I Went on a Solo Trip to a Romantic Honeymoon Destination 6 Months Before My Wedding

I would recommend it to everyone.

In January, just six months before my wedding, I went to Kaua'i—arguably Hawai'i’s most romantic island—without my fiancé.

It seems a little counterintuitive to go to a top honeymoon destination alone, but let me preface this by saying that my partner hates the beach. In brainstorming our post-wedding travels, I prepped a slideshow of strong contenders, highlighting the top things to do in honeymoon-favorite beach destinations that went beyond plopping down on hot sand and getting burnt to a crisp. Despite all my efforts, we’re spending our mini-moon in Canada.

Before I met my partner, I would go on a solo trip every couple of years or so. It only felt fitting that, months before my wedding, I traveled one last time as an unmarried woman, unfettered by my typical need to people please and miss out on things and places that I want to do and see. The idea of traveling somewhere that my fiancé was very much not interested in intrigued me. The island of Kaua'i, which I had heard was the most beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands, seemed like the perfect destination for a little self-indulgence.

Ko'a Kea Resort, which sits closer to the water than any other accommodation on Kaua'i, is incredibly romantic, primed for honeymoons and 40th-anniversary trips—but it’s also very welcoming to singles and solo travelers. The rooms, though simple, are well-appointed: The resort recently underwent a $5 million renovation to spruce up each of its 121 rooms and suites.

As part of the redesign, the guestrooms are now adorned in colors and featuring local materials that evoke Hawaii’s natural elements. The pillows in the Suite and Deluxe King rooms, for one, feature fern and palm frond details that are reminiscent of the Garden Isle’s luscious greenery, while the kapa-cloth tapestries were made by Hawaiian artist Dalani Tanahy.

“Ko`a Kea has long been established as a destination unto itself amid Kaua'i’s coveted setting,” Ajeet K. Anand, the vice president of sales and marketing at Meritage Collection, said in a statement shared with TripSavvy. “Fostering an even stronger connection to the destination through the resort’s design only further enhances the experience that is already so revered—especially for so many of our guests who continue to return to the property.”

Behind the on-site restaurant, Red Salt Koloa, is executive chef and Kaua'i native Noelani Planas. Red Salt, which is open for breakfast and dinner, offers a seafood-laden menu. In the evening, appetizers include charred octopus and ahi bruschetta and flavorful entrées range from macadamia nut-crusted mahi to lobster risotto and spicy tuna rolls from the adjacent sushi bar. Non-seafood options are on offer, too, with cauliflower steak, Cornish game hen, and boneless-braised beef short ribs rounding out the dinner menu. But the pièce de resistance for me came at breakfast: the lemon soufflé pancakes, drizzled in caramel and caramelized pineapple compote, were divine.

Although Red Salt is closed during lunch hours, guests of the resort can sate their hunger at the Pool Bar, which serves up everything from coconut shrimp and poké bowls to watermelon salad, plant-based burgers, and fish tacos. Of course, cocktails at both Red Salt and the Pool Bar are not in limited supply, and you can order classic mai tais and frozen margaritas as well as cactus pear mojitos, lychee sangria, and, for breakfast, mimosa flights.

Guests looking for some R&R will find a range of massages and facials that utilize local ingredients such as Kaua'i clay, native botanicals, and nut oils at The Spa at Ko`a. For $35, you can amp up your pampering by taking your massage oceanside. I got the signature Ko’a Kea Signature Adventure Massage in a private cabaña mere yards from the Pacific Ocean, which, after a year of wedding stress, was the exact thing I needed to relieve all the pent-up tension in my neck and shoulders.

Other wellness activities available at the resort include sunrise yoga classes and soaking in a hot tub surrounded by lava rocks.

Because Ko`a Kea sits right next to the ocean, the resort has also partnered with local surf school Hoku Water Sports to offer rental equipment like paddleboards and surfboards that you can take down to the water. If you prefer to stick to land-based activities, you can easily walk from Ko'a Kea to Poipu Beach, where you can soak up the sun all afternoon or try to get a glimpse of the resting sea turtles in the early morning hours.

But while beach bums could be perfectly content to chill at the resort, there are plenty of things to do on the island that the concierge desk at Ko`a Kea can help you arrange. In the two days I spent on Kaua'i, I went on a rum safari with Kauai Safaris and on a helicopter tour with Air Kauai.

Every night, I sent videos and pictures of the island (and of the most stunning sunset views from my oceanfront guestroom) to my fiancé—partly to let him know that I was thinking of him, but also to prove my point that there’s a lot more to Hawai'i than the beach. I was successful—he actually isn’t opposed to a Hawai'i vacation in the future—but having some “me time” in the midst of a chaotic season was the kind of self-care I don’t regret indulging in.

Guest rooms at Ko`a Kea Resort start at $594 a night.