Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 I'm just so excited I had to share the news with everyone! We just booked out honeymoon and we are going to Hawaii!!! We are staying a beautiful hotel that was very reasonably priced!! Anyone ever been to Hawaii before who can offer some travel advice?? Here is the website, let me know what you think! http://www.outriggerwaikikihotel.com/ Link to post Share on other sites
Boundary Problem Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Renting a jeep and exploring the island is fun. It is nice to get away from the tourist area and hang out where the locals live. How about checking out the surfing beaches maybe for photo op and maybe see some great surfers. Maybe take surfing lessons near your hotel... (not that you'll leave the hotel much...) The wedding will be hugely stressful, so maybe plan on some rest, relaxation. Link to post Share on other sites
Lizzie60 Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Wow.. nice place... I know you'll have a great time.. congrats... Never been to Hawaii... never will... can't stand long distance in a plane.. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Renting a jeep and exploring the island is fun. It is nice to get away from the tourist area and hang out where the locals live. How about checking out the surfing beaches maybe for photo op and maybe see some great surfers. Maybe take surfing lessons near your hotel... (not that you'll leave the hotel much...) The wedding will be hugely stressful, so maybe plan on some rest, relaxation. Thanks for the tip!! We do plan on renting a car one day and doing some exloring! We were going to rent one for the whole trip but our hotel charges for parking so it would end up costing a fortune to rent a one for the whole 10 days! Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 I love, love, love Hawaii! In fact, we just booked our trip to Kauai this week! I've actually stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki several times (when I was 18, 20, 23, and 25). That hotel has one of the best locations on Waikiki Beach itself... it's right on the heart of Kalakaua Avenue, right across the street from the International Marketplace, and of course my favorite bar is right downstairs. It was great fun when I was young and looking to have "fun." BUT I will say that Waikiki isn't the most romantic choice for a Hawaiian honeymoon. To be frank, it would probably be my last choice of all the islands and towns. It's like party-central, full of young college kids looking to hook up and find bars who will cater to the under-aged. It reminded me of the gas light district of San Diego. Any possibility you could change reservations? There are tons of reasonable places in Maui that are very nice, still have a nightlife, etc., and would be just perfect for a honeymoon. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 If you do decide to stay there, I do have TONS of advice. Don't bother renting a car for the entire time you're there. You just won't need one in Waikiki. Instead, get one just for a day and drive north up through the middle of the island. Stop and visit the town of Haleiwa, and then go horseback riding at the North Shore's Turtle Bay Resort. If you've never been to Hawaii, then a luau is a must. I highly recommend Germaine's Luau - it's by far the best on Oahu. Do NOT bother with Hanauma Bay's snorkeling nightmare/tourist trap. Instead, go on a snorkeling tour that leaves out of Kaneohe Bay. They take you out to a sand bar about 2-3 miles off the shore where you can literally stand up and play volleyball in the middle of the ocean, or walk a few feet off of it and snorkel. VERY cool. If you want to get drunk for cheap, walk up and down Kalakaua Avenue outside your hotel, and wait for a random dude with a binder full of pictures of young people stuffed onto boats to ask you if you'd like a night of fun. Sometimes these guys lurk inside the IM too. This is the quintessential Waikiki "booze cruise." Parasailing is also a must. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 If you do decide to stay there, I do have TONS of advice. Don't bother renting a car for the entire time you're there. You just won't need one in Waikiki. Instead, get one just for a day and drive north up through the middle of the island. Stop and visit the town of Haleiwa, and then go horseback riding at the North Shore's Turtle Bay Resort. If you've never been to Hawaii, then a luau is a must. I highly recommend Germaine's Luau - it's by far the best on Oahu. Do NOT bother with Hanauma Bay's snorkeling nightmare/tourist trap. Instead, go on a snorkeling tour that leaves out of Kaneohe Bay. They take you out to a sand bar about 2-3 miles off the shore where you can literally stand up and play volleyball in the middle of the ocean, or walk a few feet off of it and snorkel. VERY cool. If you want to get drunk for cheap, walk up and down Kalakaua Avenue outside your hotel, and wait for a random dude with a binder full of pictures of young people stuffed onto boats to ask you if you'd like a night of fun. Sometimes these guys lurk inside the IM too. This is the quintessential Waikiki "booze cruise." Parasailing is also a must. We booked it on Expedia so we could change it but it would cost us money to do so. So we won't be doing that. The week we are taking our honeymoon I don't know how many college kids there would actually be since school will be in session...but if there are it's not a huge deal really. We read a lot of reviews about the hotel from people who went on their honeymoon there and said it was awesome! We looked at other islands but affordable hotels for us that weren't dumps weren't on the beach and that was one of our requirements! Thanks for the advice on things to do, we won't be doing any sailing/boating though as I get VERY seasick. We will try snorkeling and fiance wants to see a lot of other things also! Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 We booked it on Expedia so we could change it but it would cost us money to do so. So we won't be doing that. FYI: Expedia doesn't charge fees to change a reservation at all. As for timing, my trips were in April, twice in September, and October - all when school was in season. Party kids still abound... Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 FYI: Expedia doesn't charge fees to change a reservation at all. As for timing, my trips were in April, twice in September, and October - all when school was in season. Party kids still abound... Oh, well in the disclaimer it said that they may charge fees to cancel reservations. Doesn't matter though, we don't particularly care about it all that much. We wanted to be in a populated place where there is lots to do and the hotel got excellent reviews and was in our price range. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 (edited) Oh, well in the disclaimer it said that they may charge fees to cancel reservations. Doesn't matter though, we don't particularly care about it all that much. We wanted to be in a populated place where there is lots to do and the hotel got excellent reviews and was in our price range. Obviously, I loved that hotel when I was a young party goer. But I'd never consider it for a honeymoon, not when there are so many better, equally priced options out there for such a special, romantic occasion. For your money (and flight time!), you'd have a better time in Miami or the Keys or even somewhere in the Bahamas, really. Have fun! Edited January 29, 2010 by a LoveShack.org Moderator Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 (edited) So when asking for "travel advice" and "what we think" about this decision, you really only wanted "yay for you!", right? Obviously, I loved that hotel when I was a young party goer. But I'd never consider it for a honeymoon, not when there are so many better, equally priced options out there for such a special, romantic occasion. For your money (and flight time!), you'd have a better time in Miami or the Keys or even somewhere in the Bahamas, really. Have fun! By "travel advice" I didn't mean for someone to suggest we change our reseveration on their say so... We actually did look at the Bahamas, but we heard that Hawaii was absolutely beautiful and it was about the same price. We got several recommendations for Waikiki. We didn't hear from anyone that they were bothered by partying college kids. Edited January 25, 2010 by Lauriebell82 typo Link to post Share on other sites
Leia Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Google "Things do to in Hawaii or in the vicinity of OutriggerWaikiki Hotel". It's that easy. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Google "Things do to in Hawaii or in the vicinity of OutriggerWaikiki Hotel". It's that easy. Yeah, haha thanks I'll remember that. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 By "travel advice" I didn't mean for someone to suggest we change our reseveration on their say so... You asked for advice about your honeymoon. In turn, I gave you mine. I also gave you a host of advice of things to do if you chose to stay in Waikiki. We got several recommendations for Waikiki. We didn't hear from anyone that they were bothered by partying college kids. All I'm saying is, that when there are other comparable options IN HAWAII for a honeymoon, Waikiki would be my very last choice. I've been to every single island, most multiple times. I doubt those who are actually recommending Waikiki for a honeymoon over the other islands have actually been to the other islands. When analyzed on it's on, it's fine... but when you have other things to compare it to, it's not. See what I mean? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 All I'm saying is, that when there are other comparable options IN HAWAII for a honeymoon, Waikiki would be my very last choice. I've been to every single island, most multiple times. I doubt those who are actually recommending Waikiki for a honeymoon over the other islands have actually been to the other islands. When analyzed on it's on, it's fine... but when you have other things to compare it to, it's not. See what I mean? Yeah, I see what you mean. I did hear from someone that Maui was nice, but like I said I didn't see any hotels on the beach that were in our price range. Link to post Share on other sites
allina Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Holy crap LB! You even have your honeymoon booked 9 months in advance! I need to get on top of all this wedding stuff! Though we actually have our honeymoon location figured out too. I have been to Hawaii several times but we only go to Maui and Kauai You must be thrilled What kinds of things are you and fiance planning on doing there? My only recommendation is to get out there, do things and see a lot. Don't just stay put at the hotel or the really touristy places. For our honeymoon we are going to Dubai with a quick hop over to Agra. Not typical honeymoon destinations but we're not typical, we're explorers Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Holy crap LB! You even have your honeymoon booked 9 months in advance! I need to get on top of all this wedding stuff! Though we actually have our honeymoon location figured out too. I have been to Hawaii several times but we only go to Maui and Kauai You must be thrilled What kinds of things are you and fiance planning on doing there? My only recommendation is to get out there, do things and see a lot. Don't just stay put at the hotel or the really touristy places. For our honeymoon we are going to Dubai with a quick hop over to Agra. Not typical honeymoon destinations but we're not typical, we're explorers It's actually less then 8 months away now!!! We booked early because the prices are lower! We love to go out to dinner so we plan on going to see a lot of different restaurants and shops. My fiance wants to do some exploring all over the island and we plan on renting a car one day to see the sites. We want some relaxation but we also want to go out and have fun also! Laid back places are boring to both of us! We are so excited!!! Link to post Share on other sites
SadandConfusedWA Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 LB, I was in Honolulu for work in October 2009, and it was AMAZING! I stayed in Outrigger Reef on the beach (not sure if that's the same hotel as yours) and had an oceanfront room. I was there by myself and had too much work to properly see all the sights but I took surfing lessons and went scuba diving. It's one of the better places I visited and I have traveled a lot. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 LB, I was in Honolulu for work in October 2009, and it was AMAZING! I stayed in Outrigger Reef on the beach (not sure if that's the same hotel as yours) and had an oceanfront room. I was there by myself and had too much work to properly see all the sights but I took surfing lessons and went scuba diving. It's one of the better places I visited and I have traveled a lot. Thanks, we are so excited! We don't have an ocean front room because it was a lot more money, but I heard that sometimes they will upgrade you for free if you say you are on your honeymoon! (we aren't counting on that though). I spoke with a friend who went there on her honeymoon and they stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Villiage, and went to the Outrigger for dinner and said it was so pretty! I'm so pumped!!! Link to post Share on other sites
allina Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 We love to go out to dinner so we plan on going to see a lot of different restaurants and shops. I spoke with a friend who went there on her honeymoon and they stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Villiage, and went to the Outrigger for dinner and said it was so pretty! LB, that sounds great, but keep in mind there is a TON of unique stuff to see and do outside out the restaurants. Don't spend too much time indoors at the dinner table, see as much of the island as you possibly can! :bunny: Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lauriebell82 Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 LB, that sounds great, but keep in mind there is a TON of unique stuff to see and do outside out the restaurants. Don't spend too much time indoors at the dinner table, see as much of the island as you possibly can! :bunny: Haha, yeah we plan to do a lot of exploring also! Fiance wants to go to Pearl Harbor and we both want to see as much of the island as we can!! Link to post Share on other sites
hotgurl Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Holy crap LB! You even have your honeymoon booked 9 months in advance! I need to get on top of all this wedding stuff! Though we actually have our honeymoon location figured out too. I have been to Hawaii several times but we only go to Maui and Kauai You must be thrilled What kinds of things are you and fiance planning on doing there? My only recommendation is to get out there, do things and see a lot. Don't just stay put at the hotel or the really touristy places. For our honeymoon we are going to Dubai with a quick hop over to Agra. Not typical honeymoon destinations but we're not typical, we're explorers wow Dubai that is interesting. What are you going to do there? My husband and I went to a tiny tiny island with almost no tourist for our honeymoon. It is called Bequia. We aren't typical travelers either. We like secluded place not the huge resort town. We were like the only white people there. I really wanted to go to Africa but didn't have the $$ LB I heard Hawii is beautiful. You should see if you can get some surfing.lessons. Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Haha, yeah we plan to do a lot of exploring also! Fiance wants to go to Pearl Harbor and we both want to see as much of the island as we can!! That's an awesome experience, bring lots of tissues! Link to post Share on other sites
Darien Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 me and my husband to be are thinkig of going to italy for our honeymoon, we are not sure where in italy yet but husband to be s cousin is getting married in italy on the 7th we did get a invite but as we were getting married on the 12nd we said no, we are thinking of surprising them. Link to post Share on other sites
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