Hawaii: Which Island?

[ACP]

I'm in the early stages of planning for my honeymoon in January 2010. I've considered Hawaii, but I have no idea which island to stay on. Any suggestions for a nice hotel on a particular island?

[Sparkle]

I heard Maui is very nice and less touristy than the other islands. I hope to find out for myself someday.

[timm]

Maui is very, very touristy. If you go to Maui, and night life is your thing, the only area really open is the old town of Wailea. If you spend more than a few days on Maui you will find yourself driving quite a bit to Wailea.

Forget the "big island", it's boring and not very pretty.

For my money, I would go to Kuai - the garden island. Lot of small, hidden beaches everywhere. The guide book(s) to Kuai are worth the money. Get you to places off the beaten path. But, not a lot to do in Kuai after sun goes down, besides the luaus.

Don't forget no matter when or where you go, the sea water is much colder than you think / expect. If you or yours can't stand cold, you might think about full or at least half wetsuits. You can't go to hawaii and not plan on at least snorkling. The locals might frown on this - put sneak a little seafood-based dry catfood with you if you snorkle. you will see lots and lots of fish in a frenzy.

best of luck - Tim

[timm]

one other thing - if you can withstand high pressure sales, and you want to stay in a nice place, cheap - google "time share offers hawaii" or something like that. You don't want the brokers or resellers - try and find a timeshare developer with a big, national name there and call them up. If you agree to go to a timeshare presentation, you can get a hell of a deal on a multi-night stay. Go in knowing YOU WILL NOT BUY a timeshare - just take the bribe and enjoy the island.