Hawaii?

kerrilucko
kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
edited September 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I am planning a trip for the not so distant future, to Hawaii. I am thinking Oahu but I could be swayed. I'm wondering if anyone has visited or lived in Hawaii and knows of a great resort? I found one that I love and it's not horribly priced but its also not inclusive... which will really at up! Any thoughts? And yes, I am aware that this is a really odd topic to bring up here, unfortunately right now I am nowhere near a travel agent, so the internet is my main tool :laugh: Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    I am planning a trip for the not so distant future, to Hawaii. I am thinking Oahu but I could be swayed. I'm wondering if anyone has visited or lived in Hawaii and knows of a great resort? I found one that I love and it's not horribly priced but its also not inclusive... which will really at up! Any thoughts? And yes, I am aware that this is a really odd topic to bring up here, unfortunately right now I am nowhere near a travel agent, so the internet is my main tool :laugh: Thanks in advance!
  • abbychelle07
    abbychelle07 Posts: 656 Member
    I have been to Maui, but don't remember the name of the resort. It was BEAUTIFUL there.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Thanks Abby, I will look into Maui more, The thing I like about OAHU is it is home of the capital, Honolulu, which means we wouldn't require an interisland flight. But it is a minor thing :laugh:
  • RunningRatty
    RunningRatty Posts: 161
    Kuaui...beautiful.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    I think Kauai is a little to remote for us... usless of course you can name a great resort there? We want to be a little isolated but also to be able to go out dancing if the mood strikes! :bigsmile:
  • barracudamuscle
    barracudamuscle Posts: 313 Member
    You can fly directly into maui, airport code KOGG. Been there many times, highly reccomend Maui over Honolulu. The beaches are packed in honolulu and its real touristy, while maui is green and spread out. Take your pick but to me I'd rather go to Maui since it feels more intiment.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Thanks Barracuda, I didn;t know there was a major airport in Maui. For the record we weren't planning on STAYING in Honolulu! :laugh: We were looking at maybe Waikiki or thereabouts, like I said I found a beautiful resort there! Anyway, Barracuda, can you recommend a place to stay in Maui? I prefer something inclusive, but would look into any recommended resort?
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
    We went to Maui on our honeymoon (BEAUTIFUL) but took a puddle jumper over to Oahu to visit Pearl Harbor (romantic, huh?) :tongue:

    Oahu was waaaay too crowded & congested for our tastes, but we only saw the city & not the rest of the island.

    No matter where you go, you'll have a awesome time!! :happy:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Thanks Shannon, do you remember the name of where you stayed in Maui?
  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
    I myself wasn't too taken by oahu/wakkikki but its a city so if that is your thing then cool. I remember there being a hilton I believe that was just awesome with a mini zoo in the courtyard right on the beach. Make sure you go to the polynesian culture center and they even have a ranch ( i forgot the name) where you go horseback riding it was really fun but a drive from oahu so it was good to get the tickets from the hotel to be able to get a pickup..... Hawaii has alot to offer just depends on what your going for if your going for romance i think you need to research another island of hawaii, just my 2 cents.
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
    We stayed at the Westin hotel in Kaanapali. Very pretty!

    If you're looking for a little more nightlife, the next(?) town over, Lahaina has more shops & restaurants.

    Is this a pleasure/romance trip :love: or for work? :grumble:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    This is for a honeymoon, it's not until NEXT summer (09) but its never too early to plan. :wink:

    I appreciate all the suggestions, the resort we were looking at is "Turtle Bay Resort" which I thought looked quite isolated, anyone ever heard of it? It has golf courses, tennis courts, 5 restaurants, surf lessons, a huge spa, horseback riding and miles and miles of beach...

    www.turtlebayresort.com

    We aren't looking to stay in a "city" but we dont want to be completely isolated either... I'm definitely going to look some more into Maui though... it's just tough, the above resort looks and sounds AMAZING :drinker:
  • mechanicmom
    mechanicmom Posts: 5,699 Member
    We went to Honolulu for our honeymoon and stayed at a hotel just a few blocks from Waikiki. The beach was nice and it wasn't crowded at all when we went (April), but the hotel was not much to speak of. Kind of an expensive motel 6. It was called something like Surf Ohana or something like that. It was okay I guess. We just didn't like Honolulu and driving in it. It was way too crowded for us, but we were living in a city of 100,000 people at the time so we weren't used to big cities. I think next time we will go to Maui or one of the other islands. We like to hike and be outside so remote places work for us! Sorry I'm not much help, but you will LOVE Hawaii. It is so beautiful. I miss it so much! :sad:
  • cora62
    cora62 Posts: 1
    hi, I lived in Oahu for 6 years..check out the turtle bay resort located on the north shore and Kahala resort. O'ahu offers the best of both worlds. Gorgeous beaches and the citylife like clubs, shopping etc. but, if you really prefer to be in a secluded resort, Maui is the place to go. Aloha and Have fun!
  • jetswa737
    jetswa737 Posts: 28
    Hawaii is a great destination. As far as Oahu is concerned I always as people the question of what their expectation is. Are you looking to be touristy, party and be amongst people. If so then Oahu is the place for you.When I went all I could think is that I flew thousands of miles to come to a Pacific Ocean version of Miami. However if you want a more secluded natural vacation then I would recommend one of the other islands. I really enjoyed Maui. It was beautiful and natural and I have got to say the best place I have ever been to in my life. As far as all inclusive hotels you really wont find many in hawaii as they are pretty non existent. If that is what you are looking for I would recommend the caribbean where that is a more common feature. My favorite place is the El Dorado Royale in Playa Del Carmen Mexico. Other than that, I wish you the best of luck and hope you have a great time.
  • jetswa737
    jetswa737 Posts: 28
    The airport code for Maui is OGG. The Grand Wailea is a beautiful resort. Oprah usually stays there. I had a chance to stay there for two nights. It is part of the Hilton HHonors pogram so if you have points you could use that. If you are not a member I would recommend becoming one if you stay there because they usually give you a complimentary upgrade.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Cora! Turtle Bay is the one I was looking at, my fiance and I are kind of in love with it :smooched:

    Can you tell me, is it KIND of private? I don't want a BUSY place, but I do want to be able to have fun and do a wide variety of activites, which they offer.... what do you think?
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
    We went this summer..I suggest the big island. Waikiki was beautiful, and they have the beach and the zoo (I love animals:). Also PEARL HARBOR! and the gravesites in the crater..VERY impressive. I highly highly suggest pearl harbor....it's very moving.
  • sapphyre0702
    sapphyre0702 Posts: 68
    Hi.

    I've been to Oahu twice, and stayed with friends both times so I don't know much about the resorts. But I don't think it will matter if it is not all inclusive. Waikiki especially everything is in a big strip and there are lots of food places (some very healthy) and additional things to do.

    My biggest piece of advice is to travel the island as much as you can. Oahu has an amazing bus system (clean, the people are ammazing, though it isn't the most punctual no one minds) and the buses can take you all around the island for like 2 dollars. THe North Shore is really cool, that where all the big surfing waves are.

    Have an amazing time! The people are so nice, and it is beautiful. Also, they tend to have a lot of night acivities near Waikiki beach, we saw a Polenysian dance festival at sunset it was amazing!
  • yenn
    yenn Posts: 48 Member
    Turtle Bay resort is on the North Shore of Oahu, and much more like Maui than the rest of the Island !! If i had to go to one island (and i have been to them all) I would go to Oahu because it offers a little bit of everything, depending where you are. The north shore has amazing waves, and you can drive to Waikiki/Honolulu (which is about an hour) for more shopping, tourists, and city type stuff. Go see Forgetting Sarah Marshall .. that's Turtle Bay Resort, where they stay, and also gives you a good idea of what the nightlife scene on the north shore looks like (lots of little divey local bars on the beach)

    I am a Maui person myself ... South Maui (Wailea, Kihei) specifically, but it's way more expensive IMHO for the same type of accomodations. You can get, for $200, what you'd have to pay $400 for on Maui, if you go to Oahu. ALSO, most are not all-inclusive because food is really expensive on the islands. If you like Japanese food there are places you can get a $4 box lunch of sushi/teriyaki type stuff with rice that's great and won't bust your diet OR your budget !!! Also a lot more of that kind of thing on Oahu, where more people live, than on the other islands, where more people visit.
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
    This is for a honeymoon, it's not until NEXT summer (09) but its never too early to plan. :wink:

    I appreciate all the suggestions, the resort we were looking at is "Turtle Bay Resort" which I thought looked quite isolated, anyone ever heard of it? It has golf courses, tennis courts, 5 restaurants, surf lessons, a huge spa, horseback riding and miles and miles of beach...

    www.turtlebayresort.com

    We aren't looking to stay in a "city" but we dont want to be completely isolated either... I'm definitely going to look some more into Maui though... it's just tough, the above resort looks and sounds AMAZING :drinker:

    Just looked at your link, you're right, it does look amazing. No matter where you end up, you're gonna gave a great time!! How can you go wrong sitting on a beach?? (happy sigh)

    When we were there (10 years ago) it didn't cost a whole lot to island hop, but with gas prices now...who knows?? :flowerforyou:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Thanks yenn, I am looking up some Maui resorts and havn't found one that looks even nearly as amazing as turtle bay! And they are about 1-2000 more too! I think Turtle Bay is still my top choice, and thanks I will see that movie to get a better Idea! I didn't know it was filmed there!
  • pmd14
    pmd14 Posts: 232 Member
    I'm not sure if you are interested but I did a cruise of the islands and it was wonde!!! t was 7 days and we stopped at all the islands. This way we got a taste of them all. Have fun
  • yenn
    yenn Posts: 48 Member
    beware of the full-frontal *(and waaaay too much of it) in the movie !!! But yes, it's like an infomercial for Turtle Bay.

    If you do go to Maui, IMHO the best place IS Wailea but prohibitively expensive ... the Four Seasons KeaLani, the Grand Wailea, that stretch is awesome but like $800 a night ugh. Problem is that in the Northern beaches get windy and cloudy when Wailea/Kihei is sunny. I go to Kihei condos when I go there !! Do that your next trip when it's not a honeymoon. No one wants to shop at Costco and cook on a honeymoon !!
  • barracudamuscle
    barracudamuscle Posts: 313 Member
    Sorry I took so long to respond, I spaced going into my posts section. I am absolutely in love with Lahina! Kihei is a fun little town to spend the day too. Go check out the Iao Needle, very cool scenic place to go see. The road to Hana is a LONG twisty road that will take you honestly about 8 hours to fully enjoy/relax. The roads really narrow in many places causing traffic jams but at the end of your efforts go find Red Sand Beach! It is a highly unknown place to go and really easy to find!

    My fiance and I are actually going there for our honeymoon ( we met in maui, go figure honeymooners paradise both being single?!? ) Were staying at the resortquest kannapali. Its kinda like a condo place but near all our daily stuff like Moose Mcgillicuttys, which has $1 Mai Tais for happy hour. Man I remember getting all the people I was with tanked and only dropping $75, wow that was a night to remember!:drinker:

    I wsh I knew how to upload pics in this thread but I dont think its possible. You can't fail in y honest opinion, Ive been to all the islands you can goto in hawaii and my favorite one is Maui, Yea I'm more biased because thats where I met my lover but even withot that its great!
  • abbychelle07
    abbychelle07 Posts: 656 Member
    I went to Maui with my aunt and uncle. They wanted to have a romantic trip AND take the kids, so during the day we were together and at night I babysat so they could go out. Yes, it was an awesome deal!

    Anyway, I watched the two little ones one day while the rest of the family took a island-hopper flight to see Pearl Harbor. They said it was really interesting, but I don't know if it would be a downer for a honeymoon. Depends if you are into historical things.
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