Any Hawaii advice..?

[dwbakerjr]

My daughter is getting married to a pretty nice guy next year, and we are thinking about setting them up for 5-6 days in the 50th state. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions about which DVC related hotel/resort would be fun for a couple of twenty-something young people..?

DB.

 

[kem330]

For five or 6 nights, your only choice would be Concierge Collection Hotels: Kapalua Bay on Maui and Mauna Lani on the Big Island. Both are wonderful resorts. To trade into II resort you must trade for one week and they can be difficult to come by- as Dean will tell you not all II trades are up to DVC standards.

 

[Dean]

I'd never go that far for just 5-6 days, the jet lag really kills you. They will essentially lose 2 days of their trip and come home exhausted. Consider some where like Cancun, Key West or similar.

 

[Princess Tess]

We spent 10 days there for our honeymoon and it's true you do lose a couple of days due to jet lag. I don't know much about the resorts themselves but I can tell you that if you want to do nothing but relax Maui is the way to go. If they are the more adventurous water activity types then the big island would probably be better. Either way your daughter would love you forever if you did this for her. It's the most beautiful place on earth!
PT

 

[TnRobin]

right now the Mauni Lani and the Kapalua Bay hotesl are offering free nights with a minimum stay in certain catagories. I think at the KB it is the 6th night free and at the ML it is the 5th night free, but you have to have a ocean view room. Definitely ask about the specials - there was one that included breakfast and spa treatment.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Since it is for only 2 people, I would try a weeks exchange to the Big Island. We were at the Kona Coast II resort for one week of our exchange, and a 1 bedroom was only 160 points. I agree that 5-6 days is not enough. One week is slim too. I would do a week on one island and at least 4 days in Oahu---two on each end of the trip. That gives them time to adjust to the time change both directions.

 

[jcanary]

Your idea is great. Believe me, I am not a youngster but when we went to Hawaii for one week last year we did not feel the jet lag. But what we did do, was to fly from the east coast to California and arrive around dinner time. stay there overnight and fly to Hawaii the next day. When we came back my husbands uncle lives in Simi Valley so we went there for 2 days and then Disneyland for 4 more days. I think breaking up the trip really helped and we love everything. We only went to Waikiki beach. I found someone that I rented a timeshare from at a really reasonable rate and it was less than 100 feet from the beach. This was the first trip for my daughters, 14 and 20, and they loved it and did not feel the jet lag either. This is a wonderful trip to give them and something they will always remember. Have fun planning it for them and give them the different options.

 

[paulmc80]

Oh shucks ... I think Hawaii is worth it!

I fly to the USA East Coast (Atlanta) all the time from Hawaii. Guess it really depends on the person, and their location, as to if you lose anytime. I don't think I do. There are time differences and all, but you make that up going back the other way. As for travel time, well from Houston there are direct flights, or used to be, that can only take 5 to 6 hours depending on the tail/head winds. In my book not bad at all.

Isn't Hawii worth it? I mean it is quite a unique experience. Where else could you have such luxury in the middle of no where?

 

[travelbug]

What a thoughtful thing to do for your daughter and her new husband! I'm sure they will be thrilled, in spite of the jet lag.

Of the 2 Concierge Collection resorts in Hawaii, I've only tried the Mauna Lani so far. We fell in love with the resort! It is absolutely gorgeous. We did quite a bit of exploring around the island, but we would have been just as happy staying at the resort too if we wanted just a resort vacation. I think it would be a very romantic place for newlyweds.

One thing to note - the restaurants on-site were very pricey. If you could get in on one of the DVC specials that includes free breakfast, that would at least help with that expense.

Let us know what you decide on for your daughter. She is a very lucky girl!

 

[littlestar]

Something to keep in mind for a trip to Hawaii, is that sometimes a package deal is really a great, great deal. Many times you can find a great package deal that includes your airfare, hotel, and transfers (or car rental) and taxes for what the airfare alone would cost you to book.

We have been to Hawaii three times. Twice for shorter trips (8 days or less) a package was the best route to take. In 2001, we stayed on Maui for 15 days and paying for everything separate worked out cheaper. When we paid for everything separate, we used our Disney Club card (entertainment rate) to get 50 percent off our Aston Hotels condo. Aston is a large hotel/condo chain in Hawaii.

I think when we went the package route, AAA booked it through Pleasant Holidays (Pleasant Holidays has a website where you can price out packages yourself and compare by the way).

I also got a package price from "More Hawaii for Less."

Good luck.

 

[GrammieMame]

Just a little info. I booked at Kapalua for next June and got a free night and daily buffet breakfast for two included in the deal. I think it was book 5 nights, get one free. You had to have a partial ocean view to get the deal.

 

[EROS]

The Mauna Lani is BEAUTIFUL. We had our honeymoon not far away at Mauna Kea.

 

[dwbakerjr]

I really appreciate the number of responses. However, many of them refer to 'packages plans' or 'free nights' or other special arrangements. Are these sort of 'specials' arranged thru the DVC reservations desk ?(Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but we have never booked outside of the Disney Collection so far; only been in DVC for 4 1/2 yrs )..

thanks.. DB.

 

[travelbug]

Hi, DB! Well, I'm not as experienced as many others, but I'll try to answer your question.

I think that the replies have referred to a couple of different scenarios. Some are referring to specials that DVC has arranged for its members. You can learn about those from the DVC website, occasional newsletter that DVC sends out (the name escapes me at the moment), or these boards. I was a total rookie when I booked the Mauna Lani. I don't think I had yet discovered these boards when I made the ressie either. So I didn't know that special deals could be had for the Concierge Collection. Luckily, when I called MS to book the trip, the CM told me what special was going on at the time for the Mauna Lani. So I wound up saving points and being able to stay one more night than I'd originally planned.

Then it seems that others were referring to package plans in general that can be found through travel agents, websites, etc. Those would have nothing to do with DVC points. They would be cash/credit travel arrangements.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[travelbug]

Oops! One minor correction...

I see by my regis. date that I HAD discovered these boards when I made my Mauna Lani ressie. But I guess I didn't think to ask about specials, etc. Since you're indeed asking for info, that makes you MUCH wiser than I was!

 

[kem330]

What people are referring to in packages are tour packages available through tour opearators or the airlines such as United Vacations, etc. The airfare to Hawaii can be quite expensive if you don't luck into a sale. When you buy a package, the airfare can drop $200-300/person. Several years ago when the economy was strong it was a great way to save money on air, but right now, sale fares seem to be more plentiful.

 

[GrammieMame]

My "special" at Kapalua was arranged through DVC. I called to book a certain number of nights for next June and they told me that if I got a partial ocean view, I would also get the free nights and the breakfast buffet.