Honeymoon Destination Ideas and Reviews

On this page, More Rentals would like to share with you our own research and experiences on various destinations we have visited. Often times, when planning travel, I have noticed that many review sites lack certain details, i.e., room service menus, cost-saving ideas, etc… As someone who enjoys planning vacations and while doing so getting into the nitty gritty details, I would like to share some of the amazing places we have traveled and the details into how we got there, what we did while there, what we ate, most where we stayed, and most importantly some not so obvious ways to save money when visiting extravagant destinations.

FIRST DESTINATION: HAWAII - ISLANDS OF OAHU AND LANAI

Just this past September, we took a 9 day trip to Hawaii visiting both Oahu and Lanai, staying in four separate hotels so we could get a good idea of what Hawaii had to offer.

We left San Diego very early on a Friday morning flying direct to Oahu on Hawaiian Airlines. We flew first class on Hawaiian airlines lie flat seats, which was nice, but likely unnecessary given the morning flight and the fact that after a full night’s rest we probably wouldn’t need to sleep. However, we did take advantage of the nice meal and beverages offered. Prior to take off, we were offered a pre-departure glass of Prosecco, which was nice. Shortly after take off, we were given Ipads loaded with entertainment and a small snack of macadamia nuts, which is perfectly fitting for Hawaii. While I admit I am a tad picky and snobby about airline food, the garlic mushroom and cheese omelette that was served as the main course was actually quite tasty. Flying into Oahu is quite beautiful so I was happy I had a window seat and was able to take it all in.

We started our four hotel journey at the The Four Seasons at Ko Olina. I booked the room through American Express Fine Resorts and Hotels and was happy we received an upgrade on arrival. We booked an Oceanfront room, but were upgraded to an Oceanfront Junior Suite. The room was HUGE - over 1,000 square feet with a beautiful view of the pools and ocean from a huge furnished balcony. On our first day, we went to the pool and indulged in lunch and cocktails, which was very good and of course, expensive (after all, it IS the Four Seasons). On day two, the hotel delivered a beautiful plate of fresh cut fruit (a nice touch). Overall, I would recommend this hotel. The staff was pleasant, chairs were plentiful, and the service was exceptional.

Our first night we had dinner at Mina's Fish House at the Four Seasons. We had a reservation, but were hungry early so we checked with the host stand to see if we could get in early. They didn’t have any tables available inside the restaurant main area, but offered us a table at a fire pit on the outside patio. We shared a tomato onion salad to start and it was amazing. My husband enjoyed sashimi and I enjoyed steak and lobster. Overall, it was a nice dinner, but other than the salad, it was good, but not great.

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at La Hiki at the hotel. Breakfast was included with our Amex booking. They had a buffet, or you could order off the menu. We had the buffet one day and ordered off the menu another. Both were exceptional. If you don’t have a package that includes breakfast, note the cost for the buffet is $52/per person.

After breakfast we took a snorkeling tour on a beautiful yacht through Viator. This tour company limits the number of guests to 6 to keep the experience small and more private. Only one other couple was actually on the boat with us. They were on their honeymoon and we enjoyed talking to them. The crew included Captain Austin, Kulia, and JJ. They were all great. Kulia gave us some history of the island as we headed out to the snorkeling spot. The bar was wide open and we enjoyed several cocktails on the way there, and also on the way back. Once there, Kulia gave us great instruction on how to use the gear (although we have been snorkeling before and didn’t really require this), and helped us locate some cool fish and even an octopus. After snorkeling, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of tasty wraps, fresh fruit, and chips. It was a really fun excursion with a great crew.

We wanted to experience more than one hotel and area on Oahu, so we left the Four Seasons to stay at the highly ranked Halekulani on Waikiki Beach. We again booked through AmEx Fine Hotels and again received a great upgrade from an oceanfront room to an oceanfront room with beautiful views of Diamond Head. We were also pleasantly surprised to have a chilled champagne bottle in our room, I presume for our anniversary.

We started the day shopping at nearby stores. I wanted some plumeria flower jewelry so went to Na Hoku nearby and my husband bought me a rose gold necklace with matching earrings as an early anniversary present. From there we walked on the beach and enjoyed some cocktails upstairs at the Hula Grill to get away from the crowd.

For dinner, we went to Orchids at the Halekulani. The food was delicious. I had the Lasagnette pasta, which was amazing and my husband enjoyed the seabass. The hotel surprised us with a complimentary anniversary dessert, which we didn’t eat because my husband is keto and I am not a dessert person (hope that doesn’t turn you off from my food reviews… savory over sweet for me).

The next day we decided to rent a car to travel around the island. While my husband has been all over Oahu, I have not. He wanted to show me some other areas of the island he has previously visited and enjoyed. It took about 45 minutes to get a rental car. The concierge at the hotel was helpful in finding us a rental car at the Hilton, which was a couple blocks away. What started with a short line of folks on the second floor, (15 min) ended with a trip to the underground smelly garage to see about 20 other folks awaiting for their car. We waited about 30 minutes in a garage with no seating, tons of people, and smelly exhaust fumes until we finally got the car. Whew! Let’s go!

We then set out for a beautiful scenic drive. First stop was a bathroom break at Sandy Beach, where the waves are shore breaks. The locals call it Broke-neck Beach because the waves just slam the boogey boarders on the sand. After a short visit and sticking our feet int the water, we stopped at the blowhole for a small look. Then we took a detour to the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. Navigating on our own was actually quite simple using Waze.

After the Lookout, we started to head towards the North Shore. My husband wanted to take me to Laniakea Beach, which is known for being the best place to see the sea turtles. However, get ready for traffic once you hit the North Shore. It is a single lane road for about 10 miles and if someone wants a parking spot, they stop in the road to get one in both directions, which causes major backups. We finally found a parking spot and jumped on it in hopes of seeing some turtles. We weren’t overwhelmed with turtle sightings, but did see one in the water and one on the beach.

We hadn’t eaten since breakfast so we decided to stop for happy hour in the North Shore. We chose Uncle Bo's for a snack and a beer. My husband had the happy hour Shaken Chicken, which was similar to a thai stir fry and I had the potstickers. Both were delicious. From there, we headed back to Waikiki Beach.

After returning the rental car, we went back to the hotel and enjoyed some more cocktails. We ended up having so many cocktails that we didn’t feel hungry enough to make our reservation at dinner. We had reservations at Hy’s Steakhouse, but decided just to grab an appetizer at the PF Changs nearby.

After checking out of the Halekulani, we headed to the airport to board our flight on Lanai Air to the private island of Lanai, which is 98% owed by Larry Ellison. The Lanai Air terminal is tiny, private, and elegant. The staff offered us a menu with snacks and various drinks (no alcohol sadly). We didn’t wait long before boarding our small plane to Lanai. I’ve never flown in a small jet like this one and am a nervous flyer, but being able to see the pilots in the cockpit for some reason calmed my fears. The flight is about 45 minutes and the scenery was beautiful, but I was very happy to land in Lanai.

There are two Four Season’s resorts on the island. We stayed at the beach resort - Four Seasons Resort Lanai. We were picked up from the airport in a Tesla and taken directly to the hotel. We booked an Oceanfront Studio Suite and LOVED it. The room was gorgeous and the views were private and amazing. We really enjoyed sitting on the balcony with a cocktail simply taking in the views. The hotel grounds were simply beautiful, with little private fire pits and cabanas spread out. I would recommend bringing your own alcohol to this resort, as drinks are quite expensive, i.e., more than $20/cocktail. We had a $400/nighty credit with our package (booked directly on Four Seasons website - not Amex). $400 sounds like a good amount, but we blew through that easily with excursions, food, and drink. We kicked ourselves for not bringing a bottle of vodka with us.

After check-in, we decided to explore the resort some. The grounds are beautiful and very natural. They have several small and private fire pits around the grounds. We asked for one of them to be lit so we could enjoy cocktails by the fire before dinner, and the staff quickly obliged. For dinner, that evening we went to Nobu at Lanai. My husband ordered the hamachi sashimi, I ordered the butter fish, and we shared a side of Brussel sprouts - DELISH!