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My fiancee and I are going to Hawaii for our honeymoon, and we are looking for some ideas on where to go, what to see, and what to do. We are going to Kauai for a week, and then Maui. We have some ideas already, but nothing set in stone. That's where you guys come in! Here is a blank itinerary. I will update it as ideas come up. We are staying at the Kuaui Country Inn in Kapaa, Kauai and the Kaanapali Beach Hotel in Kaanapali, Maui.
July 21 - Arrive Kauai in the afternoon July 22 July 23 July 24 July 25 July 26 July 27 July 28 - Afternoon inter-island flight to Maui July 29 July 30 July 31 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 - Leave For Home in the Afternoon
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Somewhere in there needs to be "Sacrifice Virgin in Volcano." Provided it's not you or the spouse, of course. Posts: 3852 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I hear a lot about the Polynesian Cultural Center on Laie. My sister went to BYU HI. If I went, I'd try to learn to surf.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I went to Kauai for 4 days in 2005. The first day, we went to the north shore. Make sure you see the light house and the bird sanctuary. We saw albatross that day. Kauai has some very lovely tiny towns along the north shore that are fun to drive through.
We spent another day driving along the south shore. Plan for a whole day in the Waimea canyon. You can probably see the derelict Russian fort then too.
Kauai is a tiny tiny island. You'll have more than enough time to see everything there. Some other things are the many waterfalls, the tree tunnel and Poipuu, where there's a blowhole. There are nene (the Hawaii state bird, the Hawaiian goose) everywhere on Kauai, since there are no mongoose there to eat their eggs. They're endangered and in the 8 years I've lived on Maui, I've only seen nenes twice here.
On Maui, plan for one day to drive to Hana if you're into that sort of thing. Be aware though, there really is *nothing* in Hana (there's even a song about it).
quote:No Taco Bells, no used car lots, no Burger Kings, no Minit Stops. Nobody on the sidewalk trying to sell time shares...if that's what you want, then you're right, there's nothing there.
A trip to the Haleakala Summit is always fun. Most people like to go up for sunrise, but there's no reason you can't go up at other times. Be aware though, it gets COLD up there. Yes, I know it's Hawaii, and yes, I know it's not as cold as Minnesota or Montana, but with the wind and the humidity and the elevation (>10K), you really need more than a long sleeved t-shirt to be comfortable. If you're into hiking, there are some really cool trails up there.
Maui has the best beaches in the islands(Kaanapali is one of the nicest), and Kauai's are better than Oahu's in my opinion too. If you like to shop, I recommend Paia on the north shore. There's a lot of little eclectic shops and plenty of restaurants. There's a nice beach there, too.
There's plenty of activities on the Lahaina side where you'll be staying. You won't be here during whale season, but there are "snorkel with dolphin" trips, Molokini crater/turtletown snorkeling trips, snorkeling on the beach along the highway, parasailing...
I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Congratulations!
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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Polynesian Cultural Center is on Oahu. It's certainly worth going to if you're there, but not worth a day trip to Oahu, IMO. If you attend a luau on either Maui or Kauai, you'll see a lot of the same things (hula, fire/knife dancing etc.)
Ulalena in Lahaina, Maui is as good as the PHC show.
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If you do decide to take the drive to Hana, be sure to continue around to Kipahulu and the 7 Sacred Pools. It's part of Haleakala National Park, and the park fee (it was $10 last time I went) is good for a week. So save your receipt and you can see both.
I don't tend to pay for expensive touristy activities, but there are plenty that are worth the money I hear. Kauai has zipline adventures, Napili coast boat tours and other things. The only navigable river in the state is on Kauai, and you can kayak etc. I'm sure you can find information on the web or in free magazines at the airport, hotel and many restaurants.
Now for my standard public health spiel. Be aware that we have tropical diseases here in the tropics. The main one we see on Kauai is Leptospirosis, and the risk factor for that is recreational *fresh* water exposure. It's not as prevalent on Maui, but we do see cases now and then. If you have any febrile illness within a couple of weeks after your return home, see a doctor immediately and make sure he knows your travel history. Lepto is very serious, but is treatable with inexpensive antibiotics. Be careful with mosquito protection, but don't stress too much. We do not have malaria, and haven't seen any dengue in years, but there's always the potential (for dengue, not malaria, we don't have the right mosquitoes here, praise be).
I don't mean to be a honeymoon-pooper, but in my job, I hear about all the ruined holidays due to illness. We get hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and only a tiny handful get sick here. Feel free to email me directly if you have other health concerns.
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Here is the latest version of the working itinerary:
July 21 - Arrive Kauai in the afternoon July 22 - Tree Tunnel / Poipu July 23 - Lighthouse/Bird Sanctuary July 24 - Waimea Canyon / Russian Fort July 25 - Kauai Cookie Factory July 26 - Kayaking in the river July 27 - Boat ride Na Pali Coast July 28 - Afternoon inter-island flight to Maui July 29 - Turtle Island Snorkeling July 30 - Haleakala Summit Morning Bike Ride July 31 - Shopping in Paia August 1 - Hana/Red Sands/Kipahulu/7 Sacred Pools August 2 - Ulalena Show August 3 August 4 - Leave For Home in the Afternoon
Is there any revisions/better ideas/corrections that can be made?
Thank you from NJ!
Posts: 468 | Registered: Mar 2008
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