Help. I need as much info your ladies and men can give me. I am taking my wife on our Honeymoon on our first anniversary. We have Tickets 10/7-16/02 to HNL and thinking of a side trip to Maui, Kauai, and the big island. We are looking for a side trip that has the best beaches, Condo's (hopefully single condo's with ocean views) beach outside the door @ a reasonable price under 200 a night w/o a car or 235 w/ a car. I am under 25 So would need a condo or hotel with a deal for under 25 yr. old driver IE Enterprise or a hotel who has a wavier. We would like to beable to chill out on the beach and go shopping one day and going hiking the next most lilkly 5 days on the side trip. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Websites would be great I already know about gohawaii.com and hawaii.com.

Thanks


------------------
Sorry mama i gots to get all the miles i can

Brian

Oahu is do-able without a car. If you stay in or near Waikiki you can have the beach, shopping, dining, etc. easily available. In fact, in Waikiki a car is a problem due to limited and expensive parking. I'd suggest renting a car for only a day or two on Oahu to explore the north shore and other far reaches of the island. The best beach, IMHO, on Oahu is to be found at Kauai Beach Park. It is also possible to reach all of Oahu on the bus - so you can get by entirely without a car.

All of the other islands have wonderful things to offer. And, on all of them, you'll pretty much need a car. I'd suggest looking into some of the interisland travel packages which include interisland airfare, car rental, and hotel. The rates are often better than you'd get booking the pieces seperately. I think, roughly, that of three islands you mention - Maui probably has the 'best' beaches, Kauai has the most breathtaking scenery, and BI has Volcano National Park - there are strong arguments in favor of any of the three islands. If you want to avoid driving, though, I'd recommend staying on Maui in or near Lahaina. (You'll still need to find a way from the airport to Lahaina - and you won't be able to see the island without a car.)

I can't recommend any specific condos - I live here and I just don't know what is available.

the Kihei area on Maui is probably the most economical and plentiful when it comes to condos. They can be had for $60+ a night, and that's across the street from the ocean! Yes, you will need a car to get there, but once youre there there's plenty in terms of shopping, dining, and the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen (IMHO)

Even if you end up renting from a company who charges you the under-25 surcharge, you'll make up for it with the savings on the condo price. There's no need to spend 200$ in kihei on a condo, unless you're looking for something of the Wailea-type (fancy schmancy with prices to match.)

feel free to email me if you want any more pointers -

check out biddingfortravel.com. A great site to get bidding strategies and target prices for hotels on Priceline. While these are not condos, you can land great deals at places like the Sheraton Kauai ($95 a night) for example. Priceline is good for rental cars too.

I would call up a Hawaii-based travel agent who specializes in this sort of thing and work with them to find something that fits your needs.

I've had good luck with http://www.travel-hawaii.com.

Good luck, and enjoy your trip!

If I understand correctly you have nine days (including travel days? maybe only seven days?) and want to visit four islands. I'd cut that down and stick with two to three islands. Oahu will give you beaches, shopping and hiking (some good ones on Diamond Head). I wouldn't spend more than three days. Kauai offers excellent hiking in Kokee State Park and other places. There are also fabulous beaches but you'll find little in the way of shopping and restaurants. It's by far the quietist of the islands you mention. Maui offers lots of everything - restaurants, shopping, beaches and some hiking. The Big Island also has a great mix and you can see the lava flow. I wouldn't want to move around quite so much, but would pick two islands that seem to offer most of what you're looking for. Once you've picked the island you should have no problem finding hotels in your price range and cars that you can rent.

Brian,
Have you figured out a way to travel back in time? I think 10/7-16/02 is history. My advice is spend 4 or 5 days in HNL and the rest in Maui. You don't want to spend too much time in airports.