Hi all,

My husband and I plan to go to Hawaii from Jan 8 - 22. We're flying into Maui and out of Honolulu. Our tentative plans are as follows:

Mon - Sunday: Maui
Mon - Thursday: Big Island
Friday-Sunday: Honolulu

We like nature and art, and beaches. We don't have where to stay, nor do we have interisland flights yet, though Aloha Air looks the most promising.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Tips?

Thanks!

Welcome to Flyertalk. You might want to shy away from Aloha Air since they offer relatively older jets (737-200s) on the inter-island flights. Most of the folks on this forum are big fans of Hawaiian Air with their new jets and assigned seating (717s--Aloha offers open seating).

Your itinerary looks good in terms of how long to stay on which island; however, please let us know what specific questions you may have regarding each island so that we may be able to serve you better.

During our 2 longer stays, should we plan to base ourselves in one hotel/condo and do day trips, or is it better to spend each night or two somewhere else?

During our 2 longer stays, should we plan to base ourselves in one hotel/condo and do day trips, or is it better to spend each night or two somewhere else?

I'm a fan of staying put in one place. You can waste more time packing, checking out, moving, checking in, unpacking, etc. than by just staying put and perhaps leaving abit earlier in the morning to get where you want to sightsee and have more of a full day.

Some folks suggest splitting time between Kona/Waikoloa and Volcano on the Big Island - but you could just budget one night at a local B+B to save you the drive back if you want to stay late at Kilauea.

If you've never been to O'ahu before, perhaps you can trim a couple days from Maui and add to the O'ahu stay. If you're a returning guest to O'ahu, then trim the excess time from Maui to give you more time on the Big Island.

I don't care for having to pack and unpack a lot, so my recommendation would be to stay put on each island and use the time that would be spent checking in and out to better use. :)

The only place where this might be a challenge is the Big Island, were the distances between points of interest are pretty vast. For example, when I am staying in Waikoloa and want to visit the volcano, I know that we need to plan for an early morning departure and not plan on getting back until late that night.

I agree with the previous two posters, and agree with slippahs about HA (with second choice being Island Air or Pacific Wings)

I agree with the previous two posters, and agree with slippahs about HA (with second choice being Island Air or Pacific Wings)

Absolutely concur with moderators re HA, but I cannot second Island Air.

We fly WP Dash-8's RT JHM - HNL 12+ times a year for years now, and are fine with them.

Welcome to Flyertalk. You might want to shy away from Aloha Air since they offer relatively older jets (737-200s) on the inter-island flights. Most of the folks on this forum are big fans of Hawaiian Air with their new jets and assigned seating (717s--Aloha offers open seating).

Your itinerary looks good in terms of how long to stay on which island; however, please let us know what specific questions you may have regarding each island so that we may be able to serve you better.

Is the reason for staying away from older jets comfort or safety? If it's comfort, I would forgo that, since Aloha is the only one with a direct flight, and better prices...if it's safety, then I'd probably reconsider.

As an infrequent inter-island pax, you're gonna want to choose carriers with the best schedule for your vacation. A half day of vacation isn't worth chasing a $20 savings on airfare. Then consider service, such as baggage inter-lining. Then compare price. They're all safe.

Just think of the duct tape on Aloha's 737 wings as a design 'feature' :)

But seriously, Kaukau is correct. A Hawaiian vacation is, by definition, among the most expensive trips an American traveler can take domestically. Given that fact, time is money.

Choose the airline that offers you the best schedule first - and the best fare or customer features second. Losing an extra 1 or 2 hours of vacation time to save $20 or even $50 in airfare, is not a good use of savings.

That's how I ended up on Go! this year. Would I fly Go! again voluntarily? Probably not...but if they offered me the best schedule and saved me an extra 1 to 2 hours of connection time at HNL, then I would grin and bear it for a 30 minute flight.

During our 2 longer stays, should we plan to base ourselves in one hotel/condo and do day trips, or is it better to spend each night or two somewhere else?

You're going to have trouble finding a lot of housing options this late. I've been searching condo & hotel listing for early Jan. and many are sold out. Same with airfare.

Another question: in terms of car rentals, which I'm sure we'll need, is it easy to rent at one airport and return at a different one? Will there be an extra charge for that?

Ime, the only rental agency on the Big Island that allow this with no charge is Hertz.

Another question: in terms of car rentals, which I'm sure we'll need, is it easy to rent at one airport and return at a different one? Will there be an extra charge for that?
Yes & usually yes.

Check www.orbitz.com & www.hotwire.com for hotel & car rates. Are you really going in January, 2007, and you don't have car & hotel/condos reserved yet? Yikes!!!

Is there a preferred car rental company?

Any good deals?

And, should I use AMEX points to purchase a car rental certificate? (Avis, Hertz or Enterprise: 10,000 points = $100)

Is there a preferred car rental company?

Any good deals?

And, should I use AMEX points to purchase a car rental certificate? (Avis, Hertz or Enterprise: 10,000 points = $100)

I would peruse the various Rental Agency forums here for ideas and codes. Usually, I have gotten the best deals from either National, by using a combination of Priceless Vacations codes with special offer coupons, or Avis, by using their discount code for Starwood Hawaii. Once upon a time, Alamo had an excellent code for Convertibles that shaved more than 50% off the rental cost, but that code and deal are long gone :(

Another route to try is Priceline or Hotwire, but they do not permit one-way rentals at all.

Ime, the only rental agency on the Big Island that allow this with no charge is Hertz.

This has been my experience as well, renting in KOA and dropping off in ITO.

Another question:
For our 2 longer hotel stays, should be try and find a package, including car rental, or book each part separate? I usually shy away from packages, but I've read here that they are sometimes worthwhile. What do you guys think?

Unless money is not a consideration,you may want to get your lodging in order immediately.At the very least,book a refundable reservation on each island and then go back and search for better deals.
The car rental can wait,depending on where you are staying at each location,you may find that renting on site for day trips may be a better deal -then use hotel shuttles to and from the airports if available.

Unless money is not a consideration,you may want to get your lodging in order immediately.At the very least,book a refundable reservation on each island and then go back and search for better deals.
The car rental can wait,depending on where you are staying at each location,you may find that renting on site for day trips may be a better deal -then use hotel shuttles to and from the airports if available.

And here I thought I was getting a head start on booking...what are good options for refundable reservations?

Another question:
For our 2 longer hotel stays, should be try and find a package, including car rental, or book each part separate? I usually shy away from packages, but I've read here that they are sometimes worthwhile. What do you guys think?

You need to price out both options. HA and AQ both offer inter-Island combination packages where you can mix and match airfare, cars and hotels, or any two of those.

I found that using my corporate SPG discount or another available promotion in concert with the aforementioned discount codes for cars, yielded more savings than doing a package. The air/car package was almost a wash cost-wise, but it had to be pre-paid vs. being able to pay the airfare up front and the car after the trip.

And here I thought I was getting a head start on booking...what are good options for refundable reservations?

I'd start with the major chains-especially if you are a member of their programs.Just be sure you choose a refundable rate-then continue your search for other housing if that is your preference.

Do you guys suggest the West or South side of Maui?

We seem to be crossing over into some topics that might have been previously covered in this forum's FAQ. I was wondering if you've had a chance to read through some of the topics there to help you get some ideas for your trip.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3018807&postcount=2

Do you guys suggest the West or South side of Maui?

Soley depends on your budget and the activities you plan on doing. Ka'anapali is a nice resort area, but gets more rain than the south, and is a close drive to Lahaina. Its hotel selection has a few more 'budget' options (I use the term 'budget' only in comparison to the south - not to infer 'cheap') as well as some decent condo rentals.

The Wailea area (south) is dryer, abit more exclusive and quite a hike from Lahaina and Kahalui. Hotel choices there are more pricey and include a Four Seasons and the venerable Grand Wailea Resort (now part of the Hilton collection).

Here is what I would do right now - call Hyatt and see if they have any Stay Certificate rooms available for the nights that you want at the Hyatt Regency Maui. At $250/night all-in (tax and fees included), they net out to a rate around 200/night plus tax and resort fees (you can opt of resort fees using the certs), and are the best bargain by far to find a luxury room at low cost.

Even if the Cert nights are only available for a portion of your stay, the average net rate of certs and retail would probably be well under what you would pay at any of the Wailea area resorts.

If the Hyatt is not available at all, check the Sheraton Maui - it would be the next cheapest alternative and there are different promotions available, including 35% off for SPG members and other promotions via United Airlines (certificate discounts)

As FlyinHawaiian pointed out, please review the various FAQ stickies for a plethora of information that will help you plan your trip.

Do you guys suggest the West or South side of Maui?

The South side is typically sunnier and less rainy than the West side in January.

Have you guys seen this: http://www.hawaiiredcross.org/Default.aspx?tabid=159

Also, the Hawai'ian Airlines' HawaiianMiles Charities program matches 10% of ALL HAMiles members earn, and lets one donate them to several charities, the Red Cross among them.
Mrs. kaukau and I have donated around 20k miles this way, through Hawai'ianMiles Charities, recently. Multiply that by the thousands of HA members participating, and that's something!

Soley depends on your budget and the activities you plan on doing. Ka'anapali is a nice resort area, but gets more rain than the south, and is a close drive to Lahaina. Its hotel selection has a few more 'budget' options (I use the term 'budget' only in comparison to the south - not to infer 'cheap') as well as some decent condo rentals.

The Wailea area (south) is dryer, abit more exclusive and quite a hike from Lahaina and Kahalui. Hotel choices there are more pricey and include a Four Seasons and the venerable Grand Wailea Resort (now part of the Hilton collection).

Here is what I would do right now - call Hyatt and see if they have any Stay Certificate rooms available for the nights that you want at the Hyatt Regency Maui. At $250/night all-in (tax and fees included), they net out to a rate around 200/night plus tax and resort fees (you can opt of resort fees using the certs), and are the best bargain by far to find a luxury room at low cost.

Even if the Cert nights are only available for a portion of your stay, the average net rate of certs and retail would probably be well under what you would pay at any of the Wailea area resorts.

If the Hyatt is not available at all, check the Sheraton Maui - it would be the next cheapest alternative and there are different promotions available, including 35% off for SPG members and other promotions via United Airlines (certificate discounts)

As FlyinHawaiian pointed out, please review the various FAQ stickies for a plethora of information that will help you plan your trip.

Thanks for the details...Hyatt is not available at all, and the best rate for the Sheraton is $470! I'm not a member of anything..should/can I easily become one?

I've read most of the FAQ..very informative, but also confusing!! I just want a decent place to stay in Maui, preferably Kaanapali, for about $150 a night....

Are you a AAA member?If so,you may want to use their travel agency for some help and guidance -planning a trip like yours can get overwhelming-why take chances on such a special trip.Then perhaps next time you visit Hawaii-you'll have a better understanding of the places and options open to you.It may take some of the stress out of planning a trip that is so close.


Good luck--you really can't go wrong with Hawaii-but you sure can go over budget quickly!

Are you a AAA member?If so,you may want to use their travel agency for some help and guidance -planning a trip like yours can get overwhelming-why take chances on such a special trip.Then perhaps next time you visit Hawaii-you'll have a better understanding of the places and options open to you.It may take some of the stress out of planning a trip that is so close.


Good luck--you really can't go wrong with Hawaii-but you sure can go over budget quickly!

Do I have to be a member, or is it enough if my Dad is one?

I just want a decent place to stay in Maui, preferably Kaanapali, for about $150 a night....

Royal Lahaina Resort www.hawaiianhotelsandresorts.com January 2007 $175 per night.
Ka'anapali Beach Hotel www.kbhmaui.com January 2007 $195 per night.

Royal Lahaina Resort www.hawaiianhotelsandresorts.com January 2007 $175 per night.
Ka'anapali Beach Hotel www.kbhmaui.com January 2007 $195 per night.

Thanks..I think I'm swaying more towards a condo. I think that'll be cheaper, and we could use the kitchen.

Any of the vacation condos along S. Kihei Rd. should be OK.

Any of the vacation condos along S. Kihei Rd. should be OK.


How does this look to you?

http://www.vrbo.com/81672

Those units are great. We know it well. We have friends who live there. Great location, great section of beach, big pool, and Castaways' beach bar with a yummy wine list!
Reasonably priced, too! (both the condo, and the wine list!).

If you had to choose between that condo and the Maui Seaside hotel, which would it be?
http://www.sand-seaside.com/Maui_Seaside.aspx?HotelID=3

The Maui Ka'anapali Villas look like the Four Seasons, compared to the Maui Seaside. Avoid the Maui Seaside unless you are truly broke, on business, or too drunk to drive home.

If the Maui Seaside is anything like the Hilo Seaside, you'll probably want to stay somewhere else....

It's not nearly as nice as the Hilo Seaside!

You can always try buying the Entertainment card/book (www.entertainment.com) for Hawaii. They have several hotels/condos that offer 50% off the rack rate. I booked one for this February through ResortQuest, who is a chain that has several properties in Maui. I was able to get a 2 bed/2bath condo in Kihei for $170 a night vs. their website rate of approx. $300.
I think the card cost me $37 but my savings will be well over $400.