Maui is pure magic. The beaches are divine and the backdrop of green mountains meeting the sea is an eye-popping delight. The island is less frantic than Oahu yet still offers high-octane sports, high-end resorts and award-winning restaurants. You'll find most of Maui's best honeymoon resorts along the island's more developed western coastline.
The Kapalua Bay Resort covers 22,000 acres on the northwest tip of Maui. The Ritz Carlton Kapalua is the showcase of the resort area, a lavish hotel with a 17,500-square-foot spa where couples massages are offered in private cabanas. Find your own hidden grotto in the tri-level swimming pool that covers 10,000 square feet. Part of that pool is reserved for adults. Choose from elegantly appointed guest rooms, suites or one-bedroom residences. Seven onsite restaurants and lounges and two tournament quality golf courses are all available. Romance and wedding packages are offered.
The Sheraton Maui was the first hotel on Ka'anapali Beach. The resort opened in 1963, taking up a prime bit of real estate right at Black Rock, a favored snorkeling locale. This is where Hawaiian royalty came to play and to test fate by jumping off that rock. The resort has a nightly cliff diving ceremony that honors that past. The property has had several facelifts since then and is still a prime honeymoon spot on Ka'anapali Beach. Wedding and honeymoon packages are available. Another more low-key option is the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel. Sitting on 11 acres of prime beach real estate, this is the place to immerse yourself in Hawaiian culture. Learn the hula or how to play a ukulele. Play golf at the nearby Ka'anapali Golf Course or just relax poolside. Island romance packages, including a compact car, are offered.
The first thing you notice about the Fairmont Kea Lani is its Moorish architecture and elegantly curved roof. The all-suite property has some of the largest one-bedroom units on Maui, measuring over 860 square feet. The three-night Kea Lani romance package includes a candlelight dinner at the onsite Ko restaurant, daily breakfast, champagne and a flower petal turn-down service on your last night. The Four Seasons Maui at Wailea is another elegant option. Three swimming pools grace the property. The most elegant is the Serenity Pool with its infinity edge, swim-up bar and luxury cabanas, the latter available for an additional fee. Pool attendants come around and spritz you from time to time so you don't overheat. These same attendants hand out cold towels and cucumber slices for your eyelids.
Your adventure to Hana begins with navigating the 620 hairpin turns and the 59 bridges on the Hana Highway. The 52-mile roadway begins at Kahului, just east of Kahului International Airport. Your reward is a stay at the secluded Travaasa Hana, a collection of cottages and garden view rooms perched on a cliff high above the Pacific Ocean. The cottages are more private, some having their own hot-tubs on the lanais. An all-inclusive option includes all meals and most of the resort's activities. Enjoy outdoor yoga and meditation sessions, learn how to do stand-up paddling or go net fishing. The all-inclusive option also includes a daily resort credit that may be used for spa services.
