We're going to Hawaii!
I'm so excited I can barely keep myself together. I know this is a real splurge, and as my parents have pointed out, we're kind of just poor students right now. BUT Tyler and I have never been on a real vacation before, and with me in med school and him hopefully headed to law school soon, it's not like we're going to be able to take another vacation anytime soon. We discussed it for a while and decided that it would be worth it to just take the trip of our dreams.
So here's the plan. We're going to Maui first for 5 nights, then flying to Kauai for 4 more nights. We just finished booking everything (mid-April), so I can actually tell you our plan. We're leaving the day after the wedding around 11am. We don't get into Maui until around 8, but we wanted a little later morning start so we can say bye to everyone who's still around. We don't leave Hawaii until 10pm on the last day so that will at least make up for the late arrival.
Helpful Tidbits for Others Going to Hawaii
For now, I'm just going to say that the Revealed Books (see below in Items we're bringing) and tripadvisor are probably your two best friends. Use them. Don't be afraid to post and browse the forums on tripadvisor either. I've had excellent results getting ideas and answers from there.
COUPON: If you are going to Maui and want to eat in the Lahaina area - I found this coupon for Leilani's that offers a complimentary dessert or appetizer with every coupon, no expiration date.
Maui
We're going to be staying at the Sheraton Maui in Kaanapali, Maui. It's on the west side of the island. I've heard this area can get lots of wind in the winter, but it's supposed to be the best in terms of things to do in the area. We only got a partial ocean view room, but when I called to confirm our reservations I mentioned that we would be on our honeymoon and the lady said she would make a note to give us an upgrade if available. That'd be awesome! If it doesn't happen, we'll live, but I'm hoping it does happen. :o)
We were actually going to get a condo (we were looking at Honua Kai, which looks reeeally nice), but Orbitz had a good deal going on where you got your 4th night free, and then with a car rental packaged in it was even better.
Here's an aerial shot of the Sheraton. Look at that water!
Kauai
We're going to stay in a condo at the Waipouli Beach Resort in Kapaa, Kauai. It's on the east side of the island. This area doesn't have the best swimming beaches, but it's supposed to be great because it's right in the middle of everything, and I know we're going to explore this island a lot. Four days is not going to be anywhere near enough.
I also got the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook so I'm having fun picking out everything I want to do.
Activities
Day 0 (12/21) - This is when we get into Maui. We don't get in until 8pm, so obviously we'll just be driving to our hotel and relaxing this night.
Day 1 (12/22) - Just planning on relaxing and getting in some snorkeling at Black Rock. We might try to do some surf lessons with Goofy Foot Surf School or go whale watching with Pacific Whale Foundation. We're planning on going to Old Lahaina Luau that night too.
Day 2 (12/23) - We'll probably try to do a boat trip to Lanai this day. We had a hard time deciding which company to use, but I'm pretty sure we're going to go with Paragon Sailing. Neither of us have sailed before so that sounds really exciting. I've heard their snorkeling spot at Lanai is pretty good, and they do a deep water swim on the way back that is supposed to be crazy. They also keep the trip limited to like 20 people, which sounds much better than the 150 on the other boats. I think we'll try out some of the recommended restaurants in the Lahaina area, like Leilani's or Hula Grill.
Day 3 (12/24) - We want to go over to Haleakala Crater this day. I know the thing to do is get there for the sunrise, but Tyler gave a big no to waking up at like 3am to do that, haha. Sooo what we decided instead was to plan it so we could be there for the sunset. We're gonna schedule a time to do ziplining with SkyLine EcoAdventure since it's about half-way into the trip up Haleakala. Then we'll probably head the rest of the way up and hike around for a while, and then plan to be near the summit at sunset.
Day 4 (12/25) - Since this is Christmas Day, we weren't sure what to plan. I know most things are open anyway, but just in the off chance something isn't, we decided to make this a solo day. We're planning on doing the Road to Hana this day if the weather cooperates. I figure there will still be enough restaurants open along the way to not be a problem, and maybe traffic will even be lighter since it's a holiday.
Day 5 (12/26) - We have to leave Kaanapali by about 8:30 this morning, so it looks like we won't have much time to do anything before we leave. We get into Kauai at 11:30 though, so we still have most of the day there. We'll probably just plan to relax that day and maybe explore some of the areas around our condo. Maybe we'll try kayaking up the Wailua this day or just hiking around.
Day 6 (12/27) - We want to try to do a helicopter tour with either Jack Harter or Blue Hawaiian. We've heard this is the thing to do when you go to Kauai. If we don't do kayaking the day before, we might try that out this day. We'll just rent our own kayaks from Kayak Wailua and explore it on our own. We might go to the Beach House for Dinner this night.
Day 7 (12/28) - We might do the boat trip along the Na Pali coast this day. We decided to go with Holo Holo Charters on their all day snorkel and swim adventure. Maybe find some hiking for that afternoon and try out Roy's for dinner.
Day 8 (12/29) - We want to go hiking at Waimea Canyon at some point. We'll probably try out Puka Dogs and Jo-Jo's Shave Ice while we're over on that side of the island.
Day 9 (12/30) - Our flights got changed to go back to Maui, so now we actually have some extra time in Kauai that morning. We'll probably just use it to go hiking some more or anything else we couldn't do the other days. We have to leave Kapaa around 4, and will get into Maui at 6:35. Our night flight out isn't until 10:25, so we'll probably try to take a bus to Paia and shop around some more, maybe eat at Mama's Fish House if we can, or try some of the local restaurants closer to the airport such as Marco's Grill and Deli (Italian) or Da Kitchen. Then we leave. :o(
Honeymoon Registry
Ok, I know this can be a really touchy subject to some people. Yes, we are still doing a normal registry for those people who don't like or understand the honeymoon one. But, we've been living together for a while now and have a lot of the stuff we already need. We figured awesome memories could mean a lot more to us than an extra sauce pan or napkin ring. We're not putting the big stuff on the registry (meaning the flights, hotels, and rental car), since we don't want people to feel like we're asking them to send us on the trip. We're just including activities, like snorkel gear rental, zip lining tours, kayak trip, luaus, etc. If they'd rather just give us cash or some plates, that's fine. But at least they have the option of helping us have an amazing trip if they want.
We registered through a site called Honeyfund.com. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some other sites have, but it's still really good and has the cheapest fees. You just go in and list what you want and how much it is, and then the site gives the option to the guest of paying with cash, check, or credit card. For check and cash, it gives them a gift certificate to print out and bring to the wedding with them. For credit card, it actually links to your paypal account so they can directly pay you. Honeyfund never charges you for anything, so the only fee you have is the 3% transaction fee that paypal charges you to accept credit cards. I know that's still something, but as a gift giver I know I'd rather have the credit card option.
Some items we're bringing
Maui Revealed and Kauai Revealed
Water Hiking Shoes
Waterproof Camera Housing
Waterproof bag
