Arial view of Maui
Ah, the honeymoon. It’s no doubt one of the most fun parts of the wedding to plan! Who doesn’t love dreaming of white sand beaches, palm trees, and lounging poolside? The first decision for me and Kirk was when to take our honeymoon. We know many couples choose to spread out the fun (and the expenses) surrounding their wedding by postponing the honeymoon for several months, or even a year. However, we are both fortunate to have vacation time saved up at work and thought, “If we don’t go now, will we ever?” You never know where you’ll be in life in a year, and we both agreed we should take advantage of the opportunity to go on a trip right away.
Kirk and I had a short list of places we looked at: Aruba, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda. But we kept coming back to Hawaii. Neither of us have been, and we loved the mix of total relaxation and adventure. Since I’ve been doing the bulk of the wedding planning, I let Kirk take the lead on all things honeymoon—he’s much better than I am with logistics and travel, too.
I thought after choosing Hawaii our big decision had been made, but I had yet to realize how many islands there are (eight major) and how many itineraries are possible in the two weeks we’re planning to be there! After talking to friends who recently got married, I kept hearing a key theme of, “The first few days after the wedding, all you’ll want to do is sleep and relax.” Kirk and I decided to spend the first week doing just that, and chose Maui as our first stop. At the recommendation of his friend, we booked the Andaz Maui at Wailea, which has a multi-level infinity pool and amazing ocean views. While we’re there, we’re planning to drive the scenic Road to Hana and watch a sunset at Haleakala, the volcano that takes up nearly half of the island.
For the next week, we want to do more active things like kayaking and hiking. I’d read Kauai is the perfect island for adventure (Jurassic Park was filmed there), as it has a more rugged, outdoorsy vibe. It also seems like a nice complement to Maui, being less touristy and more remote. Since our first hotel is a bit pricier, we booked at Hanalei Bay Resort through Airbnb to balance the budget. We can’t wait to take a doors-off helicopter tour along the Napali Coast and hike Waimea Canyon!
In the end, both Kirk and I are super-happy with our decision to take a honeymoon right away and soak up some uninterrupted relaxation time in Maui before heading on to Kauai for activities. If you’ve been to either island, I’d love to hear suggestions on things to do and places to eat! Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or Twitter @jennasbennett.
