Hey all, getting hitched 22/11/14 and looking at doing or honeymoon in the Hawaiian Islands. We will do a minor stint on Honolulu for the shopping, but also looking at doing the Big Island to check out the lava etc and then one of the smaller Islands. Any advice or deals with flights, accommodation (possibly hiring a house/unit), which of the smaller Islands to visit and what to do would be great! We're looking at a few weeks if possible and then looking at jumping to the mainland but Hawaii is my main priority to get sorted TIA!
Hawaiian Honeymoon on the Cheap
staceyasinme on 13/05/2014 - 21:28
Comments
In Maui now…warm and has costco, big kmart and walmart….but bring an umbrella rained last 48 hrs…warm 30 degrees though. There is a cd road to hana see if you can "acquire" a copy. Spend more time here as honeymoon no 1. destination….also one of most expensive places in America but still cheap compared to OZ.
YOu can park outside paid areas for walks, national parks and walk…after 2pm people dont collect money at some parks!Hi, I got married in Hawaii in October 2012 and my husband and I honeymooned there for 2 weeks.
We got flights for under $1,000 each return with Hawaiian Airlines which is really cheap and included checked baggage. That was flying from Brisbane to Honolulu. Jetstar regularly have sales for $1,000 return but with no checked baggage, but still a great deal.
We stayed at Marina Tower in Honoloulu. Great hotel and cheap! The views are awesome. We stayed on the 38th floor. Just incredible. A bit back from the main strip but still ocean views. We also stayed at Queen Kapolani Hotel in Waikiki. Crap and not so cheap. Don't recommend that one. Crappy old rooms and not so good service.
We went to Maui and stayed at Maui Coast Hotel. Cheap and fantastic rooms, exceptional service. While we were there a Tsunami hit which was really scary but the staff were great. We also went to The Big Island and stayed at Royal Kona Resort. Cheap again but the best resort we have ever stayed at! The rooms are huge and the resort is literally right over the ocean. They have a bar that is among rocks right in the ocean too. Just incredible. Highly recommend Royal Kona.
We hired a car for all locations we went to. It's hard to get around if you want to go on tours, see the volcanoes and go to all the beaches etc so a hire care is fantastic.
Tip - at most of the hotels you need to pay a parking fee and a daily surcharge which usually covers towels, internet etc. This is in addition to the nightly rate.
I used expedia to book half of our accomodation but a few of the hotels had cheaper deals on their own website. I also bought the latest lonely planet book for Hawaii which was super helpful.
Hope this info helps!
Recently a good friend of ours went to Hawaii. Purchased a week inter-island cruise and was very disappointed. Seems she found out when she arrived that the cost of her cruise gave her the very basic of cabins whereas if she had paid for it directly (or in America) she would have had a much better cabin and facilities for the amount she paid for in Australia.
Beware of Travel Agents. We were recently quoted a fare from a Travel Agent to N.Z. and bought the exact same fares (including luggage) for less than half by buying directly from the airlines (we used both Virgin and Air N.Z. via Norfolk Island).
We have not heard of or found an Australian Travel Agent where you really received a bargain. Better to do your homework and when possible to buy directly overseas. (Travel Agent's like to confuse you buy saying that you are protected by using them in case they go broke but they charge you a lot more for that privilege).
Check out https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/130685
Keep an eye out for Hawaiian Airlines Sale fares. 2 x 32kg Bags Each!
If just one other island than the Big Island, I'd do Maui. Finish off on Oahu before flying out, save lugging your purchases too far.