Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

bridetobe,
your pictures of the hyatt are making me want to go back. we were there on our honeymoon a month ago and loved it! did you go to the spa there?

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

oct-we wanted to go to the spa but never got around to it. They didn't have a couples massage at the Hyatt which I was surprised...that's what we really wanted to do...the had it at the Grand Wailea though! I want go back too!

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

ooow couples massage!! Where is that again!

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

We went to Hawaii in September. We didn't stay at the hotels you're considering, but I used fodors.com (the talk section) to get opinions about the specific hotels, and we were very happy with our choices. The only 'mistake' I made was going to Oahu to Kaui then Maui, I would recommend going to Kaui last if you can.

Happy planning!
JenC

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

i just came back from hawaii too...we had a great time and a lot of it had to do with the hotels we stayed at...in maui we stayed at the kea lani (i've heard the hyatt here is bnot so hot) - you get so much for your money here...the room is actually a suite....it's gorgeous!!

in oahu and kauai we stayed at the hyatts.....in oahu the location was great but the hotel itself is okay - nice room, nothing special....since oahu is so 'busy' we spent much more time away from the room than the other islands (went out at night, etc)....

in kauai, stay at the hyatt vs. the princeville if you are looking for good weather b/c the weather up north where the princeville is, is iffy....if you don't care about the weather so much, then go to the princeville - although it is a bit far off.....the hyatt was nice but they totally nickel and dime you for everything...it's not such a great hotel, but it really doesn't have as much competition as there is on maui which the top-notch resorts....

good luck and have fun!!!

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

bridetobe,
i had the papaya body polish at the hyatt and hubby had the stone massage.... we were zombies after. it was awesome! if anyone goes to the hyatt, try the spa there, because it is so so so nice!!

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

Jeng that is wierd you say that because my travel agent set it up so that Kaui was last but I asked him if maybe first would be possible because that is what my FBIL did and loved it, they were able to relax right after all the stress of the wedding and after a few days move on, now I am not sure which is better.

Octobergirl, do they have these massages at all hyatts?

Dkga: As far as the weather is that dependent on what time of year? I am going in late May. Did you get a good deal by doing Hyatt in maui and Oahu? I am figuring the hotel in Oahu wont matter much anyway like you said, you are out doing stuff, seeing pearl harbor etc. and I am only planning on 2 days so i am not as concerned about the hotel there as much as Maui and Kaui where I want to stay longer.

What about the Big Island, anyone go there, do you think I should bother? I might just do 2 days there.

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

I totally agree with jeng and go to Kauai last! There was another post where someone (by Teri, I think) went to Kauai first and she was disappointed. I think it was a post from mid-October. I think it is the perfect place to end a honeymoon.

The Princeville is up north and if I am correct since it is closer to the rain forest it doesn't matter what time of the year you go. I think the weather will always be nicer where the Hyatt is. You should definitely verify this though.

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

tarakinspa, i'm not sure about the spas at all the hyatts. but the name of the spa at kauai was called anara spa, and they definitely have a website for you to check them out, so the other hyatts probably have websites too.

i went to kauai first and was not disappointed at all. in fact we were very happy we had a couple of days to do absolutely nothing in the beginning before we went to maui. we spent only 3 nights there, and could have done more too, even though there was not much to do on kauai.

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

tara...i read in a 'hawaii for dummies' book that the weather up north is always unpredictable and that the south shore of hawaii is guaranteed sunny weather (just edited to say that this book is GREAT and worth the money...we did NOTHING without it...it tells you about hotels, restaurants, gives directions, has maps, talks about sights and activities in detail-totally recommend it)....thats why we chose the hyatt vs. princeville....also, if you stay at the hyatt in 2 or more islands you get a discount....i think we also got a free 5th night at the kea lani....

as far as when to go to kauai...i planned it last and dh disagreed....BUT when we got there he thanked me over and over....in oahu, there are a lot of activities...in maui, we also did the road to hana, the volcano, a luau (this is the best place to do it), etc...but kauai is just a beautiful island....it is small, so you dont need as much time to drive around...it was the perfect place to totally unwind before we came back to reality....i would do the same thing if i went back...but this is up to you...good luck...hope this helps!

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

Hello all,

I'm honeymooning in Hawaii also this dec. Our plan is:

5 nights Kauii - Hyatt - unwind relax, etc. - Christmas
2 night Kona - Wikiloa Village - (hilton) - swimming w/ dolphins
4 nights Mauii - Hyatt - road to Hana, luau etc. - New Year's

Unfortunately, we're not getting a break on the hotels b/c they discontinue that before the holidays.

I've been hearing that we should have booked Kauii last, but our travel agent, Kristine from Liberty Travel in Levittown, recommended that we go & unwind there first. I also heard that the Hyatt in Mauii is not AS great as the one in Kauii, but still very nice. I wanted to investigate other hotels in Mauii, but my FH was set on it, and its hard to change his mind! Kristine didnt' offer any other suggestions, now we're done w/ the itinerary & can't make changes. OH Well, I'm sure that it'll be fine. we're spending 2 weeks in Hawaii - at that time of year, how could we complain?

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

It's definitely a personal preference. We fell in love with Kaui. It's so quaint and beautiful. Also the people are so friendly and genuine. We stayed in Kannapali (sp?) in Maui, and even though Maui is beautiful, and has a lot to offer, it's more commercial than Kaui, so I think we were a little disappointed with the change. Also, we didn't find the people were as friendly in Maui, and that was hard to take coming from the nice people in Kaui. It may be the area on Maui that we stayed though.

I hope this helps you decide on your itineray. You really can't go wrong. This was just a small regret we had.

Have you been to the Wizard web site that you can actually view the hotel/resorts? If you haven't go to www.wizardpub.com
I don't think you have access to the reviews, but they have some cool aerial photos of the resorts. I recommend their books as well, if you don't have them already.

JenC

Re: Hawaii hotel recommendations please

Let me just start out by saying, no matter which order you visit the islands or which hotels you stay at, Hawaii is absolutely amazing and you will have an unbelievable time.

With that said, my husband and I stayed at the Hyatt in Kauai for 3 nights first and then went to the Hyatt in Maui for 8 nights.

We were glad we stayed in Kauai first b/c we needed the break. Although we should have stayed an extra night or two, we spent our time unwinding and just relaxing by the pool, which we desperately needed. Also, for us, b/c there wasn't as much to do there than in Maui, we don't mind wasting by the pool all day.

I think if you expect Maui to be different, you won't be disappointed if you go there last. Just understand that it is more busy and city like than Kauai but just as exciting.

The Hyatt at Kauai is breathtaking. We never made it to the Prnceville but we had friends there at the same time and they said it was unreal, although the weather was unpredictable (they went at the end of May). There is a bit more to do in the area surrounding the hyatt but either hotel is great.

We stayed at the Hyatt in Maui, which is in Ka'annapli. The hotel is wonderful but definitely not as great as Kauai. The town is great and located close to other activities and restaurants. We travelled to the Wailea area for the day and it is completely different than the where the hyatt is located. It is beatiful but much more secluded so you really need to decide what area best suits you.

Good luck!!!