8 day honeymoon...

Only have limited time to come to Hawaii for my honeymoon.

Was planning on doing 4 nights on the Big Island(probably staying at the Mauna Lani) and 4 nights in Kauai.

My fiance and I are not into the big touristy spots, we like secluded, romantic, private time. Love exploring and being in nature(kayaking, hiking, snorkeling etc..)

dont care at all about nightlife, trendy restaurants etc...we can do that at home in NYC.

Do you think that is a good split?

If you only had 4 days on the Big Island, what would you suggest are the must see%26#39;s/do%26#39;s?

8 day honeymoon...

Gosh, if I had eight days to spend with the one I love, I%26#39;d go straight to Kona Village Resort and stay there. It%26#39;s the most romantic, most Hawaiian, most welcoming place I%26#39;ve ever been to (and I%26#39;ve been there a lot). Check out their website, read the FAQs, read the reviews on TA, look at the property map, and see if it fits. If it does, give them a call.

8 day honeymoon...

You will get a crash course of both islands. (The general rule is not to visit more than one islands unless your trip is at least 10 days.) I would shave off one day from Kauai and spend five days on the Big Island.

Must see?! With such a short time on hand I would recommend a circle island tour seeing the sights along the way. You will not have time to do hiking in the park. The rest of the days do short side trips to Waipio Valley, Hawi, Kealakekua and Kona. Must do?! Enjoy the Mauna Lani. You will be on your honeymoon after all. :)

';If you only had 4 days on the Big Island, what would you suggest are the must see%26#39;s/do%26#39;s?';

With this question I would have to say - I would park myself at Mauna Lani and explore the grounds, visit the Petroglyphs, tour the entire property and chill out on the beach. Next day I would head either north or south - North towards Hawi and Pololu Lookout - south would head to ';Place of Refuge'; and explore.

Snorkeling excursion maybe? Or just play again around the area you are staying.

4 nights is a very short time for such a large island - we stayed for eight and wish we had stayed at least twice that long. Hopefully you will like what you see and plan to return

mumps is 200% correct.

with 4 days 3 nights on the big iwsland you dont have very much time its actulay 3.5 days 3 nights

Its 10 times the size of little Kauai It will take you 4 hours to fly from Kona to Kauai...no direct flights and change planes, car/security

Kayak and hike in Kauai where the options are best.

In Hawaii:

1. take a circle island 2 hour flight on Big Island air... sees everything including Lava and the volcano and huge waterfalls you cant see anyway else. Make notes of what you like about $300 PP

Then rest on the beach at the Kona Village.

2. Take a snorkel tour out of Keauhou...Dolphin discoveries or Seaquest 4 hour in morning hits the very best sites in the entire state....the best you will ever see here. ABOUT $90 PP

3. then in the afternoon drive up to Waimea and over to Hawi then back to the Kona Village

4. 3rd day....drive to VOLCANO and back ( 12 hours with stops along the coast...leave at 0700 from Kona resort.

rest and relax till check out and flight that afternoon.

Thanks, Dan. The only change I%26#39;d suggest is to go to KVR first, and after four days, see if you really want to go to Kaua%26#39;i.

You%26#39;ll want to go to Kauai! Put the same request on the Kauai forum and let the experts there give you some feedback as well. From what you have said both of these islands should suit you very well! Enjoy!

I think you are going to blow it by doing both. There is more than enough to do and see on Kaua%26#39;i in that time without doing anything twice.

If you are coming in the May-September months, go to Kaua%26#39;i; in the winter months, come to the Big Island.

You will no sooner have gotten your bearing on the island when it will be time to leave. It%26#39;s a waste. That%26#39;s my honest opinion. Do another island on an anniversary.

Seriously, do you want a romantic honeymoon where you can engage in some all day nature exploring, or do you want to whisk around on the surface with time for maybe one or two activities per island.

Not to mention that every morning you wake up on your honeymoon the first thing will be PRESSURE to get going, get an early start, and anxiety over whether you%26#39;re making the right choices because there are a dozen other great things to do that you have to miss.

You may want to do two islands to have more experiences and because you think you are missing out by just doing one, but instead you will go to two places where you%26#39;ll find that you%26#39;re missing out because there%26#39;s so much left to see and do and it%26#39;s time to pack and head for the airport.

I really agree with everyone here. Eight days is almost enought to appreciate the big island. Don%26#39;t try to see many islands on your first trip and especially your honeymoon. It%26#39;s a waste of time. I would do three days around Hilo to see the park and the gardens and then to KVR.

My only minor disagreement is that Kona Village should always be the last place you stay before you head home. Believe me if you go there first and then leave, you will be disappointed for the rest of trip.

If I were to do only four days on the big island on my honeymoon, I would fly into KOA, take a taxi to KVR, spend four loving days with the new spouse and promise to return to the island next year to renew the adventure.

Bill

Dear NY: Ditto for me. Island hopping will burn up one full day of packing/moving (no direct flights if any). Find a nice quiet room or cottage on Kauai and just relax. Maybe a nice little hide away on the outskirts of Poipu towards spouting horn end (pretty nice beach for evening walks, good central location). Plenty to do there such as first mile of Kalalau trail, tons of snorkeling, Kiluea lighthouse, historic fishing village near Kapaa, Wailua falls, kayak up Wailua to water fall trail and rope swing at end, Kola Town, Russian Fort, Waimea Canyon drive, Kokee State park hike from Kalalau overlook area, maybe go as far as Polihale (Barking Sands) but don%26#39;t get your car stuck in sand. Direct flights to Lihue airport are available from LAX or SFO I believe. Happy Travels, TheodoreJay

You are coming from the East Coast so you have to realize that your first day you will be exhausted and it will take a couple of days to adjust to the time change. Pick one island and stay there, you will be more relaxed and happier.