Transfer to a resort in Hawaii

[jrose529]

The problem we have is DH has an important board meeting every other Tuesday, so we have to leave on a Wednesday and come home either Sunday or Monday. This is a meeting he can't miss, so we have to make our plans around that schedule. If we stayed on Maui first at the Grand Wailea for concierge points, (which are incredibly high!) we could stay 3 days and then go to Ohau. We would still fly in and out of Honolulu. I think some of the RCI properties have nightly stays, so if we could find one on Maui for fewer points, that would be the best plan, depending on the resort. The Grand Wailea looks so beautiful though.

I also wondered if we were to take the Road to Hana, should we stay at a hotel in Hana for one night? I read in Fodor's Guide that that was a good plan.

Right now I think we'll use our FF miles for our son's wedding in August, that way we have more options on flights. DH would rather take the direct flight form Newark to Honolulu instead of worrying about delays with a layover. Our FF miles are on AA and Delta and the only direct flight is with Continental.

I'm planning to call DVC today to see what options we have. I'll let you know what I find out. Thanks for all your advice.

 

[jrose529]

I just spoke to Member Services and a 1 bdrm at the Ka'anapali Beach Club on Maui is available, as is a 2 bdrm at the Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk in Oahu or a 2 bdrm at The Point at Poipu on Kauai. I don't know what to do! We don't have 2 full weeks, but we can leave each resort early. I don't need 2 bdrms, so that would be a waste of points if I stayed at either of the 2 bdrm resorts. I would love to see Kauai, but DH really wants to visit Pearl Harbor, so Oahu would make sense, except the Wyndham didn't get as glowing reviews as The Point at Poipu. This is much more difficult than I expected! I know we should have planned this earlier. We just weren't sure we could afford to do it this year.

 

[Dean]

I just spoke to Member Services and a 1 bdrm at the Ka'anapali Beach Club on Maui is available, as is a 2 bdrm at the Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk in Oahu or a 2 bdrm at The Point at Poipu on Kauai. I don't know what to do! We don't have 2 full weeks, but we can leave each resort early. I don't need 2 bdrms, so that would be a waste of points if I stayed at either of the 2 bdrm resorts. I would love to see Kauai, but DH really wants to visit Pearl Harbor, so Oahu would make sense, except the Wyndham didn't get as glowing reviews as The Point at Poipu. This is much more difficult than I expected! I know we should have planned this earlier. We just weren't sure we could afford to do it this year.

I'd take the KBC and do OOP for Oahu, that was going to be my recommendation even before your second post. Even if you have to split your Oahu time, you'll be far better off. Fly out Wed (or even later on Tue), get a hotel on Oahu, travel over to Maui later in the day that your exchange starts. Then travel back to Oahu fairly early on the day your exchange ends. Fly back no later than Sunday because you won't get home until the next day anyway. Better to be rushed early on Oahu than late. Just make sure the 1 BR at KBC is a start date that works for you.

In case you decide not to go this route note that all the Hilton's on Oahu have start days of Sat only. The Wyndham has only F, S or Sun. KBC has all days of the week but most units are still starting on weekends.

 

[jrose529]

I'd take the KBC and do OOP for Oahu, that was going to be my recommendation even before your second post. Even if you have to split your Oahu time, you'll be far better off. Fly out Wed (or even later on Tue), get a hotel on Oahu, travel over to Maui later in the day that your exchange starts. Then travel back to Oahu fairly early on the day your exchange ends. Fly back no later than Sunday because you won't get home until the next day anyway. Better to be rushed early on Oahu than late. Just make sure the 1 BR at KBC is a start date that works for you.

In case you decide not to go this route note that all the Hilton's on Oahu have start days of Sat only. The Wyndham has only F, S or Sun. KBC has all days of the week but most units are still starting on weekends.

I was just checking into my HH rewards and I can transfer my AA FF miles to Hilton and stay for 6 days at Hilton Hawaiian Village! I could do KBC for a week, followed by Hilton for 5 or 6 days. That could work for us. Now I need to discuss this with DH since we will not be able to use the miles for the wedding in August. We still have some Delta FF miles though.

 

[Dean]

I was just checking into my HH rewards and I can transfer my AA FF miles to Hilton and stay for 6 days at Hilton Hawaiian Village! I could do KBC for a week, followed by Hilton for 5 or 6 days. That could work for us. Now I need to discuss this with DH since we will not be able to use the miles for the wedding in August. We still have some Delta FF miles though.

That doesn't jive with the rest of the info you've posted. From what I can see and given the other constraints you've listed, 10 nights is the most you could squeeze if you leave Wed and return Sunday. Depending on the timing of the meeting, you might be able to squeeze one more day by either leaving Tues after the meeting OR by returning on Monday and getting back Tuesday and only going to the meeting but not working otherwise that day. Getting the exact days and reservations given your other constraints seems very unlikely to be workable as you're very likely to end up with days before and after the full week exchange. This is starting to sound like a bad idea from the East Coast to HI. What happens if he misses the meeting because you're delayed in returning?

Is the meeting every other week or twice a month? Are there any times when it might be canceled or adjusted that you could get more time?

 

[jrose529]

That doesn't jive with the rest of the info you've posted. From what I can see and given the other constraints you've listed, 10 nights is the most you could squeeze if you leave Wed and return Sunday. Depending on the timing of the meeting, you might be able to squeeze one more day by either leaving Tues after the meeting OR by returning on Monday and getting back Tuesday and only going to the meeting but not working otherwise that day. Getting the exact days and reservations given your other constraints seems very unlikely to be workable as you're very likely to end up with days before and after the full week exchange. This is starting to sound like a bad idea from the East Coast to HI. What happens if he misses the meeting because you're delayed in returning?

Is the meeting every other week or twice a month? Are there any times when it might be canceled or adjusted that you could get more time?

The meeting is every other week. and he really can't miss it. Unfortunately, it is never canceled for any reason except a holiday and then it moves to Wednesday that week.

We can stay Wednesday - Wednesday at KBC and stay Thursday to Sunday at the Hilton. Member services told me there was availability at KBC with a Wednesday start. We can't leave on Tuesday if we want to take the direct flight from Newark. It leaves only once a day at 1:30 PM. We don't have to stay 6 days at the Hilton. If we leave Maui early on Wednesday, we have until Sunday in Oahu. Could that work? It will give us a week in Maui and 3 full days in Oahu.

 

[DisneySJB]

Have a wonderful time in Hawaii! You mentioned The Road to Hana being on your to-do list. My daughter's middle name is Hana after the Hana Rainforest. My husband and I had a destination wedding to Maui 8 years ago. We are planning a visit for our 10 yr anniversary. I can't wait to show my daughter what she is named after. Have a wonderful time in paradise!

 

[jrose529]

Have a wonderful time in Hawaii! You mentioned The Road to Hana being on your to-do list. My daughter's middle name is Hana after the Hana Rainforest. My husband and I had a destination wedding to Maui 8 years ago. We are planning a visit for our 10 yr anniversary. I can't wait to show my daughter what she is named after. Have a wonderful time in paradise!

Thanks! I just booked Ka'anapali Beach Resort for a week and then I'll use Hilton Honors rewards for O'ahu for 4 days. I'm so excited!

Where did you stay on Maui? Hana must be beautiful if you named your daughter after the rain forest! How was it having a destination wedding? My son is having a destination wedding in Santa Fe this summer and planning from a distance is tough!

 

[Dean]

The meeting is every other week. and he really can't miss it. Unfortunately, it is never canceled for any reason except a holiday and then it moves to Wednesday that week.

We can stay Wednesday - Wednesday at KBC and stay Thursday to Sunday at the Hilton. Member services told me there was availability at KBC with a Wednesday start. We can't leave on Tuesday if we want to take the direct flight from Newark. It leaves only once a day at 1:30 PM. We don't have to stay 6 days at the Hilton. If we leave Maui early on Wednesday, we have until Sunday in Oahu. Could that work? It will give us a week in Maui and 3 full days in Oahu.

Getting the Wed week for KBC is a good fit for your situation. You're still only staying the 4 nights on Oahu not 6 but if that works for you, it works for me. Make sure there is availability with hilton before you commit otherwise. Also realize that it may be the hotel and not the timeshare you're staying in on points.

 

[jrose529]

Getting the Wed week for KBC is a good fit for your situation. You're still only staying the 4 nights on Oahu not 6 but if that works for you, it works for me. Make sure there is availability with hilton before you commit otherwise. Also realize that it may be the hotel and not the timeshare you're staying in on points.

I just transferred my AA miles to Hilton and now have to wait to make reservations, but I checked and there is availability. As soon as the miles move over, I'll book. Since we can only stay for these 11 days, it will have to work for us. Unfortunately, we will never have a 2 week window to travel anywhere!

Thanks for your advice Dean. If you can think of any "don't miss" places on Maui or O'ahu, please let me know.

 

[jrose529]

I booked the Hilton! Now I just need to find a flight. I will also need to find out how to get from Honolulu to Maui and back. Is there a boat or should we take a small plane? We also want to book a luau, but need to figure out if we should book it in Maui at the KBR or at the Hilton. I have so may questions now!

 

[Dean]

I just transferred my AA miles to Hilton and now have to wait to make reservations, but I checked and there is availability. As soon as the miles move over, I'll book. Since we can only stay for these 11 days, it will have to work for us. Unfortunately, we will never have a 2 week window to travel anywhere!

Thanks for your advice Dean. If you can think of any "don't miss" places on Maui or O'ahu, please let me know.

My quick and short list would be the following.

Oahu

• Hanauma Bay
• Diamond Head
• Punchboal
• Circle Island drive
• North Shore drive including the Polynesian Cultural Center
• Bishop Museum
• Pearl Harbour

For Maui

• Whale watching during the season
• Iao state park
• Haleakala, sunrise if you can.
• A day tooling around Laihaina
• Warren and Annabelle's - if you do nothing else while in HI, you have to do this even over Pearl Harbour. It's not kid friendly though.

I personally would not do Hana again. Too much time commitment, too much of a winding road and everyone in my family gets motion sick. But I understand how some feel they must do it once. I would not do a Luau on Oahu but would on Maui, I won't get into which one at present. I'm sure I'll think of many other things along the way but this should get you started. Get the wizard books for both islands, the best tour books for HI by far.

 

[jrose529]

Thank you so much Dean! I really appreciate your help. I'm putting a list together for places we need to visit and I'll begin with your suggestions.

 

[Dean]

I booked the Hilton! Now I just need to find a flight. I will also need to find out how to get from Honolulu to Maui and back. Is there a boat or should we take a small plane? We also want to book a luau, but need to figure out if we should book it in Maui at the KBR or at the Hilton. I have so may questions now!

You can get interisland all day long about every half hour to hour for $39-49 per person one way, sometimes less. Look at HI air, Go and Island air. I've seen it as low as $19 a person one way. I think I paid $39 per last year. That is the easy part of your trip. There was a ferry starting up but they were having trouble. No way would I take that in your situation though.

 

[jrose529]

You can get interisland all day long about every half hour to hour for $39-49 per person one way, sometimes less. Look at HI air, Go and Island air. I've seen it as low as $19 a person one way. I think I paid $39 per last year. That is the easy part of your trip. There was a ferry starting up but they were having trouble. No way would I take that in your situation though.

Thanks again Dean! You are just full of wonderful suggestions! Do you travel to Hawaii often?

 

[jekjones1558]

I am one who got car sick on the road to Hana, but it is something to experience once IF you have time. It really takes a day to do round-trip. The best part for me was actually at the end of our Hana trip when we watched the wind surfers at Paia and had a drink at Mama's Fish House. Idyllic.
If you decide to do a Luau, the Old Lahaina Luau is often mentioned as a very good one.
If you are going in May, the whale watching season will be over. If you are snorkelers you will find lots of good options on Maui.
The views along the road on the north shore of Maui are really spectacular, some of the loveliest in Hawaii (better than the road to Hana, IMHO) but some parts of the road are pretty narrow, so be prepared.
In May the surf on the north shore of Oahu will not be at its peak, but it is still fun to see in person the places you may have seen on TV in surfing competitions. The big surf beaches on the north shore are not too far from the Polynesian Culture center.
Have a wonderful time. It is hard to beat Hawaii for a vacation (and that includes WDW, which I LOVE!)

 

[jrose529]

I am one who got car sick on the road to Hana, but it is something to experience once IF you have time. It really takes a day to do round-trip. The best part for me was actually at the end of our Hana trip when we watched the wind surfers at Paia and had a drink at Mama's Fish House. Idyllic.
If you decide to do a Luau, the Old Lahaina Luau is often mentioned as a very good one.
If you are going in May, the whale watching season will be over. If you are snorkelers you will find lots of good options on Maui.
The views along the road on the north shore of Maui are really spectacular, some of the loveliest in Hawaii (better than the road to Hana, IMHO) but some parts of the road are pretty narrow, so be prepared.
In May the surf on the north shore of Oahu will not be at its peak, but it is still fun to see in person the places you may have seen on TV in surfing competitions. The big surf beaches on the north shore are not too far from the Polynesian Culture center.
Have a wonderful time. It is hard to beat Hawaii for a vacation (and that
includes WDW, which I LOVE!)

It all sounds so wonderful! I am getting so excited. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Dean]

Thanks again Dean! You are just full of wonderful suggestions! Do you travel to Hawaii often?

Maybe about every 4-5 years on average, trying to balance life without killing my partner. I have a soft spot for HI since we lived on Oahu from 83-86 and have been back every few years since. I also try to keep up a little with the timeshares there. We now own a week on Oahu at the Marriott that is every other year so we are actively planning for every 4 years now.

 

[jrose529]

Maybe about every 4-5 years on average, trying to balance life without killing my partner. I have a soft spot for HI since we lived on Oahu from 83-86 and have been back every few years since. I also try to keep up a little with the timeshares there. We now own a week on Oahu at the Marriott that is every other year so we are actively planning for every 4 years now.

Wow, that's great! We only have DVC points and any points/miles from travel to different hotels and our airline credit cards. Do you live a shorter distance to HI than I do? That would make it easier to visit more often. DH has always been concerned about the long flight, so that's why this will be our first trip there.

 

[Dean]

Wow, that's great! We only have DVC points and any points/miles from travel to different hotels and our airline credit cards. Do you live a shorter distance to HI than I do? That would make it easier to visit more often. DH has always been concerned about the long flight, so that's why this will be our first trip there.

NO, longer given you can get a direct flight. We either fly or drive to Atlanta for the direct flight. We simply make it a priority and fortunately our work situation gives us a modicum of flexibility in such matters within reason.