Hawaii in December

J

Jonathangolds

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Joined
Jun 18, 2001
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4997
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You guys always seem to be a well traveled group and you gave a lot of good advice when I was planning a January vacation to Turks & Caicos where I proposed so I thought I'd come back for advice on planning a honeymoon.

We're getting married in Decemeber. Right now Hawaii is a frontrunner. This is likely the only vacation we'll get to take for the next 30 years where we'll be able to spend more than a week away form work so we thought we might as well go someplace with a long flight that wouldn't really be practical to do for a shorter trip.

So...is December a good time to be in Hawaii? Any other destinations you guys care to suggest. Any place specific in Hawaii you'd reccomend visiting or staying.

As always, any advice is welcomed. We're looking for a ten day vacation with a fair amount of time spent relaxing on a beach but would also like to have a few touristy type options to visit, and some activities to fill the days. We can easily spend 3-4 days just sitting on the beach, going for the occasional swim but for ten days it would be nice to be able to work in some snorkelling, maybe a resort scuba trip (neither of us is certified), some sailing, fishing, or site seeing.

Thanks
 
Jonathan-with 10 days you can easily split your trip between 2 islands I would suggest Oahu and either Maui if you want a lot of activities or Kauai for scenic beauty. On Oahu dont stay in Waikiki but there are some great spots away from there. The Turtle bay resort on the North Shore is a great spot with 2 nice golf courses and easy drives to many great beaches, be aware in December the surf on the north sides of all the islands can be a little large (like 20-30 feet) so you want to be careful where you swim. The polynesian cultural center on Oahu is a neat touristy thing to do and Pearl Harbor is a must (even my 10 and 12 y/o daughters were moved by Pearl). Have a blast I will be taking my Honeymoon in Hawaii. PM me with any further questions.
 
Maui has everything the tourist could want. The beaches are as good as it gets, the diving (snorkeling) is great, there's a volcano to see, a tropical rainforest, and everything else a visitor could want to do is available.
The best fishing is found out of Honokahauo harbor in Kona, on the big island. They've caught granders (marlin over 1,000 pounds) less than 100 yards outside the harbor entrance.
Try to fish with Jeff Fay on the "Humdinger" or Kevin Nakamuru on "Northerh Lights"
You can also fish on one of Dave Hudson's boats (three Bertram 31's and a 37' Merrit) out of Lahaina harbor on Maui. His buisness is called "finest kind" sportfishing. It's about a 40 minute run to the ledge where the big ones are.
The fishing out of Nawiliwili harbor on Kauai is epic, right outside the harbor, but it's usually very rough water conditions, not for those who get seasick easily. Fish with "Action Plus Adventures" on the Happy Hunter, a Pacifica 42. Tell Harry I sent you.
 
Maui is a must But i disagree with not staying at Waikiki, ya gotta do it if ya go to Hawaii, if only for a couple nights. But I happen to be a person who enjoys people watching, Plus I like Dukes Bar. We alway stayed at the ILikai ( operated now my Marriott but still kept the old name) at the far end of Waikiki, it was close to a park that I now cannot remember the name. My wife had a distribution center located in Honolulu so we went quite often.
Have not been over there now for around 3 years, I miss it badly.
 
I haven't been there myself but when my sister planned her honeymoon trip there she read enough things about weather and rough conditions during the winter in Hawaii that they decided to wait until the summer to go. (Actually the wedding date was planned around when she thought the best time to go on vacation was). I don't recall the details, but do some research on the weather before making a decision. Others here may know more and if it's really an issue or not.
 
December is usually not a problem for weather in Hawaii .I have been there in December , Feb, March and June months.
 
Hi, Jonathan, December is certainly a great time to go to Hawaii.

We've been to most places there, and for a 10 day trip I'd suggest just going to Maui by itself and not gumming up the trip with more time spent on inter-island travel - there is lots to do for a 10 day trip to Maui: fantastic beaches, great snorkeling, sunrise on Haleakala (volcano), neat touristy town of Lahaina, drop-dead gorgeous drives around the island in both directions, just a wonderful time, and 10 days is about right!

Now, the only reason I would in fact advise you to go to another island is that for some of us, including myself, a trip to Pearl Harbour is something special, and if so then by all means go, but if not, hey there is just the right mix of things to do in Maui - it can be Paradise in winter!

All the best & Aloha.

Orcbait
 
I agree with Orcabait, pick one island and stay the whole time. I had my honeymoon in Hawaii 5 years ago (in October) and spent almost the whole 2 weeks in Kona. Most flights returning to the mainland go through Honolulu anyway, so we made an extended (2 day) layover there to see Waikiki, Pearl and the other sights there. That was just about right, maybe a day less in Honolulu would have been perfect. Once I get somewhere, and get in the island mode, I just don't want to pack up and head somewhere else, it kind of takes the buzz off!

I just went to Maui this past November, and of the 2 - Kona (Big Island) and Maui, I would probably pick Kona, but just by a hair. If you do Maui, I would HIGHLY recommend you do get scuba certified with your open water cert, and then book 1 or 2 trips with Maui Divers. I did just that, got my certification here in Seattle, and then did 2 dive trips in Maui. It was an incredible experience and well worth the fairly minimal effort of getting the certification.

The weather in November was just right temperature wise - high 70s low 80s. It did rain a few times, but they were brief and refreshing showers (especially compared to the crap I was "missing" back home!).

I would give Hawaii (regardless of which island) two thumbs up for a honeymoon destination, it is well worth the long flight over there.

Kevin
 
All my research says December is a great time in Hawaii. My wife and I have a week booked on the beach at Waikiki this coming December so we certainly hope it is good. My wife is not an outdoor or water person so the activities of the other islands are really of no benifit to us. There is plenty for a weeks worth of sight seeing on Oahu.

G
 
I guess it kind of depends on what you like to see and do, Oahu is ok for a couple of days but for us that was about it. Maui is nice but IMHO has become as much of a tourist trap as Oahu.

If you are looking for something different then consider the big Island of Hawaii, stay on the Kona coast. Nice resorts, a lot to do both in and out of the water and far less people. The beaches are nice but smaller.

Again it all depends on what you like to see and do.

SeaQuest OE
Still anchored at San Salvador Bahamas
 
We certainly need to do a lot more research but are leaning towards something on the more secluded end of the scale. We definitely don't watn to do a lot of isalnd hopping though. I don't want to waste time in airports, packing and unpacking and checking in & out of hotels. If most flights layover on the main island anyway, then the extanded one night layover would probably be our choice for that sort of thing. Thanks for all the leads.
 
Jonathan, lots of flights go directly to Maui I'm sure, so you needn't let that tip you either way.

I should point out a lot depends on when in December you're going.

If right over the Christmas week, Maui at least can be pretty busy. If going a couple of weeks before Christmas, it's totally quiet.

I think you'll probably have a great time whichever Island you go to. I've always found Maui has just enough of a mix of things to do & quiet time and seclusion if you enjoy that also.

Anyways, all the best.

Orcbait
 
I spent 10 days in Maui in Nov. There was not enough time to do everything we wanted to do. We relaxed on the beaches, rode in a submarine, went on an aweome snorkeling trip, helicopter rides, and tons of other stuff. I would definitely reccomend Maui.
 
For a lot of people, Hawaii is a great place to go for Xmas. You've got a lot of good advice here but for me, it's hard to beat Maui for all the activities, shopping, golf, etc and Kauai (garden Island) for it's beauty and serenity.
I just came back from 5 days in Lana'i. The Four Seasons is a world class resort and lodge. Very nice but not much to do. In April we're going to Oahu and Maui for 10 days with my kids. Can't wait.
Depends on what you like to do. For me, anywhere in Hawaii is good!
 
You can have the best of both worlds! See several islands without having to pack and move: google cruise ships hawaii
 
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