Hawaii

Hotel vs private estate

Hi everyone,

Happy to be joining the conversation! We got engaged last month and are thinking of either an Oahu or Maui DW, sometime in Spring or Summer 2012, probably for 75-100 guests is my guess.  My sister is recommends Oahu, she got married there several years ago and feels it's better to be where there are more activities for guests, and perhaps costs are better since there's more competition between vendors & venues. 

I've seen plantation estates like Olowalu and Loulu Palms online.  On the other hand I'm considering hotel/resort venues as well, Turtle Bay resort seems kinda cool.  I guess I'm leaning towards something away from Waikiki and I'd prefer to have a little more control and not just do a package.

For the estates - any problems with bugs, mosquito?  Also it seems that everything is just revealed right from the start - since the reception is tented outdoors, there's no real separation of the cocktail hour area from the dinner area right?  And any issues with food quality, is there not really kitchen availability on site for caterers?

For the hotel, it seems that it could be less work and also less expensive to not have to have a lot of rentals.

Your thoughts are appreciated, I'm just at the start of planning and it's already feeling overwhelming!
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Re: Hotel vs private estate

  • edited December 2011
    Welcome! We're glad to have you join us. You've asked lots of great questions so let me start where I can. **island** You really cannot go wrong with either Maui or Oahu. Both have plenty of direct flight options, affordable housing options, activities, etc. With that said, I think Oahu gets a slight nod for convenience...it offers a wider selection of talented vendors (we flew in our videographers from Oahu and almost a photog), more lower end priced accommodations, etc. That said, if you do your homework you can find great deals on both islands, and flying vendors over adds maybe another $300 per person if you are that particular about the work. If not, there are plenty of talented folks on Maui too. For us, almost all of our guests have been to both islands, so that was a wash.  **hotel v estate** Many things to consider. Let me just brain dump in no particular order. We liked the privacy of an estate...no one to just walk by and observe or take photos. No public walkways, no one to photo bomb us (you know, banana hammock walking behind you as exchange rings). No giant building in the background of our photos. We also wanted total control to execute our vision for the event...look, colors, food, locations, etc. A private estate was the right choice for us. Others don't want to deal with all of that, and at a resort you have a wedding coordinator provided for you. You can also consider variations...ceremony in a private estate but reception at the hotel. Or rent out a restaurant for the reception instead of a banquet hall (better food, still not paying for rentals), etc. Lots of gals here pick popular restaurants (Maui examples - mama's, mala, gannon's, five palms, etc).  Without knowing a little more about your style and vision, it's hard to recommend one way or the other. We had ours at sugarman estate on Maui and had the ceremony, cocktails, and dinner in 3 different parts of the property. Same piece of lawn, but different areas of it. We also had a tent for dinner which created kind of a private dining and dancing room so that further helped to change the feel. Hopefully that helps as a start. Ask more questions ... The gals here are always super knowledgable and helpful!
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  • moonbunniemoonbunnie member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I am getting married in Oahu next January, but with a lot less guests, probably about 20. We are doing a private estate becauae I thought it would be more convenient for our small group. But I have stayed at turtle bay in the past, and it is a beautiful location. If I had a bigger group I probably would have done it there.
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  • destiny1108destiny1108 member
    Sixth Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We looked at hotels and private estates, in the end we chose the private estate because our WC gave us things to consider.
    1)  If our guest count went down we would still be obligated to spend the ninimum iwth the hotel
    2)  If our guest count went up, we may outgrow the ballroom
    3)  No restrictions on type of food, we could bring in own caterer
    4)  Could bring in own liquor, big savings here!
    5)  Design wasn't impacted by colors of ballroom carpet, walls, etc.

    If we had stayed with the hotel, we would have had problems as our guest count went over the capacity.

    We didnt't have problems with insects at all
  • edited December 2011
    Thank you for the responses!  I have a 4 day weekend coming up so we will be planning on visiting some sites.  Since it's only 4 days we'll have to decide which island for the wedding and it'll probably be Oahu for overall convenience.  My fiance is still leaning towards hotel, but it'll probably come down to how we feel when we do our visits.
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