Photo: courtesy of The Royal Hawaiian
Traveling to Hawaii just got a whole lot easier for East Coast honeymooners: Hawaiian Airlines now flies non-stop from New York (JFK) to Honolulu. This is the first direct service between JFK and Honolulu, ever; travelers can take off at 10:00 a.m. and touch down in Hawaii by 3:00 p.m., just in time for some sunset mai tais.
The flights will be leaving from JFK's awesome Jet Blue T5 terminal (my personal favorite; I always go to Piquillo for pre-flight drinks and tapas), and better still, you can redeem your Jet Blue points towards a free flight on Hawaiian.
Photo: courtesy of The Royal Hawaiian
On Oahu, there are loads of great places to stay. A honeymoon favorite is the historic Royal Hawaiian, called the "Pink Palace." This luxurious, Spanish-Moorish style hotel, which sits right on Waikiki Beach, has so much history: Rumor has it the mai tai was invented here (you can't miss having one at the famous bar), and cruise ship passengers in the 20s used to sail in, toting glitzy steamer trunks, and stay for weeks. Today, the 528 rooms are sleek and contemporary (and thankfully, not super pink—it's subtle). The Royal Beach Tower is all oceanfront, which oddly enough, back in the day, was not popular—those cruisers were sick of staring at the sea! Rooms from $660.
Another great place to stay just 20 minutes outside of the city is Disney's Aulani, set on Ko Olina beach—it's more low-key and peaceful than Waikiki. The rooms are warm and spacious, with huge bathrooms. Yes, you will see kids here, but there are some quiet pockets for adults like the Laniwai spa, which has an outdoor hydrotherapy garden with co-ed mineral baths. There are lots of fun, little extras that come with booking a treatment here. Your spa therapist will even mix up a customized body scrub at no extra cost. Rooms from $300.
Visit our travel guide for more Oahu honeymoon ideas.
— Jacqueline Gifford
You Might Also Like:
Browse more beach wedding ideas in our Real Weddings gallery
Caribbean Honeymoon Ideas
Travel Editor's Diary: Just Back from Hawaii