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.

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).

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!

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!

(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.

(6) Eat breakfast in your room, rather than out and about.  If breakfast for two costs an average $10 per person, you can save $280 over the course of 14 days!

(7) Do laundry at a laundromat (or at coin machines if they are available to you).  Estimated savings for 3 loads of laundry in a coin machine, as opposed to by resort staff: $75.

(8) Avoid peak travel times.  We worked with our agent to plan our honeymoon for the last two weeks of January, thereby missing the December holiday peak and sneaking in a trip before Canadian spring breaks begin in February.  Estimated savings for J. and I: $1500.

(9) Go to bridal shows!  They always have a contest or two you can enter for a free honeymoon, and chances are, you’ll need some wedding resources anyhow.  Grab a friend or family member and cross your fingers!  As an aside, I myself have never won anything this way, but bridesmaid R. won a trip for she and her fiance, so its not a hoax!

(10) Look for specials where if you stay x nights, you get a night free.  We are getting three free nights this way on our honeymoon!  And even if they are not offering it on your travel dates, it can be worth calling to see if they will honor it for your trip- sometimes they will.  Estimated savings for J. and I: $600.

(11) Think about bed and breakfasts. When considering accomodations, J. and I looked at many B&B’s, which generally ran $200-300 less per night than resorts, had lovely views, and included- you guessed it- breakfast!  Ultimately we went a different route but it was well worth the research.  Plus, websites like www.bedandbreakfast.com often offer discounts if you purchase gift cards there- so if your B&B is a member, you might save up to 20%.

(12) Book as many items as you can together.  You know you’re going to need museum or tour tickets.  Why not book them together with your airport transfers, or car rentals?  The more you book together, the more negotiating power you’ll have with a tour or travel company. Estimated savings for J. and I: $100.

(13) If you’re not using a travel agent, be sure to compare the price of booking with the hotel directly with prices on expedia or travelocity.  It’s often cheaper if you book directly since the hotel doesn’t have to pay a fee to the travel website.  Also, in case the room rate goes down before your trip, the hotel can much more easily adjust your reservation.

(14) Cash in your credit card reward points!  J. and I have cash back cards and miles cards, but decided to use our cash cards during the wedding planing months.  We use them to fund deposits and payments whenever possible, and by so doing, we’ll get an estimated $500 cash back before the honeymoon- that adds up to some nice dinners out!

(15) High-Low.  It sounds like a game on the Price is Right, but actually its a method of booking hotel rooms.  If you plan to spend time in a few locations, alternate between higher end and lower end resorts, or at least fancier and less fancy rooms.  In Maui, which is the priciest island we’ll be visiting, we opted for a “low” resort, and are saving an estimated $800 (it would be $1000 but our 5th night is free- see point 10 above)!

(16) Check out Spa Week, a website devoted to offering discount spa services in many cities.  Even if your travel date falls outside of spa week’s official dates, they will still have a fantastic list of spas offering discounted treatments!  Sadly, Hawaiian cities are not on this list, but many other destinations are!

(17) Buy your honeymoon clothes at the end-of season sales.  Going to Aspen?  Check winter sales in April!  For Hawaii, the best time to shop was August- I got great deals on shorts, flip flops, tees and swim suits!  For example, I snapped up an adorable lemon-yellow strapless dress at JCrew for $15, and madras shorts from AE for $10.  Estimated total savings $300.

(18)  Travel websites always suggest staying in Casinos, all-inclusive resorts, or going on cruises.  These are excellent ideas and I wholeheartedly support them.

(19)  Don’t fly first class.  It’s tempting, and believe me, I want to just this once!  But at a $3000 savings for the round-trip ugrade, I’ll pass.

(20) Tell everyone you are on your honeymoon!  From what I hear, this often leads to a round of free drinks, dessert, amenities upgrades, and better seats.  Admittedly, in Hawaii, the honeymoon capital of the universe, this might not work as well for us, but in other destinations I think it could be just the ticket!

image source

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?