Aloha!
February 22nd, 2008 @ 1:42 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
Aloha my beloved bees! I’m sorry that I’ve been out of the loop lately. Work has been extremely busy. Has anyone else felt that the closer they got to their wedding, the busier work seems to get? Feels like a conspiracy to me!
Anyway, things are on the up and up since Mr. Jasmine and I just booked our honeymoon! We will be spending two sublime weeks of beach, sun, and sand in… Hawaii! I’ve never been to Hawaii, so I’m extremely excited to explore as much as I can (yes, I’m way too hyper to schedule in much relaxation time).
Our first stop will be Kauai where Mr. Jasmine’s parents have generously offered us a stay at their timeshare.
I’ve wanted to visit Kauai ever since I saw Jurassic Park (I just hope we don’t run into any Velociraptors). The scenery looks absolutely breath-taking and I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to hike, snorkel, and maybe even surf (despite a scary surfing accident when I was nine that almost took out my two front teeth– and I wasn’t even the one surfing. I’ll save that story for another day!). Mr. Jasmine also has rave reviews for something called Captain Andy’s tour, so that’s a must-do for us as well.
Then we head to Maui where we’re staying at the Four Seasons Wailea.
It definitely promises to be the fanciest hotel I’ve ever stayed at and I’m really looking forward to soaking up as much luxury as possible. A beachside massage under the shade of a cabana sounds wonderful! I’ve also heard that Maui has some amazing dining options, so I’m looking forward to enjoying some really delicious meals– and I’ll finally have nothing left to diet for 
Any tips from Hawaii-goers on what we shouldn’t miss? I especially love restaurant suggestions as eating is always the highlight of any vacation of mine!
images courtesy of local pics and four seasons
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24 Responses to “Aloha!”
Miss Jasmine, did you have any luck with finding less expensive flights to Hawaii? My husband and I are flying to Maui for a wedding in July, and I’m desperate to find an inexpensive flight. Any pointers? Or any from people reading this comment? (Sorry, to pirate your comments section, Miss J, but I’m really hoping someone with experience can help us out on this one)
Two excellent choices–I’ve been to and loved both! As for things to do, make sure you head up to the Haleakala Crater when on Maui–it’s a sunrise thing, so you have to be up early, but it’s breathtaking!
We went to Maui last spring for vacation and LOVED it — if we hadn’t just been there, we would def have gone for the h’moon.
Best thing we did? Driving the road to Hana. PHENOMENAL views, esp if you splurge and get a convertible rental car (a must). Leave early and go all the way to the end to see magnificent waterfalls, black sand beaches, etc, etc. On the way back, Mamma’s Fish House is a highly-rated place to eat.
On other food recs, I actually wasn’t so impressed with the food while we were there. But that’s probably because I don’t eat sea food Everyone else on the trip loved it — esp. the ono (sp?) fish.
P.S. Haleakala bike ride ended up being the WORST idea ever. I know — hugely popular and people describe it as the “closest thing to heaven”. For us, it was the closest thing to h%!@! The weather was awful — so foggy, cold and windy that we weren’t able to bike AT ALL and didn’t see even a peep of the crater OR the sunrise! And we got up at 3 AM for that! I likened it to standing on Navy Pier in February.
So, just know that it’s a roll of the dice, weather-wise.
i think you’ll love the four seasons maui. service is impeccable and the hotel is very nice.
I JUST got back from the four seasons last week.
It is AMAZING
If you have any questions about it feel free to e-mail me
kayla at cupcaketime dot com
We just went to both places this summer!!! Kauai - Rainbows ALL over the place!!! it was amazing!! Definately snorkel or scuba here!!!! The beach where we stayed was not great for surfing - especially for beginners. We also did a zipline - and walked through the same field - where the triceratops was (when they were going through the poo) in Jurassic Park! Oh - you’ll see chickens all over the place - its Kauai’s thing. Ask about it when you get there!
Maui - we stayed at the Royal Hawaiian and really liked it.. It is definately more touristy - but we LOVED IT!! We learned to surf here - and were glad we did. It is the place (in July) for beginners to learn. On the beach they also sell sunset cruises and cool Hawaiian canoe trips. We didn’t do either, but it might be nice. We also went to the Pearl Harbor museum and to the U.S.S Arizona memorial. It was SO moving. We really enjoyed it. I know - who wants to do something sad on their honeymoon - but it really is amazing - I would recommend it!
You are going to have an AMAZING TRIP. If we hadn’t just gone - this is where we’d DEFINATELY go on our honeymoon. Instead we are going to the Caribbean - I’m hoping it will be 1/2 as good as Hawaii!
You’ll love the 4 seasons. We stayed next door at the Kea Lani for our HM (and saw a preggo Nicole Ritchie + Joel Madden!) and walked by the 4 seasons often and went to the communal beach next door to snorkel. The 4 seasons had 2 weddings while we were there–it looked fantastic!
If you like sushi, definitely hit Sansai. If you go after 10 or 11 pm, they have late night happy hour with karaoke and 1/2 price sushi.
I also have to second Mama’s fish house. One of the most expensive restaurants on the island, but definitely worth it. If you like tuna, I highly recommend their ahi tuna there. My DH is a big tuna fan and has never tasted anything like the one he had there.
If you want to drive, a fun night out would be to go up to Kaanapali and/or Lahani nd do some shopping and get some food.
If you have any questions, just let me know (anaj95 at hotmail dot com). (I’m also a fellow-Chicagoan.)
GJ, re: Flights in general. http://www.farecompare.com is a really great site to research flight costs. Oh, They’ve got seasonality charts galore.
Oh, and remember Southwest now flies to Hawaii via ATA airlines.
we hit Maui on our scouting trip in October. For us, Maui was not much of a culinary destination but it redeemed itself with the quality of its beaches! Make time to play on the beach!
The only restaurant we loved (and would definitely go to on future Maui trips) is Cafe O’Lei in Kihei
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-o-lei-kihei
It has unique flavorful dishes, beautiful plating, tasteful decor, and lively atmosphere. Yet, it’s not pretentious or overly expensive (it is located in a strip mall, but nearly everything is strip malls in Maui).
If you find yourself in Lahaina, definitely go to the Lappert’s ice cream! It’s more authentic-feeling than the mall locations.
Further north in Kapalua, we were disappointed by the Plantation House restaurant. The reviews may tempt you, but the lunch food was so unremarkable. Skippable.
Have fun!
I haven’t been in years, but I really liked Cheeseburger in Paradise (well, I was in high school when I went, but still!) in Lahaina, and Stella Blues in Kihei is a fun, healthy/hippie place!
Mama’s Fishhouse! Mama’s Fishhouse!! (you can flashback to my honeymoon posts about Kauai & Maui).
I REALLY enjoyed the helicopter ride in Kauai, it was pricey, bit was probably the highlight of the island!!
You are gonna loooove it!
i loved the road to hana, but you have to stop off at places along the way to really enjoy it. I also had fun doing the bike ride from Haleakala crater. It was freezing cold once you get up there and foggy but it gets clearer as you go down. We also did a snorkeling trip, make sure you do one early in the morning. It gets choppy out there in the afternoon.
da kitchen is a good place to go for local hawaiian food, its close to the airport. i also like maui tacos for hawaiian style mexican food.
I love hawaii! Its my favorite place to go.
there is a GREAT sushi place in hanalei, 2nd floor in kauai. i think it was called sushi blues or something…but it wasn’t expensive at all, and fish was sooo yummy we went at least 2x in the week we were there.
bubba’s burger in kauai was great too!!!
I’m with Mrs. Emerald and the rest of the feedback on MAMA’S FISHHOUSE. We absolutely LOVED IT! Best meal we had while in Maui last January for hm. I had the lobster filled with crab that just melted in my mouth – definitely a party in my mouth. It’ll be about a 20 min drive from Wailea but well worth it. Be sure to be there for the sunset too. Katherine McPhee and her hubby stayed at the 4Seasons too. Wailea has some great shopping where I got my brithday and wedding present at.
If you’re in the Lahaina area, stop by the Aloha Mixed Plate for some local food. They have the most amazing garlic French fries and food was one of the cheapest and most affordable places we saw.
Road to Hana was a site to see but be careful and make sure you wear the right shoes if you plan to do any hiking. I sprained my left ankle pretty bad but still enjoyed the sites. How could you not?
We did two weeks in Maui, and I must say we weren’t overly impressed with the dinning… My husband is a high end chef so I suppose I could be spoiled, but…
There were two yummy looking restaurants that we did not get a chance to try at the Grand Wailea so I would start there…
We did do a tasting menu at Roys (Which is my favorite restaurant in La Jolla, CA - Even the Roys in New York, NY was better than Maui…) needless to say with Maui we weren’t impressed.
Lets see we tried Canoes, again the food was so-so
Remember anything with a sign that says “Maui’s Best” or “Voted #1″ is actually the worst food on the island… no lie.
The best restauraunt we ate at was the Haille Maille which was out by the winery.
Skip the Kula Lodge out by the winery, the food was so-so… If you eat at some great spots, please do a write up because we hope to have better luck next time
Lucky for us we stayed in a condo for one of the weeks, and so hubby got to cook up some amazing food. The stores have great selection, and there were plenty of farmers markets around…
Wow, you guys have been pretty good at finding some of the local favorites! (Mama’s, Stella’s, Aloha Mixed Plate, Haliimaile…they’re all very good.) I have to say I think Roy’s is way overrated all around. (I’m not saying the food isn’t good; I just feel it’s over priced and over praised.)
On Maui, two of my favorites are Cassanova’s (Italian) and Pauwela Cafe. Both are in Upcountry. Also, Alii Kula Lavender Farm does a lunch tour, and they have yummy food. (Also Upcountry.) Worth a stop regardless. The Hana drive is beautiful, but make sure to pack food! There are only a couple food options once you get there.
FYI, I’m pretty sure the downhill bike tours at Haleakala are suspended. At least, they were, and I never heard anything about them coming back.
There’s all kinds of interesting and good Hawaii info at this website: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com
RE flights, I think ATA recently started direct to Maui &/or Big Island flights, but ooh, boy — that’s a teeny plane for a long flight! Hawaiian Airlines also has good flights (from the West Coast). You might have to take another airline to the West and then take Haw’n. (If you have AmEx points, I know you can “buy” Hawaiian miles and convert them to free tickets, but of course there are restrictions.) If you’re coming from the East Coast, the best flight I ever had was on Continental out of Newark. You get the ginormous plane with the little entertainment center in the seat front. A life saver when you’re talking about an 11 hour flight!
My favorite places to go: Lavendar farm (where you can purchase fresh lavendar scones and lavendar honey), goat farm (where you can pet the goats and have a flight of fresh goat chesse in different amazing flavors), the winery in the upcountry, and definetely the volcano at sunset.
My husband I am went to Maui, and stayed in Wailea, for our honeymoon in December, and had the best vacation ever! Just remember to really take everything in. Do like we did — leave the watches at home, forget your cell phones, and do something a little fun and crazy. I got a tatoo while in Hawaii — ok, it was a henna tatoo, but still a fun and crazy thing for me.
Have fun, and take LOTS of pictures.
Hi
Unfortunately some of the post are inaccurate. Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial is located on the island of Oahu not on Maui. I’m not too familiar with Maui but I can offer some help with Kauai Maui has a place called front street where it’s pretty touristy. Haleakala like everyone says is a definite visit. Make sure you get up there to see the sunrise or sunset. It’s beautiful!
Kauai is more laid back and things you’ll want to visit there would definitely have to be Waimea Canyon/The drive to Koke’e. The beaches are fabulous there too. Where are you staying on Kauai? In Kapa’a there is a Mom and Pop store called Pono Market. You have to try their Manju. In Lihue there is a place called Hamura Saimin Stand located on Kress Street. They make really good saimin which is noodles in broth and really good lilikoi (passion fruit) chiffon pie. Google them and you can find reviews. If you’re going to be in Poip’u there is a Roy’s there and other fancy restaurants. In Kapa’a there’s also a place called Kauai Pasta. The owner was actually the chef from Roy’s. It’s really good and always crowded. If you’re in Hanapepe don’t forget to visit Kauai Kookie. Make sure you try their cinnamon toast. If you don’t go there you can also find it at the super market’s on the island. I hope this helps If I can be of more help don’t hesitate to email me cariyanaga[at]gmail[dot]com
It’ll be a fun trip for you!
Cari did a great job of covering Kauai - it is by far my favorite island.
She didn’t mention beaches, but Kee Beach on the North Shore is a beautiful beach at the end of the road (literally), it’s not too crowded, and you can snorkel in the shallows there and still see fish. While you’re up that way, you can check out the Princeville Hotel and its infinity pool.
Hike a trail in Waimea Canyon (we did the Alakai swamp trail, which ended in a BEAUTIFUL view stretching all the way to the north shore!) then stop for shave ice at Jojo’s. They put mac nut ice cream at the bottom of their shave ice - it is so delish.
As for fine dining in Maui, Mama’s Fish House is definitely a must … but I also love the Lahaina Grill for a fine dining experience. Get the steamed clams for an appetizer if you go! Pita Paradise in Kihei Kalama Village is yummy, try the lamb kebabs.
One last recommendation is to either buy or borrow these two books from the library - Kauai Revealed and Maui Revealed. If you read up on these you will have a great time, no fail. These travel books are written by locals and have great maps, comprehensive restaurant listings, and awesome descriptions on all the places to go and things to do. Sometimes the best thing to do is plan just a few main activities, and then let island time dictate the rest. You may find that relaxing is refreshing, especially after all the wedding planning! Have an awesome time, Miss Jasmine!
Here’s a great Hawaiian tune for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DaDWnppos8
Enjoy your most special time on Kauai. Excellent choice for weddings and romance. If you need a guide or DJ for your special day, please say aloha! Congratulations!!
Restaurants in Maui - Mama’s Fishhouse (our favorite!), Nick’s Fishmarket (hotel next to the Four Seasons), Spago (in the Four Seasons), Pacific Grill…We ate at the restaurant by the Four Seasons pool every day for lunch. Yes, it was pricey - but it was convenient, good and had a gorgeous view. To balance the cost, we picked up a cheap breakfast at Snorkels (by the ocean at the Four Seasons - a croissant was $1.50, etc.) and grabbed the “free” coffee in the lobby. The Four Seasons is to DIE for. I wanted to cry when we left. Seriously.
Restaurants in kauai: Plantation House (our fave in Kauai!), Puka Dog (hot dog place - yummy lunch), Roy’s…
Get Maui Revealed and Kauai Revealed guide books - they were excellent.
Also re: flights, try http://www.pleasantholidays.com. (They used to be Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, but they expanded beyond Hawaii!) We booked direct flights to Kauai last year that were $200 less — each! — than on United’s own web site. And they were the same exact flights, plus we got our mileage credits. On the Pleasant Holidays website, just click “Air Alone” unless you’re looking for a package including hotel and/or car.
Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA
Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 24, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 20, 2007
Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles
About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
Oh, Miss Jasmine, that looks and sounds like an amazing honeymoon! I just have to second the observation that work is getting busier the closer we get to the wedding. I’m just over 2 months out, and not only do I have a lot on my own plate at work, but my manager was in the hospital this week, so I had to take on some of her projects, and someone else on my team is out next week, so I’ll be covering for her too, plus we have a couple of big events coming up, which means everyone will be pitching in to help those go off without a hitch - meanwhile, this is the week that our DIY invites must get in the mail! And, we’re meeting with our friend/officiant tomorrow and I haven’t even started my “ceremony research”. I think I’m about to lose my mind.