Looking for some advice on Hawaii

[Tina]

I'm looking for some advice about Hawaii. DH and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary next December (today is #9!). He called today and suggested we go to Hawaii, so of course I'm ready to start planning! Neither of us have ever been to Hawaii so I'm not sure where to even start. Here's what we DO know:

* We'd like to stay about a week - possibly Saturday through Saturday.
* I'm a hotel-snob and would like to stay somewhere with awesome views and be near a beach.
* We'll be flying First Class on United with the miles we've been saving FOREVER. I'll get these tix next month as soon as they become available.
* We'd like to see as much as possible, but still keep it romantic.

I'm looking for suggestions for which island(s) to visit, hotel recommendations, restaurant recommendations, things not to miss, and general advice.

Fill me in, DISers!!

 

[Bob Slydell]

I've only been to Maui, but I would recommend it highly. We stayed at the Westin Maui, which is right on Kaanapali and is a beautiful hotel.

 

[Laura]

I would go to Maui, and if you're going to stay a week I would just do one island. Maui is a nice all-purpose island with lots to do but gorgeous scenery. And it has some gorgeous hotels, especially in the Ka'anapali/Kapalua and Wailea/Makena areas. While I personally loved the Big Island more than Maui, it's almost too big for one week and we really only got to see half of it.

We went snorkeling, took a helicopter tour (on the Big Island, but you can do it on Maui too), drove to Hana, went to the Old Lahaina Luau, saw the Maui Ocean Center and hung out on some beautiful beaches. Great times!

www.gohawaii.com and www.tripadvisor.com are helpful

 

[Honu]

I've stayed in all the luxury resorts in Hawaii and Hualalai, the Four Season on the Big Island, is what you're looking for.

It is hands down the most romantic and special of all the luxury properties on all the islands.

The bungalow type buildings are strewn along the coastline. There are 2-4 units in each, but they are all pretty private. The downstairs units have fabulous indoor/outdoor showers, which I highly recommend. Everything about it is perfect.

 

[Tina]

Honu, thanks for the tip. I checked out the website and that is an awesome resort. Unfortunately, I haven't won the lotter recently. I think the 4 Seasons it a little out of my league.

 

[Sandy51]

I would also recommend Maui. It's truly paradise. But you should spend at least one day in Honolulu seeing Waikiki, the Arizona Memorial and Punch Bowl Cemetery.


Sandy

 

[DawnCt1]

I would try to stretch the trip to ten days since you haven't been before. I could tell you which islands I love (I love them all) but of course, your taste is different perhaps from mine. Get a Fodor's travel book on all of the Hawaiian Islands, he makes one that gives you a synopsis of all of them, and then decide based on what you are looking for. Personally, if I were going to Maui in Dec. I would consider the Wailea/Makena area. More sunshine in the south than in west Maui and they have beautiful resorts and beaches as well. Then of course there is Kauai. They don't call it the Garden Isle for nothing. I LOVE the Big Island but its call the BIG Island for a reason. Oahu is great for night life, beaches and of course Pearl Harbor, China Town, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Zoo, the North Shore, Diamond Head. They are all wonderful. It depends upon what you want. The hardest part for us when we go back is settling on where to go.

 

[krdisneybound]

We just got back from Hawaii. Flew into Ohau and stayed at the Hale Koa on Waikiki Beach.

We also used our mileage and went first class. Made a big difference in such a long flight. DH and I went and we took our daughter, DH and grandbaby. We were there 9 days and would go back in a heartbeat.


Is your husband in the service. If so, he can get real good prices there. Only service families can stay there. It sits right on the beach and is beautiful.

Our room overlooked the beach and we saw the sun rise each morning.

Just a suggestion/

 

[DawnCt1]

We just got back from Hawaii. Flew into Ohau and stayed at the Hale Koa on Waikiki Beach.

We also used our mileage and went first class. Made a big difference in such a long flight. DH and I went and we took our daughter, DH and grandbaby. We were there 9 days and would go back in a heartbeat.


Is your husband in the service. If so, he can get real good prices there. Only service families can stay there. It sits right on the beach and is beautiful.

Our room overlooked the beach and we saw the sun rise each morning.

Just a suggestion/

I just LOVE the Hale Koa. They have the best beach on Waikiki and we could go next door to the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Friday and watch the fireworks. Did you get to the Hale Koa's luau? Its pretty good and its the most affordable luau anywhere.....including Disney. The hotel is great and the drinks are so affordable. The guests are all so friendly that perfect strangers will offer to buy you a drink at the pool. What could be nicer? Next time you go, consider the Kilauea Military Camp in Volcano National Park. Its a great place to stay for a night or two. No pool, but the cottages are very nice, and you have a great opportunity to enjoy the park at night as well as during the day.

 

[TxJasmine]

Have you considered a cruise? We went on the Pride of America 7 night cruise this past August. The cruise starts in Honolulu, and you have one day in Hilo, one in Kona, 2 in Maui, and 2 in Kauai. It's a great way to get a feel for each of the different islands. They are all different and unique and it gives you an idea of which islands you want to come back to and spend more time at. Considering the price of hotels in Hawaii, a cruise is actually very reasonably priced.

 

[Laura]

Well, I love cruises, but I wouldn't really want to do one in Hawaii. The islands are so large, you'd really only get a tiny sampler of each. Plus you have to worry about getting back to the ship on time, decide what excursions to go on, etc. On cruisecritic, people are always asking, "which is the best _____" (beach, tour, restaurant for lunch, shop for souvenirs, luau...) because they only have one day on most of the islands. Too much stress for laid-back Hawaii! And the food in the restaurants on land is better than the food on any cruise ship, no contest.

If the OP plans to go back someday, maybe it would be a good idea to see all the islands via the cruise ship and get an idea of which one to spend more time in. Otherwise, I'd say narrow it down and pick one to stay in for the week.

 

[luvflorida]

We just got back from Hawaii. Flew into Ohau and stayed at the Hale Koa on Waikiki Beach.

We are leaving in 10 days for Ohau and we're staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. What was the weather like when you were there? It's so hard to imagine any place being warm when we're sitting here with over a foot of snow on the ground!

 

[Laura]

Waikiki Beach Web Cam!
http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/cameras/waikiki_beach/waikiki.htm
(There's music playing on the page, too.)

 

[binny]

Dh and I went for our 10th and renewed our vows on the beach at sunset It was SO amazing!!!

The minister we used was absolutely incredible He gave us a print out of our vows in English and Hawaiian and did the ceremony the same way. Half English/half Hawaiian. If youre interetsed his name is Kermit and his website is www.beachwed.com he arranged for a photographer too and well.... I just cant say enough about it.



We spent 8 days split between Oahu and Kauai. If you want romance and seclusion Kauai is the place for you but there are no buildings taller than a coconut tree there so you wont be high up LOL.
For nightlife go with Oahu.


I just got back from the Luxury Travel Expo in Vegas last night. I took a course on Hawaii while I was there and learned a lot!

 

[krdisneybound]

We did go to the Luau. Toasting of the pig was super. We went back on Thursday and watched them put him in the ground for the next group. It is really something how they roast him.

Yes, the Hilton Hawaiian Village was awesome. We walked over there each day and walked around the shops and ate at the little place on the beach there.

My son is a helicopter pilot in the Army and he is stationed there now. He's getting ready to go back to Iraq and I am sad over that.

The weather was great but it rained up by the North Shore quite often, being so close to the mountains. DS and DIL renewed their wedding vows at Shark's Cove on the North Shore and the sunset was unbelievable.

I just LOVE the Hale Koa. They have the best beach on Waikiki and we could go next door to the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Friday and watch the fireworks. Did you get to the Hale Koa's luau? Its pretty good and its the most affordable luau anywhere.....including Disney. The hotel is great and the drinks are so affordable. The guests are all so friendly that perfect strangers will offer to buy you a drink at the pool. What could be nicer? Next time you go, consider the Kilauea Military Camp in Volcano National Park. Its a great place to stay for a night or two. No pool, but the cottages are very nice, and you have a great opportunity to enjoy the park at night as well as during the day.

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

We are leaving in 10 days for Ohau and we're staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. What was the weather like when you were there? It's so hard to imagine any place being warm when we're sitting here with over a foot of snow on the ground!

Oh, you will have soooooo much fun. I wish I was there now, we're freezing here and snow is all around also.

We went to Oahu in July, I was there partially for work, so we had no choice in which Island to stay, and I'd never been there before, but I loved seeing the Arizona, climbing Diamond Head and just being in such a beautiful place.

We stayed at the Royal Hawaiian, one of the few oldest, original hotels on the island.

We really enjoyed the one day we rented a car and drove around most of the rest of the island. If you get a chance, try to see Pali Lookout, that was awesome.

 

[lap3]

If you want to do the touristy thing, then definitely go to Oahu. It doesn't get much touristy than that! Things we've done include snorkeling at Hanauama Bay, checking out the winds at Pali Lookout(it's super windy there), and of course, shopping at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. You can find a ton of souvenirs there for cheap.

For a nice place to stay, I'd recommend the Turtle Bay Resort. It's situated on the northern tip of Oahu and is about 40-50 minutes away from Honolulu. We stay there when we want to be in Oahu but away from it all. It's a very beautiful resort. Pricey but beautiful.

 

[nwdisgal]

I think the best view in the world is from the Presidential Suite of the Ritz Carlton on Maui.

That said, I'd recommend these hotels:

West Maui:

Ritz Carlton - Kapalua Maui
Hyatt Regency or Westin - Kaanapali Maui


South Maui:

Fairmont Kealani
Four Seasons Hotel
Grand Wailea - Go to Grand Wailea for one night just to check out their great pool and their fabulous spa.


Another great island is Kauai. It rains more there, but it is less crowded than Maui and very beautiful. That's where I go when I want to be alone with my honey.

I would recommend the Grand Hyatt at Poipu Beach. Poipu is the sunny part of Kauai.

 

[nwdisgal]

We are leaving in 10 days for Ohau and we're staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. What was the weather like when you were there? It's so hard to imagine any place being warm when we're sitting here with over a foot of snow on the ground!

check out www.hawaiiweathertoday.com Great source for local weather.
Right now it is sunny and lower to mid 80's. Definately no snow in the forecast.

 

[ZachnElli]

I highly reccommend the Fairmont Kealani in Maui. Dh and I went there for our 10 year anniversary. We renewed our vows right there and then they brought us out a dinner to eat at sunset, very romantic! The restaurants at the Kealani are all very good, several pools including an adult only pool. You can learn how to scuba dive and then they'll take you out in the ocean right there! All the rooms are suites too which is so nice! I really love this resort! Good luck deciding and have fun!