentals.

Biotechick620

It sounds like we're planning very similar honeymoons!!

FI and are will be visiting Maui for 7 days and the Big Island for 3 days (we really just want to see the volcano) Aug 2011.

I have been researching our HM for the past two months and here's what I've learned:

-  Expedia does offer a multi-destination vacation package however it's almost DOUBLE what I've come up with on my own.

-  The cheapest package I've come up with is to book a multi-destination flight (to hawaii, maui to the big island, and back home) and then book the hotels separetly.  I'm on the fence about booking the hotel and rental car together.

-  It is WAAAY more expensive to book the plane tickets as one-ways

-  Sometimes you can get better prices if you wait 4-5 months before your date of travel to book the flights.

-  We are booking condos that are within resorts.  I really like the idea of booking a condo bc you can cook your own meals and aren't forced to eat out 24/7.
-  There are a number of different type of condos you can book.  Some a part of a resort and others are not.  It all depends upon what kind of ammenities you're looking for and how much you'd like to spend.

I HTH!!! Please let me know if I can help with anything else (I'm still kinda learning as I go, though

kaesha

I always do the condo route - we're just not hotel people [they're too crowded]. On the Big Island, I really like the Outrigger Kanaloa at Kona - waterfront, 3 pools, close to a grocery store and a great beach for snorkeling. Captain Cook is also nearby.

map624

I ended up using a travel agent....and to my surprise...she was able to cut 3000 off of the expedia price. We searched the exact same options and it was that much difference.

EmilyGrace417

I just booked our honeymoon for 3 nights in Oahu at The Edition, and 5 nights in Maui at The Ritz. We are from FLA and the best value was Hawaiian Air with the multiple destination option. They offer the 5 star hotels on down at very reasonable pricing. We upgraded to club level at the Ritz for like only an extra 129 a night.. great deal considering you can have breakfast, snacks and cocktails at the club lounge.  We are flying out of San Diego and just booking flights to Cali from Fla.. Still way cheaper than getting into pricing everything out separately. Also it includes all inter-islands airfare which is a stress reliever! I hope this was helpful, but I did ALOT of research and they are really the best price if you want to stay in nicer places. The reason we chose a hotel over a condo was solely based on amenities, room service, pamerping..etc... It is your honeymoon so you most likely won't want to be cooking and grocery shopping which is usually why a condo is more appealing to most people!

buckeyesweetz

Thanks everyone! You've all definitely given me a lot to think about! I'm excited to continue my research and hopefully get everything planned soon :-)