Paradise Honeymoon In Maui and Oahu, Hawaii

The Westin Maui was my number-one choice from all my research at the time, and remains our number-one choice once we go back.

This hotel boosts five separate pools overlooking the ocean and beach. It is within walking distance of Whaler's Village (which includes a convenience store) as well as a neat little excursion-planning hut. Upon walking in, you will experience an open lobby that includes a pond filled with flamingos. We got "lei'd" (me a flower one, my husband a grass one) when we arrived, and the staff was attentive in getting our luggage to our rooms.

Our hotel room was sizable, with a nice marble bathroom; a medium-size counter to keep your purse, wallet, keys and other miscellaneous items; and, per Westin's website, a Heavenly bed. Don't be too fooled by the term "heavenly." I was surprised to find that our bed at home was more heavenly than the one at the Westin, as I would say the thread count at the Westin was 300 to 400, whereas at our house the sheets have a 650 thread count. So, in my humble opinion, the sheets were a little rough, but my bed at home sets the bar pretty high. The hotel room also had one of those arched shower-curtain rods, so the shower felt pretty large.

We had an ocean-side view, which was very nice for watching the sunset. If you can splurge, purchase this view.

A way to save some money on this room is to sign up to be a Starwood Preferred Guest through spg.com. We ended up getting a pretty good rate, plus 1 night free, just by signing up. We paid about $230/night.

Overall, we love this resort and would stay here again.

For the money, the Marriott Waikiki Beach could not be beat. I was looking for something above average for a good price in Honolulu. We weren't looking for a place to spend the majority of our honeymoon; we were looking more for something that could adequately room us while we visited Oahu for Pearl Harbor. I got this place for $165/night.

This place surpassed my expectations. We were not right on the beach, like most high-end resorts in Honolulu, but we were essentially right across the street. We were within walking distance of a Burger King, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Dunkin Donuts, Duke's at Waikiki, and a couple smaller shopping complexes.

As for the room, the bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was of average size/quality. They gave us a room at the end of a hallway, and the staff member upgraded our partial ocean view to a full ocean view when I told them it was our honeymoon. We also got "lei'd" as we arrived.

When we visited the pool, we got fresh towels and lemon ice water. The pool was clean, well kept, and, surprisingly, not crowded.

The resort was a very good value for being right across from Waikiki Beach.