Home >

When my then-fiancé and I started throwing out ideas for honeymoon destinations, we came up with a very short list. If you want a romantic vacation, you want Hawaii, plain and simple. Perhaps the only unromantic thing about this chain of islands six hours west of California is the flight. But it only takes the cool stem of a purple orchid slipped behind your ear in a gesture of Aloha, or your first stunning sunset with a Mai Tai in hand to ease the pain of jet lag.

Each island has its own charm and attractions, and we chose Maui, Condé Nast Traveler’s 2007 pick for “Best Island in the World.”

My husband and I flew into Maui’s Kahului Airport, picked up our bags and headed for the car rental. I had thoughts of Magnum P.I.’s red Ferrari waiting for us, but that was a little out of our price range, so we settled on a red Subaru. Our little wagon handled quite well on the twists and turns of the Road to Hana, but if you really want to do Hawaii the right way, call ahead to reserve a convertible or Jeep.

There’s no such thing as a “premium” hotel location, as all areas of interest are easily accessible to sightseeing highlights and premier golf and tennis locations. So just choose a hotel or resort within your budget, closest to your priorities, and you’re on your way. As you’ll learn in Hawaii, there’s no such thing as a bad anything.

Our hotel in Wailea was about a 20-minute drive from the airport, past the Dole Pineapple Plantation, down the southwestern coast of the island. Wailea is a growing resort area with high-end shopping, and-the reason we chose it-some of the best snorkeling on the island. We made good on our goal not to repeat eating at the same restaurant, either in our hotel or throughout the island, during our trip…save one discovery. Matteo’s Pizzeria, just a short walk from our hotel has-I’m going to go there-a pie as good, if not better than Lombardi’s in New York City.

Even though we had the whole day in front of us, our bodies were still on Eastern Standard Time and ready to pack it in for the night. We used our first day to get acclimated (read: order Mai Tais and apply SPF30 every hour) and review our tourist guide. We both wanted to explore the island on our own, but certainly surfing lessons, guided snorkel outings, whalewatching or an arial tour of the island from a helicopter can all be arranged by checking with your hotel concierge. Our hotel’s luau showcasing authentic Hawaii’an storytelling, told through song, dance, music and fire-throwing made for one of our favorite nights.

Our first big outing was a 3:00am wake-up to drive up the Haleakala Crater for sunrise at 10,000 feet. Winding through the pitch black, with the wind whipping around you, this is when you’re glad for the 4-wheel drive. Our pictures from the morning show the two of us huddled under all the layers we’d brought, my scarf tied around my head and ears to double as a hat. Then, as the sun first appears below us, we could actually see how fast the wind was moving as it blew the clouds between all the huddled groups of tourists. Early mornings and heavy clothes might not be your first thoughts when it comes to Hawaii, but they don’t call this the “House of Sun”for nothing. Wear chapstick, and make sure you put your layers on correctly. Nothing ruins a beautiful honeymoon sunrise photo-op like chapped lips and an inside-out, backwards shirt.

Our next adventure was conquering the infamous Road to Hana, an almost 60-mile stretch with steep turns, peaks and valleys, one-way bridges, also known as the Hana Highway. One of the smartest things we did was the exact opposite of what the tourist books recommended; instead of pulling over at every swimming hole, hike and scenic overlook, we drove straight through so we could get to our destination and then enjoy the ride back when it would be later in the day, and we would hopefully encounter less tourist traffic.

Give yourself at least three hours to travel the 52 miles of The Road to Hana. The road is so narrow with such sharp turns that even people who have never experienced car-sickness may find themselves sticking their heads outside the window, sucking in fresh air. And if you know that you are one of those people, you may want to consider traveling on a guided and driven tour.

Blissfully unaware of my impending vertigo, we stopped off in Pa’ia, an adorable surfing town that time forgot, right before starting our adventure. We stumbled into Café Des Amis for an amazing crepe breakfast and picked up souvenirs at a few of the shops. Finally, we popped into a local market to stock up on sandwiches and snacks for the drive, because we’d been warned that there were no rest stops along the Hana Highway.

Reflecting on our adventure from the hotel hot tub hours later, my husband and I both agreed that the real treat was continuing past the end of the highway another 40 minutes or so to the Kipahulu Visitor Center at the southern end of Haleakala National Park. Here, weather permitting, tourists are allowed to take a dip in the Seven Sacred Pools. Our one goal was the 4-mile Pipiwai Trail past two impressive waterfalls and through a bamboo forest to, finally, a magnificent 400-foot waterfall. Take note of the guava trees along the way and be sure to try one. When in Hawaii, after all!

No matter what activities you decide to do on your Hawaii’an holiday, it’s a destination that makes your travel seem trivial. And if you really do Hawaii right, you’ll sleep the entire flight back to the Mainland, as they say on the island.

Aloha!

Return to Table of Contents