It’s been almost two months since we returned from our honeymoon but I’ve daydreamed about it every single day since and I’m so excited to share the details with you. When planning this trip, our priority was really just relaxation. We snuck in a few excursions here and there but after the craziness of the wedding, we didn’t want to feel like we had to make any major commitments both in terms of our time and energy on the trip as well as money.

We chose Hawaii for our honeymoon for two reasons– 1) my parents went to Hawaii for their honeymoon 35 years ago so Hawaii and honeymoon were always synonymous to me. 2) there aren’t many warm destinations that are appropriate for the end of December. If you’re looking for a simple, relaxing honeymoon, or vacation, this itinerary is for you.

Where We Went:

3 Nights in Oahu: We flew direct from Newark to Oahu on the Monday after our wedding and it was the best intro to Hawaii. Before our trip, everyone told us that Oahu would be our LEAST favorite but as city people, we both really loved staying in Waikiki. We’ll get into what we did later on but I loved spending days by the beach and pool and then exploring the city at night. Definitely exceeded our expectations.

3 Nights in Kauai: After Oahu, we were off to Kauai, which was a completely different vibe. Kauai was much more rural and there were little roosters like Hei Hei from Moana EVERYWHERE. 😂 We stayed on the South Shore in Poipu, which is not as popular as the North Shore, but it was a nice quiet change to the hustle & bustle of Waikiki. The South Shore is also closer to the airport, which made our travel days in and out of the island a bit quicker and easier.

4 Nights in Maui: Maui was the perfect grand finale of our honeymoon. It felt the most luxurious and felt the most special compared to the other destinations. We stayed in Wailea, which is a resort town right on the ocean. We happened to be there the week before Christmas and I will say there were more families there than I expected.

Where We Stayed:

Our favorite hotel of the 3 was The Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki (Oahu). This was where my parents stayed 35 years ago on their honeymoon and I remember seeing photos of the iconic flower pool in their photo albums growing up and knew I wanted to stay there when we were planning our honeymoon. It was the PERFECT location as it was right on the beach but only steps away from the city for impromptu excursions or walks in the morning. Our room at The Halekulani was the smallest of the three but it didn’t really bother me. We had a lovely lanai with a partial ocean view where we ate breakfast and enjoyed post-pool naps but the real winner of The Halekulani was the service. It was BEYOND incredible. As soon as they found out it was our honeymoon, they sent up a bottle of champagne for us to enjoy, surprised us with snacks by the pool, and really just made sure our experience was top-notch. Lastly, I really loved that they had more of a boutiquey vibe than the other resorts in the area as well as the other hotels we stayed at throughout our trip.

Our second favorite hotel was The Four Seasons, Maui. Yes, this is the one The White Lotus Season 1 was filmed at and it was as incredible as it seemed in the show. The only reason it’s taking second place is the price. Since it was our honeymoon, we didn’t mind the splurge but while our room was bigger than that at The Halekulani, the room just wasn’t as nice. Our lanai didn’t have a great view and there was construction going on nearby that we could hear in the morning, so lanai moments weren’t as relaxing as they were at The Halekulani. Other than the room, The Four Seasons, Maui is truly a phenomenal hotel. We barely left the hotel while we were there because the beach, pool, and activities were at our fingertips. Unfortunately, there was a huge storm that came through our first and second days there but the hotel made amazing accommodations to make sure we didn’t feel like we were missing out too much. On sunny days, the pools were AMAZING. I think the serenity pool will be my forever happy place.

Our least favorite hotel was The Grand Hyatt Poipu. This was the most resorty hotel we stayed at and the only hotel I don’t think we’ll be back to. 😢 This hotel seemed geared towards families vs. honeymooners, which means there were kids running everywhere. This doesn’t normally bother me, especially since Tom is basically a child but for our honeymoon, it was a bit much. Don’t get me wrong though, we both took full advantage of the waterslide and pools. There was an adults-only pool but it was the furthest from the beach and pretty lame so we chose to spend most of our time at the saltwater lagoon. Given the remote location, it was nice that you could rent a car directly from the hotel lobby or even use their house car for short distances.

What We Did:

As I mentioned, our priority was just relaxing and slowing down after the wedding. However, we did sneak in a few touristy excursions at each destination. In each location we spent at least one full day at the pool/beach for relaxation purposes but also because we were paying SO much for our hotels, we really wanted to take advantage of the amenities they had to offer.

In Oahu, our two ‘big’ excursions were The Iolani Palace and Pearl Harbor. Overall, it felt kinda odd that we JUST got married and then three days later we were acting like a total tourists taking these tours. That said, neither of us has ever been to Hawaii and wanted to make sure we didn’t miss any ‘must-do’ activities in case we never make it back. That being said, you can skip the Iolani Palace. While it was interesting to learn some Hawaiian history, It was a very basic tour and I didn’t feel like it was anything special. You can definitely learn just as much with a quick google search. 😂 Pearl Harbor on the other hand was more worth it to me but we spent WAY too much time there. There is so much to do there. Multiple museums, memorials, and exhibitions but I would recommend you go in the morning with a cup of coffee for a few hours and then head back to Waikiki.

In Kauai, our first day was our excursion day. We rented a car and visited the Kauai Coffee Company and Waimea Canyon. We tasted multiple brews on the deck at Kauai Coffee Company and grabbed an iced latte before we took a self-guided tour of the estate. Afterward, we drove up to Waimea Canyon, which was definitely an experience. Visibility into the canyon wasn’t great and it had rained the night before so it was very cold and muddy. I definitely didn’t wear the right shoes or outfit. 😩 Be prepared that the ride up and down is VERY windy. I would definitely take some motion sickness pills if you usually get motion sickness. On that same day, we also did a classic Hawaiian Luau at Smith’s Family Luau. This was about 30 minutes away from the hotel and takes place in a gorgeous garden. The experience includes dinner with live music as well as a full show that includes various Hawaiian-inspired dance performances. The food was pretty meh (Tom liked it though!) but I really loved the music and performances. Definitely one of those moments I’ll never forget.

I’m not ashamed to say that most of our time in Maui was spent at the hotel. With two rainy days, some of our excursions got canceled like snorkeling and out-rigger canoeing, which was disappointing but we tried not to let the weather ruin our vibe. We did however get couples massages oceanside, which was one of the best experiences ever. After all the stress of the wedding, it was amazing to just vege out and relax together. On our last day (literally the day we flew out), we took an Uber to Kihei for brunch and for Tom to take a surf lesson. He took a private lesson at Maui Wave Runners. He loved his instructor and instantly felt very comfortable with him. I didn’t join him but I still loved sitting on the beach reading and watching his lesson.

What We Ate:

For all the time we didn’t spend doing activities, we DID spend eating! 😂 I won’t go into detail about every meal we ate because that would just be A LOT but I will share some of our favorites. Before I get into it, I HIGHLY recommend ordering room service and eating breakfast on your lanai at least once in each of your honeymoon destinations. It was so nice just relaxing in our pajamas, drinking mimosas, and starting the day with just the two of us.

My top 3 dining experiences in Oahu were House Without A Key for dinner, The Veranda at The Moana Surfrider for breakfast and Island Vintage for more of an on-the-go option. House Without A Key was located right at The Halekulani and was such a beautiful Hawaiian experience. There was a live Hawaiian band that played throughout the night right on the water and just felt like a dream. The food gave you a taste of Hawaiian fare with plenty of fresh seafood and mai tais. This is a MUST-DO if you’re honeymooning in Waikiki. We went to The Moana Surfrider for breakfast and while the experience wasn’t very special, I’m still dreaming about the mango & coconut pancakes that I had. Lastly, Island Vintage had a huge line but was worth the wait. It was the best acai bowl that I’ve ever had. They had SO many different options so it was hard to just pick one.

The food in Kauai was SO fresh and it really surprised me given how remote and rural it was. My top 3 were dinner at Tidepools (which was right at our hotel), breakfast at Kiawe Roots, and dinner at Eating House 1849. The vibe at Tidepools was probably the most unique of the entire trip. The entire restaurant was nestled into lagoons with coy jumping into the air at any given moment. It was super romantic and again, another must-do if you’re honeymooning in Kauai. Kiawe Roots was an impromptu meal on our excursion day and was only about 7 minutes away from our hotel. This was definitely more of a local spot. I had the avocado toast and it may have been the best that I’ve ever had. The mix of Hawaiian seasoning and pumpkin seeds was SO good. And lastly, Eating House 1849 just had phenomenal food. Tom and I split the Ahi and butterfish and it was incredible.

Last but not least, my top 3 dining experiences in Maui were The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea, The Lobby Lounge at The Four Seasons, and Lineage. The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea was a super special experience. I do wish we got there a bit earlier as it was already so dark when we arrived that we couldn’t really enjoy the amazing view from our table. The Restaurant offered a tasting menu, which is our FAVORITE!! From caviar service to fresh seafood and artisanal drinks, I’ll never forget this night. As a BONUS, The Restaurant also had an incredible cocktail bar called The Birdcage, which had amazing drinks and just a lovely vibe for us to just hangout for the night. The Lobby Lounge was a total dark horse. Since it was storming the afternoon we got there, we hunkered down in the lobby with a book. It was a coincidence that they were doing a dim sum tasting. It was SO good and the best little surprise given we were totally bummed about the weather. Last but not least, Lineage was located about 5 minutes away from the hotel and was a Hawaiian/Asian-inspired tapas restaurant. The vibe leaves a lot to desire and felt a little cafeteria-y but the delicious bites made up for it.

I truly can go on and on about how amazing this trip was. I give ALL the credit to Tom since he planned the whole thing while I was planning the wedding. While I know nothing will ever compare to our honeymoon, I’m already dreaming of the day that we return for milestone anniversaries or with our family.