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Honeymoon in Maui and Kauai, suggestions?
My fiance and I are hoping to honeymoon in Maui and Kauai mid March of
'05. Each for 4 to 5 days. We're looking to stay in a hotel while on Maui and a condo while on Kauai. On Maui we're hoping to have some sort of civilization where she can browse, shop (a little), but still enjoy the beaches. In Kauai, we're hoping to bring it down a notch and have less civilization and just enjoy the beaches and scenery. What areas would you recommend in Maui and Kauai? I'm concerned about Lahaina being too much of a tourist trap. Others have recommended Wailea, or areas north of Lahaina. As for Kauai, we have heard that Poipu is pretty good. Or is there a better area on Kauai where we can enjoy stretches of beach? LIkes/Dislikes? My travel agent seemed to come off a bit snobby and just told me to goto lahaina and poipu w/out telling me much more. Any other travel agency suggestions? We're looking for something nice, but not something that's going to break the bank. Our focus is to just relax, remember, and enjoy our honeymoon. |
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"Dave" wrote in message om... What areas would you recommend in Maui and Kauai? I'm concerned about Lahaina being too much of a tourist trap. Others have recommended Wailea, or areas north of Lahaina. As for Kauai, we have heard that Poipu is pretty good. Or is there a better area on Kauai where we can enjoy stretches of beach? LIkes/Dislikes? Can't help you with Kauai, although was most recently on Maui around Christmas 2002 and will be back there next month. Lahaina IS a tourist trap, to some extent, but it's a nice one as such things go. It's still not overly large, and while parking can sometimes be a hassle, the crowds (at least while we were there) were nothing like, say, a Disney resort or some place like that. The best comparison I can make, if you're familiar with the place, is to Estes Park, Colorado (although Lahaina isn't even THAT big). All the time I was walking around Lahaina, I was thinking "Estes Park on the Pacific" (of course, I live in Colorado about 30 miles from EP, so that comparison came more naturally to me than it might to some others! :-)). There's a reasonable amount of shopping, it's where the whale watch, etc, tours operate from, and there's a reasonable amount of pretty acceptable dining in and around that area (and more as you head a bit north, toward the big resorts in Ka'anapali). We qualify as Old Married Folks With Kid, so our choice in lodging is always going to be an oceanfront condo. For a honeymoon, I'm guessing you'll want something a bit more upscale with more pampering involved, so you're likely going to want to look into those same "big resorts" - like the Hyatt, Westin, etc.. I can't tell you much about those, other than noting that we've had dinner at the Sheraton once, and so had a chance to look around the property a bit, and it seemed like a nice place. They're all RIGHT ON the ocean, so no problems finding a beach (finding a SPOT on the beach might be a different story, but you can definitely find the beach itself!), and within a short drive of Lahaina itself. There's not really much else in the way of choices on Maui except for the southwestern coast; Hana is small and sleepy, and didn't seem like the sort of place I'd choose for a honeymoon unless you happen to be into rain forests. The "big city" on Maui (again, as such things go) is Kahului and the surrounding towns, and while it's definitely not a tourist trap, it also isn't anything especially remarkable FOR tourists (at least those who don't just HAVE to be within a mile or so of a Home Depot and a Wal-Mart). suggestions? So the bottom line - stay at whatever suits your tastes north of Lahaina, plan on spending some time in Lahaina itself (and definitely plan on the Old Lahaina Luau - well worth it!), and relax! Bob M. |
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"Paddler" wrote in message om... Hi We stayed 3 places on Maui. Hana on the Eastern end is a cool place. In the link the pictures of the red sand beaches are from there. We were only there 2 nights but really enjoyed it. We also spent 4 nights in Wailea. You can pretty well tell which pictures those are too. Beautiful place. Nice beaches. We stayed at the Marriott Outrigger in an oceanfront room. Nice shopping mall behind the hotel within easy walking distance. I didn't like Lahaina only because it seems like a long drive to anywhere else. Seemed like a cool (but crowded) place otherwise. The link to pictures is http://members13.clubphoto.com/al611...86/guest.phtml We didn't use a travel agent. We had a book called Maui revisited and it helped a lot. Good luck and have fun. Al Actually, the name of the book is "Maui Revealed" and it's by Andrew Doughty and Harriet Friedman. It is considered the single "must have" book if you're planning to visit Maui. We stayed in South Maui at the Maui Prince hotel. Beautiful beach, beautiful rooms, good restaurants, nice pool and gorgeous grounds, and much less expensive than the Fairmont or Grand Wailea which are practically next door. Make sure you get up early (like 2 AM) to drive to the top of Mt. Haleakala for the sunrise. It will be brutally cold (probably in the 30s, because you're 10,000+ feet up) so bundle up, but the sunrise above the clouds is worth it. We went to Lahaina for a day, and found it touristy, but nice. The Lahaina Luau is, IMHO, overpriced (mediocre food, and a stage show that gets old very quickly). Finally, if you're planning to travel the road to Hana, find a company that does it in Jeeps (not motorcoaches or airport-type vans). We used Maui Adventures, owned by a fellow named Arnold DeClerq, and it was outstanding. He knew all the best places to stop (including very quiet pools to swim in) and we drove all the way around the island, beginning at the Maui Prince, and ending there almost 12 hours later. It was a truly unforgettable day. Enjoy! Steve |
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