We are planning on going to Hawaii next..

[mousy_in_canada]

for our 15th wedding anniversary (Feb 2007) and I am wondering if there is as many discounts to be had there as there is with Disney.. any tricks to share or research.. Does anyone have any pearls of wisdom to share???
A friend of ours went last year and stayed at this hotel the rates look the same as Disney's Rack rates.. any way to get them reduced? lol.. ok ok I got spoiled here.. lol.. anyway, just looking for some input!

 

[bev r.]

I've organized 2 family trips (12 & 13 people) to Maui. Both times we went in November and early December, avoiding the US Thanksgiving. This is low time. Last year we were able to get a good rate for a condo using the Entertainment book. Booking a condo was a great way to go for a family of 5. The condo had barbecues, that we used to cook supper. There was a Costco on Maui, which also helped save on the cost of groceries.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

Thanks, that is a great idea.. we are looking to go in February and it will just be the two of us.. no kids on this trip. What are the "seasons" of the lower rates on things there.. or is there not a season?
Thanks for the idea of a condo I will have to see how much that is.

 

[c&m]

DH and I did some research into Maui for 2005. We ended up choosing WDW instead, simply because our oldest DD is 9 and this is our last year that she goes on a child hopper pass. [Is that a good enough reason? It worked on my DH !!! ]

Anyways, you may want to look into using:

1. www.Priceline.com (using www.biddingfortravel.com as your resource). We've saved bundles of $$$ by using Priceline on previous trips. You can use Priceline to book hotel only or packages (tho you can only fly out from the U.S.). Before you use Priceline tho, make sure you do the research on how to bid.

2. www.hotelkingdom.com.

3. I also like looking at packages on www.vacationoutlet.com. They are a little more pricier than Priceline but they offer you more choices -- again, you can only fly out from the U.S.

I don't know where you live in Canada, but we live close to Seattle, so we have the option of flying out of SEATAC.

We also have friends who've stayed at the Waikiki Miramar. They said it was OK. Because they were travelling with an elderly parent, they liked the fact that the popular International Market was next door to them. The rooms were OK, definitely not deluxe though. Also a bit too busy of an area for them. They would have preferred beach front and a bit more peace and quiet. Just something to think about if you're wanting something peaceful and romantic.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Mortlives]

I bought the 2005 Frommer's book on Maui, because I'm thinking Christmas '05 might be a blue-green Christmas

That means I'm especially interested in this thread, because I'm having a hard time deciding where to stay, etc. I'm almost leaning towards doing a cruise because there's so much to see in the islands that a portable base camp might be best. Has anyone done both? Which would you do again?

Thanks,
Morticia.

 

[chasbos]

Depending on how our 1st 4 day cruise goes this January (if we like it I am hoping to do the 7 day next year) but if it is not for our family I am also looking into Hawaii for next year.

We are a family of 6 and we like to explore and have lots to do. We are not the take it easy and relax vacationers!

So any thoughts of where to look into staying and which island?

 

[dsneygirl]

We went to Maui for our second time this past October. We stayed at the Marriott Wailea for $140 using Priceline. I would compare it to maybe a WDW moderate ( a little more fancy though)

We have been to WDW many, many times and other than airfare I would say Maui (meals, car rental etc) is comparable.

We've never been to the other islands because we were so in love with Maui the first time we went but you could easily island hop.

The best guidebook we used is Maui Revealed. Much more in depth than Frommer's or one of those companies.

Also we flew through LA rather than Vancouver and did a day at DL before coming home. It was a blast and really helped ease the jet lag.

Any other questions feel free to ask!

 

[TimNDansMom]

I'm also interested in this thread. Dh and I have been saying we'd like to go back ever since 1988. We went for 2 week trips, 4 times between 1985 and '88 when Dan and Tim were just tots and always wanted to go back for an "adult" trip.

I always liked to start the vacation staying in Waikiki Beach because I was so excited to be in Hawaii. Then we'd go either to the North Shore or another island for a more relaxed pace.

We went the last 2 weeks of October and one time at the beginning of February. I remember thinking that as well as the good deals we got then, I preferred October because it was a tad chilly on the beach in Feb.

Periodically, I write to the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau for their vacation planning package. Here is their website too: GoHawaii The Accommodations page is divided up into subcategories, which I find helpful, as well as into "Islands". Go to their Contact Us page for further info or to request a Travel Planner.

 

[alohamom]

OK-here we go-I fell in love with Hawaii when my father took me at 10 years of age. I love it so much my hubby and I were married at sunset on the Big Island (there are 5 major tourist islands that are part of the state of Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Big Island of Hawaii and Lanai). We go every two years or so and are returning this Feb. Check out www.fodors.com, go to "talk"then"united states"then"hawaii". Lots and lots of info and if you register you can ask away! My liscence plate reads Aloha, my dogs all have Hawaiian names, etc... you get the point.Anyway, I use the fare tracker on travelocity and it updates me as to flight sales for all my favorite routes (MCO too)I always check out the fares from Buffalo as well, last spring there was a fare that was the equivelent to 550/Cnd/round trip per person to Maui-that is incredible. If you walked into a travel agency to book a flight from Toronto to Maui or Honolulu expect tp pay anywhere from 800 to 1100/CND/per person. I pretty much book myself online. I have been to all the above islands and could write 10 pages on each but when people ask I always try to find out what interests them before suggesting an island to suit them. If you are active and like to party, Honolulu is good for this but the tourist area in Waikiki is old(this is where the Miramar your friend stayed at is) and is full of wall to wall high rise hotels. It is bustling, full of amazing shopping(Prada, gucci,cartierthe list goes on for miles)but be warned it is not the fantasy Hawaii most of us think of. Parts of Oahu are stunning and one of Hawaii's best beaches(Lanikai)is on this island as is Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Culteral Centre. ...I am going to send this and continue in a minute as I am on dial up and do not want to re type this if I get knocked off!

 

[alohamom]

my ramblings-part 2! Maui has a nice combo of things to do(biking down the dormant volcano, swimming in private natural waterfall pools, incredible restaurants and beautiful beaches) but it seems to be getting crowded. We were there March/April 2003 and it was really busy, even the roads. Some of the hotels are starting to get a little dated, especially in the area called Kaanapali and in Kihei. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency and paid 150/US/night through Priceline, the rack rate starts at 350 and goes sky high.The hotel was great, the pool was outstanding. If you do decide to use Priceline, read up on it at www.biddingfortravel.com, a forum that supports priceline. READ the FAQ's for sure. Kauai is a very lush, quieter island, no real night life but just visually stunning. Jurrasic Park and lots of other movies were filmed here. This is the place to lay back, get romantic and loose yourself. Lots of aging hippy types here. I actually had a lady say to me once "that's wiggy, man". I laughed outloud, I thought the only place you heard that type of stuff was on the Monkees and Mod Squad reruns. In February the north shore can be very wet so don't let anyone tell you to stay in Priceville area in the winter, it is nice but rain all the time.
once again I will continue...

 

[alohamom]

The Big Island is very cool, it has an active volcano on it and you can hike right up close to active lava flows. We took a helicopter tour the year we were married and flew right over top of lava flowing into the ocean-neat to see the earth creating herself! It is also a quieter type of island, lots of "paniolos"(cowboys) and I love this island for it's uniqueness. Lanai is tiny, very sleepy little island, but has two major upscale resorts on it-Manele Bay and the Lodge at Koele. I would not go to Lanai on a first visit to Hawaii, it is beautiful but not that much to do and see. I could go on and on but if you have any specific questions closer to the date I am always reading the boards here and will always answer about Hawaii. As far as low season/high season goes the weather in Hawaii is fairly constant, there is very little humidity and almost always a trade wind blowing to cool you so that brings people year round. The first two weeks of December you can find some incredible bargains on hotel-we stayed at the Hyatt Kauai one year during this time period and paid about 40% off rack rate. It was amazing!High season is obviously Christmas newyears time, spring break and the summer is very busy with families.OMG-look at how much I have rambled but I could go on forever....Can't wait to be back in February. I hope you do actaully go and have an amazing time!

 

[mousy_in_canada]

very good info!

 

[DutchsMommy]

mousy - you crack me up!!! So, the WDW plans have been done for what, a couple of days, and you got the itch?! Planning is in your blood my friend. LOL - An anniversary trip to Hawaii sounds AMAZING!! I know the Travel Channel names one or two of the resorts in Hawaii one of their "Top Ten" - you may want to check out the website. I have never been to Hawaii so have no pearls of wisdom, but based on my track record, we will probably be following in your footsteps about a month after you - LOL

 

[mousy_in_canada]

LMBO.. why don't you plan to come the same time as me...
yes these plans are done for the WDW trip, everything is planned and paid for... now it is just time to sit back and look forward to going.

I will have to look into some resorts and see what there is.. I looked a priceline today, can you book that in advance, or more last minute deals there?
Thanks!
Kathleen

 

[c&m]

We've used Priceline for ourselves, family and our friends since 2001, and I've found that we get really good results if we booked about 6 weeks before we leave. Of course, we've only used it for California and New York. Hawaii may be a little different. You may want to start tracking the bidding on www.biddingfortravel.com to see what dates and what hotels people are winning their bids.


Good luck!

 

[atkins@kconline.com]

Mortlives

We did the Carnival 12 Hawaii cruise a few years back. If it is you first trip to Hawaii I highly recommend it. We had the 5 day cruise over to the island from Vancouver which gave you time to relax and get in vacation mode. Once we hit the islands we saw 5 islands in 7 days. We rented a car on each stop and really had a great time. I have a log of my trip that I could send you if you like. Just e-mail me.

 

[dsneygirl]

We booked our resort on Priceline about 4 weeks before we went.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

Originally posted by dsneygirl
We booked our resort on Priceline about 4 weeks before we went.

Didn't that make you nervous to wait that close?

 

[dsneygirl]

Nope. Even when we got to our resort it was probably only about 60% occupied. It was an off season (first week in Oct) around Xmas or NY I probably wouldn't chance it but we knew we'd get something.

 

[alohamom]

I agree, you will always be able to find something, it is kind of like Florida in that respect, unless it is high season. A great way to familiarize yourself with the hotels on the different islands is to pick up a Holiday House brochure at a travel agency. Just ask for one that covers Hawaii. It gives prices in Canadian (for the hotels only, airfare is seperate) and tells a little about the area and amenities. This will give you a basis for comparision on Priceline. You can get some o.k. deals using the Entertainment coupon books for the Hawaiian Islands-there is a section in the back of all of them that lists what hotels give the discounts and how much etc. You can get a decent price this way too, plus have coupons to use when you are there.