# Suggestions for September Hawaii honeymoon



## thetimeshareguy (Jan 21, 2018)

My fiancée Vanessa and I plan to honeymoon for two weeks in September and Hawaii is currently at the top of our list of possible destinations. At this point we're looking for advice on which island is likely best to meet our needs, after which we'll drill down into where exactly to stay. We're not necessarily planning to stay in a timeshare resort.

We want exposure to beautiful nature and don't care to be an an overly urban area of high rises like Waikiki. That being said, we're very social so want to be somewhere lively with bars and clubs for socializing and dancing, etc. Would love to snorkel too, at least once, and do a few excursions. I am 57 and she is 46, and we're both fit and very young at heart.

What island do you think is best for us? And what area would you be inclined to stay on that island? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.


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## slip (Jan 21, 2018)

I would suggest Maui in the Ka’anapali area. Lively bars would probably rule out the Big Island or Kauai not unless being done by 9 or 10pm is alright.


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## hangloose (Jan 21, 2018)

I second Maui in Ka'anapali or Wailea.    Both locations have quite a number of upscale hotels/timeshares, but it doesn't have the urban feel that Waikiki on Oahu does.   These locations have high quality resorts, fantastic beaches, great views, walking paths along the beach, and also are within walking distance to many restaurants, bars, etc.    Snorkeling right off the beach in both locations.  Black Rock at Ka'anapali is a very nice and simple snorkeling location for most ages.

Kauai would have the quietest and best natural lush beauty. However, it has very limited social scene, dancing, etc.  To showcase that.  We got married and spent a week on Kauai, then spent a second week on Maui directly after.  Both were part of our honeymoon.   The evening before the wedding in Kauai, we had a hard time finding a bar open late enough for the guys.  This was quite a few years ago, so it could have changed since then.  But, it gives you a feel for the quietness of Kauai.


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## slip (Jan 21, 2018)

No you probably still wouldn't fine a bar open late enough.


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## davidvel (Jan 21, 2018)

As all have noted, Maui is the perfect island for your "requirements" (cheers!) I'd go with Kaanapali as well as you can branch out, but also walk to lots of fun restaurants.


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## cgeidl (Jan 21, 2018)

For two weeks my advice would be to go to Oahu and but to stay away from Honolulu except for big late date nights. There is really no great snorkeling on the Hawaiian Islands but there is a bit okay on each island. Staying at Koalina or Aulani would put you in a gorgeous resort area outside the urban scene with some activity and yet be close enough for a few dance and dinner nights with lots of choice. Kannapali would be my second choice.


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## vacationtime1 (Jan 22, 2018)

Ko Olina and Aulani will remind you of Waikiki -- lots of tall buildings and lots of people.

I agree with the comments above:  _Maui nō ka ʻoi  _(Maui is the best).


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## DaveNV (Jan 22, 2018)

If nightlife and entertainment are high on the list, Maui will give you the best options.  If you don't like a Waikiki high-rise experience, there are low-rise experiences on Maui, even though it will still be crowded.  You just have to decide where you want to spend your time.

As for the lush nature, be advised September on Maui is just about the driest time of year.  We were there in September a few years ago, and did the Road to Hana.  We did not see one waterfall.  None.  It was surprising.  There was a lot of greenspace, but no waterfalls.  It still amazes me. 

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. I wish you much happiness in the years to come.

Dave


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## geist1223 (Jan 22, 2018)

If you are going for 2 weeks and have never been to Hawaii I would suggest 5 days in Honolulu and then Kauai or Maui. If you really like nature Kauai is better.


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## SmithOp (Jan 22, 2018)

I can’t recall much late night life on any island other than Waikiki, but then I’m a morning person, up at the crack of dawn for a long walk.  Kaanapali was a long row of resorts and golf course to my recollection, Lahaina has the old main st bar scene but then you have to drive back to your resort.

If you want to party and dance the night away consider the island cruises, ships always have late night bars and music and its an easy crawl back to your room.


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## Dean (Jan 23, 2018)

thetimeshareguy said:


> My fiancée Vanessa and I plan to honeymoon for two weeks in September and Hawaii is currently at the top of our list of possible destinations. At this point we're looking for advice on which island is likely best to meet our needs, after which we'll drill down into where exactly to stay. We're not necessarily planning to stay in a timeshare resort.
> 
> We want exposure to beautiful nature and don't care to be an an overly urban area of high rises like Waikiki. That being said, we're very social so want to be somewhere lively with bars and clubs for socializing and dancing, etc. Would love to snorkel too, at least once, and do a few excursions. I am 57 and she is 46, and we're both fit and very young at heart.
> 
> What island do you think is best for us? And what area would you be inclined to stay on that island? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.


I'd do 2 islands, a week each, either Oahu or Kauai plus Maui if either of you haven't done the HI thing before.  Kaanapali will be perfect for your stated goals but there are other good choices there.  You might still consider Waikiki for Oahu for part of the time but I'd do Ko Olina in this situation personally for Oahu.  You might also consider Aruba in the High rise section.  A different type of nature but still interesting with a lot of what you want otherwise.


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## davidvel (Jan 23, 2018)

geist1223 said:


> If you are going for 2 weeks and have never been to Hawaii I would suggest 5 days in Honolulu and then Kauai or Maui. If you really like nature Kauai is better.


I missed the 2 weeks part when I posted previously. I personally really don't like Waikiki (it's like San Francisco with sand)  but there are great sites on Oahu that should not be missed, especially  if you have 2 weeks. 

My revised advice would be to spend a week at Ko Olina exploring must see things: a part day in Waikiki, a full day at Peal Harbor, North Shore, etc. Then continue the slow down to "Hawaii time", and transition  to Maui and Kaanapali.

Hawaii is like having kids, no one can really explain it to you, you have to go through the experience  yourself to understand.


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## slip (Jan 23, 2018)

Remember, if you do two islands, you will lose a days vacation. Packing , checking out, dropping off rental car, flying, getting rental car, checking in and unpacking.


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## WalnutBaron (Jan 24, 2018)

Here's a vote for the Kona/Waikoloa side of the Big Island. My personal favorite is Kauai, but I think Waikoloa checks a lot of your boxes: no big urban scene, no highrises, a nice nightlife scene at some of the big hotels there, including the Hilton, good snorkeling and body-boarding nearby, and lots of available excursions including the chance to head up to Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa as well as take the helicopter or boat tour of the lava flows at Volcanoes National Park. Waikoloa is not as crowded as Ka'anapali can be (and usually is).

DaveNW mentioned how dry it is on Maui in September. This will also be the case at Waikoloa. But the upside of that is that you're very likely to get a ton of sunny weather--perfect for your excursions and outings.


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## DaveNV (Jan 24, 2018)

WalnutBaron said:


> Here's a vote for the Kona/Waikoloa side of the Big Island. My personal favorite is Kauai, but I think Waikoloa checks a lot of your boxes: no big urban scene, no highrises, a nice nightlife scene at some of the big hotels there, including the Hilton, good snorkeling and body-boarding nearby, and lots of available excursions including the chance to head up to Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa as well as take the helicopter or boat tour of the lava flows at Volcanoes National Park. Waikoloa is not as crowded as Ka'anapali can be (and usually is).
> 
> DaveNW mentioned how dry it is on Maui in September. This will also be the case at Waikoloa. But the upside of that is that you're very likely to get a ton of sunny weather--perfect for your excursions and outings.



I agree.  I hadn't considered the Big Island for nightlife, but I guess if you count hotels, it works.  Newlyweds should be more into each other than the crowd around them anyway, right?  The rest of the options will be there, and probably more easily accessed, too.

Dave


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## Luanne (Jan 24, 2018)

WalnutBaron said:


> Here's a vote for the Kona/Waikoloa side of the Big Island. My personal favorite is Kauai, but I think Waikoloa checks a lot of your boxes: no big urban scene, no highrises, a nice nightlife scene at some of the big hotels there, including the Hilton, good snorkeling and body-boarding nearby, and lots of available excursions including the chance to head up to Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa as well as take the helicopter or boat tour of the lava flows at Volcanoes National Park. Waikoloa is not as crowded as Ka'anapali can be (and usually is).
> 
> DaveNW mentioned how dry it is on Maui in September. This will also be the case at Waikoloa. But the upside of that is that you're very likely to get a ton of sunny weather--perfect for your excursions and outings.


There are only two big hotels in Waikoloa, Hilton and Marriott.  Besides the restaurants I'm not sure what kind of night life you'd find there.  

Don't get me wrong, I love the Big Island, but I wouldn't go there for night life.  But then again, we don't go to Hawaii for the night life anyway.


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## WinniWoman (Jan 24, 2018)

Kauai (my fav- laid back- lots of nature. Awesome snorkeling. We like the Poipu side where it is drier- less rain) and The Big Island- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Mauna Kea and Hapuna Beach.

Maui also has a National Park. Beautiful Island also. We liked it there as well, but I heard it is a bit changed now since we were there. More touristy. But you might like that.

BUT- if you want a lot of night life- then Oahu- Honolulu- would be your kind of place. I personally don't like cities, but Oahu has a little of everything for you- the night life, shopping, nature as you drive around the island.

Just not my idea of Hawaii. We went to all the islands on our 2 week Honeymoon- throwing in San Francisco on the way there and Las Vegas on the way back to NY.

Second trip we chose Kauai and The Big Island for 21 days. Best trip ever.


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## vacationtime1 (Jan 24, 2018)

Luanne said:


> There are only two big hotels in Waikoloa, Hilton and Marriott.  Besides the restaurants I'm not sure what kind of night life you'd find there.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I love the Big Island, but I wouldn't go there for night life.  But then again, we don't go to Hawaii for the night life anyway.




We are at the Waikoloa Marriott right now.  There is zero night life here.  Even the restaurants are abandoned by 9:00pm.

(But it's a wonderful place and we will come back.)


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## Jayco29D (Jan 25, 2018)

thetimeshareguy said:


> My fiancée Vanessa and I plan to honeymoon for two weeks in September and Hawaii is currently at the top of our list of possible destinations. At this point we're looking for advice on which island is likely best to meet our needs, after which we'll drill down into where exactly to stay. We're not necessarily planning to stay in a timeshare resort.
> 
> We want exposure to beautiful nature and don't care to be an an overly urban area of high rises like Waikiki. That being said, we're very social so want to be somewhere lively with bars and clubs for socializing and dancing, etc. Would love to snorkel too, at least once, and do a few excursions. I am 57 and she is 46, and we're both fit and very young at heart.
> 
> What island do you think is best for us? And what area would you be inclined to stay on that island? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.



If you can stretch the budget a little, I would suggest going to French Polynesia (the islands of Tahiti). The price per night for beach bungalows and overwater bungalows in nice resorts like Le Tahaa, Le Meridian Bora Bora and the Intercontinental hotels in Moorea and Bore Bora is about equivalent to Hawaii. However if you are staying in timeshares in Hawaii, that would be more affordable. We have also done the Windstar cruise of French Polynesia (Tahiti). That can be a more affordable way to see all the islands too. That cruise is amazing because they spend so much time at the islands and you can see islands that would be hard to see by air. If it were me, I would spend one week in Hawaii and one week in French Polynesia for my honeymoon. In terms of nightlife, there is some nightlife in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. Le Tahaa is very serene - no nightlife there. The cruise is very lively for nightlife and socializing. It is a beautiful sailing ship that carries a little over 100 guests. Perhaps one week on Oahu for nightlife and one week in French Polynesia for relaxing and light socializing. I like the Ko Olina part of Oahu because it feels relaxed and Hawaiian yet the drive to Waikiki is not the far. I agree with others that there is minimal nightlife on Kauai, Maui and Big Island but they are all wonderful places to visit. September is one of my favorite times to go to Hawaii. It is off season since school is in and the water is still warm enough for swimming.


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## vacationhopeful (Jan 25, 2018)

*I went YEARS ago to Oahu* and the biggest part of that stay was the day trip to the Big Island to watch the lawa flowing into the ocean.
I went* more recently to Kauai* and enjoyed the laid back favor of being across the street from the Beach House restrauant for the sundown (sun setting into the ocean with a cool drink and lite appetitizers ... dinner was great but $$$).

If I was going for 14 days now, I would do at least 2 islands for timeshare stays. If staying in hotels for part of that stay, I would do 3 islands. You would be busy ... but you have a lot of real estate to explore after travelling a long distance.

If you think the wedding will do either of you in with planning, staging and HOSTING the relatives & friends, I would START my stay on Kauai ... to just chill for a week. Then 3 days on the Big Island (Hawaii) driving around the island and finish up my stay on Oahu with 4 days (day tours without renting a car).

Yes, travelling and staying on 3 islands with inter-island flights does take time but these are short island hoppers and smallish islands. Pack lite and relax ... you can always come back every 5 years for your (future) anniversities.


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## daventrina (Apr 1, 2018)

+1 Ka`anapali ...


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## jehb2 (Apr 2, 2018)

I can remember one time way before kids chasing down leads to places to dance on the big island but never found a place.  If you’re really into clubs and love to dance your best bet is Waikiki.  There was one good dance club in Lahaina on Maui. But my information is old.

Here’s a good tip though.  Find a young looking bellman.  Ask for good places to go dancing “if that’s what you’re looking for.” And of course give him a good tip. That always worked for us.  Don’t bother asking the concierge.

We use to party in Waikiki the first part of our vacation and then relax on Maui or the big island for the second half of our vacation.


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## daventrina (Apr 13, 2018)

jehb2 said:


> I can remember one time way before kids chasing down leads to places to dance on the big island but never found a place.  If you’re really into clubs and love to dance your best bet is Waikiki.  There was one good dance club in Lahaina on Maui. But my information is old.
> 
> Here’s a good tip though.  Find a young looking bellman.  Ask for good places to go dancing “if that’s what you’re looking for.” And of course give him a good tip. That always worked for us.  Don’t bother asking the concierge.
> 
> We use to party in Waikiki the first part of our vacation and then relax on Maui or the big island for the second half of our vacation.


There is at least Huggos and probably Laverns ... so there are two on the BI...


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## Greatdeal (May 5, 2018)

It sounds like you are  more Kauai people.  Maui is definitely becoming another Oahu


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## controller1 (May 5, 2018)

Greatdeal said:


> It sounds like you are  more Kauai people.



OP posted in January and never came back.



Greatdeal said:


> Maui is definitely becoming another Oahu



How so?


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## DaveNV (May 5, 2018)

controller1 said:


> OP posted in January and never came back.



He was last seen March 13.  So he's been around, just not recently. 

Dave


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## controller1 (May 5, 2018)

DaveNW said:


> He was last seen March 13.  So he's been around, just not recently.
> 
> Dave



I meant he never came back to this thread where he asked for suggestions.


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## DaveNV (May 5, 2018)

controller1 said:


> I meant he never came back to this thread where he asked for suggestions.



Yes. I'd think he'd be interested in what people have said. 

Dave


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## BJRSanDiego (May 6, 2018)

Yes, the OP was last seen in March.  I suspect that he didn't read many responses.  Such a shame.

BTW, I'll opine in a different direction:  it really doesn't matter which island he selects.  The climate is great.  He is newly married and is beginning to share new experiences with his wife.  Oahu?  Fine.  Maui?  Yes, also great.  Kauai?  Also great.  Big Island?  Also great with the caveat that there could be VOG.  Molokini?  Ah....  not sure.


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## DaveNV (May 6, 2018)

BJRSanDiego said:


> Yes, the OP was last seen in March.  I suspect that he didn't read many responses.  Such a shame.
> 
> BTW, I'll opine in a different direction:  it really doesn't matter which island he selects.  The climate is great.  He is newly married and is beginning to share new experiences with his wife.  Oahu?  Fine.  Maui?  Yes, also great.  Kauai?  Also great.  Big Island?  Also great with the caveat that there could be VOG.  Molokini?  Ah....  not sure.



I agree with your points, except the OP said this: *"We're very social so want to be somewhere lively with bars and clubs for socializing and dancing, etc." *That kind of limits the availability.

Dave


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## BJRSanDiego (May 6, 2018)

Yeah, I forgot that....

You're right, the OP is very "social" except for returning to read anything since mid March.  Ha ha ;-)


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## taffy19 (May 6, 2018)

vacationtime1 said:


> We are at the Waikoloa Marriott right now.  There is zero night life here.  Even the restaurants are abandoned by 9:00pm.
> 
> (But it's a wonderful place and we will come back.)


That is the same on Ka'anapali Beach too.  We arrived late one evening because of a schedule change by the airlines.  We were hungry and hoped that we would find a restaurant open somewhere on the Ka'anapali Beach path but everything was closed except one place very close.  We found out about that later but I still don't know where exactly it is.  We didn't enter the big hotels where they may have bars open still later at night.

You would have to drive to Lahaina to find something open later than 10 PM but you will have to drive back to your resort about four miles.  I Googled and found this website that should be very helpful.  They have them on the coffee table at most resorts and some others magazines too.

http://www.visitorinfohawaii.com

Tourists in Hawaii seem to go to bed early but rise early too.  Very different from Honolulu on Waikiki Beach where tourists are out late at night.  Oahu Island is beautiful and lush too.  There was a thread about it very recently with some photos.  There are lots of honeymooners on Waikiki and Ka'anapali Beach.  I would land on one island and depart from the second so you see both.


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## Tamaradarann (May 7, 2018)

thetimeshareguy said:


> My fiancée Vanessa and I plan to honeymoon for two weeks in September and Hawaii is currently at the top of our list of possible destinations. At this point we're looking for advice on which island is likely best to meet our needs, after which we'll drill down into where exactly to stay. We're not necessarily planning to stay in a timeshare resort.
> 
> We want exposure to beautiful nature and don't care to be an an overly urban area of high rises like Waikiki. That being said, we're very social so want to be somewhere lively with bars and clubs for socializing and dancing, etc. Would love to snorkel too, at least once, and do a few excursions. I am 57 and she is 46, and we're both fit and very young at heart.
> 
> What island do you think is best for us? And what area would you be inclined to stay on that island? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.



When you talk about socializing and dancing you sound like.  We go to Honolulu because we want the party.  We also don' t drink and drive, but we do drink.  We can get around Honolulu by walking or the great bus service.  Honolulu has early and late night partying.  It has clubs that we can no longer stay up late enough for.  To give you idea we have Grandchildren that are 13 and 15.  But if you want that late night type of scene then Honolulu is you town.


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## Xan (May 10, 2018)

taffy19 said:


> That is the same on Ka'anapali Beach too.  We arrived late one evening because of a schedule change by the airlines.  We were hungry and hoped that we would find a restaurant open somewhere on the Ka'anapali Beach path but everything was closed except one place very close.  We found out about that later but I still don't know where exactly it is.  We didn't enter the big hotels where they may have bars open still later at night.
> 
> You would have to drive to Lahaina to find something open later than 10 PM but you will have to drive back to your resort about four miles.  I Googled and found this website that should be very helpful.  They have them on the coffee table at most resorts and some others magazines too.
> 
> ...



I recall reading something in the last 9 months about the strict liquor/dancing/music laws on Maui. I guess nightclubs are rare, and the few places that allow the combo, have tough security to make sure drinks don’t end up anywhere near the dance floor, and other places have security in place to make sure dancing doesn’t occur in their place with liquor and music.

Waikiki is where the nightlife was/is.


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