posted 05-30-2005 08:08               

Well, Kauai is the Garden Island and is also known as a great destination for honeymooners. If the kids fit this mold, then I'd say go to Waiohai which is cozy and quiet. An alternative could be the Kauai Beach Club.

If they are more urban-minded & want night life, then KoOlina would be a good choice as they get the night life & restaurants in Waikkiki as well as a nice place to stay.

Are you trying to trade into a resort or are you going to use the owners discount via Marriott? There may also be some get-aways availible via Interval ( although most likely non-Marriott).

You are indeed right to utilize your hotel voucher for a London stay as you can mine much more value out of your certificate. I'd suggest the Renaissance Chancery Court which has finally been turned into a category 7 ( no surprise here, it has always been a supurlative property).

Isn't Marriott ownership a great thing? You get so many different choices as to how to redeem/utilize MR points. It's a win-win as you can let the kids use the FF miles while you guys take a trip across the pond.

Hope they enjoy themselves.

posted 05-30-2005 09:20               

[This message has been edited by PamH (edited 05-30-2005).]

posted 05-30-2005 11:04               

Although there are non-stops into Maui OGG, most flights connect in Honolulu with Hawaiian or Aloha. The other two small companies do fly to JHM from HNL, I think with prpp aircraft. (Others can answer with more accurate info).

As jerseyfinn mentioned, Waiohai would be a good choice. They're all two br. Villas, right on Poipu Beach. (South side of the island). We had traded our one br. Kauai Beach Club for a Waiohai 2 br. last April. Took about 5-6 months for the exchange to come through. We were flexible with the dates and last year used a hotel room at Waiohai for a fill-in night. (They have 7 Hotel rooms).

Nothing wrong with the Marriott Kauai Beach Club either, on the East side. It's about 5 min. from LIH airport. Beautiful facility. Combines the Timeshare with the Hotel. Kitchen facilities are likited, as they also are at the Maui Ocean Club. But then, they won't be cooking -in much ... will they? Do not accept a lockout at KBC. One br. minimum. A car is necessary for to get around the island, although the Marriott Shuttle is available, on-call, for airport pickup. Hertz is available at the hotel.

Ko'Olina, on O'ahu, is a great resort. Fantastic staff. They're all 2 br. Villas, with lockouts. I would not do a lockout, for a honeymoon. Only when we go for two weeks.. Ko'Olina is about 30-35 min. west of HNL.Some people will say too far out, but not really. Wakiki is easily accesible for a more lively time. Nice for a day or two, for us 'old folks'. The rest of the island of O'ahu is easily reached, although it is a drive to the Polynesian Culture Center on the other side. They'll just hang out on the cove's or at the pools! The JW Marriott Hotel is a 3/4 mile walk (or shuttle) from the resort.

Last April, our daughter/husband enjoyed their honeymoon at the Maui Ocean Club immensely. (Courtesy of Mom and Dad)' They were in the one br. OF Villa 9008, probably the best view around. Molokai Tower, Inside corner, top (9th) floor. They have not been to the other islands, so they can't compare ... yet. Our nephew will be honeymooning at the Kapalua Renaissance late July, courtesy of his Mother/Father. (How come it works this way?)

e-mail me if you want. (Still playing with Z-Cars)

And yes, the Renaissance London Chancery Court Hotel is great. About 1/4 mile or so from British Museum. We walked everywhere, using the tube once. Spent 10 nights there in July 2002, using the, now long-gone, Marriott Rewards Certificate.

posted 05-30-2005 18:10               

A couple of thoughts.

As to the logistics of flying to Hawaii ( assuming that they are coming from the east coast ). It's a long, arduous day flying from the east coast to Hawaii -- at least 14 hours allowing for transfers. My wife and I frequently book an open jaw when we fly to Hawaii.

That is, we depart on a late afternoon/early evening & fly from PHL to the west coast (LAX or SFO) arriving @ 10PM west coast time. We spend the night at an airport hotel. The next morning we get on an early morning flight to the islands. This cuts down the jet lag effect and gets you to Hawaii by around noon the next day.

One can readily find direct flights to Oahu, Maui, Kauai, or Hawaii ( Big Island )if you depart in the AM from the west coast. Coming home, we take the "red eye" all the way home -- Hawaii is such paradise, that one can put their bags in storage and spend their entire last day in the sun before taking a night flight back to reality.

Now if you're using FF miles for award tickets, I don't know if you could book this sort of itinerary, but I just thought I would throw the idea out for you to chew on.

If Maui is your destination, then OGG is the airport that you want to fly into. It's a well organized airport ( can be a bit hectic during certain hours ) and rental car pick-up/return is a breeze. West Maui is about a 35 to 45 minute drive depending upon traffic.

On Kauai, Lihue is a quiet and efficient airport. As Zcar mentions, the airport is 5 minutes from Kauai Beach Club and some 20 minutes from Waiohai. Traffic is really not an issue on Kauai.

posted 05-30-2005 19:07               

jerseyfinn's thoughts are right on. It is a long flight from the east coast and anyway to releive it, is good. Last April, we flew our nephew from east central, IL to LAX on Northwest. He stayed with us 3 nights,
Then the three of us flew Haweaiian to Kauai via HNL. He returned Hawaiian to LAX, then walked next door to the Northwest terminal for flights back to IL. The Northwest and Hawaiian were separate reservations, but Hawaiian checked his luggage from Kauai thru on Northwest. The Hawaiian flight to LAX arrived at 11pm and the Northwest flight was the real 'red-eye'. A convenient hotel next to LAX is the Marriott Courtyard. Renaissance and Marriott are very close by also.

Have to agree with jme that Kauai Beach Club is 'awesome', (sounds like old Nissan, doesn't it? Inside joke) but have to disagree that there's not much to do on Kauai . Even after several visits, there's always something we haven't seen/done. Our nephew took a 6 hour raft tour of the Napili Coast. Went inside caves,and other stuff the boats can't do. About $135 per person if I recall. No bad backs or pregnancies allowed.
Anywhere in Hawaii is great, though.

Hey jme, try the Rennaissance sometime. We"ll try your suggestions some year. (Next year it's 2 weeks in Sydney). It's probably that they're all great.

posted 05-31-2005 05:43               

I just had another thought which might be useful both to planning your Hawaii trip as well a your London and future visit.

Try checking out Flyer Talk
. It is the penultimate travel site containing scores of individual bulletin boards covering each airline, hotel chain, rental company, regions of America & the world, as well as specific cities/destinations such as London, Paris & Hawaii to name a few. Also dedicated boards about dining in specific cities and all sorts of other travel topics.

Membership is free. Flyer Talk has a customizable user interface where you pick and choose the boards you want to follow on a regular basis. Expect to spend a lot of time during your first few visits to Flyer Talk as there is tons of info to meander through.

Flyer Talk is an indispensible travel resource. You will find a dedicated Marriott section here where you can find hotel reviews on specific properties & assist in planning this or any trip.

Flyertalk is kind of like TUG on steroids. Don't leave home without it.

posted 05-31-2005 13:08               

Marty (jme) - See my post re: MGR 47 Park. I wanted to get an exchange there but looks like chances are virtually nil. Your opinion about County Hall was seconded by my VA, so I'm looking into staying there. Thanks for the advice.

posted 06-01-2005 19:06               

quote:

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Originally posted by purduealum91:
Does anyone NOT go to Hawaii for their honeymoon? There are so many OTHER destinations out there. Just curious.

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