Hawaii, not on points?

[Goofyzgurl]

Has anyone stayed in Hawaii without staying on points? We're planning a trip in '07 and were thinking of renting a house. How much are the timeshare places? Any recs for house rentals? It's like the first time we went to disney, everything is new. I don't know the first thing about going to Hawaii-even though that's where my dad is from. He wants to rent the cabins at the base but I'm looking for something a bit less minimal and more luxurious on a beer budget.

 

[dianeschlicht]

There are some great web sites with "cheap" bed and breakfast places etc, but most are in residential areas, and I guess they wouldn't be to my likeing, but you might like it. The biggest decision is deciding which island and how long. We have been to Hawaii several times, and our favorite islands are the Big Island of Hawaii and Kauai. Maui is great too, but getting a bit too commercial now. We find the most diversity on the big island. I usually say a first time visitor needs to do Oahu (Waikiki) for at least a few days too, but it is by far my least favorite part of Hawaii. The historic things in Honolulu are a must though, and the north side of the island is great in winter.

 

[dianeschlicht]

BTW, you can usually get some good deals on airfare that includes at least a couple of nights of cheap hotels in Honolulu. We have only done timeshares once, and the resorts have improved greaty over the years.

 

[JimMIA]

He wants to rent the cabins at the base but I'm looking for something a bit less minimal and more luxurious on a beer budget.

If you are on a beer budget, I'd sure take advantage of the base accommodations if you can.

You will find absolutely no shortage of things to spend money on in Hawaii, no matter which island(s) you visit.

One of the issues we found there was dining. We seemed to only find McDonalds and fine dining. We were on our honeymoon, so we enjoyed the fine dining, but we were averaging over $100 per day for food...and that was 10 years ago!

The food was outrageous and well worth what we paid, but I'd save my money for activities and dining, rather than paying a lot for a place to sleep.

 

[littlestar]

If you don't have free airline miles or a deal on your flights, you might be better off to book a package. We have found that sometimes a package gives us the room and flight for what flight only would have cost us.

I would definitely plan some time on Oahu (there is so much history there). We used "the bus" to get around on Oahu. They have great public transportation. We rented a car one day to drive around the island, but the rest of the time it was "the bus."

We have been to Maui and Kauai. Both are beautiful. Never been to the Big Island (Hawaii).

My favorite planning books are the "revealed" books. Maui Revealed, Oahu Revealed, etc. In my opinion, they are the best books on Hawaii bar none. They have a website where you can look at photos from the air of your hotel and see how close it is to the ocean. The web site is: www.wizardpub.com
Hit enter at the bottom of the screen and then click on Oahu Revealed and then click on aerial photos of resorts at the top. It will show you how close your hotel is to the beach. If you have the book you can enter a password from the book and access the indepth reviews from the website.

Have fun planning!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Go to VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) at THIS SITE and go to the islands you would be interested in. Friends of ours found a cute little place that way.

Check out this one specifically. It is in an especially lovely area, and one we enjoy visiting. http://www.vrbo.com/31026

 

[Beth]

Diane beat me to it - I was going to also suggest vrbo.com. I have all of my "dream cottages" bookmarked for "some day." sigh....

 

[WolfpackFan]

We (DW, myself and some friends of ours) are planning a trip to Hawaii for next June. We'll be doing a week cruise on the NCL Pride of America, followed by four nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village at Waikiki Beach. On the flight back we're stopping off in California for two nights at Disneyland. Our friends are big Disney fans also and are also DVC members, so we really wanted to take this opportunity to see Disneyland. We plan on staying at the Paradise Pier hotel. This trip will be two weeks after I retire and we're really looking forward to it. I am in the midst now of planning what we'll do at each island we stop at.

 

[Imagineer wanabee]

we have stayed 3 times at houses listed on VRBO and loved every one. we are going again in Feb. Staying at a house on the North Shore. In my opinion it is the best way to "do" hawaii.

 

[Westcoast Gus]

My cousin lives there, and it's great. Quality $-saving tip: If you're on Oahu, in Waikiki there about a half-dozen places that offer big $3.99 breakfasts (pancakes, eggs, bacon). Considering every other meal I had in Hawaii was over $10, this was big time. BTW, the breakfast special at McD's when I was there was eggs, rice and spam. Ew.