The Perfect Honeymoon - How's Our Itinerary So Far?!

We%26#39;re finally making some progress planning our May 14-21 Honeymoon. And the more we read about Kauai, the more we don%26#39;t want to leave! So we%26#39;re not going to. Visiting another island is officially out of the itinerary. Here%26#39;s our latest plan:

1. Spend 6 nights in a House on North Shore Anini Beach: www.oceanviewkauai.com/aninibeach1.html

2. Spend 5 nights in a Deluxe Ocean Suite at Sheraton Kauai

Here are some of the activities we want to do, other than than laying on the beach, snorkeling, off the shore, and ';honeymooning'; ;)

0. Read Ultimate Kauai and the Trail book we%26#39;re eagerly awaiting!

1. Inter Island Waterfall Helicopter Tour

2. Kayaking Up Wailua River to Waterfall For Picnic

3. Hike Kalalau Trail

4. Full Day Boating Tour (which one?!)

5. Have a fancy dinner at the Beach House or Princeville, or something else ritzy

6. Drive the entire island.

7. Go to Smith%26#39;s Luau

Here are some of our questions:

1. Should we rent a Jeep or Convertible?

2. If we went to one fancy restaurant, where should we go?

3. Is it worth upgrading from Partial-Ocean View to Deluxe Ocean View at the Sheraton?

4. Should we go to Smith%26#39;s Luau or is there another one we should attend?

5. What else must MUST we do?

Planning is so much fun! Budgeting, less so. But we figure this can be a major splurge... we only plan on having one honeymoon!

Aloha!

David %26amp; Elizabeth

The Perfect Honeymoon - How's Our Itinerary So Far?!

Aloha and congrats on your upcoming wedding! I%26#39;ll be on Kauai getting married when you are there honeymooning.

It sounds like you%26#39;ve done a bunch of great planning, so I%26#39;ll only respond to a couple of things on your list, and let some of the experts on this forum respond as well.

First, I think you should play the ';honeymooner card'; at the Sheraton and see if they upgrade you to the deluxe ocean view for free. If they have the availability, you%26#39;ll have a good shot. You%26#39;ll probably score some free bubbly, too!

And, for your full day boat tour, I would consider the Niihau tour with HoloHolo. We did this a few years ago and it was great. You get to see the Napali coast and then head out to the ';Forbidden Island'; of Niihau.

Finally, we almost always rent a four-wheel drive vehicle when we%26#39;re on Kauai. It%26#39;s especially helpful for getting into some of the tougher spots at Ke%26#39;e and on some of the less traveled roads around Waimea Canyon.

Again, congrats on your wedding. See you in Kauai!

The Perfect Honeymoon - How's Our Itinerary So Far?!

That looks reasonable %26amp; will still allow time to properly enjoy the island. I recommend a convertible over a jeep simply because it will have a trunk to store your stuff in when away from it. With a Jeep you don%26#39;t have that option.

Answers to your questions:

1. Convertible!....It%26#39;s you honeymoon!

2. Princeville Resort or Bali Hai at Hanalei Bay Resort

3. Deluxe!...It%26#39;s your honeymoon!!!!

4. After 3 trips our next luau will be our first. Smiths get good reviews.

5. Explore the island and don%26#39;t spoil it by planning too much! Leave some things for your next trip. (there WILL be a next trip)

This forum rocks! You%26#39;ve given us a lot of insights we wouldn%26#39;t have picked up on our own. We%26#39;re taking copious notes but definitely leaving most of the trip unplanned. We want to schedule three or four cool events and have a list of options. Depending on the weather, our moods - we%26#39;ll find the perfect thing to do. Plus, it%26#39;s our honeymoon. Just being with each other will be a high!

I want to applaud you on deciding to Kauai - I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll be disappointed! My first trip to Kauai was for 16 days, and we didn%26#39;t even see or do half of what we wanted . . . and mostly it%26#39;s because the beaches/snorkeling are so intoxicating, it%26#39;s difficult to get motivated to do anything else. Last time was for a week, and it%26#39; simply wasn%26#39;t long enough . . . was not wanting to go home. As others have shared - you really don%26#39;t want to schedule too much ahead. I devoured the Ultimate Kauai Revealed before my first trip, so at least I felt well informed on all that was available to do in Kauai. That made each day easy - I think the only thing we scheduled was Smith%26#39;s Luau and a nice dinner at Tidepools. It%26#39;s nice, especially on a honeymoon to just wake each day and take it as it comes. The aloha spirit on Kauai is so evident, especially when you take the time to just breath it in . . . the only thing you should try to do is watch every sunset - something magical about stopping everything for that. Just make sure you do a trip report after this glorious honeymoon so we can know how everything worked out for you - best wishes!! :)

Hi , I honeymooned in kauai . I also flew back a year later and purchased a condo there. that%26#39;s how much i loved it. however, i do not reccomend smith%26#39;s luau. it is horrible. they said it is the best on the island but it really is awful. i reccomend that you go to a luau when you are in your first island. also you must catamaran on the kalapaki. climb down the wailua falls.and definatly rent a convertable. i have so much more i could tell you but i do not type very fast. before you finalize your plans check out kona villiage resort website. you just might change your mind.you can call me if you like. email me @ suki108@verizon.net and i will give you more info

susan

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and happy planning!

Your itinerary sounds great. I don%26#39;t think you could go to Kauai without visiting the Beach House-at least for drinks and appetizers at sunset if you decide to go elsewhere for your dinner.

We%26#39;ve had both the jeep and the convertible and next time it will be convertible all the way. The jeeps were very new and getting that top on when it started to rain nearly ended our marriage :0) Could have something to do with my lack of dexterity though. Also, no trunk in the jeep to lock stuff up as someone else mentioned. The convertible is so nice - just push the button and the top is up or down.

Suki - I%26#39;d be interested as to why you thought Smiths Luau was terrible. We%26#39;re bringing family members along this next trip and were planning on going for a birthday celebration. Went to a luau years ago on Oahu and swore I%26#39;d never do another one, so I don%26#39;t want to spend all that money and be disappointed.

Thanks.

i love kauai,

smiths is defenitaly not worth the money. the food is lousy , very lousy. first they call you up to the buffet by table and by the time you start eating they are breaking it down. lot of bugs in the food also. if you must go t oseethe show , it is only $15 i think and eat elsewere.

Thank you for the warnings. We definitely want to catch a Luau, but if the foods lousy, that squashes my enthusiasm! We%26#39;re not there long enough to endure bad food. It%26#39;s so hard to read all these wonderful reviews and know that we still have 5 months to wait. It%26#39;s surreal to be planning my dream vacation with my dream woman.

Like to offer a different take on Smith%26#39;s. Have been twice, in 2003 and 2006, and the food was excellent both times. They feed a large group of people all at once, and it is orchestrated very well. Granted, quality is higher at Beach House or other fine restaurants, but as far as luaus go, Smith%26#39;s ranks high. Believe you will see that%26#39;s the predominant assessment of other posters. Most would tell Smith%26#39;s is one of the best luaus on Kauai.

I don%26#39;t mean to challenge the previous poster%26#39;s comments about bugs in the food, but Smith%26#39;s would be out of business very quickly if that was the case.