I need some honeymoon advice. We're planning to go the Hawaii for a total of 10-11 days. We're planning to do Kauai, Maui and Big Island (in this order). First question: What hotel in Maui would you recommend Royal Lahaina or Kaanapali Beach Club? Second question: We're planning to do 3 nights in each island, but all the reviews here are raving about Maui and saying how it’s so beautiful and exciting that 3 nights might not be enough. So I'm thinking to cut the Big Island short and do only two nights and that way we can stay 4 nights in Maui. Any thoughts? Experiences?
MikeandJess
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
we went to maui and kauai and honestly liked kauai much better. We stayed at the hyatt which I highly recommend, everything was amazing. We kept hearing that kauai was much more relaxed than maui and we're going to get bored because there's not much to do on the island but we didn't find that at all.
sophisticat13
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Posted by MikeandJess
we went to maui and kauai and honestly liked kauai much better. We stayed at the hyatt which I highly recommend, everything was amazing. We kept hearing that kauai was much more relaxed than maui and we're going to get bored because there's not much to do on the island but we didn't find that at all.
We stayed at the Hyatt too (both Maui and Kuaui)which we loved Both are beautiful and lush and tons of stuff to do on both....also if you stay at more than one island and stay at the Hyatt you also get free breakfast which is delicious!!! SO much to mention...feel free to FM me for more info if you want to!!! I also have a great travel agent that spcializes in Hawaii HMs if you want!!
Laurie668
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we went to kauai and maui also- and by far loved kauai more!! Stayed at the Hyatt on both islands- and we both felt the one in kauai blew away the one in mauai. We felt more like honyemooners in kauai- and just vacationers in maui. Believe me, we did like maui- but if we were to go back we would do kauai- and check out the big island. HTH
StefPalma
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
we're going to Napa Valley for four days and then spending 8 days on the Big Island. Since it is our Honeymoon, we wanted to be away from lots of people and jsut wanted to relax on teh beach and i heard the Big Island is perfect for that.
my brother just went to Maui and he LOVED it, had an incredible time, but he said it is very touristy. he also just went for a vacation and wasn't on a honeymoon or anything and he recommended staying on the big island since it is more secluded and romantic.
but, i dont think you can go wrong with either, Hawaii is amazing!
jillyb97
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
Posted by Laurie668
we went to kauai and maui also- and by far loved kauai more!! Stayed at the Hyatt on both islands- and we both felt the one in kauai blew away the one in mauai. We felt more like honyemooners in kauai- and just vacationers in maui. Believe me, we did like maui- but if we were to go back we would do kauai- and check out the big island. HTH
I agree - definitely felt more honeymoon like on Kauai. We stayed at the hyatt on Kauai...loved it...
I do have a food recommendation though :) On Maui, if you like fish, you really should try Mama's Fish House. It was absolutely amazing, and made eating fish in the future anywhere else incredibly hard! While we were on Maui we spent 3 days at the cottages at Mama's...very different than staying in a big hotel...but they were right on the beach...and, we ate there all 3 days...LOVED it!!! The other 2 we stayed at the Four Seasons, which was amazing...
And if you want a secluded place, look into Lanai. We spent some time there too, and really loved it...there wasn't much to do except unwind and relax!!!!
MrsJ08
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we stayed on Maui for 10 days it was amaizing!! everyone even the locals said that kannapali beach is the best beach on the island...we stayed at the westin ocean resort villas...i wish i can go back!!!
quietgirlkate
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
We just got back from out Hawaii honeymoon about a month ago. We did Oahu (2 nights), the Big Island (Kona side-3 nights), and Maui (4 nights). We stayed at the Royal Lahaina in Maui and have no complaints at all. We stayed in the newly renovated tower which was very nice. We had breakfast included in our package which was good too because it can get pretty pricey and we had an ocean front room and the views were amazing. It is right on the beach, they also have a pretty good luau that we went to. If we go back to Maui one day we will stay there again. I don't know much about the Kaanapali Beach club, but I did get my hair cut at the salon there so I was able to see a little bit of the hotel. Everything I have read about the hotel says how authentic it is. I think it definitely could use some updating though, kind of dark and dingy. If I were you I would stay and extra night in Maui, it is very beautiful. We kind of got bored on the Big Island-there wasn't much to do there. It was beautiful- don't get me wrong but it was much more isolated that the other places we were. And even though we did stay 4 nights in Maui we had wished we had more time there. I could have spent the whole 10 days there now that I think about it. There was just a little bit of everything there. We did the road to Hana one day, went to a luau and on a sunset dinner cruise. It was kind of touristy but nothing compared to how Honolulu is. For us it was a nice mix of Honolulu and the Big Island. If you need any for info feel free to FM me!
Kunelsky
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
Thanks to all of you! Now after reading all your responses and the other reviews I'm thinking of adding two extra nights to our honeymoon (it'll bring us to 5 nights in Maui, 4 nights in Kauai and 2 nights in Big Island). I mean I see people going for 18 days and not having enough time for it all. It just seems like there's so much to do and see and I also want to just relax and decompose on the beach. We have a very stressful month leading up to the wedding because we have a lot of relatives flying in, including FH's parents, brother and sister in law and a two year old niece. We also have some friends coming in so the stress of the wedding will include a lot of sightseeing with our tourist relatives and figuring out where we want to place all of them and stuff like that. So after all of this I could really use a nice and long honeymoon. Also the 12 hour flight + 2 hour connection really bugs me. So I'm thinking yes those two nights are an extra expense but I mean it's a once in a lifetime experience. Also FH just HAS to upgrade our rental car to a convertible. Do you think it's a huge necessity? If yes in which island out of Maui, Kauai or Big Island do you think a convertible will make a big difference (you know scenery wise?)
jillyb97
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
We had a convertible on both Kauai and Maui, and it was really nice...Don't know if I can pick one..
BUT...just to let you know, most of the convertibles we saw (and rented) were Chrysler Sebrings, and you couldn't put luggage in the trunk, especially if the top was down...just an fyi, so that you aren't surprised if you have a ton of bags and can't drive away from the rental place with the top down :) We just threw everything into the backseat...
Kunelsky
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
Posted by jillyb97
We had a convertible on both Kauai and Maui, and it was really nice...Don't know if I can pick one..
BUT...just to let you know, most of the convertibles we saw (and rented) were Chrysler Sebrings, and you couldn't put luggage in the trunk, especially if the top was down...just an fyi, so that you aren't surprised if you have a ton of bags and can't drive away from the rental place with the top down :) We just threw everything into the backseat...
Yup I know. We rented a convertible on our latest trip to California. It was deff an experience. We also threw everything in the back seat. The thing is that it's about a 100$ upgrade for the convertible so I'm thinking is it really worth it...
Kunelsky
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BUMP please. OK we just spoke with our travel agent about some changes we wanted to make. We deff decided to add two more nights. It just seems like there's so much to do and it is our honeymoon so we'll splurge a lil. We're staying 4 nights in Kauai (Marriot), 5 nights in Maui (Royal Lahaina) and 2 nights in Big Island (Hilton). We have breakfast included in Kauai and Maui We're upgrading to convertibles on all islands in Kauai and Maui. All in all it came up to 7000. So do you think it’s a good deal or should we shop around some more? Would you recommend changing?
LauraD419
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We did Oahu, Maui and Kauai. Maui was by far our favorite with Kauai coming in 2nd. We had 4 days in Maui and wished for one more so I would recommend at least 4. We stayed at the Sheraton in Kaanapali Beach and my family has stayed at the Kaanapali Breach Hotel. The Sheraton is INCREDIBLE and has the best strip of beach in Kaanapali. It's right next to the Kaanapali beach hotel. We highly recommend it!!
Kunelsky
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New dilemma, Sheraton or Marriott in Kauai? Both of them got great reviews and look really nice... Don't know which one to choose. Any experiences at either?
DCLM726
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We did 4 nights on teh Big Island and we found that there was plenty to do.
We rented a car and drove the whole island on eday. Volcano National park is a day trip. Plus there are other things to do. I wish we had more time there.
I want to go back and go to the top of the snowy summit.
JT11596
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
Posted by Kunelsky
New dilemma, Sheraton or Marriott in Kauai? Both of them got great reviews and look really nice... Don't know which one to choose. Any experiences at either?
We just stayed at the Marriott in Kauai and honestly I would probably say the Sheraton. Two big reasons: our hotel was FULL of kids, and also the weather was better on the south shore where the Sheraton is. Strange to think that on such a small island the weather can be different, but we had much cloudier weather on the east coast and it's not on the actual ocean, it's on a bay, whereas the Sheraton is on the ocean. There is also a lot more going on down on the south shore. The Marriott was gorgeous, don't get me wrong, and the room was amazing, but DH and I both decided that we should have stayed at the Sheraton (our other choice). If you want peaceful and relaxing, I would go Sheraton. HTH!
Kunelsky
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
Posted by JT11596
Posted by Kunelsky
New dilemma, Sheraton or Marriott in Kauai? Both of them got great reviews and look really nice... Don't know which one to choose. Any experiences at either?
We just stayed at the Marriott in Kauai and honestly I would probably say the Sheraton. Two big reasons: our hotel was FULL of kids, and also the weather was better on the south shore where the Sheraton is. Strange to think that on such a small island the weather can be different, but we had much cloudier weather on the east coast and it's not on the actual ocean, it's on a bay, whereas the Sheraton is on the ocean. There is also a lot more going on down on the south shore. The Marriott was gorgeous, don't get me wrong, and the room was amazing, but DH and I both decided that we should have stayed at the Sheraton (our other choice). If you want peaceful and relaxing, I would go Sheraton. HTH!
Thanks it does, and also adds to the dilemma. The Marriott looks so gorgeous on the pictures and it’s a lil cheaper and breakfast is included... It’s supposed to be our more luxurious hotel out of the three and I hate to be disappointed...
JT11596
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It is gorgeous! You can't go wrong there, and yes, the price was definitely right and the breakfast buffet was very yummy! And I don't know if they have the same deal next year but we had stay four nights get the fifth free. One big plus was that you are about halfway between the north and south shores so it's easy to travel around the whole island. For us we were just spoiled b/c we had come from the Marriott on Maui which was so peaceful (adult-only infinity pool!) and the beaches around it were beautiful. I think it was more location than the hotel itself. I have some pics of our room and the hotel if you want I can FM them to you!
Kunelsky
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Posted by JT11596
It is gorgeous! You can't go wrong there, and yes, the price was definitely right and the breakfast buffet was very yummy! And I don't know if they have the same deal next year but we had stay four nights get the fifth free. One big plus was that you are about halfway between the north and south shores so it's easy to travel around the whole island. For us we were just spoiled b/c we had come from the Marriott on Maui which was so peaceful (adult-only infinity pool!) and the beaches around it were beautiful. I think it was more location than the hotel itself. I have some pics of our room and the hotel if you want I can FM them to you!
yes pls FM me
musicgrl79
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Re: Hawaii HM advice
Posted by MikeandJess
we went to maui and kauai and honestly liked kauai much better. We stayed at the hyatt which I highly recommend, everything was amazing. We kept hearing that kauai was much more relaxed than maui and we're going to get bored because there's not much to do on the island but we didn't find that at all.
i agree a million percent!! we did same exact thing and we were told the same thing. we loved both, but like kuai more. hyatt was awesome in kuai.. four seasons was very nice in maui but maui is a bit more commercialized. kuai more relaxed, but still plenty to do.
