Honeymoon information...Kauai or Maui?

Triathlon Forum
1

Really want to spend my honeymoon in May in a nice warm area as summer will still be a month away where I live. I want advice from those of you who have Island hopped after Kona. Can you tell my information about either place…I really know nothing about them but have been told they are both nice places. Looking for information on:

hotels
areas to stay
what there is to do besides the beach (i.e. hikes, shopping)
places to eat

Any and all information from first hand accounts will really be helpful so I can start to plan and book this thing. Thank You!

2

You really can’t go wrong with Maui. If you go there, aim for the south side of the island and stick more to the west half. There are a ton of hotels on the South West side and the majority (if not all) have beach front property. If you want to get a condo, check out VRBO.com. Lots of places for rent for the week. There’s lots of good places to snorkel, surf, etc. I can’t speak for hikes, but I’m sure you can find tons of them with a little extra searching.

3

Maui. I stayed in Kaanapali, like 2 miles north of Lahaina. Both, Kaanapali and Lahaina, very relaxing, next to the ocean, with awesome views to Lanai and Molokai.

4

I haven’t been there for about 20 years but I think Kauai is superior for scenery with the Na Pali coast (take a helicopter tour) and Waimea canyon (kind of like Hawaii’s “Grand Canyon”). Kauai also used to be less “spoiled” than Maui but I imagine that’s changed in recent years.

Not sure where to stay or where to eat these days.

Best of luck and congrats.

5

X3 on Maui. Kauai is very nice, but quiet and a more limited for a full length vacation. Since I moved to Oahu 3.5 years ago I’ve been to Maui 5-6 times and it keeps getting better. I prefer the Sheraton Kaanapali because it’s right on blackrock and close enough to get to Lahaina to eat without it being a long drive.

6

I spent 10 days this summer on my honeymoon in Hawaii. We spent half the time on Maui at Ritz in Kapalua and the rest at Kona Village (in Kona). We loved Maui. There are great restaurants everywhere, lots to see, tons of hiking, shopping, great drives. I highly recommend this area of Maui.

7

Went to Kauai for honeymoon…vacationed in Maui once.

My pick? Kauai. When we go back to Hawaii, we want to go back to Kauai. It’s a bit less commercialized. It’s smaller. More outdoorsy (though all the islands offer good outdoor activities). We LOVED the Princeville area. For us, the northshore was the best. Some AMAZING beaches available that aren’t too crowded…near the Kalalau hiking trail, among the better trails I’ve ever hiked. It can get pretty rugged in sections, depending on how far you go…but so worth the views and the experience. Some decent surfing on a lot of the beaches. Roadbike and mountain bike rentals at Kauai Cycle in Kapaa (though, the traffic and narrow roads do not seem bike friendly, that did not stop a TON of locals we saw on rides in the mornings).

The small town of Hanalei was our favorite place on the island. It’s literally minutes from Princeville…great beach, good surfing, good snorkeling, great little places to eat…and this AWESOME food stand with great things on the menu (we called it the “tranny stand” for the tranny looking person that worked there on some days). It had our favorite restaurant called Postcards. We went to a lot of restaurants…from expensive fancy, to cheap local spots…this killed them all, in our opinion.

The island is not too big…so we went all over the island visiting all the towns…Waimea, Hanapepe, Poipu, Kaloa, Lihue, Hanamaulu, Wailua, Kapaa, Kilauea, Princeville, Hanalei, Kekaha, plus little places in between I’m sure. The small size of the island and lots of small towns was a plus for us!

As far as where to stay…we were there for 2 weeks…spent the whole time right in the Princeville resort area. Our honeymoon wasn’t supposed to be that long. We started out at the Westin in Princeville. We LOVED it. Very spacious…awesome beds…nice, huge bathroom…nice tv. What we LOVED though was the full kitchen with full size fridge, microwave, oven, dishwasher, island, everything. AND…the cupboards had all the glassware, spoons, and everything. AND…in-room washer and dryer. The grounds were nice…the restaurant at the hotel was mediocre…the view was ok. It is not a beachfront property, which is a minus for some. But overall…we LOVED the place. We want to go back there next time.

After that, we decided to extend our stay a few days. The last 3-4 days, we stayed at the St. Regis in the Princeville resort area. The hotel grounds were amazing!!! It is beach front…and we saw the best sunset of the honeymoon at the hotel’s beach (the best sunrise we saw was at Tunnels beach). The restaurant there was pretty good. The hotel room itself…was nice. But it was just a normal hotelroom…no fullsize kitchen or washer/dryer. But, for a hotel room, very nice.

I’ve heard that the vacation rental houses and such kick the crap out of any hotel or resort on the whole island…but we didn’t learn about that until afterwards…and we can’t remember which ones were the good ones (because there are crappy ones too).

Maui was nice too. But Maui was bigger, more crowded, more commercialized…and well, less romantic IMHO.

If you have any questions, ask away!

8

I have never been to Maui but have been to Kauai twice and Hawaii once. One was my own honeymoon. Kauai is the ultimate for outdoor activities. I am going to spell everything wrong, I’m warning you now. Wiamea Canyon on the west side of the island and it is hard to believe it is the same place. The rest of the island is incredibly lush. The north side is where I’ve always stayed, somewhere between Hanalei and the end of the road there. I don’t remember the exact details but we rented houses in the town past Hanalei, which I think was Haleomaha. Billy Jean King has a house there if that helps. The island is small enough that you can drive to lots of hikes and still get home in the evening. Princeville is a big resort place but if you really want to get out and about I’d stay elsewhere.

Anyway, I know this is not very helpful as it has been a long time, but that is my recollection of Kauai. I’m sure Maui is pretty awesome as well.

–
edit: I stand corrected on the Princeville comment based on the previous poster’s experience.

9

X2!!!
(except for honeymoon part)

Went to Kauai for honeymoon…vacationed in Maui once.

My pick? Kauai. When we go back to Hawaii, we want to go back to Kauai. It’s a bit less commercialized. It’s smaller. More outdoorsy (though all the islands offer good outdoor activities). We LOVED the Princeville area. For us, the northshore was the best. Some AMAZING beaches available that aren’t too crowded…near the Kalalau hiking trail, among the better trails I’ve every hiked. It can get pretty rugged in sections, depending on how far you go…but so worth the views and the experience. Some decent surfing on a lot of the beaches. Roadbike and mountain bike rentals at Kauai Cycle in Kapaa (thought, the traffic and narrow roads do not seem bike friendly, that did not stop a TON of locals we saw on rides in the mornings).

The small town of Hanalei was our favorite place on the island. It’s literally minutes from Princeville…great beach, good surfing, good snorkeling, great little places to eat…and this AWESOME food stand with great things on the menu (we called it the “tranny stand” for the tranny looking person that worked there on some days).

The island is not too big…so we went all over the island visiting all the towns…Waimea, Hanapepe, Poipu, Kaloa, Lihue, Hanamaulu, Wailua, Kapaa, Kilauea, Princeville, Hanalei, Kekaha, plus little places in between I’m sure. The small size of the island and lots of small towns was a plus for us!

As far as where to stay…we were there for 2 weeks…spent the whole time right in the Princeville resort area. Our honeymoon wasn’t supposed to be that long. We started out at the Westin in Princeville. We LOVED it. Very spacious…awesome beds…nice bathroom…nice tv. What we LOVED though was the full kitchen with full size fridge, microwave, oven, dishwasher, island, everything. AND…the cupboards had all the glassware, spoons, and everything. AND…in room washer and dryer. The grounds were nice…the restaurant at the hotel was mediocre…the view was ok. It is not a beachfront property, which is a minus for some. But overall…we LOVED the place. We want to go back there next time.

After that, we decided to extend our stay a few days. The last 3-4 days, we stayed at the St. Regis in the Princeville resort area. The hotel grounds were amazing!!! It is beach front…and we saw the best sunset of our time right at the hotel’s beach (the best sunrise we saw was at Tunnels beach). The restaurant there was pretty good. The hotel room itself…was nice. But it was just a normal hotelroom…no fullsize kitchen or washer/dryer. But, for a hotel room, very nice.

I’ve heard that the vacation rental houses and such kick the crap out of any hotel or resort on the whole island…but we didn’t learn about that until afterwards…and we can’t remember which ones were the good ones (because there are crappy ones too).

If you have any questions, ask away!

10

My wife and I did 2 weeks in Hawaii for our honeymoon in November, one week in Maui and one in Kauai.

I absolutely loved Maui, we stayed at the Four Seasons in Wailea. Most spectacular place I have ever stayed. Great snorkeling right of the hotel beach, great luau at the resort next door. Some shopping in the area. We did the Road to Hana one day which was a long day but cool. I would say don’t bother with the drive up the crater to see the sun rise. It was a long morning and freezing cold up there, you don’t go to Hawaii to wake up at 3:30am and freeze your ass off :wink: About a 45 minute drive or so to Lahaina which we did one night for dinner.

My wife preferred Kauai. We stayed up in Princeville at the St. Regis. Kauai is definitely less built up and more focused on natural beauty. Which is peaceful or boring, depending on your personality. Personallly, the St. Regis was a ripoff, it cost us more than the Four Seasons and the properties weren’t even close. The location of the St. Regis was stunning, as was the lobby. But the staff wasn’t great and the rooms were very dated. We went into one local village a few nights for food, drinks, etc. It was fun, but quiet and totally a local scene.

Both are great, just depends what you are looking for.

11

Kauai!

If your tight on money just go to expedia or travelocity, whatever. Get a package deal with hotel, flight and car rental. I found one for 6 nights for two people, for 800 each. Hotel was cheap but we didn’t care, we where barely at the hotel. Go hike the Hannakapia Trial and the trail of the sleeping giant. And I don’t remember the beach but we snorkeled and saw dozens of sea turtles.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2liieqr.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/25a3ypf.jpg

12

We did both for a vacation a few years ago.

Kauai was our favorite - both were nice - both were expensive

We stayed here in Kauai. https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lihhi-kauai-marriott-resort/

The restaurants were top notch at the hotel and more were within walking distance.

The concierge was incredible - set us up with something every-day - kayaking was fun, helicopter ride is a must, hike to waterfall was also fun, if you golf - its great,

Maui - good “big name” golf, bike ride down the mountain is a definite DON’T DO, hikes were fun.

13

I cant compare since I’ve never been to Maui, but I got back from my first trip to Kauai two weeks ago. If Kauai is your choice, hike to Hanakapi’ai beach and then up to Hanakapi’ai Falls. This was my favorite thing. If I went back, I would definitely plan on bringing camping gear and doing the whole Kalalau Trail. Our favorite beach was Maha’ulepo (down the dirt road from the Hyatt, which is where I would stay if I was rich).

14

Just spent 10 days on Maui with the family at Xmas. Explored the entire place. Did hikes, rented helicopters, surfed 15 foot faces, snorkeled everyday, open water swam each day, hiked 20 miles or so and ran 42 miles…oh yeah…ate and drank like a pig. In other words, the island rocks. You basically need to choose weather to stay near Lahaina or the South Shore beaches were the uber- hotels are located. The beaches themselves are all awesome but the south shore has the larger ones (like Big Beach). If you are a surfer, then the north shore is more you cup of tea but for the most part, if you stay in Lahaina (we did), you are really 10-45 minutes from anywhere (except Hana…which is exactly 2:30 minutes driving non-stop and it took us 9 hours to get there with stops), which is really cool.

15

Wife and I did our Honeymoon in Maui in March last year (can’t believe a year has gone by so fast), and we absolutely loved it. We were there for over a week and stayed in 3 different places. Spent our first few nights at the Grand Wailea and pampered ourselves a bit. Incredible views from the hotel, great restaurant (humuhumu is there) and a world-class spa. Also spent 3 nights at H’oolio house (B&B just outside Lahaina), which is a great little quiet spot up on the hill over looking the ocean. Spent our last few nights up in Paia (Paia Inn), which is a cool little town at the beginning of the road to Hana.

As for things to do, there is just about everything and we did ALOT of it. We did the sunrise at the Volcano (definitely worth it since its easy to get up with the time difference), went horseback riding, hiking, snorkling, surfing, drove the Road to Hana (drive all the way around the island, it gets even better past Hana) and went to a couple Luaus, took a helicopter tour and visited the winery. We found some great restaurants, and also enjoyed some time just relaxing on the beach and by the pool. It was everything a honeymoon should be (best vacation I’ve ever been on), and we had a blast together.

We actually sent our itinerary to a couple friends who were out there later last year and they raved about it too. I’m a bit of an anal planner when traveling, so did a lot of research putting our trip together. Would be happy to share it with you if you want.

I’m sure you won’t go wrong in either spot though.

16

I love Maui. I go once or twice every year. That said, I would pick Kauai. Kauai is way more low key and secluded, which I think is better for a honeymoon. We went in June, theorectically when the whole state should be busy, and I felt like I was the only one there.

We stayed at the Princeville, which is a great hotel, but really expensive. I believe it’s not a St. Regis. Can’t beat the location.

17

I haven’t been there for about 20 years but I think Kauai is superior for scenery with the Na Pali coast (take a helicopter tour) and Waimea canyon (kind of like Hawaii’s “Grand Canyon”). Kauai also used to be less “spoiled” than Maui but I imagine that’s changed in recent years.

Not sure where to stay or where to eat these days.

Best of luck and congrats.

x2. Kauai is the “garden island” and is very pretty. Maui has lots of activities, but lots more people. If you want a nice relaxing time go Kauai. I have been to Kauai 7 times and Maui 3 times and will never return to Maui.

18

Agree with the others on Maui. Great honeymoon location. Spent 6 nights at the Four Seasons in Wailea. Top notch.

19

I haven’t been to Kauai, but my wife and I had our honeymoon in Maui. It was a great time! We stayed in Ka’anapali at the Marriot Maui Ocean Club. There are about 4 or 5 large resorts in Ka’anapali and they all came together to make a really nice boardwalk along the beach. It’s a really nice walk during the day, but even better at night (there are torches lighting the boardwalk!). Each of the hotels in Ka’anapali have their own restaurant too, so food is close by if you decide to walk. Also, still within walking distance just a little further north is Whaler’s Village which has plenty of food and shopping. About a 15 minute drive south of Ka’anapali is Lahaina, where there is a lot to see and do. We ate at several restaurants there, and also caught a show. I don’t think there was a single bad place we ate! We ended up exploring the entire island, and I feel Ka’anapali was in a nice central location relative to everything. The Road to Hana is a bit of a drive, but I definitely recommend it. And like Mark in FL said, drive all the way around past Hana if you do the drive. It’s just as good, if not better!

Either island you choose, I definitely recommend getting a guide book. Wizard Publications makes a book specific to each island. It helped a lot with the planning and also when we were there. The book tells how it is, and even goes as far to give horrible reviews to some businesses there. It was written by several guys who actually lived on the islands and visited places several times before writing a review. If the service was bad, they’ll let you know. If they love a restaurant, they’ll be sure to rave about it. The one for Maui is called “Maui Revealed” and the one for Kauai is called “The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook.” If you get a chance, browse through them sometime at a book store.

20

Either island you choose, I definitely recommend getting a guide book. Wizard Publications makes a book specific to each island. It helped a lot with the planning and also when we were there. The book tells how it is, and even goes as far to give horrible reviews to some businesses there. It was written by several guys who actually lived on the islands and visited places several times before writing a review. If the service was bad, they’ll let you know. If they love a restaurant, they’ll be sure to rave about it. The one for Maui is called “Maui Revealed” and the one for Kauai is called “The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook.” If you get a chance, browse through them sometime at a book store.

Ditto. We used the same books on our trips. They won’t steer you wrong.