Enderts Beach and other Secluded Beaches

Hawaii Honeymoon Planning Advice Please!?

My fiancé and I are getting married on May 10th 2008. We are so excited about taking our Honeymoon to Hawaii, since neither of us has been there. We are open to the island we stay at but do NOT want to stay in a hotel. We are looking for a private condo on the beach so we can cook our own food and have the comforts of our “own” home. Something that is nice, yet affordable, our budget will be about $6000 total for maybe 10 days. Also, we want our condo to be secluded but give us the option to take our rental car to a nice dinner, grocery shop and do fun activities. We want to be able to be in somewhat close proximity to swimming with dolphins, a zip line experience, surf lessons, horseback riding and jet skiing. So if anyone has any lodging recommendations and activity information I would really appreciate it. Like I mentioned we have no idea where to begin with planning and are hoping we can find the island of our dreams. We are hoping to make this the trip of a lifetime!

Public Comments

1. I think you need to figure out what island you want to be on first, then see if the island has all the activities you're looking for. Oahu has everything you're looking for, but it's very much a city with traffic, high rise buildings, tourist, etc., so you might not like it as much for a honeymoon. However, it also offers nightlife entertainment, like a wide variety of restaurant and shops that other islands don't necessarily have. If you want seclusion, look for condo or vacation home rentals in Kahala, Kailua, or Ko Olina. If you don't mind Waikiki (lots of tourists, noisy, full of high rise condos and hotels, but has good restaurants and shops), you can also find some decent condos like the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower that is across the street from the beach and has a kitchen. For honeymoon, lots of people opt for Maui, which is a more mellow version of Oahu. It has good resort areas, beautiful beaches, restaurants, water-sport, etc. I'm not sure about zip line, but I know they offer horseback riding. Areas you may want to look into staying are the resort regions Kaanapali or Kapalua, which you can find lots of info if you google condo or vacation homes, villas, etc. Another region on Maui that is considered a luxury region is Wailea. There are some condos for rent too, just research Wailea vacation rentals. Kauai and Big Island are much slower and doesn't offer as much nightlife or entertainment options (it doesn't take 10 days to explore either island, you might run out of things to do in 3-4 days). However, if you're interesting in seeing the volcano and visit black sand or green sand beach, Big Island is the place to go. Areas you might want to look into for accommodations are Waikoloa, Mauna Kea, and Mauna Lani. Cheaper options are in Kona, but not as nice as the resort areas mentioned previously. Don't bother staying in Hilo, there's nothing there really. Kauai is beautifully green. If hiking and waterfalls are your thing, Kauai's a good place to be. Look for places to stay in Poipu (south shore) or Princeville (north shore). Poipu tends to be sunnier than Princeville and less pricey. Kauai and Big Island are good if you really want a getaway from anything city. By the way, I know $6000 seems like a lot of money, but Hawaii is really expensive. Half of your budget will go to accommodations, if not more. Oahu is the cheapest of all the islands for in general, Maui is the most expensive. Something to keep in mind when you're looking for a place to rent. Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau is a good website to research when planning your activities, etc. I think you can plan out your whole trip on this website. http://www.gohawaii.com/
2. Check for vacation rentals by owner in Hawaii ~ VRBO ~ http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=vacation+rentals+Hawaii I think there are zip Line tours on Maui & Kauai. snorkel bobs.com ~ reasonable equipment rental prices ~ http://www.snorkelbob.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/sbservices_packages.html?E+scstore Kualoa Ranch on North Shore Oahu ~ Horseback/ATV Rides ~ http://www.kualoa.com/ http://www.mauivacationrentals.net/ http://www.mauicondohomes.com/maps_maui/kahananapilikapalua.htm Map of West Maui ~ Kahana/Napili Condos ~ Honokowai & Mahinahina are the 2 small towns between Napili/Kahana & Kaanapali, there are affordable oceanfront condos there also. At least 3-4 grocery stores nearby, 100's of oceanfront condos available on "West Maui". Search for "Condos West Maui" ~ http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=Condos+West+Maui http://www.mauicondohomes.com/napilimauicondos.htm http://www.mauicondohomes.com/kahanamauicondos.htm Pohailani & Maui Villas are good & reasonable prices but my 1st choice would be somewhere in Napili Bay, just make sure it's on the beach or oceanfront. Jet Ski /Parasail in Kaanapali Beach ~ http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=Kaanapali+Beach+Jet+Ski
3. 6K should be plenty for a week to ten days in Hawaii, particularly if you rent a condo. Look at www.vrbo.com -- Vacation Rentals By Owner. The individual web pages for each condo/house vary, but tend to be very accurate and are usually cheaper than staying in a hotel if your needs are fairly simple. As to the person who said you'd be bored after 3-4 days on Kauai or the Big Island: I couldn't disagree more. I have lived on both islands and I'm never bored on either one! There are so many things to do on every island. Kauai and the Big Island are pretty sleepy in terms of nightlife so if that's what you're looking for, you WILL be disappointed on either of these islands. Maui or Oahu might be more what you're looking for. Both Maui and Oahu are beautiful as well as having a lot to do in terms of shopping, dining, and nightlife. Kauai offers horseback riding, surfing, and zip lines. I'm not sure about jet skiing as I've never seen them here. There is nowhere to swim with dolphins unless you do it in the wild and they're a protected species, so that's a bad idea (more for the dolphins' sake than your own). I know you can swim with dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island and also at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (I think) on Oahu. It's a pricey experience but thoroughly enjoyable for the participant. I took my six year old son to swim with the dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa last year for his birthday. He loved it, but you only get to spend about 30 minutes with the animals. Instead, why not take a snorkel cruise off one of the islands (I have done 3 off Kauai and they've all been great) -- you're bound to see a pod of spinner dolphins, which are spectacular!
4. The only island where you can be sure to be able to swim with dolphins is Oahu. (They also offer it on the Big Island of Hawaii, but not everyone who wants to do it there can get a turn.) But Oahu is the most crowded island by far. A private condo on a beach is going to be very expensive. Most great beach property is taken up by big resort hotels or big not-very-private condos. I suggest Maui as the best island. It is not as crowded as Oahu, and there is a lot more to do than on Kauai or the Big Island of Hawaii. There are two zip lines, several horseback riding places (including one that can take you into Haleakala crater on horseback), surf lessons and jet skiing (though no swimming with dolphins on Maui). Lots of info about Maui sights, activities, condos, restaurants and more is at http://www.mauihawaii.org
5. Definitely go with Maui. It's not as frenetically touristy as Oahu, but it has enough activities and sights to keep you engaged. What's more, there are luxe, high-end condo rentals in places like Kapalua, as well as quaint, lower-scale bungalows in Lahaina and Paia. The latter is like staying in an artist colony. Enjoy! Kango Traveler
6. You have to got to this website, www.hulagirlstravel.com. It is a fun little site, and they have all kinds of info about Hawaii. Make sure to check out their article named Island 101, I got a kick out of it! Congratulations, and have fun!!
7. My Condo is one of the most beautiful ones on the island, check out the site, you will be happy www.myspace.com/waikoloabeachvilla