I did the honeymoon thing in Hawaii also. I did
alot of research and had the same goals in mind of not going to a touristy island like Oahu.
I went to Kauai and the Big Island as my final choice and its was EXCEPTIONAL!!
🙂 🙂 🙂
The Big Island (my favorite) is one of the most diverse places on Earth. You can visit/tour the telescope observatories where it can snow (a great day adventure). You have volcano flows to see (btw, stay at a romantic cottage at the Volcano village--well worth it!). You have some great beaches on the northwest part of the island (Mauna Kea is my favorite--one of the best rated beaches). Great hikes, restaurants as well. You can do some great scuba diving, whale/sea life watching, etc. All the activities you could possible want.
Kauai is well worth the trip also. It's called the garden island and it truly exemplifies what tropical can be. Countless movies are made there, like Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc. Many activities to be had. Great hikes at the Canyon, helicopter rides thru canyon is awesome. FYI, stay on the sunnier south part of the Island though and do day trips to the North. The North is more beautiful, but it rains there or is cloudy during winters.
Don't do more than 2 islands in 2 weeks (an easy minimum of 6-7 days on the Big Island). There are so many things to see and do, it's unbelieveable. Getting to the airport to Island hop is a good 1/2 day no matter how you cut it with car rental return (which you'll need), packing, etc.
Also, if you have the scratch, do Hawaii
WELL. I mean you'll have to spend money regardless, so make it classy (go to good restaurants, stay at a top-notch hotels, and do the expensive high-rated touristy things). I spent $10k there on my honeymoon and have no regrets whatsoever. My wife and I have been all over the world, but this is HIGH on the list of most memorable/enjoyable trips bar-none.
Use Priceline when booking hotels. Go to this
bidding info site. I stayed at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island for $140/nite (an AMAZING bargain) thru Priceline. Use the site link, b/c it gives INVALUABLE info on how to low-brow bid. The Hapuna was an exceptional five star hotel and lays on one of the highest rated beaches in the world. Hapuna shares the adjacent beach with it's sister 5* property, The Mauna Kea--a smaller beach but a better place to sip cocktails and listen to live bands in the background. You also have the Hapuna golf course which is world-class and cheap for it's hotel guests as you get a great discount. When you bid thru Priceline using the variables, you may get the Hilton, but it's really nice as well, so you won't lose out. Still, I fell in love with the Hapuna--I'll defintely go back this year!!
Remember, when you stay at one of these top-notch hotels, call/email in advance that you are coming for your honeymoon. You'll have a lei for you and your wife, an upgraded beach room (our upgraded rooms were listed at $700+), and a $30 bottle of champagne waiting for you. This worked for me for the 3 hotels I stayed in. (If you stay on Kauai, don't go to the Hyatt. It may be top-rated, but totally over-hyped with degraded rooms. Go instead to the Princeville (extremely classy but expensive) or use Priceline for the Sheraton (my recommendation) or Marriott).
Remember, that all beaches on Hawaii are public. So you can take your towel and lounge at ANY of the nice beaches where a hotel has parked itself. You won't be able to use the lounge chairs of the hotel, but you'll be able to order food, use restrooms, and anything else that comes to mind.
Also remember that now is high season so prices go up about 20-30%. I went in November (low season) so prices were very good. The weather in Hawaii is a constant 80 degrees year round. So the misnomer of "Low season" really has more to do with kids being in school rather than it being colder. I came back with a really dark tan in November and never experienced a cool evening where I needed a light sweater. ALso low season is great for Honeymooning b/c there are less people/screaming kids around. You really will feel that the Island belongs to you without being crowded out anywhere.
Other islands like Oahu and Maui are where the tourists go. If its a "once in a lifetime thing", skip these crowded islands. They should be visited in a later trip, but definitely not the first time around. Locals on Hawaii vacation on Kauai and Big Island, so that should tell you something!
😉 If you want city life (i.e. discos & crowds) on an Island, then Oahu and to a lesser extent Maui...........to me that would not be vacation.....that's like being back home in the city (i.e. no relaxation/enjoyment). My advice is to also skip Lanai. Too small and boring for a first-timer.
Read
Flyertalk for mor Hawaii info. They have a link there devoted to Hawaii.
If you have any more questions about Big Island or Kauai (restaurants, hotels, worthwhiel tourist outfits), PM me.
