Hawaii Advice

[Lilac]

So DH and I are finally going on our honeymoon on Friday! We''re going to Hawaii and I''m soooo excited!!!!! We''re trying to plan what to do, and since neither of us have been to Hawaii before, I thought I would ask all of your advice on something because we''re having some trouble deciding what to do!

So we''re going to Oahu and Maui. Friday morning we fly to Honolulu and we''re staying in Waikiki. We get there late afternoon Friday and then the Sabbath starts Friday night and therefore we can''t do much but sit on the beach and relax until Saturday night (not that we have a problem relaxing!) So we''ll have Sunday, Monday, and half of Tuesday on Oahu. Then we fly to Maui and have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to do things on Maui (and then we relax again on the Sabbath on Saturday). Sunday we fly home.

So really we only have 2 and a half "activity" days on Oahu and 3 "activity" days on Maui. I keep hearing amazing things about Kauai and I wish we had more time to go there too but unfortunately DH can''t take off any more days from work

So we saw a one-day tour from Oahu to Kauai and we can''t decide if it''s worth it to go. The description is here: http://www.hawaiiactive.com/activities/oahu-kauai-tour.html

Basically, we would love to see some of Kauai, but if this won''t really give us a real feel for the island then we don''t know if it''s worth it to fly twice and sit on a bus half the day just to see a couple places in Kauai. So people who have been there - are the sights on this particular tour worth it or will we just feel too rushed to appreciate them? Or is it better to use the time on Oahu and hopefully (maybe one day

...) return to Hawaii and go spend some real quality time on Kauai??

I''m SO excited for this trip, it''s just so hard deciding where to go and what to do - there are SO many choices!!!!

 

[UCLABelle]

Date: 8/9/2009 1:39:52 AM
Author:Lilac
So DH and I are finally going on our honeymoon on Friday! We''re going to Hawaii and I''m soooo excited!!!!! We''re trying to plan what to do, and since neither of us have been to Hawaii before, I thought I would ask all of your advice on something because we''re having some trouble deciding what to do!


So we''re going to Oahu and Maui. Friday morning we fly to Honolulu and we''re staying in Waikiki. We get there late afternoon Friday and then the Sabbath starts Friday night and therefore we can''t do much but sit on the beach and relax until Saturday night (not that we have a problem relaxing!) So we''ll have Sunday, Monday, and half of Tuesday on Oahu. Then we fly to Maui and have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to do things on Maui (and then we relax again on the Sabbath on Saturday). Sunday we fly home.


So really we only have 2 and a half ''activity'' days on Oahu and 3 ''activity'' days on Maui. I keep hearing amazing things about Kauai and I wish we had more time to go there too but unfortunately DH can''t take off any more days from work

So we saw a one-day tour from Oahu to Kauai and we can''t decide if it''s worth it to go. The description is here: http://www.hawaiiactive.com/activities/oahu-kauai-tour.html


Basically, we would love to see some of Kauai, but if this won''t really give us a real feel for the island then we don''t know if it''s worth it to fly twice and sit on a bus half the day just to see a couple places in Kauai. So people who have been there - are the sights on this particular tour worth it or will we just feel too rushed to appreciate them? Or is it better to use the time on Oahu and hopefully (maybe one day

...) return to Hawaii and go spend some real quality time on Kauai??


I''m SO excited for this trip, it''s just so hard deciding where to go and what to do - there are SO many choices!!!!

Personally, I am not sure I would use a whole "activity" day to go to Kauai. You really need 2 days to get the WHOLE island.

I love Maui---when on Maui, I would spend one day going to the black rock just past Wailea. But pending where you stay, this may only take a few hours. I LOVE spending time in Lahaina---so I would def. do that as well. I would also visit Iao Valley Park in Maui.

Hmm...only spend a day in Oahu so not much help there----

 

[KimberlyH]

I''ve never been to Kauai; have been to both Maui and Oahu, love them both. In Oahu I would rent a kayak and kayak over the sunken island/kaneahoe bay. Spend a day in North Shore. Have a drink at the Mai Tai bar (at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel). In Maui I love Lahaina, such a great town. There''s a fantastic little restaurant at the far right of the town, when you''re facing the ocean (the name escapes me) that was really good. Also, do a search on this board, there have been threads about Hawaii before with lots of details that could give you some fun ideas.

 

[jmtomaui]

We LOVE Maui! We can't go for less than 2 weeks...

drive the road to hana
Haleakala sunrise
Mama's Fishhouse in Paia
Longhi's restaurant on Front Street in Lahaina
snorkling at Fish Bowl out of Kihei
scuba diving w/ the Scuba Shack in Kehei
shopping Lahaina or Whalers Village
Sargento's on the Beach restaurant between Kehei and Wailei

...and the list goes on.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Lilac- I loved Kauai. But we spent a week there. I think that''s cramming a lot into one day, and you probably would spend most of the day on the bus. I really think time on Kauai is better spent exploring at your own pace.

 

[bebe]

Date: 8/9/2009 12:18:05 PM
Author: jmtomaui
We LOVE Maui! We can''t go for less than 2 weeks...

drive the road to hana
Haleakala sunrise
Mama''s Fishhouse in Paia
Longhi''s restaurant on Front Street in Lahaina
snorkling at Fish Bowl out of Kihei
scuba diving w/ the Scuba Shack in Kehei
shopping Lahaina or Whalers Village
Sargento''s on the Beach restaurant between Kehei and Wailei

...and the list goes on.

good list there !! Mama''s fish house at sunset !!
maybe a helicopter tour of the island, though I think Kauai is prettier than Maui, the experience would still be awesome.
what about an early morning (3-4am) trek to the volcano to see the sun "rise" from the crater ?
boogie boarding on any beach
and oh yeah, who can forget the great jeweler in the Wailea shopping center that has the huge diamonds

 

[musey]

I've actually spent the least time on Kauai out of the islands I've visited, but I do agree... a day trip won't really cut it. If you're very curious to at least get an introduction to the island it could be worth that, that's really up to you.

Have a wonderful time! The islands can be a magical experience, depending how you approach your trip. My first experience there was with locals, and I've been hooked ever since.

 

[soocool]

Hawaii is my favorite place to go and have been there a number of times. My favorite island is Maui. When you get to Oahu it is so much more commercialized.

In Maui there is lots to do and you might be able to do a lot in a week if you plan ahead:

Lahaina - (Whaling Village) great town, great art galleries, love Wyland art ( I own a couple!)
BEST LUAU!!!! near the Banyon tree in Lahaina
Glass bottom boat ride
Longhi''s restaurant, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Mama''s Fish House
Kapalua beach is my favorite!
The sunset at Haleakala is just as great as the sunrise (less hectic and less crowded)
Maui Tropical Plantation tour
Road to Hana you can stop along the way and see lots of waterfalls (we swam in the 7 Sacred Pools) - not all car rental places allow you to drive there(rent a better car)
Helicopter tours are nice but really not necessary.
Bring your own Snorkel gear (I prefer that to renting) and buy a boogie board at one of the local stores
Best place to go snorkeling (Molikini - a boat trip to an underwater crater) takes about 1/2 day
In Lahaina there was also a local artist gallery and we picked up some local art for a good price.

Oahu: (Not really my favorite island)
Pearl Harbor
Polynesian Cultural Center (run by the Mormons, but they put on a great show. You don''t have to luau there..not the best luau
The name escapes me, but South Pacific was filmed there.

Kauai: If you get a chance there are a couple of things you can do in a day or less
Waimea Canyon
Visit a guava plantation

What you do there depends on what you like to do. We enjoyed snorkeling and the trip to Molikini (in a boat) was a lot of fun! So was the luau in Lahaina. The beach I likes the most in Maui was in Kapalua (all beaches are public) and we snorkeled there as well.

 

[D&T]

First time I went to Hawaii, I spend 5 days on Oahu, and 1 day on maui (wish I did at least 2) the second time, I just went on a five day trip to Kauai on a "soul searching trip" loved it there the best - not too commercial I thought

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I have only been to Oahu, I would have rather done Maui and Kawai.

Here are my suggestions

The north shore
International Market
I would do some water activities for sure, the water is so warm

 

[Cind11]

With the amount of time you have, I would not do the day on Kauai. Last summer we had the same amount of days you will be having and split the time between Kauai and Maui. It was a lot just doing two islands without flying to a third. In my opinion there is a lot to see on Kauai and you are shortchanging it with a half day bus ride. It was my favorite. I think it would be better for you to go back and stay on Kauai for an entire trip.

Have a great honeymoon!

 

[Lilac]

Thanks UCLABelle, KimberlyH, jmtomaui, tiffanytwisted, bebe, musey, soocool, D&T, LtlFirecracker, and Cind11 for all your advice!

I think DH and I decided against the one day trip to Kauai. As much as we REALLY want to see it, spending most of the day on a bus probably wouldn''t be too much fun. If we ever get back to Hawaii we''ll try to spend a few days on Kauai. Meanwhile we''re focusing on planning the rest of the trip!

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[latebloomer]

We also did Hawaii for our honeymoon in 2000 and have very fond memories.

Hanauma Bay (Oahu) is great for snorkelling but go before it gets crowded. Also, if you want a little workout, climb Diamond Head in the morning - great sunrise view! For a bit of culture, check out Iolani Palace. If you love nature, check out Waimea Valley as well, it's breathtaking. And finally, for a little splurge/romantic dinner, Sam Choy's Diamond Head was excellent. We also asked locals where they went for snokelling and eating and found some less touristy and authentic places that way.

Also on a general note, make sure to tell your bartenders, servers and hotel staff it's your honeymoon, you'll get free drinks/desserts!