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If you're looking for a more secluded beach area, perhaps take a look at Turtle Bay resort. Or one of the resorts around Ko'olina (such as the Marriot Ko'olina Beach CLub). Lastly maybe the Kahala Hotel & Resort in the Kahala area.
Each of these are in different areas of the island. But each location is more secluded than Waikiki would be.
They also can be on the expensive side. So knowing your budget for hotel could be helpful.
Looking for any advice/suggestions for this trip but specifically have questions on flights and where to stay. We are thinking of flying first class due to the long flight duration (coming from east coast US). I have friends who have flown first class and their ticket price was exorbitantly high but they purchased close to their trip date. Anyone have experience with first class ticket prices and the best time to purchase? Tickets are currently much cheaper than my friends had paid but unsure of when the lowest rates might be.
East Coast is a broad area - there are dates with flights from NYC to HNL in the $2,000 range first class with a stop - they won't get cheaper than that.....
If it is a honeymoon, I'd lock in now even though October is the slowest month, but the past few years, low season is practically non-existent.
Has everything you would want Beach and pools, lots of choices. Right in Waikiki
We, (wife and I) just just did a weekend get-a-way this past week, there.
Every Friday night is fireworks night. You will have to have to rent a vehicle to get around to the usual attractions like Arizona Memorial, and any of the other sights around Oahu.
Lock in your rates what you quoted will be the best you can get.
Has everything you would want Beach and pools, lots of choices. Right in Waikiki
And crazy crowded - at least to me.
For your first honeymoon (since one should be optimistic) - I recommend a Diamond Head room here, the service, room, pool, spa, restaurants, all top notch.....
I agree with whtviper1 on the ticket prices. $2,000 for first class is probably the best you'll find from your location. There are free (and premium - <$50 annual) flight tools that allow you to pick Honolulu (most common airport with deals... still rare compared to mainland) as your primary location and notify you every week or so on deals. These are usually economy tickets but the savings, to an extent, trickles down to first class as well. I subscribe to a few of these and they work if you are ready to commit within 24-48 hours on dates.
The best deal/mistake I have ever found was Honolulu to Rome... $512 RT thanks to these airfare tools (yes... I have proof since zero people believe me and the flight was only 3 days ago.. no I was not on it due to work). If you have to choose, I prefer the flight back to be first class as many are overnight. From New York, for example, I received notifications for super cheap $354 RT tickets for economy earlier this week which leaves a lot of extra money to spend on your food, excursions, etc. I could argue both ways on first class being worth it but it is your honeymoon!
For location, you'll be tempted to only look at Waikiki initially due to the large availability of options. The beach is busy, there's no way to overlook that but it is still very enjoyable coming from the mainland myself. Just keep in mind that you will never have the beach to yourself and it is not the best in Oahu so a rental car is advised. You will have opportunity for other experiences outside of town wherever you stay thanks to the relatively short driving distances but budget is a big deal. Oahu is not cheap. If beach/pool/excursions are your priorities (not shopping/night life/fine dining), stay off Waikiki for a more chill honeymoon. Actually, you may want to consider another island as there is so much to offer with little added travel cost. If I had to guess, Maui would be worth considering for you both but I'll let more experienced members correct me here.
Not sure how many days you are going for but if you can do 10, I suggest 5 in Waikiki and then 5 at Turtle Bay.
If you want to be kinda close to Waikiki but not in it, then maybe The Kahala Hotel & Resort.
Our anniversary is in October and have spent many in Hawaii. It's a great time of year to go there.
East Coast is a broad area - there are dates with flights from NYC to HNL in the $2,000 range first class with a stop - they won't get cheaper than that.....
If it is a honeymoon, I'd lock in now even though October is the slowest month, but the past few years, low season is practically non-existent.
Thanks, we'd be flying out of Charlotte most likely; Thursday there were $1,800 one stop flights available which I feel might be the best bet. I think we should lock that in!
Not sure how many days you are going for but if you can do 10, I suggest 5 in Waikiki and then 5 at Turtle Bay.
If you want to be kinda close to Waikiki but not in it, then maybe The Kahala Hotel & Resort.
Our anniversary is in October and have spent many in Hawaii. It's a great time of year to go there.
Excellent thought! We are planning to stay 10 days so that might be a good idea, thanks!
If you're looking for a more secluded beach area, perhaps take a look at Turtle Bay resort. Or one of the resorts around Ko'olina (such as the Marriot Ko'olina Beach CLub). Lastly maybe the Kahala Hotel & Resort in the Kahala area.
Each of these are in different areas of the island. But each location is more secluded than Waikiki would be.
They also can be on the expensive side. So knowing your budget for hotel could be helpful.
My friends always stay at Turtle Bay so that is definitely on the list; I'll check into the other two suggestions.
Has everything you would want Beach and pools, lots of choices. Right in Waikiki
We, (wife and I) just just did a weekend get-a-way this past week, there.
Every Friday night is fireworks night. You will have to have to rent a vehicle to get around to the usual attractions like Arizona Memorial, and any of the other sights around Oahu.
Lock in your rates what you quoted will be the best you can get.
My only concern with Hawaiian village would be over crowding; we've been to Jamaica twice and definitely enjoyed the adults only resorts as opposed to the family resorts that tended to be way more crowded. Although in Hawaii we would be planning to get off resort much more than we did in Jamaica.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cajala
I agree with whtviper1 on the ticket prices. $2,000 for first class is probably the best you'll find from your location. There are free (and premium - <$50 annual) flight tools that allow you to pick Honolulu (most common airport with deals... still rare compared to mainland) as your primary location and notify you every week or so on deals. These are usually economy tickets but the savings, to an extent, trickles down to first class as well. I subscribe to a few of these and they work if you are ready to commit within 24-48 hours on dates.
The best deal/mistake I have ever found was Honolulu to Rome... $512 RT thanks to these airfare tools (yes... I have proof since zero people believe me and the flight was only 3 days ago.. no I was not on it due to work). If you have to choose, I prefer the flight back to be first class as many are overnight. From New York, for example, I received notifications for super cheap $354 RT tickets for economy earlier this week which leaves a lot of extra money to spend on your food, excursions, etc. I could argue both ways on first class being worth it but it is your honeymoon!
For location, you'll be tempted to only look at Waikiki initially due to the large availability of options. The beach is busy, there's no way to overlook that but it is still very enjoyable coming from the mainland myself. Just keep in mind that you will never have the beach to yourself and it is not the best in Oahu so a rental car is advised. You will have opportunity for other experiences outside of town wherever you stay thanks to the relatively short driving distances but budget is a big deal. Oahu is not cheap. If beach/pool/excursions are your priorities (not shopping/night life/fine dining), stay off Waikiki for a more chill honeymoon. Actually, you may want to consider another island as there is so much to offer with little added travel cost. If I had to guess, Maui would be worth considering for you both but I'll let more experienced members correct me here.
We are certainly open to other islands, we were just focused on Oahu due to the plethora of options and recommendation from our friends. It was our understanding that island hopping could be time consuming so we're just trying to stay in an area that would allow us to enjoy as man things as possible but also make efficient use of our time lol.
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