Hawaii advice?

[beachbride14]

Me and my finance have thought of going to other places for our honeymoon but we keep going back to the "well that's not hawaii" I guess beacause we have never been and want to go before it gets too late or we get too old. So with that said, any suggestions? Warnings? Places to go or places to avoid? Which island is best? I love the beach he loves to hike, but we both want to do things we have never done before, like snorkling or scuba diving etc. We have no idea where to start!? Advice would be appreciated!

[Ploman]

I have the exact same questions! 

[Branya2012]

I went to Maui for my cousin's wedding in 2008. Him and his wife have a blog about their travels to Hawaii. It's pretty in depth and could possibly have some good info for you. Have a read:

 

http://hawaiianadventures.wordpress.com/

[Branya2012]

PS: Maui was amazing! So relaxing and chill, with lots to do! I went for a week and it was a wonderful trip! We ended up spending one day on another island, at Waikiki beach, and it was a marked difference. Honolulu was a big city, very rushed with a very different atmosphere. If I had the chance, I'd definitely go to Maui again! Good luck!

Originally Posted by Branya2012 

I went to Maui for my cousin's wedding in 2008. Him and his wife have a blog about their travels to Hawaii. It's pretty in depth and could possibly have some good info for you. Have a read:

 

http://hawaiianadventures.wordpress.com/

[Ploman]

Wow that link is amazing!!! So much information! Thanks!

[Branya2012]

Haha, no problem! I'll let my cousin know you said that!

Originally Posted by jreist 

Wow that link is amazing!!! So much information! Thanks!

[beachbride14]

Thanks everyone!! The link WAS amazing! It has everything my finance and I want to do, plus more! Thanks!!!

[Kassi22]

I went to Hawaii for a wedding around Christmas time just past. It was awesome. .. Wedding was beautiful.. We made a trip out of it as if we had to do the 11 hour flight we might as well make it count.

I would suggest going to a couple of islands, they are all different in there ways.

 

Oahu is a must:

 

Waikiki Beach is bustling with shopping, hotels and restaurants (Roy's was one of my Fav's). The beach personally wasn't really my cup of tea, though it was nice, the sand was a little coarse for my liking.

 

You can hike up Diamond Head which is fun. The view from the top is awesome, you overlook Waikiki.

 

You can go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. It’s a nature reserve cove with some great fish sittings.. however I will admit, there is better snorkeling about IMO (to follow) but it is still worth a visit. I just feel that the coral was getting destroyed by people that don’t follow the rules (ie, stepping on it) Currents can be strong here, so be aware.. but it’s also fairly shallow and is lifeguarded.

 

Pearl Harbor is also very cool. I will admit, I’m not a major history person, but my FI is.. he LOVED it, but I also enjoyed the whole day as well.

 

Kualoa Ranch is also worth a visit. We did an ATV tour there. They took us through the acres (the ranch is 1100 acres) on a tour up the hills and through the valleys. Lots of movies have been filmed here (Jurassic Park, 50 Frist Date, Journey to the center of the Earth, etc) So you can see the still standing film location pieces. Kinda of neat, and it’s just beautiful.

 

Also, take a drive up the North Shore to watch the Surfers… just amazing watching these folks hit the pikes. The sand on the beaches up here was more like soft sawdust… again, it was a little odd, but still nice.

 

Maui is a must:

 

Maui is completely different then Oahu IMO (this is why I suggest going to more than one island if you can). Beaches here are beautiful fine sand.We stayed on the south west shoreline by Kihei/Makena. This is more of a laid back atmosphere then the more popular (busy) Lahaina. No tall buildings, just road and beach…beautiful. We snorkeled along the beaches here and found it better than the reserve as the stuff was untouched. We saw some sea turtles too!

 

You could take surf lessons. (unless you already know how).. We did this with Zack Howard Surf and it was a blast.

 

Drive up the Halaekala National Park to the top of the Volcano. However, most people do this at crack of dawn to see the sun rise… but I learned a little trick (from my Bro who went previous) .. Go up just before dark. You get to see the sunset, but once the darkness hits (when we were there, we were the only ones up there as everyone left) it gets PITCH black.. but the stars are incredible… words don’t describe it. But when you are 10,000 feet up, in pitch black, they are something else to see! Advice: Pack warm clothes.. its gets FREEZING up there. It was about 82 in Kihei, and 32 at the top.

 

Drive the ‘Road to Hana’.. now .. this is something else! The road is a bit treacherous.. so be a comfortable driver. There are waterfalls everywhere. You can park the car and hike into the rainforest in any direction and find a waterfalls, just awesome. The changes in the scenery is so cool.

 

If you do go, I would suggest buying the ‘Revealed’ books. There is a Maui, Oahu, Big island, etc They are full of information and little secrets that come in handy.

 

If you have any particular questions I would be glad to try and answer.

[beachbride14]

Awesome advice! Thank u!