Hawaii advice sought please

[D2B]

Hi

We are in the UK at the moment and thinking of going to Hawaii next year. I have had a look at some internet hotel prices and wow, very expensive. So please help anyone who has been there.

1. Times of year to avoid and why/ times to go
2. Affordable accomodation for a family (the budget is not that big

3. Islands / places to avoid or must see. We are after a beach holiday with lots of nature type excursions and a bit of fun shopping included. Definately not into the party scene so want to avoid the teenage crowds.

Any insight really really appreciated. Esp how to make this affordable for a family.

Thanks heaps. If this all works better start to polish off the bikini and get dieting

cheers
D2B

 

[Skippy123]

Hi,
I have been to Hawaii lots of time!

. Oahu is cheaper then the other islands. I recently rented a townhouse from vrbo.com
and rented one on Tybee Island too so I had good luck with that company. The cheaper times to go are the fall and then spring. The holiday's makes the price double. Also, you can cook in your condo; I think all the islands have a Costco. I have been to the Big Island and Kauai Costco so that will help you save money for meals. Which island are you thinking of? Sounds like a blast!!!

Each island is special in it's own way.

My favorite is Kauai. Kauai is more rural and is very lush and tropical and has lots of beautiful beaches w/lots to do for the adventurist.
Maui is very beautiful and has more shopping then Kauai and lots of mega resorts. It also is lush but on the SW area of the island is lots of lava and little green. I think it is sort of expensive there.
The Big Island is beautiful but very different. There is lots of lava and on the NE portion of the island lots of lush tropical green plants. It is the only island w/an active valcano. It takes awhile to drive around the whole island.
Oahu has the most to do and I think the cheapest. There is a little bit of everything for everyone there and it is the most visited island. They have Pearl Harbor, the North Shore surfing, Waikiki, lots and lots of shopping and wonderful food. Hanauma bay and the east shore has my favorite golden sand beaches w/beautiful blue water.

Happy Planning!

 

[musey]

Definitely do a search, there have been tons of Hawaii threads that you may find helpful.

Now for your questions...

Times of year to avoid and why/ times to go

Winter months (November-February) are rainier than usual. I love rain so I actually prefer to go at this time of year. However, rain means choppier and cloudier water, so it's not ideal for snorkel/scuba, but can be great for surfing.

Affordable accomodation for a family (the budget is not that big

I suggest checking out VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner). They're vacation homes and condos that are privately rented. Often they can be more affordably priced for a larger space. Otherwise, I prefer kayak.com or sidestep.com to find the best deals on accomodations.

Islands / places to avoid or must see. We are after a beach holiday with lots of nature type excursions and a bit of fun shopping included. Definately not into the party scene so want to avoid the teenage crowds.

I've only been to the following four islands, and in my opinion...
Oahu: Most densely populated, best for beach-bumming and shopping (the best shopping on the Islands is in the Waikiki area).
Maui and Big Island: Best of both worlds. You have your heavily populated areas, as well as nature retreats. For hiking and the beauty of nature, I suggest the Hana drive/area on Maui and the Volcano/Southwest side on the Big Island.
Kauai: Small population and BEAUTIFUL natural scenery. Great hiking and snorkeling.

If you feel comfortable sharing your budget, you'll find a lot of help here with specifics on hotels, etc.

If you want to get a more specific idea of what each island has to offer, I strongly recommend the "Revealed" series (the authors' website is wizardpub.com). I swear by those on any Hawaiian vacation!


ETA: Here's another recent Hawaii thread... https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-much-should-i-budget-for-our-2-week-honeymoon-in-hawaii.64534/

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 8/21/2007 2:07:35 PM
Author:D2B
Hi

We are in the UK at the moment and thinking of going to Hawaii next year. I have had a look at some internet hotel prices and wow, very expensive. So please help anyone who has been there.

1. Times of year to avoid and why/ times to go
2. Affordable accomodation for a family (the budget is not that big

3. Islands / places to avoid or must see. We are after a beach holiday with lots of nature type excursions and a bit of fun shopping included. Definately not into the party scene so want to avoid the teenage crowds.

Any insight really really appreciated. Esp how to make this affordable for a family.

Hi D2B-- I''ve been a few times, and can share some tips:

1. Time of year to go/avoid: unlike the Caribbean, there isn''t really a downtime for Hawaii. Winter temps will be in the low 80s, summer temps in the high 80s with intermittent clouds scuttling by for the most part. In winter, though, storms do come through, but it''s a bit of a crapshoot whether you''ll be there during a rainy week or a sunny week; on the positive, if you''ve ever wanted to see monster waves, the North Shore gets ''em in wintertime.

2. Affordable accomodations for a family: it won''t be a hotel. Not only are the nightly charges kind of high right now (300ish/night for nicer chain or so?), but $18 breakfast times 4 (assuming family of 4) times 7 (1 week trip) adds up. The cheapest option would be to look to buyout a week from someone who owns a timeshare. Google "timeshare rentals (insert island name)" to find various property offices. Not only can you have a lovely roof over your head for significantly less, but having that kitchen for lesser meals will save a TON.

3. Nature + beach + shopping : to a certain extent, you''ll get this on any island. The best shopping BY FAR is on Oahu in Honolulu [check out Ala Moana shopping center''s store list, or the shops on the main drag of Kalakaua (? I know I''m misspelling it)], but Honolulu is kind of overpaved and noisy. Kauai, Lanai, and Kona (Big Island) have comparatively limited shopping opportunities. If your dream image of the nature of Hawaii involves rainbows and lush foliage, Kauai''s your island. IMO, the best combination of the three you list is found on Maui. The weather on Maui is sunnier than Kauai so it''s a great beach island, the road to Hana on the NE shore is lush and waterfall-filled, you have a tall mountain with a research astronomy center on the top if someone in your family is into that, and there are tons of activities for all ages. Shoppingwise, Whaler''s Village in Kaanapali sates most people.

With your parameters, I would suggest looking into renting a condo on Maui. There are a number of highrise condos with full resort properties between the major chain hotels in Kaanapali right on the beach and within walking distance of Whaler''s Village. When I was in college, I joined my best friend''s family on a trip there, and we stayed in a 2000 sq.ft. condo with a giant balcony overlooking the ocean and it worked out really well. I have no idea what the charges are there, but I think the property was the Kaanapali Ali''i (here''s a link: http://kaanapalialii-px.rtrk.com/ ), and it was great for a family.

Here''s another company which rents out condo timeshares in Hawaii: http://www.premier-resorts.com/about.php . I''ve stayed at one of their properties, which was nice, casually decorated, and I would guess less expensive than the property I linked to earlier. They also have different (larger) units than mentioned on the website, so if it looks promising, call for more info/options.

Hawaii''s a very relaxing, worry-free vacation destination. Good luck on the planning!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

what a timely thread! i happen to be here in hawaii. unfortunately it's for biz, but i'm making the most of it (that's why i'm online right now)

hubby and i spent a couple of days on maui, and then i headed here to honolulu. the two are like night and day. i miss the tranquility of maui! it's packed to the gills here in waikiki. wall to wall people- YUK!

i agree with what's been posted here re: time to go, lodging options, and islands. having now been to maui a couple of times, i can honestly say that it's my favorite, and i prefer the lahaina/kaanapali area to south maui (wailea, etc...). you can easily have maui be your home base, and travel to one or two of the other islands to get a taste. i flew from the west maui airport to honolulu yesterday via island air for $30! so it's totally reasonable.

check out tripadvisor.com for more info on hawaii. they've got a GREAT forum with many friendly, happy folks to help you out.

aloha!

 

[D2B]

Hi
Thanks everyone for your great replies. I will check out the websites and also look at renting the timeshare owners apartments. We definately want to cook our own food, saves heaps. with regard to budget really we are figuring out what the prices are in Hawaii and what is the least we can spend on accomodation whilst being in a safe, decent location which is in a good area. For us the holiday will not be about loungin in our apartment or hotel, but about exploring the island in the daytime, swimming, visiting sights, shopping (or window shopping

) and generally trying to experience as much as possible with a toddler

So at this stage I really want to spend wisely and minimise accomodation costs so we have more to play with in terms of experiencing the islands IYKWIM. At some stage later in our lives, minus our child, would love to do the opulent hotel/resort thing, but not now. So will look and if anyone has any great cheap accomodation let me know.

Keep the information comming, as things change over time, so new up to date information is always welcome. We are thinking of going in May - does that sound OK from cost and weather perspective??

D2B

Gotta love this site, diamond advise and holiday information all rolled into one

 

[musey]

We went at the end of May this year. The cost is OK at that time, sort of depending whether it''s the beginning or end of the month. June is THE busiest time for the islands (from what my Hawaiian friends tell me) and May isn''t far behind. That''s when college students are finishing up and going there to celebrate graduation, etc. If you''re planning the vacation with budget being the ONLY restriction on when you travel, I would lean more towards April or October (low season, but still good weather). Of course that''s moot if you have work/school schedules to think about.

 

[whatmeworry]

May is a great time. We are done with the rainy season and haven''t gotten the high heat of summer. In Oahu, Kailua/Kaneohe/Hawaii Kai are good places to find rentals and be near the beaches. The closer you are to the beach the more expensive the rentals, but really no matter where you stay in Oahu a good beach is never far away. In Maui, Kihei has a lot of condo rentals. Ala Moana shopping mall/Ward Center/Waikiki are places to window shop on Oahu.

vrbo is a good website. Also try craigslist honolulu and the classifieds in the honolulu advertiser and honolulu star bulletin.