Hawaii Hotel Rec Needed

We are thinking of planning a trip to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary.

We have never been to Hawaii.

What are some must see's?
Where should we stay?
Visit each island?
How long of a trip should we be planning?
How is Hawaii in the Summer?

We are looking to take in some local sights and food and are looking for a relaxing trip spent on the beach or in a pool.

Message edited 12/31/2012 12:50:43 PM.

Re: Hawaii Hotel Rec Needed

Hawaii is beautiful any time of year! It will be more crowded and more expensive in the summer though.

First off - how many days will you be there? How active of a vacation are you looking for?

Re: Hawaii Hotel Rec Needed

What Island are you going to?

Re: Hawaii Hotel Rec Needed

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon in 2010 and are planning on going again in 2013.

As far as must sees, it depends on what islands you are going to. A lot of people like to visit Pearl Harbor in Oahu but that doesn't meant that you have to vacation in Oahu. DH and I spent 1 night in Oahu, 6 in Kauai and 6 in Maui. This time we are going to do Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii.

There are 6 islands: Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island of Hawaii, Molokai and Lanai. From what I understand there really isn't much to do in Molokai and Lanai and I've yet to meet a New Yorker who has been there. Each island is very different. I recommend doing some research online or getting a guide book to see which you prefer. You won't be able to visit each island unless you plan on spending 5-6 weeks there. A general rule of thumb is to allocate 6-7 nights per island. So if you are going for 2 weeks, I would do 2 islands like we did. If you have 1 week, then 1 island.

There are direct flights from Newark with United and JFK with Hawaiian Air that go to Honolulu in Oahu. If you don't want to go to Oahu you can book an interisland flight to any of the other islands.

FM me if you have any questions.

Re: Hawaii Hotel Rec Needed

DH and I just spent almost two weeks in Hawaii back in Oct for our one year anniversary/delayed honeymoon.

We did 2 days in Oahu, 6 in Maui, and 4 in Kauai. I'll give you a quick rundown of my recommendations.

Oahu
2 days was more than enough. Our big thing here was Pearl Harbor, which was fantastic and totally worthwhile. We went to the Royal Hawaiian and had Mai Tais at their Mai Tai Bar. We also went to the Outrigger Waikiki and had Mai Tais at Dukes. Lots and lots of Mai Tais. Lol. We walked around downtown and Waikiki Beach.

Maui
This was where did most of our activities. We stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea and it is a great hotel. Each room is a suite with more than 800 sq ft. Lots to do and next door is the Four Seasons, then the Grand Wailea Hotel, and the the Shops at Wailea. So lots to do and explore.

Food - we tried a few of the places at our hotel, including Ko, the signature restaurant. We ate at Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar, which was about a 15 minute drive from our hotel. Very good. On our one year anniversary, we had lunch at Mama's Fish House. I was hesitant because it seemed so hyped but it was fantastic. Best place we ate in Hawaii hands down. I also recommend going for lunch because it's right on the water and can take advantage of the view during the day. We ate at Ferraro's at the Four Seasons for our anniversary night, which was also great.

Activities - we did the canoe experience at our hotel, which was actually one of my favorite things. It was paddling a small outrigger canoe. I had the best time and I'm not outdoorsy or athletic. We went to the Old Lahaina Luau. It was lots of fun and we went out to Lahaina early and spent some time there. We saw the old Banyan tree and went to the Mai Tai Lounge for, you guessed it, Mai Tais, after the luau. I also heard the Lahaina Grill was fantastic but we didn't make it there. I was on the fence about the Road to Hana, but we ended up doing it and it was fun. We had a rental for Maui and Kauai. So we drove it ourselves. Be prepared for a very long day. We got a picnic lunch and picked up some Cava and had a picnic on a secluded beach, which was wonderful.

Kauai
We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, and the suite we were in was the best I've ever stayed in. The resort was great. This was the relaxation portion of our trip. We didn't do much, mostly hung out at the resort. Our big excursion in Kauai was a helicopter tour with Blue Hawaii. DH was a military pilot, so he loved this. I liked it too but definitely had moments where I felt queasy. There are only 6 passengers and the pilot. Each person is weighed and seated accordingly. It was a great experience but was ready for it to be over. We also got to see lots of Kauai that is not accessible by road, etc. We also went to Merriman's Bar for more Mai Tais based off a friend's recommendation. Really good. Yes, we wanted to try as many as possible.

I hope this helps and feel free to reach out with any questions. You will have a great time!

Re: Hawaii Hotel Rec Needed

We loved Kauai -- the Grand Hyatt is beautiful there. We also heard from friends that the Sheraton Princeville is beautiful too - so, I would check out reviews on TripAdvisor and choose which you like better, for your needs.

At the Grand Hyatt, I highly recommend their restaurant called Dondero's - we felt the food was excellent there. We also enjoyed zip-lining and horseback riding (on the beach) on this island so I would suggest those two activities. Another place we ate outside the hotel was the Poipu Beach Broiler which is right near the Grand Hyatt... they can give you directions.

I used TripAdvisor and other sites like that to plan our entire trip. We honeymooned there - for just shy of three weeks... Oahu, then Kauai, and then Maui - we stopped over in San Diego for a few days on the way there.

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu - it is a great hotel, IMO the best on the Island. We received excellent service there. It is right on Waikiki Beach which is so pretty however VERY touristy and crowded... It was like Manhattan on a pretty beach. If it weren't for Pearl Harbor, I would not have gone there. Now that I've seen it once, I will not return - I feel like once was enough, been there/seen it. There's really nothing else there, to me, worth seeing. There's some kind of Polynesian Cultural Center there we were told to avoid like the plague because it is boring to death, lol.

Maui was our other favorite island - Kauai and Maui are tied for first. They are very different, Kauai being the Garden Island and so natural/lush where Maui has some busy cities along with natural settings. We did zip-lining and hiking on Maui. Be aware: when it says beginner or intermediate level on hiking kick it up two notches! We are in good shape and wow, that hike was NO JOKE. So, just be aware. A lot of people ride bikes down the volcano - this is something we were told to avoid by our Travel Agent, apparently each year people get killed (hit by cars) doing these bike rides. The public doesn't hear much about it. So, we avoided that and the helicopter rides for the same reasons. We stayed at the Grand Wailea -- where Oprah took her staff one year (I saw the episode and booked after seeing how beautiful the resort is) -- also where Jon and Kate Plus 8 renewed their vows (I saw that episode too) -- or where "Just Go With It" with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston was filmed -- it is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at and the amenities, pools, slides, and staff were phenomenal. The location is amazing too - I highly recommend Wailea -- it is a little away from the energy of Kaanapali which is a more common spot but I liked it because it was serene but still had a fun, exciting aspect. Wailea, IMO, is the most beautiful part of Maui - and Wailea beach was rated on the Travel Channel as one of the top 10 in the world. I did a lot of research and our TA who was a Hawaii expert helped a lot. A lot of people choose to do the Road to Hana - that was not something we were interested in - some people refer to it as the Road to Hell lolol - it just wasn't for us but it depends on what you like. Do research and choose what is best for you.

HTH!

We went in September - the airfare was dirt cheap, the hotels were pretty quiet, and the weather was pristine. If you can, do that, if not -- and you must do summer - just plan that it'll be a little more crowded than normal b/c of the kiddies.

Message edited 1/2/2013 3:58:20 PM.

Hawaii Hotel Rec Needed

There are so many options!

In Maui - we stayed at the Westin Kanapali and loved it. I really liked the whole Kanapali area - there are a bunch of hotels there and restaurants and it was close to Lahaina which is a cute little town. We enjoyed Mama's Fish House for dinner and really only did the Road to Hana - which had some great parts (we weren't there that long) and the Old Lahaina Luau.

In Kauai - we stayed at a timeshare near the Grand Hyatt which was beautiful but, we also stayed for a night at the Princeville which was amazing. It's on the rainy side of the island but, a beautiful hotel.

We spent 3 nights in Oahu - one at the beginning of our trip and 2 at the end of the trip. If I could go back and change it - I would have only spent one night - just long enough to see Pearl Harbor. Waikiki Beach is like 5th Avenue on the beach - lots of stores and whatnot - a lot more commercialized.