Hawaii ... too cliche?

My FI wants to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon. It makes sense since we live in California and we're so close. It seems like everyone goes to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Is it too cliche? Any thoughts?

I hear a lot of people going to Europe and Southeast Asia these days. Maybe everyone so intent on NOT going to places like Hawaii, so they're all going to the same OTHER place.

Maui and Kuaui are beautiful places for a honeymoon! Talk to Kristen some more.. she practically lived there every summer!

If Hawaii is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Hawaii is more than Oahu. For an adventure, try out Kaui or the Big Island.

Hawaii is definitely the perfect place for a honeymoon - we have beautiful beaches and resorts here, and there are tons of things you can do. The best thing is like you said, it's close to the west coast and you can still use American dollars and not have to carry a passport. I guess I am biased since DH and I live on Mau`i, but even though we live here, we still feel the island is a very special place to be. So we hope that you will choose one of our islands for your honeymoon!

I agree with what JadeGirl is saying.

The main reason we didn't go to Hawaii for our HM was because DH had been to Oahu twice and Maui once and I've been to Oahu once. We had a great time when we went but for our HM, we wanted to go all out so we went to Europe for 2 weeks. I would love to go to Hawaii again but I feel like because it's so close, I could go there any other time.

If you do the touristy Waikiki route, it may be cliche - but who cares? Esp. if you've never been to Hawaii, that's a great place to start. Like pp said, there are other islands to try out.

We're planning on Maui (both been before) and Lanai (never been). We really don't want to fly too far.

Hawaii is a top honeymoon destination for a reason! It has so much to offer! If you want to skip the packaged 5 day tour to Waikiki you can find lots of non-cliche things to do. Kauai is gorgeous and a lot less touristy than Oahu and Maui. For something totally unique, check out the Kilauea Lakeside Retreat: www.kauaihoneymoon.com

You could also do the Big Island, Molokai or Lanai. If you cannot choose, you can do cruise. Norweigan Cruise Line has a 7-day Hawaii Cruise and also a 10-da one that starts in Honolulu and ends in Baja Mexico. I believe there is also a 14-day cruise that starts in San Francisco and goes to Hawaii. And an amazing 21-day cruise that starts in San Francisco and ends in Australia, stopping in Hawaii, Fiji and New Zealand.

If Hawaii is off the list...from CA there are great travel deals to Bali and Thailand. And there is of course Fiji and Tahiti, but they can be pricey. Check out www.fijitravel.com for some deals...

In addition to
www.kauaihoneymoon.com
www.fijitravel.com

Other online travel sites I recommend are:
www.travelzoo.com
www.gate1travel.com
www.budgettravelonline.com
www.smartertravel.com
www.shermanstravel.com

Maybe you and your FI should make a list of the activities you want to do on your honeymoon and then decide the destination based on that. For example, do you want a place that has a nightlife? Do you want to scuba dive? How long do you want to fly? Do you mind a language barrier?

If you do decided on Hawaii the girls here know a lot and can certainly help you!

I agree with loridecter - Hawaii is at the top of the list for a reason. Despite traveling there numerous times, I would still love to go to Hawaii for my HM. Granted all I ever go to is Maui, but I love it there. Sometimes there's a new activity to do or a new restaurant to try out, so just because you've been there doesn't mean it'll be the same when you return.

I tend to lean away from Hawaii as a honeymoon destination. The fact that it is easy to get to, and is part of the US makes it an easy place to travel to anytime. If you are into travel at all, its so much easier to explore somewhere new, then head to Hawaii when you need an easy travel vacation...ie. when you have kids, and travelling outside the US becomes much more difficult. I love Hawaii, and am always up for a trip there, but I put it on my list of places I did not want to go on our honeymoon.