Hello ladies! My honey and I would like to go to Hawaii. But we would like to start saving up. Anyone have any suggestions as to how much is a good amount to save, where to stay, what to go see and any do or dont. Thanks. WE are so needing to get away from it all for a couple of days.
I liked the island of Oahu better. More to do esp w/kids.
Things to see.
More w/i walking distance!
Just my input.
Have a fun vacation!
Which island? We've visited the Big Island and Kauai several times now. I love both for their very different "feel" ... but probably my favorite is Kauai. We nix the hotel scene because it ends up being cheaper to rent an actual house or condo (saves money on meals, etc.), but also because when you stay in a hotel, you could be anywhere in the world and we like to experience the neighborhoods, etc.
When staying in Kauai, we prefer the northern side (Hanalei/Princeville area) over Poipu because we love the more lush vegetation. We went through VRBO.com to find our last house in Kauai (this past summer) and it was an excellent experience, well-stocked w/ everything you would need in terms of cooking/beach, etc. and was very clean and updated.
If you're interested in either of those two islands, you can message me for more info. How fun and good luck!
Added: We paid $150/night in an 1800 sq. home in an excellent neighborhood that included a pool AND an ocean view. There are deals to be found, you just need to do your research. We also booked the house 10 months in advance and I negotiated a discount w/ the home owner, who was happy to have a solid reservation in place.
Go to Hawaii.com. You can sign up for email alerts on deals and check out a package deal (flight-hotel-rental car). You can look at several hotels and get a map to see if it's in the area you want to be and see what the rooms look like. I was just on there last night and found a couple of package deals in the $2000-$3000 dollar range for a week. That did not include any meals or addmission to any attractions. But the hotels were near Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head and fairly close to Pearl Harbor.
If it's you and him and you want a relaxed trip I'd shoot for Maui, Oahu is pretty busy and Maui is so beautiful and laid back... look into one of the condo/hotel places, we stayed at the Outrigger and it was really close to other things (like a grocery store and restaurants, etc..) I think Maui may be a bit pricier but SO worth it compared to Oahu.
If you go to Maui, the horseback ride in Mt. Haleakala is very cool. Lots of people go up there to watch the sunrise too...and then hike. I did that one trip and it was hard to get up that early! I liked the horseback ride better. On another part of Maui you can tour lava tubes underground. We thought that was very cool, but we love caving. Just snorkeling every single day was totally awesome. You can rent snorkel gear for the week and just go whenever you feel like it. We went all over Maui and tried many different places. If I ever went back I would take a surfing lesson...they look fun and hard. We enjoyed running along the beach at sunset. There was a nice paved trail through the resort area and it was great for an evening run. We rented a house bc we were with a lot of family. Another time I went for a conference and rented a condo with many other people (we were grad students and trying to save money). Another time we went and stayed at a big fancy resort (my husband had a conference so they put us up there). My favorite place to stay was the house honestly...it was so relaxed. If you like fancy resorts it was pretty sweet - and right on the ocean. I have no idea how much money to tell you to save. If I were to go back I would LOVE to go to Volcanoes Nat'l Park and actually see the lava flowing. That is a goal for one day! Have a fun trip!
Travel Agent!!!!
I've spent most of my life travelling. I am 100% competent to book anything myself... but I don't get the discounts that are gotten through agents. I typically figure out the structure/bare bones of a trip, have it priced, take it to an agent, get a LOT more added onto it, and pay less than HALF of what I would have paid myself. Plus I'm able to get into places I never would have been able to on my own.
My personal favorite island is Oahu. Even before I had friends/family there... I've liked that Island best of the 3 I've spent time on...but I've only spent time on 3 islands. For me, I could live quite happily on Oahu (and never have enough time to visit!!!). It has everything I want. Northshore & the city. People and no people! Japanese and English. ((I spent about 1/3 of my life in japan... the blend just feels like "home". And I've lived on smaller islands with fewer "things" so Oahu, to me, feels spacious.))
My favorite resort, however, is on the big island (Hilton Waikoloa Village) http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com But resorts are like going to Mars. You're going for the resort, and not the actual place the resort is on. Another travel-agent-score... the $800 a night room? $200 a night, plus all kinds of extras (dolphinquest, champagne, free nights, etc.)
We've got a couple of Hawaii-mama's on this board... but since it's about 6am over there... I hope they're sleeping in!!, but will be on later.
A lot will depend on your interests. We like Maui, because it's tropical and there's plenty to do, but it's not as commercialized as Oahu/Waikiki area. If you just want time relaxing, I'd opt for Kaui or Maui.
If you go to Maui, you must go to Warren & Annebelle's Magic Show in Lahaina. I know it sounds odd to recommend this in Hawaii, but it's such a fun evening. Really hilarious show.
You can save money staying further away from the beach. I'd estimate around $300/night for lodging. Double meal costs from what you spend at home because meals there are very pricey.
TripAdvisor is a great site for resources in planning your trip.
Have fun!
We did our honeymoon in Maui. We allowed for 4 full days in between flight days (depart Texas on Sunday, arrive Texas on Saturday, basically). We stayed at the Royal Lahaina in a cottage and it was great. Rent a covertible car is highly recommeded. Many things to do on Maui, but I wish we had budgeted and extra day and money to take a flight-hop to Hawaii and see Pearl Harbor and some other big-island things. Our total honeymoon was about $4,000.
My name is N. Cox and I am a Travel Agent from Flower Mound. The best time for value to go to Hawaii is end of April to middle of May and end of September to Christmas except Thanksgiving. My favorite time is October. Hawaii is not a couple of day vacation since the flight is so long.To really enjoy it you need a week. My suggestion for all first time visitors is to take the cruise on NCL from Honolulu that goes to all the islands. It is a great way to see all of Hawaii in a week. Then you can decide when you would like to go back.
Please feel free to contact me. I am a Hawaii specialist. I have been 7 times and to all the islands.
N. Cox
We All Need Vacations
well if you want an intimate getaway Maui or Kauai is best. there are plenty of relaxing hikes on these islands that lead you to beautiful waterfalls. Hawaii (Big Island) not such a fun place if you want social activities seeing as its one big lava rock and only two major populated cities and if you want spa like environment the HILTON (DISNEYLAND as the locals call it) is your best shot on Big Island and you will need a car to get ANYWHERE. Unlike Oahu which if you get a room in Waikiki they have transit and wonderful scenic tours. Always ask your concierge for daily deals. To save money you can also find a hotel that has a kitchenette in the room and have lunch or any other meals there and Wall-marts are prominent on most islands because their local "7-11" called ABC Store are toooooo expensive to buy anything and everything they have at the ABC Stores can be found at Hilo Hatti or Wall-Mart stores (great if your going to buy souvenirs. The cheapest I've found for plane+car+hotel is $2500 per person for Oahu at a 4star hotel. As far as meals are concerned, find out which island your going to visit and then once you've decided go on google or yahoo and find best restaurants in the area rated by locals. I simply just asked the locals and they directed me to some great and not so great places so be weary if you do so. REMEMBER, THEY LOVE THEIR FATTY FOODS AND GRAVY so always ask what the meal comes with. PLACES TO SEE Oahu; Diamond Head, Zoo, Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach, Luau's, North Shore, Black Sand Beach (shark beach so don't go in the water). Kauai; fern grotto and water falls. Main Island; Swim with dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, Angus beef ranch horse back riding, private plane or helicopter tour to see where they filmed jurassic park and active volcanoes(Hope you or hubby aren't over weight because they charge double), hiking to see lava flow out of lava tubes(takes all day and you need a guide), farmers markets, Hilo, coffee tasting.
