Maui honeymoon a sun-kissed adventure
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Maui honeymoon a sun-kissed adventure
A postcard scene of a beach in Wailea, Maui. (Ellen Creager/Detroit Free Press/TNS)
If you think the wedding was exhausting, wait till you get to the honeymoon.
Whale watching. Zip lines. Luaus. Snorkeling. Driving a hairpin road on the edge of seaside cliffs while your beloved new spouse clutches the armrest in terror.
Maui, often named the most beautiful island in the world in travel polls, is so overwhelming in its charm that honestly, it’s a bit intimidating. There are so many choices here that honeymoon couples may be tempted instead to just collapse on a beach chair and shut their eyes.
Except that they might be missing something.
“We are not really big planners,” said Lacy Ruether of Grande Prairie, Alberta, whom I met with her husband, Kris, at scenic Twin Falls on the Hana road.
Married just three weeks, they were in Maui for a 10-day honeymoon to rest after their big wedding back home.
“We did book snorkeling, and a luau, and we’re going to go golfing, and today we’re on the road to Hana,” she said. “We’re up at 7 or 7:30, but we want to take our time.”
Take their time? With that schedule?
“Just plan one thing a day,” said Kris calmly.
His wife nodded. “Plan so you don’t need a vacation from your vacation.”
Hawaii is the land of honeymoons. As part of a record 8.3 million visitors last year, more than 624,000 were honeymooners, up 4.3 percent from 2013.
Here in Maui (the second most visited island after Oahu) the scenery alone is so romantic that you feel as if you are starring in your own exotic movie. Lush greenery nestles against crashing waves.
Dreamlike islands in the distance seem imported just for the visual effect. Towering resorts line the west coast with its sugar sand beaches, while more modest lodgings are scattered on the north shore and inland.
In shimmering Maui, every couple I met looked like they were on their honeymoon.
One couple who were holding hands looked just like they were just married, but it turned out they’d been wed 25 years. I saw another silver-haired couple kissing on Kapalua Beach, but it turned out they weren’t yet married.
IF YOU GO
Getting around: You need a car on Maui.
Where to stay: Maui is pricey. Try a condo or apartment rental (try the Lahaina or Kihei area, but book far ahead); or try a big resort along pretty Kaanapali Beach or down in expensive Wailea. For a funky surfing vibe try Paia.
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