Which Hawaiian Island(s) for honeymoon?

[WhoseHouse]

So the fiancee and I have decided that maybe Hawaii would be a better choice for our honeymoon than Greece since we are on a bit of budget and think it would be a lot less work, more laying around in the sun and whatnot. So which islands are the best for that? I know someone mentioned Kauai and Maui on here. Are those the best for great beaches and avoiding club med type atmosphere (read: overrun with kids/families). Also, any resort recommendations? I'd love a beach bungalow type thing at a cool hotel with a good beach and a couple of bars/restaurants. Thanks in advance!

 

[DieUCLA98]

My wife and I also chose Hawaii. We had both already been to Maui, Kauai, the Big Island, and Oahu and we wanted something new.

We chose Lanai and it was absolutely awesome. It is so quiet and un-Hawaii-like. Very few people, only 3 hotels on the entire island (2 Four Seasons Resorts and one boutique hotel). We stayed at the FS - Manele Bay (the only hotel on the beach) and it was great. The snorkeling in the bay is by far the best I have experienced (and I hate snorkeling, I'd rather go dive, but in this case the snorkeling was almost as good as the diving). If you get lucky, you can swim out ~100 yards and be surrounded by a school of dolphins that sometimes will make the trek into the bay. Service was impeccable, food was awesome (though expensive, I would suggest eating at in Lanai City for at least a couple nights), rooms were awesome (we stayed in the cheapest one and it was spectacular), and if you golf, you can't beat the two courses in Lanai (Manele Bay and Lodge at Koele are easily the best two courses I have ever played).

If not Lanai, I'd be hesitant to goto any of the other islands except Kauai. The rest seemed too touristy for a honeymoon when I was there with the exception of the Big Island but finding a good beach there is tough. But volcanoes are cool

Shoot me a PM if you want more info on Lanai, I highly recommend it.

 

[austintexas]

More people will be found on Maui and Oahu. Quieter islands are the Big Island, Kauai, and Lanai.

Kauai and Maui are very green and beautiful.
The Big Island ahs 11 of the 14 climate regions found around the world, so its very diverse. Plus the volcano.

My favorite islands are the Big Island and Kauai. You really can't make a mistake in this decision. Enjoy.

 

[WhoseHouse]

Thanks for the replies. Also, mods, I meant to post this on On the Road Again so feel free to move it!

 

[UTinBigD]

spent 18 days on the islands (did not go to Maui or Lanai) and outside of seeing PH, we like Kauai the best. Really depends on how pampered you want to be.

Got a little cottage on the ocean and could walk out the back door and go snorkeling with no other people around at all. If you like snorkeling, rent sets by the week and keep them with you/in the car. We would also drive around different beaches and snorkel around as well.

There was a little market up the road so we could get fresh fish and grill it ourselves (place had a bbq pit). We could also go to the 5* hotel and get a great meal there as well.

 

[Mr Bean]

we did the lanai/maui thing for our honeymoon. the above poster who discussed Lanai is spot on. It is the perfect place for a honeymoon - we spent half a day on a huge white sand beach on the north side of the island, without ever seeing another person.

Both of the 4 seasons hotels are expensive, but well worth it, imho. After spending time on Lanai, however, the crowds and traffic of the other islands will drive you crazy.

 

[WhoseHouse]

If we wanted to find something to do at night- not a club or anything obviously, but a fun restaurant or something, do they have that on Lanai? Or is it a place where you pretty much stick to the resorts?

 

[txzen]

Lanai is awsome. It's basically a Four Season's Island. There is a 'town' with a B&B, a few small restaurants and shops, but it's tiny tiny.

We stayed at Manele Bay, and the only places to eat are on property, or a shuttle ride into 'town'. Never did that. The food at the resort was quite good, I thought, with a few different 'themes', and even a dressy option (though why Italian, I'll never know). Anyway, fantastic beach, absolutely incredible snokelling with free equipment rental right off the beach. They boat over people from the other islands for that spot, but it's all yours.

It's quiet, but for us - perfect.