Hawaii recomendations

[IndyColtsGal]

I know it's not Vegas and don't slap me around, but....does anyone have recommendations for a romantic resort in Hawaii.
I'm starting to plan my 20'th wedding anniversary (Sept 2011) and would love to do Hawaii. No specific island has been picked. There are so many options that it is overwhelming so I thought I'd ask this board of seasoned travelers for suggestions.
Requirements are:
1. Romantic
2. Ocean front
3. Private/secluded/peaceful
4. Great quality but a good deal
5. More than 1 restaurant on property
6. Oh and did I mention romantic

[nyc2vegas]

just make sure you dont go when there is a tsunami

[Charles~]

Turtle Bay.

+1 on going when it's not flooded.

[NyceGuy]

It's gonna be a 3 foot tsunami, get your boogie boards ready.

[chillin@thebellag]

are you planning to remain on one island the entire time and how long are you planning on going for?

[IndyColtsGal]

Trip still on...... islands still above sea level.
Yeah plan on staying in one spot for duration of trip. Maybe island hop for site seeing. Love to do a helicopter tour.

[wat]

Turtle Bay.

+1 on going when it's not flooded.

I agree, only if you're not planning to go anywhere else on the island. It's beautiful, secluded - just enough of civilization to make you comfortable, but not at all busy like Waikiki. It does allow you to be on Oahu as well - everywhere is within a 1 hour drive, basically, and Oahu's probably the most "metro"-like of all the islands.

It will probably be pretty pricey, though. But there should be a couple of restaurants (might want to check), and you're gonna be great in terms of seclusion.

Waikiki will not give you seclusion, but some of the beachfront hotels are kinda nice. And restaurants and things to do - you won't find another place in Hawaii that has more places to go than the mile long stretch of Waikiki.

Another place on Oahu you can check that's not quite as far away from Honolulu is Ko Olina (namely, the Ihilani hotel). It's beautiful out there, there's quite a bit of seclusion, and the west coast of Oahu is pretty beautiful. There's also a luau place out there called "Paradise Cove".

The other islands (Maui, Hawaii and Kauai) probably have a good few places, but also pretty pricey. Much less busy than Oahu, and much more into nature.

[kori]

I know it's not Vegas and don't slap me around, but....does anyone have recommendations for a romantic resort in Hawaii.
I'm starting to plan my 20'th wedding anniversary (Sept 2011) and would love to do Hawaii. No specific island has been picked. There are so many options that it is overwhelming so I thought I'd ask this board of seasoned travelers for suggestions.
Requirements are:
1. Romantic
2. Ocean front
3. Private/secluded/peaceful
4. Great quality but a good deal
5. More than 1 restaurant on property
6. Oh and did I mention romantic

hey congrats! Great to hear 20 years!!

I have the perfect answer for you that meets all your criteria. Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the big Island. I went for a friend's wedding and it was amazing. You could renew your vows here on the beach. I was there in May, and it wasn't busy at all, and they have a private beach that was very secluded. They normally have specials here... I also stayed at a condo on the Big Island, and that was very good price-wise, but no restaurant on board.. and a couple other annoying things about renting a condo.. but at least you can save on breakfast, etc since you can just make it yourself..

I find the Big Island a bit boring for me.. there's not much of a nightlife, but definitely lots of places to explore and things to do during the day. You pretty much have to rent a car here, and I would stay on the Kona side. There's not much to do on the Hilo side, and you can make day trips over there to see the lava flows etc.

I love Oahu the best, as long as you have a car, cause you can have the hustle and bustle of waikiki area, then you can get in your car, and be on the north shore in a couple hours and be on secluded, romantic beaches. The Ilihilani resort in Oahu is very nice, and also meets your criteria. (sorry, I think that was the name.. but it's the only other five star resort besides turtle bay outisde of honolulu) Pricelined a room at this resort for a good price.. the parking was pretty much half the price of the accomodation fee though..

I have never stayed at turtle bay resort, but that is where Forgetting Sarah ******** was filmed, and it looks amazing in the movie.

I have tons of info on hawaii, places to eat, etc.. if you have any questions, feel free to PM me too.

The two hotels I mentioned both have restaurants on the preimses, and they are both kinda spendy, but I remember the food to be good. But close to the Ilihilani resort there is a Costco, and they had lots of premade food that was really good, and good on the wallet.

[wat]

The Ko Olina golf course (near the Ihilani on the west coast of Oahu) also has Roy's, which is an Asian fusion restaurant that I enjoy.

And if you have any questions on food on the island of Oahu, I know a little. Food is one of the best things about Hawaii - such a strong concentration of asian cultures here (especially Japanese, Chinese and Korean), as well as an assortment of other cultures and culture-inspired cuisine. And it can be had for cheap - just gotta know where to look.

If you're interested in things beyond the touristy stuff, check http://honolulu.metromix.com out.

[IndyColtsGal]

Wow you guys are great wealth of info.

I want some pampering, so I think a hotel would be better then a condo.

Funny I had checked out Turtle Bay prior to posting this. Gorgeous.

I checked out Ilihilani resort last night it also looks beautiful and if I can catch a deal I might even be able to afford an ocean front rm.

I'm going check out Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel tonight and start day dreaming.

I'm sure that I will PM you guys with more foodie questions later on and of course where to buy that great bottle of wine.

Thanks for all of the resources.

[kori]

Wow you guys are great wealth of info.

I want some pampering, so I think a hotel would be better then a condo.

Funny I had checked out Turtle Bay prior to posting this. Gorgeous.

I checked out Ilihilani resort last night it also looks beautiful and if I can catch a deal I might even be able to afford an ocean front rm.

I'm going check out Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel tonight and start day dreaming.

I'm sure that I will PM you guys with more foodie questions later on and of course where to buy that great bottle of wine.

Thanks for all of the resources.

you should island hop if you plan to be there more than a week.. if you have eight days, you could spend five days on the big island for example, and take an interisland flight over to honolulu (around $49 on sale) or elsewhere and fly home from there.. if you're going to do a helicopter tour, you should do it around the lava flows on the Big Island.. I regret not doing this.. it would have been amazing I think.

Not sure if you considerd this, but there is a cruise that goes around the hawaiian islands i think.

i'm excited for you! after reading this thread earlier, i started checking schedules, flights etc for myself and thinking about late night sobering up/coffee at wailana coffee house..

I didn't think the food in Hawaii was anything phenomenal, except for bakery goods or burgers from Kua Aina. I guess I'm used to the restaurants in my own neighborhood.
happy planning!!

[wat]

you should island hop if you plan to be there more than a week.. if you have eight days, you could spend five days on the big island for example, and take an interisland flight over to honolulu (around $49 on sale) or elsewhere and fly home from there.. if you're going to do a helicopter tour, you should do it around the lava flows on the Big Island.. I regret not doing this.. it would have been amazing I think.

Not sure if you considerd this, but there is a cruise that goes around the hawaiian islands i think.

i'm excited for you! after reading this thread earlier, i started checking schedules, flights etc for myself and thinking about late night sobering up/coffee at wailana coffee house..

I didn't think the food in Hawaii was anything phenomenal, except for bakery goods or burgers from Kua Aina. I guess I'm used to the restaurants in my own neighborhood.
happy planning!!

Ohh ... dem's fighting words.

Hawaii has a wide variety of foods, and if you know where to look, there's some great local fare to be had. In particular, there's a lot of places near Waikiki to eat at. Wailana Coffee House is a pretty good late night place - there's other places near Waikiki that'll work, too.

And as far as burgers go, there's been several that opened up recently that I might call better than Kua'aina, but they make some good ones.

Food-wise, I got you covered on Oahu. As well as nightlife, if you're interested.

[kori]

you should island hop if you plan to be there more than a week.. if you have eight days, you could spend five days on the big island for example, and take an interisland flight over to honolulu (around $49 on sale) or elsewhere and fly home from there.. if you're going to do a helicopter tour, you should do it around the lava flows on the Big Island.. I regret not doing this.. it would have been amazing I think.

Not sure if you considerd this, but there is a cruise that goes around the hawaiian islands i think.

i'm excited for you! after reading this thread earlier, i started checking schedules, flights etc for myself and thinking about late night sobering up/coffee at wailana coffee house..

I didn't think the food in Hawaii was anything phenomenal, except for bakery goods or burgers from Kua Aina. I guess I'm used to the restaurants in my own neighborhood.
happy planning!!

Ohh ... dem's fighting words.

Hawaii has a wide variety of foods, and if you know where to look, there's some great local fare to be had. In particular, there's a lot of places near Waikiki to eat at. Wailana Coffee House is a pretty good late night place - there's other places near Waikiki that'll work, too.

And as far as burgers go, there's been several that opened up recently that I might call better than Kua'aina, but they make some good ones.

Food-wise, I got you covered on Oahu. As well as nightlife, if you're interested.

lol, don't get me wrong, the food is good there, but I'm spoiled, cause where I live, we have really good restaurants, particularly asian restaurants (except for Korean and Thai food) so I always get disappointed in most other N American cities.

Tako no ki is pretty good for the price in Honolulu. and like I said earlier, I had some of the best baked goods/pastries in Oahu.

The only burger place that might be better than kua aina might be the one by the mall near diamond head. The Korean guy from Lost owns it. But Kua Aina is better imo.

[wat]

lol, don't get me wrong, the food is good there, but I'm spoiled, cause where I live, we have really good restaurants, particularly asian restaurants (except for Korean and Thai food) so I always get disappointed in most other N American cities.

Tako no ki is pretty good for the price in Honolulu. and like I said earlier, I had some of the best baked goods/pastries in Oahu.

The only burger place that might be better than kua aina might be the one by the mall near diamond head. The Korean guy from Lost owns it. But Kua Aina is better imo.

Lol, I only defend the food here because it's my home. There are really select places to eat, and most of them are NOT in Waikiki or other tourist traps. Some are, but many aren't. You found Kua'aina, so I know you weren't sticking to only Waikiki or Ala Moana.

Yes - Daniel Dae Kim owns the Counter. I love the food there and the onion strings/fries combo ... augh, the drool from my mouth is so unattractive. But delicious.

[kori]

lol, don't get me wrong, the food is good there, but I'm spoiled, cause where I live, we have really good restaurants, particularly asian restaurants (except for Korean and Thai food) so I always get disappointed in most other N American cities.

Tako no ki is pretty good for the price in Honolulu. and like I said earlier, I had some of the best baked goods/pastries in Oahu.

The only burger place that might be better than kua aina might be the one by the mall near diamond head. The Korean guy from Lost owns it. But Kua Aina is better imo.

Lol, I only defend the food here because it's my home. There are really select places to eat, and most of them are NOT in Waikiki or other tourist traps. Some are, but many aren't. You found Kua'aina, so I know you weren't sticking to only Waikiki or Ala Moana.

Yes - Daniel Dae Kim owns the Counter. I love the food there and the onion strings/fries combo ... augh, the drool from my mouth is so unattractive. But delicious.

You live in Hawaii???? i am SOOO envious!! I'm willing to sell spam musubi on the side of the road if i can live there!!

Do you ever go to Tako no Ki? I think we went there almost every day for a week.. love the onion salad..

My ex lived there so I got to go to non-tourist traps. However, he lived in a tourist trap area.. right by the food pantry..