Hey Everybody,

I am lucky enought to be getting married this September to the wonderful girl that I have been dating for 7 years. My responsability is the Honeymoon. I would like to go somewhere special that we most likely will never go back to. Of course I am looking for utopia. Ultimately this utopia would have deluxe accomidations, natural beauty, friendly climate and have enough things to do but not feel crowded remaining relatively secluded. I was thinking the great state of Hawai'i. More specifically Maui, Molokai or Kauai. Does anyone have any suggestions/reccomendations? Richard I know that you live in HI... perhaps you can help me out? I am also open to other locations, but most places SE of the US are in Hurricane season during that time of year...

Many Thanks,

William T. Thorn, III

William- Congrats. It all depends what you want to do in Hawaii. Molokai has virtually nothing to do after a day or so if that. Kauai is nice but also not much to do. Does have nice hotels though. Maui and the Big island (Hawaii) have great hotels and more to do. Big island has the volcanos and lots of driving room. Oahu, well Waikiki is mostly cement (Las Vegas without the gambling). There's not much old Hawaii there. The north shore of Oahu (where I live) has the Turtle Bay Hilton, which is an older hotel and bungalos. It's nice and quiet. You can rent a car and cruise around the island. Honolulu is about an hour away if you need to see some nightspots. It all depends what you want, peace and quiet or nightlife. The north shore has the surf but that doesn't start til a little later. BTW we also have hurricane season around then, but it's been a few years since we had one. When we do it's a doosey. Let me know when you're here. Though being on your honeymoon you'll probably want more quiet and privacy than anything else. I'd say Maui or the Big Isle would be the best choice. Have fun.

Richard,

THX for the run down. As for the question of seclusion vs. nightlife I guess that depends on who you ask and when. We both would like enough seclusion that we are not bothered by too many people while on the beach etc. (no traffic jams) but we do want to be able to eat at restaurants and have some activity although minimal. Oddly enough I had considered the hotel in Turtle Bay. For now Maui is the front runner because there are some things to do and the Big Island close.

Richard keep me informed, if you hear any great hotel reviews let me know. I do need to make reservations soon though. As far as timing, we will be getting married on Sept. 16th and therefore should arive either on the 17th or 18th. Another question for you. I hear that the drive between Hana and Ulupalakua is breathtaking but requires a 4WD vehicle. I had been planning on renting a "sports car", should I not consider such a drive in this vehicle?

Many Thanks,

William T. Thorn, III

William, I have been to Maui 3 times in the last 4 years. (I work for Delta, so airfare is not an issue.) All 3 trips have been at least 7 day stays, and I still am finding new things to see and do! I always stay at the Mana Kai condominium in Kihea on the western shore of the island. Beutiful beach and not real crowded. I have also driven the road to Hana all 3 trips and continued on around on the "unimproved" road. It is well worth the trip as the scenery is great. The first time I was driving a Ford Aerostar van, did not have 4-wheel drive. The last two times were in a Chevrolet Lumina sedan. I had no problems at all, although the road can be a little rough in places, but if you take it slow there should be no problem. Go and enjoy!

Rodrv6,

Thanks for the input. I am growing more confident in my selection on Maui more. Thanks for helping confirm my initital thoughts.

Friends,

The next major task at hand is to find a great hotel, condo, house or bungalow. Again I don't really want to stay in one of those high rises, I would rather be a little more secluded, but want ALL of the amenities. Does anyone know of such a place. I realize that I am going to be paying out the wazoo for this, but my Honeymoon is going to be a once in a lifetime event. So far, I have a vote for Mana Kai and Turtle Bay. I read about the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua, but am afraid that it would be much too touristy for my tastes. I have also heard great things about Napili Beach for a nice secluded place to relax in the sun, has anyone been there? Can anyone give any other information on this subject?

Many Thanks,

William T. Thorn, III

[This message has been edited by william_thorniii (edited 02-08-2000).]

I have been to honolulu each year for the past 15 years, and i love it. Something to do all the time. I also have been to the big island and i really did enjoy the volcano. My choice is waikiki, but anywhere in hawaii is truly a lifetime experence.

ka4nkf,

15 trips to HI from Padukah? You must have amassed quite a wealth before retirement, consider yourself very lucky. I think that I am going to try to stay away from one of the bigger cites. It would be nice though to be close enough to head in for a night out on the town once or twice. If you know any beachfront, deluxe places to stay let me know.

Richard,

What is it like living in a place like HI? I can't even imagine that! I bet you get tired of seeing people on vacation though. I think that I could handle that trade-off though. 300+ beautiful days in one of the worlds most beautiful areas for having to deal with vacationers... yeah, I could definitely handle that!

Thanks again guys! Just goes to show you that Fierophiles are AMAZING people.

William T. Thorn, III

William,

My wife and I stayed in Princville on the north side of Kauai in September of 1988. We had a GREAT time. The island is very casual and very beautiful. I arranged all our accomidations. I found a magazine called "Hawaii" (you'll have to really look for this one). In the back of the magazine are adds from people renting their time share and personal homes. I called several and revieved pictures of each place before I made my decision. I got a one bedroom apartment with a full kitchen for less that $500 for the week!

We would get up in the morning (very early because of the time difference) and walk down a cliff trail to a secluded lagoon. The water was calm and was filled with old lava rocks which were filled with all kinds of tropical fish.

We rented a convertible mushtang (a jeep would have been better) and hardly ever put the top up. We bought a cheap cooler and got ice for drinks and sandwiches and just stopped at anything that seemed interesting. This also helped save a few buck because resturants are VERY expensive.

On one end of the island is Wyamea (sp) canyon. It's like the Grand Canyon of the Pacific (beautiful). At the other end of the island, near Princeville, is Keyee (sp) beach (clothing optional). At this beach, there is a mountain trail the leads into the cliffs and another remote beach. This is the beach whe the movie "South Pacific" was filmed.

One day, we took an island hopper to the big island to look at the live volcanos. And, on the way home, left early to get to the big island to visit Pearl Harbor (Don't leave the island without seeing it).

What ever you decide, you'll have a GREAT time. Were thinking about going back in a few years for our 25th anniversary (I know, I know, I'm an oldie).

Best of luck,
Roy L.

Roy,

Congratulations on approaching your 25th. I am truly excited to be fortunate to have found a woman that I would love to spend the rest of my life with. Even more so, a woman that will put up with my #%^$!.

As you know by my original post, I have looked into Kauai and even Princeville. Thank you so much for the tip about the HI magazine. I have been scouring the internet for a couple of months now in my spare time. I havebeen inundated with information and am having a difficult time deciphering what would be best for us. Therefore, I really appreciate your input.

Doin' great guys... keep the input coming!

Many Thanks,

William T. Thorn, III

CONGRATS.

I think anyplace on hawaii would be good