Hawaii for 20th anniversary?

[Scuba]

We are considering a 20th anniversary trip in late April/early May. We are planning a month in Greece and 1-2 months in Palm Springs later in 2018 so would like to keep this trip to 2-3 weeks. We've stayed on the Big Island for 2 weeks and loved it. I've been to Oahu, Kauai and Maui but DH hasn't.

Thinking that Oahu and Kauai might be a good combination. Would like to visit the Pearl Harbor museum and see the natural beauty on the Islands. Want some beach/maybe diving time, combined with sightseeing, hiking, kayaking, etc.

We usually prefer staying in condos so we have more space and can make our own breakfast. Oceanfront is good as we love the beach.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

[DrRoy]

Visit Pearl Harbor, but then stay on Maui and Kauai. Oahu is so crowded.

[SpinDr]

I think Hawaii is a great anniversary location! My wife and I honeymooned there and have been back many times since. My favorite island is Kauai and a great combo is to spend a few days in the Princeville area and then Poipu. You get the wet/lush and the sunny side of the island experience.

On the Poipu side we like to rent Condo's at the Kiahuna Plantation. It's a beachfront property with nice grounds. I'd recommend staying on the lower half of the property closer to the beach. Lots of individual owners so Airbnb and VRBO are good options for booking. If you're a big pool person that is the weaker part of the resort. An ok pool area but nothing like the big Hyatt or Marriott resorts.

Have fun!

[GravitySucks]

DW and I did Maui for our twentyith. Stayed in Hana at a little cabin in a tropical flower plantation.
Tres Romantic

[Scuba]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpinDr I think Hawaii is a great a great anniversary location! My wife and I honeymooned there and have been back many times since. My favorite island is Kauai and a great combo is to spend a few days in the Princeville area and then Poipu. You get the wet/lush and the sunny side of the island experience. On the Poipu side we like to rent Condo's at the Kiahuna Plantation. It's a beachfront property with nice grounds. I'd recommend staying on the lower half of the property closer to the beach. Lots of individual owners so Airbnb and VRBO are good options for booking. If you're a big pool person that is the weaker part of the resort. An ok pool area but nothing like the big Hyatt or Marriott resorts. Have fun!

Thanks for the specific recommendation! Pools don't matter to me when I'm at the beach!

[njhowie]

We did this Memorial Day week 2016 for our 23rd anniversary.

We stayed a couple days at Disney's Aulani resort, did Pearl Harbor and a couple other things, then drove to the North Shore area and stayed at Turtle Bay Resort for a few days. Turtle Bay was a bit expensive, but well worth it. If you check on Airbnb there are good number of reasonably priced condos/apartments in the Turtle Bay area.

I think the North Shore area is great for beach, diving, hiking, etc. It's out of the way and not as commercialized as other areas.

[GalaxyBoy]

Plan on visiting Pearl Harbor the first morning you're there, as soon as it opens. If you're from US east coast your body will think it's afternoon anyway, and you'll beat the crowds. I haven't been since they opened the new museum, but I assume you still have to get a timeslot for a boat ride out to the memorial; getting there early means it's less likely you'll have to wait on shore for your time.

The beach on the Poipu side isn't really suitable for swimming, if that's what you're looking for. DW and I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for our 20th. Megacorp used to send me to Ft Shafter several times a year (it's a dirty job but somebody had to do it) and we had a deal at the Hyatt Waikiki. I had enough points to get me four nights in Kauai, which is normally >$500/night. Nicest hotel I ever stayed at. The swimming pools are simply awesome (that word is overused, but appropriate).

My favorite spot though, was Hanalei. So laid back, I wanted to never leave.

We went on the Norwegian cruise a few years earlier, and my favorite shore excursion was "tubing the ditch" on Kauai. They take you tubing on an old sugarcane plantation irrigation ditch, and about a mile of it is underground.

[Souschef]

Kauai is great! We stayed at The Waikomo Villas in Poipu on the south shore of Kauai. Parrish is the management company.
I have attached two of our trip stories to give you an idea of some of the things to do.
The biplane ride was great and tubing down the irrigation canals was a lot of fun.
If you have any questions, PM me.

[PawPrint53]

Thinking about sun and tropical breezes as I look out at the snow on the ground. . . We stayed in a condo (Airbnb, I think) right on the beach in Poipu next to a beach park in Kauai. When you opened the balcony doors, you could hear the waves crash. The sunsets from the living room were magnificent. I think there was a nice restaurant next to the park, maybe called the Beach House. A monk seal came up to sunbathe in the park while we were there. I'd go back.

[Ready]

We've been to all of the islands many times but at this point we always go back to the Big Island. Oahu is just too crowded for us, and Maui is getting there quickly. Kauai is nice too.

We love staying in these condos on the Big Island:

https://www.vrbo.com/results?q=kamil...om-date=&uuid=

There are some smaller units as well in the same resort. Pretty much anywhere in the Mauna Lani Resort is awesome. They are all fairly new and have big kitchens and very open lanai areas for watching the sunsets in the evenings. We've been able to get deals for around $225/night by negotiating a bit, but only during the off season.