Honeymoon in Hawaii

[midnightrat]

Planning on going to Hawaii for my honeymoon and was looking at packages through costco. Anyone have any tips or recommendations for Hawaii or costco packages?

Thanks.

 

[BoomerD]

Nope. No one here has even heard of Hawaii...


OR, you could search for it...

There have been several threads lately on this same subject. I know several people here have been more than once and several are planning trips as we speak...

No experience with the Costco vacation packages, but you can do pretty well by yourself if you do the research.

 

[Darkstar757]

make sure you go to a small island.

The rest are like major cities with nice water.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I did my Maui trip through Costco. Stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Lahaina and we had a room with a full ocean view. It included airfare, rental car and the hotel. I'd definitely recommend Costco. :thumbsup:

 

[midnightrat]

Jules, what kind of activities did you do while there? snorkeling? museums? beach's? etc...

 

[mugs]

Which Island are you thinking about going to? I've been to Maui a few times. There are two big resort areas on Maui - west Maui (Lahaina/Ka'anapali) and south Maui (Kihei/Wailea). I think the town of Lahaina is much nicer than Kihei as far as nighttime stuff goes. I highly recommend Warren & Annabelle's magic show up in Lahaina. Check out the Maui Revealed book for lots of info about things to do, and when you get there you'll find lots of free booklets full of ads from all of the places that offer snorkeling and what have you.

Whale watching isn't terribly exciting IMO. They're big, they have tails, and they stick their tails out of the water. Meh. I took a day trip over to Lanai and rented a jeep to drive around on their jeep trails, that was pretty cool. Also took a day trip to Oahu to see the Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri, also interesting.

http://www.warrenandannabelles.com/

 

[RKS]

snorkeling :thumbsup:
biking down a volcano :thumbsdown:
road to (some name that I can't remember) in a rented jeep :thumbsup:
luaus :thumbsdown:
helicopter ride :thumbsup: (somewhat)

 

[Paladin]

My wife and I go every year. WE are definetely Maui people. You really need to decide what you want: really quiet, laid back, nature (Kauai). Really busy/city life (Waikiki- don't recommend). Best of both worlds, great beaches, hiking, diving, snorkeling, nightlife (Maui).
On Maui I would recommend the west side (Lahaina/Kaanapali/Kahana/Kapalua). Kaanapali is where all of the action is as far as resorts and hotels, shopping, and great snorkeling right there at Black Rock. 5 minutes from Lahaina. Kahana is nice, more laid back and cheaper (Outrigger Royal Kahana is nice).

 

[MajorMullet]

I got married this past May and my wife and I spent a week at the Four Seasons Manele Bay on the island of Lana'i. It's definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Pretty much the only thing on the island are the two Four Seasons resorts. While the island is very much out of the way, they had a ton of activities (snorkeling, clay shooting, we went hiking every day, took an off-road tour of the island). The resort also has a lot of amenities (I don't play golf, but we did visit the golf course - amazing).

There isn't much in the way of tourist attractions or shopping, but if you just want to get away and relax, it's perfect. Because it's remote the guests are almost all adults, so you don't have to worry about children running around screaming while you're trying to enjoy yourself.

If you stay on Maui, there is a ferry that goes between Maui and Lana'i. So you could always take a day and visit the island - it's definitely worth the trip.

 

[midnightrat]

wow, awesome, thanks for all the ideas.

Never thought of jeep ride, that sounds fun, as does the helicopter ride

 

[rh71]

Maui is for the win... FOR THE WIN.

Btw, don't forget to see the sunrise atop Mount Haleakala at 10,000ft... it doesn't do it justice, but here's the pic anyway. We had to be up at like 4am for the tour but it was worth it... right afterward was the biking down the mountain with some awesome tour guides. That was one of the best days there. Kauai was meh... just go there for 2 days max if you want to see it for nature.

 

[bigal40]

Originally posted by: RKS
road to (some name that I can't remember) in a rented jeep :thumbsup:

Hana I think. I've done it too, was pretty interesting but a pretty long ride. Make sure you have a book that tells you where to stop otherwise you'll miss a lot of good places.

Anyway, I'd reccomned looking into doing a cruise, becuase you get to see a bunch of the islands, but plan ahead and get reservations for cars/activities on you own b/c the excursions through the cruise company are overpriced.

 

[FP]

Went to Kauai through a Costco package and couldn't have been happier with the service. Good price and a nice hotel.

Looking back on it we might have flown to a different island. 10 days in Kauai is a long time. There isn't much to do and forget about it if you want some nightlife.

Friends bought us a helicopter ride which was fun but I read after the trip that they are very dangerous. The same company we used crashed on a cliff and all passengers died (including a newly married couple).

Example

 

[Paladin]

you want fun?
Kaanapali Zipline adventure
We did this last summer. A total blast!!!

 

[Homerboy]

goto Lanai. That's where we went (not our honeymoon).
Hey if its good enough for Bill Gates its good enough for me.

 

[boatillo]

My sister and her husband went on a costco package, it was a better deal (with same hotel) than I got from a certain online travel package site.

Both went to Honolulu and did all the normal touristy stuff there. My one suggestion (to everyone that goes) is to book a good island wide bus tour for your first full day! We took ours later in the week, but it was so great and gave us so much information that we wished it had been our first activity.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: RKS
snorkeling :thumbsup:
biking down a volcano :thumbsdown:
road to (some name that I can't remember) in a rented jeep :thumbsup:
luaus :thumbsdown:
helicopter ride :thumbsup: (somewhat)

Hahaha... pretty much. Although the volcano bike rides got shut down. The tourists kept getting run over.

Helicopter flights are awesome. The Maui/Molokai flight is great.

I think the Kipahulu bridge is open again so you can drive to Hana and then work your way all the way around the south end of Maui. That is some of the most gorgeous scenery anywhere.

Lanai is great for golf and running around naked (both if you're so inclined and things are slow) but not much else.

Edit: Do NOT waste your week in Honolulu. Go to Maui or the Big Island.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Hahaha... pretty much. Although the volcano bike rides got shut down. The tourists kept getting run over.

heh, wow really? Some people just never learned to ride bikes I guess. While in Alaska we joined a bike tour down a mountain also and the tourguide said she once had a guy who had never riden a bike before and still signed up... he told her after they got to the top. WTF is wrong with people?! Common sense?

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Hahaha... pretty much. Although the volcano bike rides got shut down. The tourists kept getting run over.

heh, wow really? Some people just never learned to ride bikes I guess. While in Alaska we joined a bike tour down a mountain also and the tourguide said she once had a guy who had never riden a bike before and still signed up... he told her after they got to the top. WTF is wrong with people?! Common sense?

For the volcano sunrise/ bikeride we wern't warned of the temperature (high 30s / low 40s). We had on t-shirts and shorts and were provided a wind-breaker. I don't even remember seeing the sunrise.

The bikeride down we were forced to stay in a single file line and not go too fast so I couldn't even ride along side my wife to make lame comments about the other oafs trying to ride bikes. At least there was one wipeout when a rider tried to go from the sidewalk to the street. :evil:

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy

Hahaha... pretty much. Although the volcano bike rides got shut down. The tourists kept getting run over.

heh, wow really? Some people just never learned to ride bikes I guess. While in Alaska we joined a bike tour down a mountain also and the tourguide said she once had a guy who had never riden a bike before and still signed up... he told her after they got to the top. WTF is wrong with people?! Common sense?

Happened last summer. I think it was three tourists, all in separate incidents... They went too fast and drifted into the other lane. Two got run over (one was run over by a bike tour van headed up the mountain... irony) and one lady ran off a cliff and died.

The park service closed the mountain off to bike tours. They tried starting at the park gate but that pretty much killed the industry.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: RKS
snorkeling :thumbsup:
biking down a volcano :thumbsdown:
road to (some name that I can't remember) in a rented jeep :thumbsup:
luaus :thumbsdown:
helicopter ride :thumbsup: (somewhat)

If you mean the "Road to Hana (sp)" Fuck that. It starts off nice, the scenery is awesome, but even awesome scenery gets pathetically monotonous after an hour (of the several it will take to finish the route). Not to mention crazy people on skinny roads (my family''s car almost got run off a cliff). There are a few native-owned hand-made smoothie stands and whatnot along the way (the smoothies were awesome), as well as a waterfall and natural resulting swimming area, but on the whole it was the most boring part of the entire trip for me.

Maui has Waikiki beach, and lots of awesome resorts. Nuff said. Snorkeling is beyond awesome if you find the right spot.

I've heard Kuwai has the best natural beauty in terms of Jungles/untouched wildlife, so if you're into nature hikes you might want to check it out.

Only part of Oahu I saw was the WWII museums/Arizona memorial. They were pretty interesting, but then again I'm something of a war buff.

The Big Island has volcanoes and subsequent hiking trails. If you time it with an eruption, there are actually trails that will take you right up to the lava flow. However, said trail consists of (from what I've heard) 6 hours of hardcore hiking. In short, if you love hiking and think volcanoes are cool, Big Island is the place to be.

Edit: There are some less strenuous trails that are still enjoyable if you're not up for the hardcore stuff (I'm the only one in my family who actually likes hardcore hiking, so I was forced to stick to these.). The one my family took went across an old volcanic crater which was cool. (Can't remember the name ).

Good luck and have fun.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: midnightrat
Jules, what kind of activities did you do while there? snorkeling? museums? beach's? etc...

Did a bit of snorkeling and sight-seeing. They had a nice beach at the hotel. I wanted to do molokini crater but the day before I was going to go I got a bit too much sun (I wasn't burned bad but a touch red) so I thought it would be better if I didn't go spend a few more hours in it.

We didn't do the drive to Hana because it takes like 4 hours to get there and another 4 hours to get back. No way we were going to do that with a 3 year old.

We spent some time exploring the island and of course we ate and drank.

I brought my own snorkel gear so I was in the water practically every day.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: RKS
snorkeling :thumbsup:
biking down a volcano :thumbsdown:
road to (some name that I can't remember) in a rented jeep :thumbsup:
luaus :thumbsdown:
helicopter ride :thumbsup: (somewhat)

If you mean the "Road to Hana (sp)" Fuck that. It starts off nice, the scenery is awesome, but even awesome scenery gets pathetically monotonous after an hour (of the several it will take to finish the route). Not to mention crazy people on skinny roads (my family''s car almost got run off a cliff). There are a few native-owned hand-made smoothie stands and whatnot along the way (the smoothies were awesome), as well as a waterfall and natural resulting swimming area, but on the whole it was the most boring part of the entire trip for me.

Maui has Waikiki beach, and lots of awesome resorts. Nuff said. Snorkeling is beyond awesome if you find the right spot.

I've heard Kuwai has the best natural beauty in terms of Jungles/untouched wildlife, so if you're into nature hikes you might want to check it out.

Only part of Oahu I saw was the WWII museums/Arizona memorial. They were pretty interesting, but then again I'm something of a war buff.

The Big Island has volcanoes and subsequent hiking trails. If you time it with an eruption, there are actually trails that will take you right up to the lava flow. However, said trail consists of (from what I've heard) 6 hours of hardcore hiking. In short, if you love hiking and think volcanoes are cool, Big Island is the place to be.

Edit: There are some less strenuous trails that are still enjoyable if you're not up for the hardcore stuff (I'm the only one in my family who actually likes hardcore hiking, so I was forced to stick to these.). The one my family took went across an old volcanic crater which was cool. (Can't remember the name ).

Good luck and have fun.

It only takes two hours to get to Hana. If you're unaware of the pace on the road it can be stressful. But if you sit back and relax... and trade off driving on the way back it's a very nice drive. I've seen lots of tourists lose their minds on that road. It's not something you do on your first day here. Most tourists need a few days to unwind before they try that drive or they'll have a completely pissed off, white knuckle drive all the way to Hana.

Waikiki is on Oahu, not Maui. The only reason to go to Waikiki is to ogle the chicks or pick up transvestite prostitutes. Like I said before, stay away from Oahu. The beach with all the hotels on Maui is Ka'anapali.

It's not a six hour hike to see lava on BI. They have tours there that will pretty much drive you right up to it. There are also helicopter tours that will fly you over the volcano. If you only want to see the volcano then go to Maui and take a Heli-tour. Very cool.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: midnightrat
Jules, what kind of activities did you do while there? snorkeling? museums? beach's? etc...

Did a bit of snorkeling and sight-seeing. They had a nice beach at the hotel. I wanted to do molokini crater but the day before I was going to go I got a bit too much sun (I wasn't burned bad but a touch red) so I thought it would be better if I didn't go spend a few more hours in it.

We didn't do the drive to Hana because it takes like 4 hours to get there and another 4 hours to get back. No way we were going to do that with a 3 year old.

We spent some time exploring the island and of course we ate and drank.

I brought my own snorkel gear so I was in the water practically every day.

Buying/bringing your own gear is a pretty good idea. Coming from Ohio we really didn't have a need to purchase our own. The trip we took however let us snorkel with dolphins which was very cool.

 

[Paladin]

Wow, didn't know that about the downhill. My wife and I really had a blast when we did it 6 years ago. Looks like they start at 6500' now..
maui downhill

I wouldn't recommend road to Hana, unless you REALLY want to do it. you can just go about an hour into the drive and see some waterfalls, then come back. otherwise you'll be gone all day.

Take a snorkel trip to Molokini. you could either do one of the BIG boats with tons of people with bbq, or take something more dedicated like Maui Dive Shop (it's cheaper too). 150' visibility.

Discover Scuba trip (don't have to be certified) with Lahaina Divers (2 tanks). Great experience if you aren't certified, and aren't afraid of the water.