What can you expect on a Hawaiian Honeymoon? We helped Viki and Mike plan a whirlwind 3 island honeymoon to Hawai’i in May — and it was a dream come true! We balanced adventure and relaxation, with luxury, local guides, and plenty of free time. They had a truly incredible Hawaiian honeymoon and were more than happy to share their experience, so you can start visualizing your won romantic island adventure.
Traveling Overall
We had an amazing time on our Honeymoon to Hawai’i. It was a dream vacation for us both! Traveling for us went smoothly. There were no Covid restrictions, all our flights were on time, the car companies were efficient, and the check-in process at the hotels was quick. Considering we traveled to 3 islands and had 5 flights, I was pleasantly surprised by how well traveling went for us. We also had the best weather and were happy we chose May to visit Hawai’i! We also loved all the honeymoon perks our hotels offered, and the restaurants helped celebrate our honeymoon with complimentary dessert!
One of the best things we did was download the Gypsy App. We purchased the Hawai’i Bundle and it was well worth it. It was perfect Oahu and Road to Hana in Maui. We loved how we could start anywhere on the island, and go in any direction, and found the guide tips super helpful. It felt like without the app, we would’ve missed out on seeing some of our favorite spots!
I also want to note, that Hawai’i has implemented reservations for some popular tourist attractions and parks. For us, we did not want our trip planned out every day. We only made reservations for Diamond Head State Monument. We had no issue getting our desired date and time.
The USS Arizona Memorial encourages purchasing tickets in advance. We did not and did wait in a 2-hour standby line. Thankfully the weather cooperated and we didn’t have any other planned activities for the day.
Here are more details by island to share :
Oahu
The Lotus Honolulu at Diamond Head worked well for our stay, mainly because we spent most of our time exploring the island. The hotel wasn’t anything fancy, but it was clean and the room was nice.
They did accommodate our partial ocean & Diamond head view request. However, most of our ocean view was of the next door’s hotel parking lot. I wish we asked for a high-rise level floor. The hotel wasn’t beachfront, but it was a minute walk to a very nice and quiet beach.
Our favorite restaurants we ate in Oahu were :
- Michel’s at Colony Surf – perfect for a fancy oceanfront dinner and next to our hotel
- Sweet E’s Cafe – is a great local brunch spot located in Honolulu. It was a short 10-minute drive from our hotel. Both Mike & I loved their pancakes!
A few highlights from our time in Oahu included
- 2 Hour ATV Tour at Kualoa Ranch – such a thrill & we loved seeing so many Hollywood movie site locations
- Hiking Diamond Head
- Oahu’s Beaches & Volcanoes Loop (South-East corner)
- North Shore Loop
- Visited Pearl Harbor & USS Arizona Memorial
Kauai
The Sheraton Kauai Resort was our favorite hotel! The resort really went the extra mile by upgrading us for free to the “Hibiscus Suite”. The suite was a newly renovated top floor oceanfront & pool front suite. We had 3 balconies, a dining room, living room, master bedroom, and bathroom. They also offered us a complimentary bottle of champagne. We plan to request this specific suite on a future anniversary trip! We did not want to leave!
After our busy agenda in Oahu, we spent some much-needed R&R in Kauai. We loved the ocean views from Poipu Beach and the on-site amenities the Sheraton offered. On the last day, we treated ourselves to one of the beachside cabanas. We also spent much of our time at the resort’s restaurant, Lava’s. The staff was super friendly and had yummy poolside cocktails!
Our Doors Off Private Helicopter Tour with Mauna Loa Helicopters in Kauai was our favorite adventure! We flew over the coast of Kauai including the beautiful Na Pali! Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and he made us feel comfortable. This was an experience of a lifetime!
We also did the 8 Line Poipu Zipline Adventure with Skyline Eco Adventures in Kauai. We enjoyed seeing the different parts of Kauai and zipping around the island. However, we do wish we saw more tropical forests and that the lines were longer. This was our 3rd time ziplining together so for us I think next time we’d prefer a challenging course and more views! On the plus side, we did like that it was a small tour and our tour guides were awesome!
Our favorite restaurants in Kauai were all within a 5 to 10-minute drive of our resort :
- The Beach House Restaurant – a nice beachfront restaurant where we could watch the surfers. Probably my favorite restaurant in Hawai’i.
- Keoki’s Paradise – an open-air restaurant with a laid-back Hawaiian vibe.
- Living Foods – located in the cutest outdoor shopping mall, The Shops At Kukuiula.
Maui
The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa was a tropical paradise! The staff made us feel welcome with a bottle of champagne and a lei greeting upon check-in. Our hotel room was very nice and we had a gorgeous view of one of the many resort pools. It was also convenient having so many restaurants on site. I loved the poke & fish tacos they offered! The sunsets on the beach were also breathtaking being on the West Side of the island. The amenities at the resort were endless, and we saw many honeymooners like ourselves.
We had a great time at the Drums of The Pacific Luau at our hotel! Our seats were close to the stage, and the venue seemed pretty booked. I’m glad we purchased our tickets far in advance. The food servings were large and we enjoyed the open bar as well as the entertainment.
We’re also happy to report we survived the Road To Hana in Maui! We did the Original Route with 620 Curves and 59 One Way Bridges. It took us about 12 hours to fully complete by following the Gypsy Guide. We saw so many tropical rainforests, waterfalls, and beaches!
On our last day, we did the Lanai Snorkel Tour & Dolphin Watch With Pac-Whale Eco Adventures. It wasn’t the best snorkeling day at Lanai sadly. During the 5 hours, we didn’t see any dolphins and not a large variety of fish. The boat ride was long and we would have preferred a smaller group tour. We originally booked the small group Honolua Bay trip, but they canceled that specific tour the day prior. Next visit to Maui I’d love to snorkel Molokini Crater!
On one of our last nights in Maui, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at The Plantation House in Lahaina. The restaurant offers breathtaking views of the Kapalua Golf Course and the ocean. We were lucky to be at the restaurant during sunset. I enjoyed the Catch of The Day and Mike said his Filet was the best meal he had on our whole trip.
Conclusions
Overall, if we had to choose our favorite island it would be Kauai and then Maui! We still loved Oahu, but Honolulu was very crowded being a city. Traveling to 3 islands was an adventure and we saw a lot with not a ton of relaxation so we’re glad traveling was seamless. Next time, we’d choose just 1 or 2 islands so we can see more but have plenty of time to relax on the beach.
We’re so happy we delayed our trip by 2 years. No covid restrictions allowed us to be free of testing, and minimize wait times to fully enjoy our time.
We thank you Ann, and your team for all your time and dedication to helping us plan our dream Hawaiian Honeymoon! We look forward to planning a future trip together!
-Vicki & Mike
