V.Ortiz
My mom is getting married in September and since it is a 2nd marriage for both, they want something very casual, more like a celebration or party, and as cheap as possible. Any ideas for perhaps a park or beach area that we could cater food, have some tables and chairs but they don't want sit down dinner, just a casual hawaiian luau stlye party, outdoors in the daytime, located in south orange county between San Clemente and Huntington beach. Or inland.
Answer
San Clemente State Beach has a historic cottage with patio oceanview and catering kitchen for the reception. Exit Califia off the I-5 and turn left on Basilone Road. Call 949-366-8589 for information.
NEWPORT BEACH CITY PARKS & BEACHES
Application on web page www.city.newport-beach.ca.us
Or call City of Newport Beach, 949-644-3151
Inspiration Point, Corona Del Mar
Bayside Park, Corona Del Mar
Begonia Park, Corona Del Mar
Little Corona Beach
Corona State Beach
Lookout Point
HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY PARKS
Call 714-536-5486
Norma Gibbs Butterfly Park in association with
Meadowlark Golf Course for Reception
Huntington Beach Central Library Park
San Clemente State Beach has a historic cottage with patio oceanview and catering kitchen for the reception. Exit Califia off the I-5 and turn left on Basilone Road. Call 949-366-8589 for information.
NEWPORT BEACH CITY PARKS & BEACHES
Application on web page www.city.newport-beach.ca.us
Or call City of Newport Beach, 949-644-3151
Inspiration Point, Corona Del Mar
Bayside Park, Corona Del Mar
Begonia Park, Corona Del Mar
Little Corona Beach
Corona State Beach
Lookout Point
HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY PARKS
Call 714-536-5486
Norma Gibbs Butterfly Park in association with
Meadowlark Golf Course for Reception
Huntington Beach Central Library Park
Whats the best hotels to go to in Maui?! Planning a honeymoon and want something on the beach near restaurant?
Tye
Answer
The 4-Star Sheraton Black Rock Hotel in Ka'anapali (West side of the island) is very nice and has reasonable rates (~$250 per night). It's on the beach, and has a nice sit-down restaurant for dinner (It's also the breakfast bar in the AM), a second beach-bar restaurant and a pool bar. During the daytime, you can go snorkeling or scuba diving at the black rock cliffs directly on the hotel's beach. It's a very nice snorkeling location with lots of fish and sea turtles to see. At night, the grounds are lit up with tiki torches around all of the pools and the beach. They have a jacuzzi, and several large pools and their staff is really nice.
Nearby (within walking distance) is Whaler's Village where you'll find some nice gift shops with reasonable prices as well as 3 good restaurants. Be sure to do dinner at the Hula Grille and ask to be seated at Chef Bobby Master's Chef's table. It's a little known secret that if you ask for the Chef's table inside, that you'll be able to skip the long lines of people waiting for an outside seat! They'll put you right at the kitchen where you'll be able to watch the chef doing the cooking. The chef will often treat you to a tasting of different items they're serving that night and you won't be disappointed! Count on a typical dinner bill of about $80 to $100 for dinner and drinks. If you dine at the Chef's table, try to tip at least 20%, but if you dine anywhere else inside the restaurant, the tip should be the normal 15%.
If price is no issue, then stay at the 5-Star Hilton Grand Wailea (South side of the island)(rates are around $450 per night). They have an enormous hotel with too many swimming pools to count and a huge spa. They're all interconnected by water slides and they have the world's only water elevator that carries you to the top of one of the slides. behind the water elevator is the swim-up bar in the pool! There's a huge beach that looks towards Molokini Crater (a great snorkeling and diving spot). There are two jacuzzi pools and one adult swimming pool. They have a wedding chapel on site (in the middle of an island lake!), and several hotel restaurants. The center of the hotel contains an enormous bar and dining area where you can dance at night too. Inside the South side of the hotel is a shopping mall and outside the hotel to the North (via a beach walkway) is an external shopping mall.
If you're looking for a VERY quiet honeymoon with total privacy for the two of you, I recommend the East side of the island in Hana. You'll need to look around for a B&B there online. We stayed at one called, "Hana Oceanfront Cottages" directly on Hamoa Beach, operated by Dan and Sandi Simoni. They require a 3-day minimum stay, but it's well worth it. Their rates were around $250 per night. The tourists (very few actually) come over from the other side of the island during the day and start arriving around 11AM. They stay until about 4PM and then they clear out to head back to the West side of the island before sunset. From 4PM until 11AM the next day, you don't have a single soul on the beach and you have it all to yourself!!! It's the most completely relaxing time you could possibly have! Be forewarned, the only "real" restaurant in Hana is the Hana Hotel, which can be a bit expensive ($50 lunch for two and $80 dinner for 2), so if you choose this route, stop at the Costco or Safeway in Kahului to pick up non-perishable items for meals before you leave for the East side of the island. You can pick up perishables at the Hana Ranch Store, Hasegawa's general Store or at the Chevron gas station in Hana. There are no grocery stores in, or even near Hana.
Hana has several nice places to see things too...there's Waianapapa State Park with lava tubes and the "king's highway" beach-walking path along the cliffs. They have a black sand beach there. Nearby is the Hana Lava Tube where you can pay about $9 for a self-guided tour of the lava tube. It's short, but it's interesting.
There's Hana Bay, where you can do lunch at Tutu's (a little beach place with picnic tables) on the beach. Hana has a few drive up plate lunch "restaurants", but they're more like people's homes that have been opened for business for lunch.
Buy your Hawai'ian shirts from the Hana Ranch Gift Shop. They have the best prices! The lady who runs the place is more than happy to share local folklore with you!
There's a nude beach called the "Red Sand Beach" in Hana, but it's a very dangerous walk along crumbling cliffs. The locals say don't go because it's too dangerous. I can vouch for it. My friend almost fell off the cliff as the ground gave way underneath him. If you do attempt the path through the Japanese graveyard, be sure to leave a stone on top of some of the graves as a sign of respect. Then go back on your path to the lower area where you'll find a beach path near the water that's fairly safe to continue to the red sand beach. It's still even more dangerous further down the path where the path is less than 6 to 8 inches wide with the side of the cliff next to you and the edge of the cliff down 50 feet to rocks and water below on the other side.
There's also Koki Beach, where surfers tend to gather during the day. It has dangerous currents, so it's not the best for swimming, but it's great for surfing.
About a 1/2 mile south of Koki Beach is Hamoa Beach, which is a salt & pepper colored black and white sand beach. It has good swimming and is fairly sheltered.
Further South is the East entrance to Haleakala National Park. There are several BIG waterfalls just inside the entrance! Further inside the park, about 3-4 miles is the grave site of Charles Lindbergh. It's not much to see, and he was a known nazi sympathizer during WWII, but you'll see the grave of the first man to cross the Atlantic solo in the 1920's.
Anyway, there's lots to see and do around the island! For an excellent guide book that tells you all about the "secret" places that most tourists don't usually get to see, buy the book called, "Maui Revealed".
I also agree with LoJo's recommendation for Trilogy when you decide to snorkel at Molokini or other cruises they offer. It's not crowded and Captain Brett and Captain Phil are really great hosts for your trip!
The 4-Star Sheraton Black Rock Hotel in Ka'anapali (West side of the island) is very nice and has reasonable rates (~$250 per night). It's on the beach, and has a nice sit-down restaurant for dinner (It's also the breakfast bar in the AM), a second beach-bar restaurant and a pool bar. During the daytime, you can go snorkeling or scuba diving at the black rock cliffs directly on the hotel's beach. It's a very nice snorkeling location with lots of fish and sea turtles to see. At night, the grounds are lit up with tiki torches around all of the pools and the beach. They have a jacuzzi, and several large pools and their staff is really nice.
Nearby (within walking distance) is Whaler's Village where you'll find some nice gift shops with reasonable prices as well as 3 good restaurants. Be sure to do dinner at the Hula Grille and ask to be seated at Chef Bobby Master's Chef's table. It's a little known secret that if you ask for the Chef's table inside, that you'll be able to skip the long lines of people waiting for an outside seat! They'll put you right at the kitchen where you'll be able to watch the chef doing the cooking. The chef will often treat you to a tasting of different items they're serving that night and you won't be disappointed! Count on a typical dinner bill of about $80 to $100 for dinner and drinks. If you dine at the Chef's table, try to tip at least 20%, but if you dine anywhere else inside the restaurant, the tip should be the normal 15%.
If price is no issue, then stay at the 5-Star Hilton Grand Wailea (South side of the island)(rates are around $450 per night). They have an enormous hotel with too many swimming pools to count and a huge spa. They're all interconnected by water slides and they have the world's only water elevator that carries you to the top of one of the slides. behind the water elevator is the swim-up bar in the pool! There's a huge beach that looks towards Molokini Crater (a great snorkeling and diving spot). There are two jacuzzi pools and one adult swimming pool. They have a wedding chapel on site (in the middle of an island lake!), and several hotel restaurants. The center of the hotel contains an enormous bar and dining area where you can dance at night too. Inside the South side of the hotel is a shopping mall and outside the hotel to the North (via a beach walkway) is an external shopping mall.
If you're looking for a VERY quiet honeymoon with total privacy for the two of you, I recommend the East side of the island in Hana. You'll need to look around for a B&B there online. We stayed at one called, "Hana Oceanfront Cottages" directly on Hamoa Beach, operated by Dan and Sandi Simoni. They require a 3-day minimum stay, but it's well worth it. Their rates were around $250 per night. The tourists (very few actually) come over from the other side of the island during the day and start arriving around 11AM. They stay until about 4PM and then they clear out to head back to the West side of the island before sunset. From 4PM until 11AM the next day, you don't have a single soul on the beach and you have it all to yourself!!! It's the most completely relaxing time you could possibly have! Be forewarned, the only "real" restaurant in Hana is the Hana Hotel, which can be a bit expensive ($50 lunch for two and $80 dinner for 2), so if you choose this route, stop at the Costco or Safeway in Kahului to pick up non-perishable items for meals before you leave for the East side of the island. You can pick up perishables at the Hana Ranch Store, Hasegawa's general Store or at the Chevron gas station in Hana. There are no grocery stores in, or even near Hana.
Hana has several nice places to see things too...there's Waianapapa State Park with lava tubes and the "king's highway" beach-walking path along the cliffs. They have a black sand beach there. Nearby is the Hana Lava Tube where you can pay about $9 for a self-guided tour of the lava tube. It's short, but it's interesting.
There's Hana Bay, where you can do lunch at Tutu's (a little beach place with picnic tables) on the beach. Hana has a few drive up plate lunch "restaurants", but they're more like people's homes that have been opened for business for lunch.
Buy your Hawai'ian shirts from the Hana Ranch Gift Shop. They have the best prices! The lady who runs the place is more than happy to share local folklore with you!
There's a nude beach called the "Red Sand Beach" in Hana, but it's a very dangerous walk along crumbling cliffs. The locals say don't go because it's too dangerous. I can vouch for it. My friend almost fell off the cliff as the ground gave way underneath him. If you do attempt the path through the Japanese graveyard, be sure to leave a stone on top of some of the graves as a sign of respect. Then go back on your path to the lower area where you'll find a beach path near the water that's fairly safe to continue to the red sand beach. It's still even more dangerous further down the path where the path is less than 6 to 8 inches wide with the side of the cliff next to you and the edge of the cliff down 50 feet to rocks and water below on the other side.
There's also Koki Beach, where surfers tend to gather during the day. It has dangerous currents, so it's not the best for swimming, but it's great for surfing.
About a 1/2 mile south of Koki Beach is Hamoa Beach, which is a salt & pepper colored black and white sand beach. It has good swimming and is fairly sheltered.
Further South is the East entrance to Haleakala National Park. There are several BIG waterfalls just inside the entrance! Further inside the park, about 3-4 miles is the grave site of Charles Lindbergh. It's not much to see, and he was a known nazi sympathizer during WWII, but you'll see the grave of the first man to cross the Atlantic solo in the 1920's.
Anyway, there's lots to see and do around the island! For an excellent guide book that tells you all about the "secret" places that most tourists don't usually get to see, buy the book called, "Maui Revealed".
I also agree with LoJo's recommendation for Trilogy when you decide to snorkel at Molokini or other cruises they offer. It's not crowded and Captain Brett and Captain Phil are really great hosts for your trip!
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