Oahu-moon revisited!

I don’t think I ever showed you any highlight photos from our last few honeymoon days in Oahu, so I thought now would be a good time to share!  After all, it’s still too cold and I could use a little reminder of happier times without so much work!  So without further ado, some highlights of our time in Oahu-woo-hoo!

I check out the view of Honolulu after hiking to the top of Diamond Head crater!

Perfect. Rainbow. Perfect.

Pipeline surf contest, north shore. For reals.

Another gorgeous Hawaiian senset, as viewed from our room!

Hitting the decks of the U.S.S. Bowfin at Pearl Harbor.

And wrapping up our trip, paying respects at the Arizona Memorial.

J. and I are so fortunate to have been able to start our new life together with such an incredible vacation.  In these times when so many people are going through so many real, heartbreaking problems, having the means and ability to take this trip is not something we take for granted.  Every moment is precious and we will certainly treasure these memories.

Aloha from Maui!

Aloha everyone!  Today J. and I are wrapping up in Maui and heading for Oahu’s north coast.  Maui was a fun island!  I’ll be honest, some of the things that were hyped up here, were not as good as I’d hoped, but some were waaaay better. For instance, when we checked into our hotel on day 1, the Royal Kahana “upgraded” us to a two bedroom suite which was absolutely the grossest hotel room I’ve ever seen (and I don’t generally mind budget accommodations).  I can’t say enough bad things about it, do not stay there people!  I freaked out and told them it was unacceptable, so they then sent us to another room which was only marginally better and only because the bed wasn’t super saggy in the center.  Yuck.  So I got on the horn with our travel agent, we threw some money at the problem, and after one irritating night at RK we moved to a significantly better condo at this place called the Mahana.  *cue heavely angels*  It is literally right on Ka’anapali beach which is this long stretch of super-perfect sand, where we can walk a few hundred feet in either direction for incredible snorkling and nice waves for swimming.  The beach also happens to be about 20 feet from our room and we have a perfect ocean view.  We can also see the island of Molokai, and this part of the ocean is where whales come to give birth so we’re seeing whales all over the place.  It is such a 180 from where we began, and the trip has been divine ever since!

Once we got settled- really settled- we started exploring the North coast of Maui with the top down in our Jeep (a small upgrade from J!), which has an incredible cliff-hugging drive with these semi-secret “Olivine Pools” which you have to basically have to climb down a cliff to get to- but which were absolutely awesome in person.  And the Hana highway?  Pretty cool even with this season’s lack of rain (no seven sacred pools this year!)- we saw an ancient temple, lava tubes and arches, a black sand beach, and let’s not forget how we followed our guidebook’s instructions and did some off-the-tourist-road hiking to find an amazing waterfall and perfect swimming hole with NOBODY there!  Whale watching?  Better than I ever thought possible!  Our boat ended up being surrounded by three whales for about an hour, so we got to get within 10 feet of humpbacks, watching them play and breach.   We’ve mostly done cheap or free things here to account for the extra hotel expense, but with so many natural wonders, that’s been easy to do.  And of course, the restaurant scene here is outstanding!  Overall, I give it an A++!  So here’s some of the highlights from our five days of Maui-mooning:

Our room with a view!

The Olivine Pools- Secluded Secret or Death Trap?

Whale tail!

Yes, there are THREE whales in that photo!

Luau!

Piilanihale Heiau, the largest ancient temple in Hawaii.

Poised on the edge of a lava tube!

J. braves the icy spring water for a shot at our "private" waterfall!

I savor a sunset and watch the big boys surf near Mama's Fish House (home of the best seafood ever).

Aloha!

Aloha everyone!

First, a public service announcement.  Today our wedding is featured on Wedding Chicks, so go check it out!  Special thanks to Jessica Morrisy for capturing the day with such flair!  Woo!

Now more importantly, at this moment I’m drinking my morning kona coffee and eating some locally grown fruit (which J. made into a salad this morning!) while listening to the sounds of the faux waterfall of the resort out our window right now.  I am in pure heaven!  I just wanted to say hello to you all and recommend that you plan a trip just like this sometime in your future… worth it worth it worth it!  Right now we are in Kapa’a, Kaua’i at the Waipuli Resort- recommended as a money saving option by our travel agent because it is technically a condo and not a hotel.  But for us, that meant an apartment sized room with housekeeping, a full kitchen which we’ve used every morning and some evenings, a great location and a lovely pool.  And the room itself is local hardwoods, granite countertops, so much nicer than anything the Hyatt can offer.  So travel tip: go the condo route!  Next up, we move on to Maui and another condo (which my research suggests will be slightly outdated inside but with killer views of Molokai and whales)!

Highlights of this week have included an incredible helicopter tour, hiking to “secret” waterfalls where J. jumped off, getting a couples massage at the St. Regis, taking surfing lessons and both actually getting up (!), ziplining through the valleys of a cattle ranch, visiting the “grand canyon of the pacific” from the ground, and getting up close and personal with a Hawaiian monk seal.  So I’m not going to spend much more time blogging, and instead I’m going to go soak up some sun!  I leave you instead with some photos of the best things we’ve done this week!

xoxo,

Sarah

J. jumps off a 25 foot waterfall (I was too afraid so I just took pics instead!)

Who doesn't love watching a sunbathing seal!

Here we are on day 1 post-massage in Princeville, enjoying the views of Bali Hai

Zipping on "king kong" which was over 2000 feet long!

View of the Na Pali coast from our helicopter

Look closely and you'll see THREE whales- a mama and her babies? I like to think so.

Post-surfing lesson!

Honeymoon Travel Tips: Honolulu

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today, my dear cousin Laura is our guest blogger, and she’s got some incredible tips for you if you are considering honeymooning in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Laura honeymooned there herself with her husband Greg (these are photos from their trip), so she’s definitely the expert on this topic- one I fully intend to listen to!  Read on for her excellent suggestions on how to make the most of a Hawaiian honeymoon!

1.  Keep in mind: during all the hugs, kisses, and handshakes on the big day you will exchange many germs! USE GERM-X OFTEN because the stomach flu makes for a LONGGGG 8 hour plain ride!

2.  Don’t have high expectations for that first night when you arrive.  The wedding day, in combination with the jet lag, will make you feel like an old couple who has been married for years!

3.  You will receive leis upon arrival at that airport.  Preserve them by hanging them to dry, and bring along some preserving spray (got mine at JoAnn Fabrics) so you can enjoy them for many years to come.  I have my own hanging from a shelf in my bedroom with my bouquet!

4.  The homeless sleeping people on the beach won’t hurt you!

5.  But you know what will hurt you?  Sharks!  Keep your eyes out on Waikiki at all times for fins, and don’t swim in risky conditions- choppy water, overcast weather- we’ve all seen enough Discovery Channel to know the drill.

6.  Don’t buy drinks at the hotel bar for $20 apiece… instead walk a block or two to the “everything store” where you can grab six packs of Bud Light for $10 (which, hilariously, is still expensive).

7.  Oh, and that reminds me, BRING A LOT OF $$$$$$$ because everything is expensive!

8.  Take the North Shore Tour.  It is awesome!

9.  Go snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and make sure to bring your waterproof camera!

10.  Bring an umbrella because it rains nearly every day in the rain forests (yeah, what a surprise right) but it rarely rains on the beach.

11.  Enjoy a lovely dinner cruise and watch the sunset from the water… its amazing!  But don’t forget your Dramamine because cocktails and motion sickness do not mesh well!

12.  Know that no matter how sneaky you think you are, you won’t get away with stashing that pineapple in your suitcase… They will confiscate it at the airport on your way home!

Reminds me of Lost

Gorgeous view!

The lovely bride and handsome groom!

How to: Save over $10,000 on Your Honeymoon

As J. and I get closer to our wedding day, one of the things we’re starting to get especially psyched about is our honeymoon!  We’re going to be spending 14 days in Hawaii on three different islands, and we are SO excited!  Of course, a trip like this does not come cheap, so in planning we spent a great deal of time thinking of ways we could maximize value on our trip.  One such way was to delay our honeymoon for about 3 weeks after the wedding- which pushed us out of peak travel season (and also boded well for my work schedule).  Read on for this and many more tips (twenty!) which ultimately have saved us $10,334.98!

(1) Include luggage in your wedding registry so you don’t have to buy it yourself!  Estimated savings for two Hampton 5 piece luggage sets from Bed Bath & Beyond, $199.98

(2) Work with a travel agent!  For our honeymoon in Hawaii, we saved an estimated total of $1500 over the list prices for resorts and car rental for a two week trip.  Contact Lika at Blue Hawaii Vacations to work with the same person we did (no, they aren’t paying me, they just did a great job)!

(3) Register for your honeymoon with a site like Honeyfund.  Every gift you receive gives you a dollar amount toward your honeymoon.  So far, J. and I have received $1180 towards activities for our Honeymoon in the form of shower gifts.  And if you are reading this and you gave us one of those gifts, we heartily thank you!!

(4) Watch currency rates.  If there is a particularly good rate, contact your hotels.  They will be more than happy to let you prepay for your room, and maybe even meals or activities.  This can amount to hundreds of dollars of savings, especially with the dollar as volatile as it is right now.   Since J. and I aren’t going abroad, I’m not going to credit us with a dollar amount for this tip, but hopefully it will add up for you!

(5) Commit with your fiance, for the length of your wedding planning, to save all your spare change at the end of the day and keep it in a jar.  Bring it to a Coinstar machine before you leave for your honeymoon.  Estimated savings for J. and I: $300. Continue reading »

The Pros and Cons of a Honeymoon Registry

One of the hot topics on all wedding websites is where to register. And for us, that one was tough! John and I are not exactly spring chickens. We both own our own homes, we’ve spend considerable time and money furnishing them, and somehow our lives have come together in a comfortable, adult kind of way. We like it. We don’t need towels. We don’t even want more towels.

So when we got engaged, we were immediately drawn to the idea of a honeymoon registry. A honeymoon registry is a place where, just like a traditional registry, guests can buy you a gift– only instead of towels, you receive a portion of your honeymoon (a night in your hotel, a portion of your airfare, or an activity for two)! For two people who don’t need anything, we were pretty thrilled with the idea! So we set up our registry at www.honeyfund.com, which was one of the only websites we found that did not charge a “commission” on our gifts. The website is user friendly, and allows you to customize your requests to your honeymoon. And if you upgrade for about $20, you get a space that is ad-free!

Since setting up our registry, I’ve heard a few comments from people saying they feel honeymoon registries are “in poor taste” or that “people should pay for their own honeymoons.” I was totally taken aback by these comments though. Of course we can pay for our own honeymoon. We would never have booked it otherwise. Yikes!

Frankly, neither of us really cares if people buy us anything. It will be wonderful enough to have family and friends around us to celebrate our special day with us. But alas, registries are one of those “things people expect.” So to satisfy any concerned citizens, we also set up a registry at Bed, Bath & Beyond. And, happily, there are no towels on it! Rather, we registered for a nice set of sheets, some kitchen gadgets and appliances we’ve managed not yet to acquire, and shamwow (holds twelve times its weight in water, or so I hear)! If people want to buy us gifts off either registry, we’ll be honored and thrilled. And if not, we’ll still be honored and thrilled that they came to the wedding. Hopefully now the distasteful comments will come to an end!

Has anyone else heard negative feedback on their registry ideas?