Hawaii and romance go hand in hand. Sunsets, ocean swims, rainforest hikes to plunging waterfalls are just a smidgen of the enchanting experiences that await couples visiting Hawaii. There’s no wonder thousands newlyweds start their first days of wedded bliss in the beautiful Hawaiian islands.
I’m starting a new series with an island by island look at what makes each island great for honeymooners or anyone looking to celebrate romance. As we feature each island, the following list will be updated with an associated link to the article:
- Kauai for honeymoons
- Oahu for honeymoons
- Maui for honeymoons
- Lanai for honeymoons
- Molokai for honeymoons
- Hawaii, the Big Island for honeymoons
Before we dive into the first island in this series, I want to hear from you – especially if you’ve celebrated romance in the Hawaiian islands. Where did you go for your honeymoon or anniversary? Did you think it was a great choice? If so, why?
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I LOVED Kauai when we went. It was wonderful and super pretty!
We are thinking of going to Hawaii all the way from Spain for our honeymoon. This website is being very useful to help us decide if we finally choose Hawaii 🙂 Specially in chooosing and island. It’s a long way from home and I’m kinda scared of flying, so we really want to make the most of our time and have a memorable stay.
Went to The Big Island and Maui for our 2 week honeymoon 28 years ago. We have been going to Hawaii ever since. We stayed in Kona on the Big Island, which is perfect for it’s central location to shops, restaurants, snorkeling, walking and you can’t beat those Kona sunsets! Then we went to Maui and stayed at a condo north of Ka’anapali which is right on the water and a little out of the way so there are no crowds at all. We still go back there frequently . . . it’s our favorite place. It’s a very short drive to Lahaina and Ka’anapali for restaurants and shopping. The sunsets are out of this world beautiful. It’s nice to just drive around the island and take in the beauty or just spend the day on the beach. There’s plenty to do on Maui if we want to be adventurous or we can just do nothing but enjoy the beauty. The view of Lanai and Molokai is what makes West Maui even more special. We have also been to Kauai and love the Princeville and Hanalei area. Snorkeling on Kauai is great and a kayak trip on the Hanalei River is probably one of our favorite things to do! Stunningly beautiful and serene! I can go on and on about it but I will just say that any Hawaiian Island is a great choice for a honeymoon!
We went to Oahu for our 10th anniversary with another couple who were celebrating their 5th anniversary. We stayed on the North Shore at Turtle Bay Resort which was really nice and off beaten path unlike resorts in and around Waikiki. Turtle Bay is famous for being featured in movies and TV shows. Too many to mention. We didn’t know that at the time but since staying there we easily recognize the property now. In fact, while we were there some A-list Hollywood celebs were there (I think it was Jennifer Anniston) but fortunately they stayed at one of the bungalows you can rent and didn’t cause a scene at the main resort. There’s a ton of things to do on Oahu and we did everything you can except we were not able to kayak down the falls because there hadn’t been enough rain and we couldn’t take surf lessons at Waimea Bay because the waves were too big for us beginners. We did boogie board at Waikiki and snorkel at Hanauma Bay which was a lot of fun but more dangerous than we expected due to the very sharp coral reefs and a pretty strong current than pulled you out to sea if you weren’t careful. We did the Dole Plantation tour which was fun but ultra-touristy and of course there are tourist traps even at Waimea Bay (ultr-cool surf and art shops) which is supposed to be more down to earth due to its reputation for hosting surf contests with nearby Pipeline and Sunset Beach featured. Waikiki is a definite people watching destination. We saw all kinds of crazy and cool people there and we got our picture with the famous “Duke” Kahanamoku memorial statue on the beach. Another fun thing we did was hike up Diamond Head Crater for some really cool views and pics of the Island. Everything on Oahu was really great but for me the ultimate experience was getting to see the Humpback whales and the Spinner dolphins from a tour boat We were very fortunate to locate a mom Humpback and her calf as they migrated along the coast. They didn’t surface very often but just as we were about to leave the mother breached out of the water and that was the highlight. I don’t know how but I caught it on film too! Good memories for sure.
We went to The Big Island in October and let me tell you, it’s now my favorite place ever. We stayed all over the island, doing a couple days in each spot. One of our favorite spots was Hapuna Beach in Kohala, with smooth white sand and crystal clear water. Another great beach there is at the Mauna Kea resort, with an equally beautiful beach, great bar and amazing resort.
We spent a couple nights just south of Kona and went to the Place of Refuge twice. It’s a huge snorkeling area in lava rocks where dolphins and giant sea turtles hang out. Make sure to bring snorkeling gear and jump into the water to see beautiful coral reef and amazing fish. If you swim out a little further, you can see the word ALOHA spelled out in cinder blocks on the bottom of the ocean floor. By far one of the best experiences of my life.
If you’re looking for adventure, take the hour or so hike out to the green sand beach. I wish we would have known it was so far because we would have brought some food, water or beers and hung out at the beach for a couple hours. We got up early (6 am) and went out there, so while we were hiking out along the coast, we were the only people in sight for miles. Once we finally reached the green sand beach, it made it all worthwhile…gorgeous emerald sparkling green sand.
The only part of the island I didn’t care for was Hilo, where it was rainy most of the time and not really what I was looking for. The other parts of the island were more remote, tropical and lush.
I loved the Big Island and can’t wait to go back, I highly recommend it as a honeymoon spot!!
We went to Oahu on our honeymoon. It was great!
We also returned many times to Oahu, Maui and Big Island for our anneversaries. Hawaii have everything fo any type of honeymooners!
My husband and I were blessed to return to Hawaii for the 4th consecutive year in 2012 and we celebrated our 5th anniversary {December 22} in Magical Maui. The Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa was the perfect romantic choice for us. We stayed in our favorite oceanfront room; the ambience and views of the sparkling Pacific Ocean from the lanai are breathtaking. The staff is friendly and attentive. We definitely received the “Aloha” treatment. Make sure you stop by the Concierge Desk and pick-up your FREE “Aloha Card”. The “Aloha Card” offers discounts at the hotel and nearby restaurants and businesses. My husband and I didn’t rent a car. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoyed romantic walks together. One of our favorite romantic pastimes was relaxing in our lounge chairs, reading, napping, and listening to the waves gently crashing against the volcanic shore. There are so many wonderful things I love about Wailea; here are a few of my favorites: (1) Bistro Molokini Restaurant – Located next door at the Grand Wailea Hotel. (2) ABC Store and Whalers General Store – both are located at the “Shops at Wailea” and they have food, booze, clothes, souvenirs, etc. While there, pick-up a FREE copy of “This Week Maui” magazine; filled with lots of coupons and maps. (3) Kumar Bar & Grill – Poolside restaurant at the Marriott hotel with some of the best panoramic views of the ocean; the food and drinks are good. Daily @ 3:00pm, they have local entertainment. (4) Wailea Marriott “Te Au Moana” Luau; we attended in 2009. It was ok, but it’s the $20.00 keepsake picture that is priceless. Each year we go and have our picture taken by a professional photographer; you don’t have to attend the luau to have your picture taken. (5) Starbucks – There is a full-service onsite store – important for Starbucks lovers like me. Lastly, do indulge and enjoy delicious Hawaiian Host chocolate covered Macadamia nut candy! Warmest Alohas – enjoy your time in Paradise – it sure does go by fast!
My fiancé and I are getting married 8-27-16 and want to honeymoon in hawaii. We want to leave NY 8-28 and return 9-2 . We have been researching for months and are still unable to find the perfect location to stay in Hawaii. We want to relax, shop, sight see and just walk around. Do you have any advice that could help us find a perfect honeymoon place?
You can do everything on just about every island. Oahu and Maui are perhaps best for shopping, but you can find shopping on the other islands, too. So, really our advice is to read the island articles linked in the main part of the above article to see which island resonates with you the most.
We plan on visiting the big island in the beginning of September this year for our honeymoon for 9 days. We still have not booked our trip. I was wondering should we really try to stay at several different locations around the big island or would be fine just staying at one resort near Kohala Coast and making day trips? Thank you for your time and advice!
It depends on how much interest you have in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It’s really fascinating to visit as we recently described here: https://govisithawaii.com/2016/04/05/hawaii-volcanoes-national-park-celebrates-100-years/ Ideally, we like to play two or three nights in the Volcano region, then move over to the Kohala Coast as we describe here: https://govisithawaii.com/hawaiis-big-island-where-to-stay/
If you only wanted to go to the other side of the island for a day trip, this plan works wonderfully: https://govisithawaii.com/2013/06/03/kona-hilo-day-trip-waterfalls-volcano-lava/
Hi there,
I have found your wonderful site online and it’s so helpful 🙂
I currently live in England and getting married on the 31.12.17, it’s always been a dream to honeymoon in Hawaii,
Is the climate still warm enough to sunbathe and enjoy in January??
Also have you any hotel suggestion for Maui .. I know it’s early in advance but getting an idea of costing to see if we can afford it
Thank you so much
Laura
Yes, the weather is nice enough to sunbath and swim in January.
See our where to stay page for hotel suggestions for Maui – https://govisithawaii.com/maui-where-to-stay/
We hope your honeymoon dreams come true!