Hawaii - Maui/Oahu Ideas

[j450n]

Hi guys,

wanting some reccomendations for a beach proposal in Hawaii. From Australia, so at this point in time need a lot of suggestions as to location and areas and any other hawaiia proposal ideas (non beach proposal can do!). Will be based in Oahu but making a day trip to Maui.

Ideas?

Thanks guys!

 

[amc80]

I personally think Maui is about 10x prettier than Oahu- so do it there!

 

[j450n]

hi there!
thanks for that! any suggestions as to beaches that are nice?

 

[jmtomaui]

I agree that Maui is amazingly beautiful! If you are only going to be there one day, you will be somewhat limited to where you could go. How much time will you actually be there? Will you have a car to get around with?

Not knowing many details, I would probably suggest Lahaina down by Whaler's Village. WV is commercial but has beautiful beaches between the center and the hotels. Some of the bigger 5 star hotels are on this strip of beach. This is where you will find a lot of the finer dining restaurants. And then you are not too far from Front Street to get a different feel as well as the Lahaina luau.

I like the beaches of Wailea better as they are more remote, less commercial, but it is in South Maui and takes a bit of a drive. Sarento's on the beach is a terrific restaurant that is very romantic w/ the sunset views.

Some of the black sand beaches as well as the amazing waterfalls along the road to hana would be fantastic but it takes a good day to do the road properly and find the best spots.

If you can give us a few more details on Maui, I'm sure we can help....

 

[j450n]

hi there!

thanks for your response. good to see a maui local here (i think ure a local based on ur nickname).
We are thinking of doing a daytrip from Oahu to Maui and coming back on the same day at night. Not too sure how big Maui is yet, but from what I hear, I will be better off hiring a car instead of cabbing it. So looks like I will be cabbing it.
I havent' even looked at flights yet, but will probably catch the first one into Maui and last one out to make full use of our day.

Thinking of hiring a photographer to capture us stumbling on a message in a bottle and capturing the whole process and some post engagement photos on the beach too. Any reccomendations for a photographer would be appreciated too.Ive contacted a few and asked for suggestions about a beach. Thanks for your suggestions. Have got suggestions for Wailea/Makena/Kihei/Kaanapali. What do you think of this? I keep hearing about Wailea and hear its probably a 30min drive from the airport?

Is there an age limit for hiring a car? 25yo is ok?

Have heard good stuff about Mamas Fish Kitchen. do you think its an appropriate setting for dinner or is Sarentos better?

Sorry but what is Lahaina luau? I know a luau is some sort of party/big feast?

 

[amc80]

You should be fine renting a car at 25. And yes, you'll definitely need a car.

Another option is driving up to the top of Haleakala (big volcano). It's an amazing view. But, you have to get there pretty early before the clouds roll in...otherwise you'll have a view of nothing. Not sure what time you guys will get to the island.

 

[jmtomaui]

Sadly, I'm not a native... Not yet anyway. We were in the market for a condo before the economy tanked so that is on hold for now. But we do go for a couple of weeks every year...

Wailea and Kihei are on the south side of the island while Kaanapali is on the west side. It is probably a 30 - 40 minute drive from south to west depending on the traffic and many of the roads are 2 lane so you can get into some traffic issues at times. It is definitely do-able to spend time on both sides of the island but I think a little ambitious to travel beyond that. Don't get me wrong, it can be done but you won't get a lot of quality time in any one place.... More of a drive through.

Haleakala is amazing - especially in the morning - but it would take a chunk out of your day. As would the Road to Hana. These are both BIG attractions and well worth the time but to get it all done in a day would be a disservice to you.

If I were planning a "day" for proposing on Maui, I would probably suggest Kaanapali in the morning for shopping, "fun" beach time, and maybe lunch someplace like Hula Grill where the tables are actually set in the sand. It has high end shopping (Whaler's Village) but a fun atmosphere. After that, since it is on the way, you should stop in Lahaina on Front St. for some tourist shopping time and great people watching.

Then on to South Maui. Kehei is more of a "working class" (and I'm one of those so NO offense to anyone) town where you can just BE. I would probably want to go on to Wailea for the proposal. The beaches here are gorgeous but less populated than Kaanapali or Lahaina. You would have more privacy. You could follow up the proposal with dinner at Sarento's and then a run to the airport.

A plan like this would give you enough time in a couple of places to enjoy the area and each other without running yourselves ragged. You don't want her so tired from the day that she can't enjoy being engaged - hahaha...

I wish I could make a recommendation for a photographer but my husband is a professional photographer so we've never had to think about hiring one... My guess is that any of the hotels in the area you plan visit would have some suggestions even if you are not staying at the hotel. They generally have a list of trusted photographers to recommend for weddings.

Believe me, there is NOTHING you could do on Maui that will not leave life long memories for the 2 of you. So no matter what you decide, it will be delightful for her. I wish you both the happiest of lives together...

 

[j450n]

thanks for all that! much appreciated and that was great help!

so far the outline looks like this:

First flight in (think its around 9am arrival)
Have a Hire Car at the airport
Drive to and have a look around Kaanapali (?) for shopping
Have lunch some place (Hula Grill on the beach??)
Drive to Wailea for a walk at the beach (Po'olenalena) around 4-5pm for sunset and stumble upon the bottle and take some post engagement photos by the beach etc
Dinner than at Mamas or Sarentos?
Back to the airport to HNL on the last flight out (arnd 10 or 11pm).

any airlines/flights and car rentals reccomended for a same day fly in and out and car rental at airport?

Thanks!