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Wedding Where to go on our honeymoon.... Anyone been to Hawaii?

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ilovethiswebsite

ilovethiswebsite

Brilliant_Rock
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Jan 13, 2008
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Hi Ladies,

Future hubby and I are having a real hard time deciding where to go on our honeymoon! Here are our three options thus far and were wondering if anyone has been to these places either for their honeymoon or just on vaca.

1) Hawaii

2) Cruise to Northern Europe (Ireland, Scotland, Russia, Finland, Denmark etc).

2) Cruise to Southern Europe (Sicily, Tunisia, Morroco, Mallorca etc...) We have already seen Spain, France and most of Italy (besides the south).

What do you ladies think is a romantic and fun place for a 3 week long honeymoon?

Thanks!
 
I have been to all the major islands of Hawaii and they are gorgeous. Hubby and I went to Italy for our honeymoon for 2 1/2 weeks and we were going nonstop, it was fantastic, but if we had to do it over we would go to a tropical island just to relax from all the wedding planning. Last year we spent almost 3 weeks on Kauai and we did not run out of things to do.
 
I haven''t been to Hawaii but there a to of threads about it -- do a search here and you''ll see a ton of great pics and read helpful reviews of different islands. If I were going, I''d go to Kauai (I never know how to spell it). I believe that''s Skippy''s favorite island -- maybe she''ll chime in.

I love the idea of a cruise, and if I could choose between the two you listed, I''d go with the second one.

If I had to pick which one of all three though, I''d choose Hawaii. Definitely. It might not be the most original honeymoon destination, but it is beautiful. The only reason why I wouldn''t choose the cruise is because I get sea sick. Other than that, they sound great.
 
I choose option number 2 (Northern Europe)! These places sound romantic and exotic. (I loved Ireland and Scotland,especially the Highlands.)

I've been to Hawaii and the areas I stayed in (Honolulu and Maui) were too commercial.
 
Thanks for everyone''s advice !

Another reason we were thinking Hawaii even though it''s really commercialized is because I have been a little ill lately and we wanted a location where we know the hospitals would be state of the art incase anything would happen, God forbid. Can anyone speak to the hospitals in Hawaii or Europe?
 
I would think the hospitals in Northern Europe would be state-of-the-art (my cousin lives in Denmark and speaks highly of their health care system) but maybe someone else can chime in with more personal experience.

ETA: still voting for #2!
 
That's a really hard choice because there are so many beautiful places in Europe. When we went, both me and my daughter required medical care, but we didn't have any problem. Neither of us needed a hospital, but we did have to visit a "chemist" as the pharmacists are referred to over there. I had to see a European doctor in Florence to get a prescription because I got bit by something evil and my eye was swollen shut and no amount of Benedryl was helping. My daughter contracted a raging UTI that prevented her from walking and the chemist in Rome gave her something that had her up and about in 4 hours. I don't know that you need to worry about medical care unless you are in a really remote countryside area.

Having said that though, going to Europe can be more of a "trip" than a "vacation" or honeymoon. You will always be on the go and less than totally relaxed because you will want to see so many places. And when you are in places where the people don't speak your language, it can get a little nerve wracking if you miss a train connection like we did.

I am with Skippy on this one. In Hawaii, you can just chill and unwind from all the stress that builds up before the wedding. Just laying in a tropical paradise with nothing to do and sipping overpriced fruity drinks is underrated.
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If you are looking for a bit of nightlife, Kauai is not the place. Kauai is the most beautiful, serene, and relaxing of the islands because it isn't so commercial and crowed as Maui and Honolulu.

ETA: D'oH, I just noticed the other options were on a Cruise. That would lighten the stress load. These are all great options, lucky you!!

I personally love Maui, but that is because I know locals and get to do a lot of things that most tourists don't as they wouldn't even know they exist.
 
What kind of vacation do you want?

We wanted a beach to relax after all that planning. But I know DH is a little hyper and I could not envision him actually laying on a beach for a solid week and not be bored. So we needed a mix---a beautiful beach, interesting sightseeing, a little shopping, fun nightlife, easy to get around. Hawaii fit that to a tee. Oahu was commercial but I knew it would be and still loved it. We rented a car for a few days and did day trips to get away from the city. 3 weeks is a long time; you could easily spend time at the other islands also and mix it up even more! My vote is totally Hawaii. I love Europe but for my honeymoon I didn''t want language and currency issues, getting lost all the time, eating foreign food (have sensitive tummy so it''s a negative to me), or risking motion sickness on a cruise! DH is telling people we are going back for 1st anniv. Despite the commercialism I actually found it fun to be around other tourists. We met some other honeymooners that were so nice!
p.s. Our gps totally worked in Honolulu!
 
Well if you are thinking of a cruise (I never done one); August's Conde Nast Traveler has a great section on cruises for your personality!!! I think it is worth taking a look. It seems to be thorough on the different types of cruises, size, foodie, adventurists, spa, excursions, etc.
 
I have been to 4 of the Hawaiin Islands and it''s a GREAT place to go. Personally, I wouldn''t want to do a cruise due to limited time in the ports. I think I''d feel a little too confined on a cruise.
As for Hawaii, I would recommend the Big Island or Kauai (esp. Kauai) for a quieter honeymoon, more nature stuff. I''d recommend Maui for something in between, lots to do, but lots of "off the beaten path" stuff as well. And I''d say Oahu for the most bustle. I actually didn''t like Oahu all that much, Waikiki felt too much like LA to me, but there was some neat stuff on the North Shore, and it was a pretty good get away from the crowds in Waikiki.
 
Thanks ladies!

We wanted to do a 3 week honeymoon so I am pretty sure we will skip around to different islands if we end up going to Hawaii.
 
*Raises Hand*

I LIVE in hawaii! =)

If one of the major concerns is hospitals, Oahu has fantastic hospitals. There is Kapiolani Hospital (for women and children), Queen''s Hospital, Pali Momi, Straub, Tripler (if you''re military), and a lot of clinics. You will have no problem here.

I don''t know about the other islands, you will want to do research on them first.
 
I love Hawaii! Soooo beautiful. But definitely a tourist place.

I really don't think you have to worry about the hospitals in Europe being sub-par. It's Europe. Not Cambodia. No offense, but I think it's a little weird that Americans think their hospitals and medical services are the only ones in the world that are competent. I have many friends in Europe who are doctors, and I have used the medical services in a few European countries over the course of my life, and their doctors are every bit as intelligent and well trained, and their equipment (depending on the country...maybe not rural Bulgaria) is every bit as modern. In fact, a goodly chunk of the equipment in your American hospitals was probably manufactured, or at least engineered in Europe.

That said, depending on your type of illness, are you comfortable being on a cruise ship, away from emergency care?

How about some other options? The world is big and wide! For instance, have you considered somewhere in Asia? Thailand? (and the hospitals in Bangkok are some of the best in the world). What about New Zealand? Or how about spending three weeks in a country in Europe and getting to know it well instead of sailing port to port? I have friends who stayed in a fishing village in Croatia. You could certainly happily spend that long wandering around France, or visiting the Scandanavian countries (though, frankly, I never find them THAT exciting myself).
 
Got married and honeymooned on Maui - LOVED it!

And my FIL actually had a really bad allergic reaction and had to get medical care -he went straight to a local clinic and was taken care of in a flash.
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I''m voting for Maui, LOL. Mostly because I want to go back...
 
I have one suggestion if you want to go to Hawaii, the island of Kauai! It is gorgeous and not nearly as crowded as the big island. I went with my parents a long time ago to both Oahu and Kauai and definitely loved Kauai more. Also there were plenty of cute things to do and the beaches are beautiful.
 
South Africa!
 
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