Hi all. First time poster here with some questions concerning the Maui portion of our August Honeymoom. I pulled the trigger on the Kauai portion of the trip, booking the Marriott from 8/22 to 8/27 in an oceanview w/ breakfast and rental car for $484/night. I think the Marriott location, price and beach will be right up our alley. Now the questions:

1) We are scheduled to depart Kauai for Maui on Sunday morning, arriving in Maui around 11:45am. I was originally planning on either staying in West Maui or Wailea for this portion of the trip, and then heading to Hana on Aug. 31st, staying at the Hotel Hana Maui before departing Sept. 2nd. However, our flight out isnt until late Sept. 2nd., so I didnt know if it was wise to be driving back from Hana with no place to shower or keep our things before getting on the plane.

So, I was wondering if it was possible/prudent to leave from the airport and drive to Hana on Aug. 27th, given that we probably wouldnt be on the road until 1pm. Since we will be staying in Hana for 2 nights, I am not concerned about getting there and back in a day, but I am concerned that 1pm is too late to get started. Am I better just keeping the original itinerary? If so, what should I plan on doing on the final day after we return from Hana?

2) I have searched and read many, many posts comparing the GW, FS and FKL in Wailea. Since we are on our honeymoon, I am leaning towards the FS based on the service and the beach. I am a bit concerned about the size of the pool, because we might spend some time there. Also, I have been reading all the posts about various resort charges and then charges for various items like cabanas, umbrellas etc. It seems that the FS doesnt charge for this stuff, which might make it a better deal? Does anyone have a sense of what these types of charges are across the various resorts, since besides the resort fees, none of this stuff is published on the websites. Also, what does breakfast cost at these there places if anyone knows.

3) What is the likelihood of getting an upgrade at the FS from either the Gardenview or Partial Oceanview, considering our travel dates and the fact that it is our Honeymoon?

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

If I were you I would switch the Hana part and stay in Wailea/West Maui for the last leg. Hana is about a two hour drive so a late shower, etc would be out of the question. If you stay in Wailea/West Maui for the last part all the resorts will let you change shower in a complimentary suite. You can lay by the pool without worrying about the two hour journey ahead of you and then shower. NEVER leave luggage or valuables in your car. There's a big problem with break ins on the islands, just like anywhere else.

All of the resorts except for the Four Seasons charge at least $100.00 per day for cabana's. The Grand Wailea charges $225.00 per day for a cabana. (what a rip off) All the hotels/resorts charge a resort fee from $18.00-$20.00 per day except for the Four Seasons.

At the Four Seasons you will pay a much higher price for the room, but the service is incredible. There are lots of extra's that the other resorts don't even think about. They are NOT good about upgrades whether it's your honeymoon or not. Please book the highest category you can if you want any kind of view. We made the mistake of booking a garden view and it was horrible. It was on the bottom/ground floor and basically you will have a view of bushes in front of you. There is no privacy as there really is no barrier between you and your neighbor. You can say yes, but I am at the Four Seasons. Trust me if you are traveling all that way on your honeymoon, you want a wonderful experience and a garden view is awful. Partial Ocean View is one floor up from the Garden Views. They are OK, but you may get a tiny view of the ocean. Ocean view is one more floor up from that and it's better than the others but you may not get an ocean view like you will be expecting. Ask them for an ocean view in the building closest to the ocean on the fourth floor in the inner courtyard.

We have stayed in a Garden View, Ocean View and Prime Ocean View. The Prime Ocean View are great. They are pricey at $790 per night, but we loved it. If I can be of any further help, let me know. I have been to the islands 13 times. I just returned last month and will be going again in September. Please feel free to e-mail me.

The pool is small and gets very crowed. The cabana's are almost connected with your "neighbor", but the beach service is wonderful. They set up a beach cabana for you down there, they bring you ice water and fruit and do the evian spritz. We always go down to the beach. They even spray the sand down so you don't burn your feet. Don't let the small pool scare you.

Hmm. Not good about upgrades? Is this others experience? I have read on some other sites that they regularly give upgraded rooms when they have them available. I will likely book an oceanview anyway, but from everything I have read, this will be a fairly minimal ocean view.

As for the trip to Hana, is it going to be a waste if we dont get on the road until 1pm from the airport? I do think that I will make Hana the first part of the second week, but I need to know how long to allow on the first day considering that we are going to be staying in Hana for two nights. I want to be sure to hit up all the good spots along the road, and I dont want to feel rushed, so if leaving at 1pm wont cut it, I need to know what time would be acceptable to leave considering we will be flying in that morning.

An advantage to switching up the trip in this way would allow me to drive around the bottom of the island in order to get to Wailea, which I heard is an excellent drive.

Thanks in advance.

I have stayed at the Four Seasons four times and never got an upgrade, but that might be the luck of the draw. They even knew it was our honeymoon the first time we stayed and all we got was a cheap bottle of hangover champagne. The problem with upgrades is that they are always booked to capacity so upgrades are scarce. I would ask them for an ocean view in the 89-93 series of rooms. These are the best ocean views they have.

If you want to do the Hana thing and make all the stops along the way and go all the way around to Wailea, then plan on six hours minimum and probably eight hours might be more realistic.

How long should I allow for a drive from the airport to Hana, stopping for the sites along the way? Since I plan to stay in Hana for 2 nights, I just need to know how long to allow on the first day. The flight from Kauai I am looking at doesnt get in until 11:30am, so I am concerned that by the time I get the rental car and get on the road, I wont have enough time to enjoy the sites. Any advice? Should I be looking at earlier flights? Thanks in advance!

In August, if you hit the road for Hana out of OGG by 1 PM, you should have at least six or 7 hours of daylight and that'll be plenty of time to see the sites and not have to rush the trip. If you drove straight through to Hana without stopping you could make it in less than three hours depending on traffic. So you have an extra 3-4 hours to stop and check things out along the way.
Enjoy the trip!