PamelaY

Hello,

Okay, here is our planning so far for our honeymoon in August:

Kauai = 4 nights at the Hyatt
Maui = Not sure yet but it will be a 6 night stay
O'ahu = 2 nights stay at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach

Our budget is for $4000.00 and we are about $1300.00 over budget because we currently have the Hyatt reserved on Maui which is charging us $385 a night plus tax so this resort is killing our budget. Anyway, we managed to get awesome airfare and accomodations at the Hyatt in Kauai for really cheap but the company we used is only holding for one hour more....does anyone have any suggestions as to where we could stay on Maui that is nice for 6 nights at a reasonable rate? Please advise soon if you can I don't want to loose our cheap airfare???

Thanks so much!

BeachBoi

What "company" are you using that will only hold it one more hour?How long have they been "holding" your reservations?And they cannot come up with any suggestions for a resort in Maui?Hmmmmm....more details , please.Just sounds a bit wacko.

PamelaY

Hi,

Actually they have been holding it for 24 hours and I have been researching all morning in between working to find a nice place but just hate the rushing. The travel company is called Worry Free Vacations and I checked the airfare and it has gone up almost $300.00 in looking at todays rates from just yesterday. It was the cheapest airfare I could find anywhere so we were excited about that but you have to book your hotel stay with them as well to get the cheaper airfare so that is why I am scrambling trying to decide...I know it is kinda whacky to plan like this so I thought any suggestions from all the hawaiian Fodor's travelers may be able to give us great suggestions since we have never been to Hawaii.

Thanks!

jette

I agree with beachboi, this sounds more like the fast squeeze from a car salesman than a travel agency. There are certainly more affordable places in Maui, do a quick search here for a start. For some reason, Maui always seems to be the most expensive part of my Hawaiian vacations. In fact, I think I'll forgo Maui altogether for a while until they are a little more willing to negotiate. My friends who are long time residents of Oahu can't get decent rates either.
Back to an attempt to answer your question, we liked the Outrigger Wailea and found it much more reasonable.

PamelaY

Hi,

Well, I just spoke with my fiance and we have decided to hold off on the planning so we will not feel so rushed. It just bums me out because the airfare was a steal. Well, thanks for all your help anyways.

Austin

Seems that the only thing you might have to worry about now is airfare, if you have to pay for it w/in 24 hours of reserving. I can't imagine why you'd have to make your hotel reservations now. Can't you just tell them you need more time to work on Maui? Or, just drop them all together (hey, call their bluff...) and work out a plan on your own.

By the way, I've been researching Hawaii a bit, and just about everyone suggests saving Kauai for last. Its the most quiet and tranquil of the islands, and if you go from there to the "noisier" places you might be yearning to go back!

scigirl

You may be able to do better researching and booking the hotels on your own - rather than using a package deal. If you find good airfare - buy that. The hotels you can reserve and cancel up to usually one day before your arrival. That way you have plenty of time to shop for better rates. I think you can do better than $385 on Maui. Check into the Sheraton in Kaanapali on Maui - if you sign up online for their frequent guest program they often have 30% off rack rates for Hawaii. Additionally, you may be able to get better rates by looking on expedia, travelocity, hotwire, etc. and keeping your eyes open for specials.

Additionally, many of the airlines offer very good packages (air, hotel, car) to Hawaii. You may consider calling the vacation package folks at American Airlines or Northwest or whoever and seeing what they have to offer.

Also - try calling the specific hotels directly and asking for thier best rate for your dates. After they give you their first rate - ask if there are any additional discounts, specials, mention your honeymoon, etc. available. Often the first rate given isn't the best you can get.

jette

You probably made the right decision, always trust your instincts! If you can be flexible on when you want to travel including departure days, get yourself signed up on travelocity.com's
FareWatcher. I've booked the lowest fares I've ever seen using this service. You do have to be patient and ready to commit the second the fares become available but once you've locked in a really low airfare, you can start some serious research on accomodations.
To me the research and planning is half the fun anyway!

PamelaY

You all are so right on all your advise and I am glad we did not rush into booking now. How is the Shereton on Maui? I did look into this resort and for 6 nights with the discount came to around $1300.00 so that is way better than the Hyatt's $2300 price for 6 nights. The Travelocity webfare watch is a great idea too! I will sign up and hopefully we can get some deals on the airfare.

I really appreciate all of your help and your advise has made me feel better about our decsions.

Thanks again!
Pam

scigirl

Hi Pamela - I've stayed twice at the Maui Sheraton. It has mixed reviews on the rants and rave section. I've been nothing but happy with my stays - good service, great location, fantastic room (we were upgraded on ocean front deluxe on both visits - try for building 6 if you can), great beach, walking distance to other restaurants and shops in Whaler's Village, great snorkeling location, nice pool (with separate kid's area), etc. etc. I haven't stayed at the Hyatt so I can't tell you how they compare.

To try for an upgrade be sure to sign up for the frequent guest program and call before you arrive to confirm your reservation and let them know it is your honeymoon. One time they showed us to our room (regular ocean view) and I just asked the bellboy if there was anything in bldg 6 - he called the front desk and moved us. So, keep asking nicely once you arrive. (Bldg 6 is all ocean front deluxe - the waves crash right into 'black rock' below the room balconies - from where you have a veiw of Molokai and Lanai. Wonderful!)

cnmiranda

Hello Pamela, Just wanted to let you know the Hyatt is running a "take your best shot" auction on www.luxurylink.com, not exactly the amount of nights your looking for but it is a pretty good deal @2600 for 7nts. Priceline sells rooms at the Hyatt for around 165/nt- though it sounds like you want an oceanview you may be able to upgrade at the hotel? Hope this info helps. Good luck!

freemant

I just stayed at the Sheraton Maui for a week and had a wonderful time. We also stayed in the Ocean Front Deluxe and it was perfect for whale watching. I think this would be less important going in August but I would certainly do at least an ocean view room.

As far as looking for fares - I was just very patient and kept checking a variety of sources. I ended up getting 50% off rack rate so got their top of the line room (just short of suites) for $305/night. If you are patient & willing to put in some time & effort, you should be able to find some good deals.

shamus66

HI Pam I am doing the Same Honeymoon.
2 nights Honolulu, 6 nights Maui, 4 nights Kaui,
Staying at the Sheraton in Maui, and Hyatt in Kaui. Did lots of checking myself and it came down to Hyatt or Sheraton. My agent could get both hotels at about the same rate which came with buffet breakfest everyday. I went with the shearton, my friend went thier for two weeks recently and loved it! Plus I already made a contact at the hotel and got a upgrade.
Our trip was 6K, if you can do it for much less bravo to you. We are flying from boston. Was going to try and book it myself, but its my Honeymoon do I didnt want to take any chances trying to save to much and get burnt later.
Good luck.

HarryR

Have stayed at the Sheraton and the Westin and loved them both.

nolists

This is one of the main reasons I use a TA or tour company when booking multiple cities/locations/etc. Who wants to spend hours stressing over a couple hundred dollars?

Three years ago we used a TA who booked through pleasantholidays. Try: www.pleasantholidays.com where you can take virtual tours of many of the properties.

Personally, we stayed 5 nights on Maui/Aston Kaanapali Shores and 5 nights on Kauai/Kiahuna Plantation. Both properties were condos. Trip included air, cars, all transfers, on-site hotel cash, etc for 4 people during August (high season) for $4200 or so from memory.

Best deal? maybe not, but it was a great vacation!

plummie

Pamela-
If you don't have to be right on the beach in Maui, think about a condo in S. Kihei - very close to Wailea. We've stayed at the Maui Hill. It's across the road from the ocean but most units have ocean views. Large and nicely decorated facilities, good pool and hot tub. The one bedroom units have 2 bathrooms, very well-equipped kitchens, nice living room and lanai. Found an incredible deal for this September there - $109 a night using the Entertainment card. I made the reservation and then ordered the Hawaii book and card online for $25. We paid quite a bit more for the same place in the past. Do a search for Maui Hill on Fodors. There are quite a few replies.

meggss

Hi there and congrats!
We use worryfree all the time! Continue to watch there prices, they go up and dwn hourly. Where are you going from? There are many other companies like worryfree.
liz

PamelaY

Hi meggss,

Glad to hear someone uses WorryFreeVacations! We are from Michigan; where are you from? WorryFree has by far given us the best deal on airfare but my fiance is a little uncomfortable with the airline, Champion and Omni since we have never even heard of them. I know the parent company is Northwest but we both would feel better flying NorthWest. Have you ever flown Champion or Omni air before? If so how was it? How is WorryFreeVacations cancellation policies? Did you ever have any problem with them before? Have you gone to Hawaii using WorryFree? My fiance and I both have our hearts set on Hawaii and I hope we can pull it off...thanks for the info!

Pam

meggss

Hi Pam,

Worryfree is a charter of Northwest. We have used them numerous times from colo and dallas to mexico, las vegas. We have never had problems, you don't know the airlines because they are usually chartered out, when in cancun we flew from dallas (supposed to be at a contractor conv.) out on Mexico Air, . I live in colorado and they go numerous places from here. Don't buy now, the prices go down as it gets closer, compare your dates with dates in a few weeks. We use Apple vacations and there are a couple of others. email me if you like
[email protected]
Liz

hungdt

Hi Pam,

You are not leaving until August, there is plenty of time. We go to Hawaii every year and always wait until 2-3 months before the trip to book, because bargains tend to pop up around those times. We found that www.aavacations.com tend to be cheapest if you don't want to be bidding for things. Good luck.