Post # 1
Member
217 posts
Helper bee
My FI and I have been generously gifted a week’s stay in Maui for our honeymoon at an awesome resort!! We are so very excited, but are looking to extend our stay for 3 more nights at one of the other islands, leaning towards either Oahu, or Kauai. We already have our resort booked in Maui, but are looking for reccommedations for either Kauai, or Oahu on where to stay. Also, anyone who has been to either, suggestions on which to go to, things to do on any of the islands, great places to eat, anything!
I have searched this already on the bee and have found some great suggestions, but not a ton. Any and all advice, stories, personal experiences welcome!!
Thanks!
Post # 3
Member
217 posts
Helper bee
Bump for the evening crowd?
Post # 4
Member
127 posts
Blushing bee
I vote for Kauai. My husband and I did Maui & Kauai…while maui is great, we fell in love with Kauai. It is quieter, relaxing, lush and just amazing! We were exploring ways to explain to our family on why we never wanted to return home.
You can’t go wrong with what you choose though.
Post # 5
Member
217 posts
Helper bee
Carrie2979 I feel like I constantly go back and forth on which one I want to visit, but you’re right, there probably is no wrong choice. Where did you stay in Kauai, if you don’t mind me asking? And would you recommend it?
Post # 6
Member
70 posts
Worker bee
I just wrote this on someone else’s poll, but maybe it will help you out as well:
I live on Kauai and it sounds as if you’re leaning more towards this island in terms of your wants. Maui and Kauai are comparable as they are both less “city” than Oahu, but Kauai is by far the more “country” choice. There’s tons of hiking in Kokee (lots of Na Pali ridge hikes or canyon trails), there are fewer tourists here compared to some of the other islands, and it’s much more green here and many visitors have told me that this island represents the “real Hawaii” to them. However, I am quick to point out that the entire state is the “real Hawaii” but what I think they mean is the Hawaii they are exposed to in popular films. There’s awesome snorkling. Depending on the time of the year you are coming you can take a boat tour via Holo Holo or Capt. Andys, and they will cruise along the Na Pali coast and then take you by Lehua Rock where there is some really cool snorkling. I only recommend this boat tour in the summer though because our winter waters are super choppy on the south shore. One of our most popular beaches is Polihale State Park (west side), which is gorgeous, and many people love Hanalei as well on the north shore. There are tons of hotel properties on the beach in Poipu on the south side, and Waimea Plantation Cottages on the west side (a bunch of plantation homes turned resort area).
Maui is definitely cool, but Kauai is where it’s at if you truly want to escape.
Hanalei Pier
Kalalau Ridge
Hanakapiai Trail
Hindu Temple in Wailua
Waipoo Falls Trail
Awaawapuhi Trail
Polihale State Park
**These are all personal photos**
As you can see, Kauai is quite beautiful. You just have to be adventurous and be willing to go find it! And always remember to be safe and respectful to the local culture.
–MsKoloa
Post # 7
Member
127 posts
Blushing bee
@Spartyon: We stayed at the Grand Hyatt on Kauai (Po’ipu beach) On the South Shore. It was a bit pricy, but we had a “hyatt” vacation deal for both the islands through the travel agent we booked with. We spent 12 days (6 each on both islands). We definitely want to go again, but we would do it differently (find a condo to rent for a week). But you only honeymoon once so we kinda went all out 😉 There is also a Sheraton and Marriott in po’ipu if the Hyatt is out of your price range. As MsKoloa says…it really does feel like the “Hawai’i” I had imagined Hawai’i to be!
We also had a rental car and drove up to Hanalei. Less than a day’s trip…like a 3-4 hour trip (depends on how long you want to stay on the North side). We also drove up to Waimea Canyon that is about a 2 hour trip from Po’ipu. Anything you want to do in Kauai you can do and it won’t take all day unless you want it too 🙂 One of the activities we booked through the hotel was a catermaran tour up the Na’Pali Coast. It was a fun day out on the water. They don’t do these tours in the winter though because the ocean gets too rough and the Na’Pali coast does get hit by pretty big swells.
@MsKoloa: Is it ok to say that I am slightly jealous you get to live in paradise? Literally…My husband and I on the second day were trying to figure out how we would be able to live there 🙂 We really fell in love with your island and hope to make it back again sometime soon!
Post # 8
Member
70 posts
Worker bee
@Carrie2979: Don’t be jealous! Paradise has its price! It definitely is a struggle to afford to live in Hawaii. I was just watching on the news how some places in California have hit “record high” gas prices… the CA state average was $4.61… that’s how much I regularly pay at Costco!! In addition, simply owning a home here costs an arm and a leg. My fiance and I previously owned a one bedroom apartment on Oahu. It was about 450 square feet, and cost us a whopping $245,000. It’s crazy. Milk is like $6 a gallon. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here, but we’re local so we’re used to it. Unless you absolutely love to hike and go to the beach every single day then it’s probably best in small doses 🙂 I have friends who move here from the mainland who contract island fever because it is so slow! But, for some people it works! I’m glad that you guys loved it here so much, too; it’s always nice when our visitors appreciate the `aina as opposed to stay in a resort all day.
Post # 9
Member
4429 posts
Honey bee
@SpartyOn: OMG your so lucky ; ) comgrats on the great gift ; ) if i were you and your FH i would flip a coin. its hawaii for god sake you cant go wrong lol
Post # 10
Member
277 posts
Helper bee
I just got back from Oahu 2 weeks ago.
Hanauma Bay is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen and is definitely worth a visit.
That said, I’ve never been to Kauai, so I can’t really compare them.
Post # 11
Member
217 posts
Helper bee
mskoloa I saw that post! Your pictures are beautiful!!!
turtles73 We are very very lucky. We have the best familiy 🙂
Carrie2979 Thank you so so much for all your tips! I will be looking into all of those!
cb336 If you don’t mind me asking, where did you stay in Oahu? And would you recommend it?
Thank you everyone! We are having so much fun planning this and it just started!!! 🙂
Post # 12
Member
4276 posts
Honey bee
We spent our week-long honeymoon on Kauai and LOVED every minute. It is a beautiful, romantic island. We stayed on the North Shore, very close to Hanalei, but it was an easy drive to anywhere on the island. It’s perfect for relaxing or adventures!
I do recommend a rental car if you stay on Kauai though – we used ours daily.
Post # 13
Member
217 posts
Helper bee
LadyBear Good to know! We were hoping to not have to rent a car, but maybe it’s a bit of a necessity on Kauai if we want to do anything besides lay on the beach all day? 🙂 (which we do!!!)
Post # 14
Member
277 posts
Helper bee
@SpartyOn: We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki. I would definitely recommend staying in Waikiki if you go to Oahu. We rented a car for the day we drove to Hanauma Bay, but Waikiki is totally central, with a gorgeous (but busy) beach right there, and available shuttles to almost anywhere you’d want to go. The main street is bustling with high end designer stores and plenty of stores to get souvenirs and tourist stuff as well. I’d go back to Waikiki in a heartbeat.
I should point out though, that Waikiki is pretty busy, so if you’re looking for a week of quiet and seclusion, it may not be the best place for you. I just wanted to lay on the beach, and really, once I was lying there in the sun staring at the turquoise water, I kind of just filtered everything else out. It does get annoying trying to get photos of the scenery though, when there’s always a bunch of strangers in your shot.
Post # 15
Member
1292 posts
Bumble bee
http://www.halekulani.com = my favorite. It’s on Oahu. Pricey but it IS your honeymoon 🙂
Post # 16
Member
13 posts
Newbee
We just went on our honeymoon to Maui and Oahu in July. They were both amazing! Maui is gorgeous and we loved lying on the beach and just relaxing but I have to say it can be kind of boring not having anything else really to do. We did a lot of hiking and just enjoying the scenery but I would definitely say go to Oahu not Kauai. I couldn’t imagine just doing the quiet slow paced islands the whole time. We love being outdoors and exploring but I also like to shop and go to nice restaurants for dinner. Oahu has the gorgeous beaches and you can drive out of the main city too to get to quieter beaches but they also have some amazing restaurants and shopping. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and it was amazing! Hope this helps:)
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