djd

My sister is getting married in August, 2002 and will be spending her honeymoon in Hawaii (3 days in Oahu and 10 days in Maui). I wanted to do something special for her (other than give her a check as a wedding gift).

I was recently married and we received a sunset cruise and a series of spa packages as a wedding gift. My wife and I loved it! We would like to do something similar for my sister and her new husband. Any suggestions? I am open to all sorts of ideas for unique activities (not just spa treatments and cruises) which will add to their honeymoon experience.

Eva

When my sister got married, I helped plan her honeymoon in Providenciales. As a bridal shower gift, I made her a beach survival kit: large canvas tote (the really heavy boat bag-type from L.L. Bean which can double as a carry-on in a pinch);a document carrier for passports and plane tickets; Ralph Lauren beach towels;waterproof case for keys, cash, credit cards; sunscreen; mosquito repellent; and a framed, matted photo of the beach they would be staying on.

Mo

How about a helicopter tour of Maui? Blue Hawaiian is the company that is mentioned most often.

gina

Do she and her husband-to-be enjoy snorkeling? My fiance and I (also headed to Maui for our honeymoon) have joked about hoping that somebody gives us snorkeling gear so we don't have to rent it.

You could do mask and breathing tube (I'm sure there is a more official word for it!) and/or add the cost of a snorkel cruise if you wanted to go all out. Snorkeling is right outside most of the resorts and it's great to have your own gear rather than renting stuff that doesn't quite work.

Other Maui "splurges" might include the standard gift certificates for WOW dinners and I'm all in favor of the helicopter tour. If they are adventurous maybe the Haleakela bicycle tour at sunset? We did it via van and promised to do it the biking way the next time around...

alex

One thought if you have an AmEx card - they have "general" gift certificates that you can give to people to use at a restaurant, spa, etc... of the couple's choice. There are several different types so you would need to talk to someone in their service dept. For my sister's honeymoon, I called ahead to the hotel and had champagne and roses waiting in the room when they checked in.

Betsy

How about gift certificates for differnt restaurants in Maui? I gave gift certificates to three restaurants in Maui as a wedding gift last fall. I'd be happy to give you some suggestions for restaurants if you could tell me what part of maui they're staying in.

Gerri

ALOHA DJD,

NOT SURE OF YOUR BUDGET BUT IF IT ALLOWS, THE BEST GIFT WOULD BE THE TRILOGY. THEIR WEBSITE IS: http://www.sailtrilogy.com/adventures/ultimate/

barb

I second the Trilogy snorkling cruise idea. I think they are the best outfit on Maui for that. We really enjoyed a sail to Lanai for a day of snorkling, beach activities, barbeque lunch and ride back to Maui. We even had a school of dolphins come by and 'race' the ship.

lynn

I would buy her and her new husband a certificate for the Old Lahina Luau in Maui. It is a really great show but be sure to make reservations a few months before because they get booked pretty quickly.

Cath

Trilogy's day trip to Lanai would be a **great** gift. If they are staying in the Kihei/Wailea area, the best spa is at the Grand Wailea Resort (one of the top 5 in the world according to Conde Nast!) I think the nicest restaurant in that area is Nick's Fish Market at the Kea Lani hotel and Haliimaile general store is the best Upcountry place. Mama's Fish House is also very popular out past Paia - great location and lots of good fresh fish!