DLSIZE,

I did just that about two summers ago (only difference is that I turned out to be their ONLY guest at the wedding and it was in Maui).

I flew DL from SFO-HNL for 60K miles, First Class. I don't know if you'll be doing ATL-HNL, LAX-HNL or SFO-HNL, but the return flight HNL-SFO is red-eye (leave 11PM, arrive 5AM), so to be stuck in Coach for that would be plain awful (4-5 hour flight from SFO). I would strongly suggest redeeming miles for two free First Class (plus you get the most bang for the buck since you fly from the East Coast) and not worry about paying $600+/person in airfare. Book them asap, though. They can do miles redemption on the phone while reserving your tickets. You'll definitely impress the gf.

Hotels, I stayed at the Hyatt in Waikiki Beach which I think is way overpriced. Not sure about the Hilton (is the wedding IN Honolulu?); you may give them a try. The Sheraton often has 35% off for any of their Hawaiian properties; you may want to look into this in their website, for the dates you want. Also, if you receive a 50% off Starwood coupon, you may use them here too. (if you find that it brings down the nightly rate to $100 or less). If you don't, there should be plenty of people who are giving it away or trading it on the Coupon Connection board.

Since you have an abundant of Hilton points though, you may instead want to redeem those for a decent property on or around Waikiki Beach (if you're a first timer in Hawaii and want to experience touristy Honolulu), or somewhere else in Honolulu (if you're sick and tired of the beach scene). You may also want to check the Point Saver award for Hilton (it's all in their website) to see if there are any Hawaiian properties that have reduced point redemption.

Oh by the way, if you plan to spend most of your time at the beach and the wedding, don't worry about renting a car. I personally prefer walking, taking the bus or cab when my blood alcohol is too high to be standing up. Save money that way. There are one day tours to Diamond Head or if you play golf, I believe they have shuttles that go to selected courses as well.

In any case, that's a start; but should be close enough to travelling in style. All in all, if you choose to use miles/hotel points, do it as soon as you can.

Hope this helps (a bit)!
Jamester

[This message has been edited by Jamester (edited 02-11-2001).]