honeymoon

Madisonpenny · August 2011

Hi girls (and guys),

I'm sure you get this ALL the time, but FI and I were thinking of taking our honeymoon in hawaii. My question is, is there an island you guys suggest we pay more attention to or somewhere that is a must stay/see? Any imput would be appreciated!

BTW We're getting married next July but not thinking of taking our HM until Jan/Feb 2013.

AKWinterBride · August 2011

I love Maui, it's just the right combo of all the island in that you have stuff to do but it's not too overrun with people. We got married in Maui and hopped over to Oahu. If you like the city, you will love Waikiki. However, we went up to Turtle Bay Resort for the rest of our honeymoon and it sucked. It was boring and the rooms were crap for what you pay.

My vote is Maui, although a lot of gals like Kauai. Be warned though, everything in Kauai closes EARLY.

breaness · August 2011

Honestly, I would recommend buying (or at least reading) the Frommer's book Hawaii in 7 days. You can get an idea of what to do on each island in 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. It really helped us figure out what we wanted to do.

Originally we were planning on doing 4 days on Maui and 3 days on Kauai, then we decided since we were only spending 7 days on Hawaii and the book had a ton of awesome stuff to do to span the whole 7 days on Maui, we decided to just spend our entire trip on one island and save Kauai for a return trip in a year or so.

In all honesty though, nothing was more helpful than that book. We're pretty much doing the exact Maui in 7 days that's in the book!

Madisonpenny · August 2011

Great suggestions. Appreciate it. Keep it coming girls (and guys)!

kaesha · August 2011

I think each of the islands has their own vibe - so it's really about finding one that fits you and your FI's vacations styles best. We've been to all of the big four (Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island), and we like them all, but my favourites are the Big Island and Maui.

I love the Big Island because it's got tons of outdoorsy stuff to do - stargazing on Mauna Kea and exploring the Kilaueau. The snorkelling at Captain Cook is fantastic, and every time I've kayaked there, I've seen dolphins. It's laid back and relaxed and I just love the vibe. Plus, the farmer's market at Hilo is my favourite on all the islands.

Maui, on the other hand, has amazing beaches, some fun scenic drives, fantastic restaurants (many of which are on the BI too), and is more built than the Big Island. So if you want to go into town, you can. It's not really the same on the BI. Maui has a lot of romance to it.

Definitely check out the Hawaii Revealed series as well. They're really helpful too.

http://wizardpub.com

maui2011 · August 2011

Mos def get Hawaii Revealed...great guide book.

In terms of which island it really depends what you are looking for. My two faves are Maui and Kauai...have only gone to the big island on a day trip but will be honeymooning there as well in October. I love Maui as i think it is a great blend of beauty like Kauai but more uptempo but much quieter than ohau. I heart Kauai for the sheer beauty...we will be spending the first week on our honeymoon there. Kauai is very spreadout so depending on what side of the island you are on you will be doing A LOT of driving...some people hate it others don't mind it. In the mean time i would also look at the official Hawaiian tourism website to help get a better feel for what each island offers. HTH. J. :-)

kimmykupcakes · August 2011

My vote is for Maui.

dianalynm · August 2011

I have to agree with kaesha. My FI and I have been to all of the major islands and it really depends on what you are looking for in your trip.

Oahu is definitely not for us. Too touristy and fast-paced, but when I went last summer to visit my friend who lives there, we did a lot of low-key things, so I have a different feeling about the island, now, although it still wouldn't be my first choice island. I say go if you're into nightlife, want to stay out late, like people around...

Kauai is SUPER laid back. The island is small, but there's a lot to do. When we went a few years ago, we took a helicopter ride to the wettest spot on earth--Mount Wai'ale'ale. So beautiful! I can still picture the waterfalls surrounding us...it was surreal. The beaches are great, not too many people. Kayaking there is fun, hiking is fun...food is great! Love the vibe.

Maui is a mix if Oahu and Kauai. Touristy, but there are many things to do on the island that's laid back and just chill. Lots to do, also!

The Big Island is a nice outdoorsy place like kaesha mentioned. My FI went night manta ray diving and he said it was amazing. We also took a helicopter tour to the volcano and that was also awesome since you can't get to close to the lava flow these days. We also did the sunset and stargazing atop Mauna Kea, which is AMAZING!!! I highly recommend doing that. If you happen to go to The Big Island, we have a tour guide friend who is GREAT. He lives in Hilo and leads a few tours through Arnott's Lodge. BUT, if you hire him, you can pick him up in your rental car and have him drive or you drive and he'll give you a tour right then and there! So fun! He tells great jokes and provides great stories and historical facts, of course. PM me if you would like his info. His name is Keoki.

Those are my 2 cents! Pick what you and your FI feel suits your vacationing style best!

Also, we ALWAYS use tomebarefoot.com for booking our tours and excursions on HI. Pretty much everything consolidated on one website. Easy to use and they are super responsive and provide some discounts to tours...

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