calalily

It's my 10-year anniversary in May 2004 and we'd love to visit Maui, but keep hearing how everything is sooo expensive. We'd like to go for 7 days and are considering the Maui Hyatt. What should we expect to spend on the air/hotel/rental car, food, entertainment, etc.? Thanks for your help!

puddy

Where are you coming from?

Maui Hyatt's cheapest rooms tend to run over $300 a night. You could try and get a resort through Priceline for under $200 a night (the Hyatt is one of the hotels that come up). Go to biddingfortravel.com for bidding info if that's the route you take. Car would be $30 to $35 a day probably but maybe cheaper. When we went this year, I loosely budgeted $200 a day for fodd and activities. You could easily spend less than that (As we did) or spend more.

You could also try a large travel agency, like Pleasant Holidays, for package deals.

JohnD

Have not stayed at the Hyatt but a good place to start for air, hotel, & car pricing info. is by entering your info into sights like www.expedia.com, www.travelocity.com, or www.orbitz.com.

In my opinion the best way to save is by spending more time in condos than in hotels, suggest checking www.vrbo.com for example.

Kal

Alooohaaaa c'lily,
We have always gone over either during Thanksgiving or New Year's Eve so we've had to pay a premium.

Off season and inexpensive hotels/condos works.
You can spend $200/$300 a night for 5-7 days or find a nice hotel/condo for $100/night and extend your visit.
But for a special anniv. why not "do a Hyatt"?

The good news is that the wine prices are basically the same as the mainland!

jette

Honestly, I think Maui is the most expensive island for accomodations. Even my local friends complain they can't get reasonable rates.
If you want to stay within a budget, try other options on other islands. Personally, I think Maui is slightly over rated anyway.

WuWuWu

WE stayed at the Hyatt last year and spent an average of $350.00 per night. It was wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for anything. You can try priceline though and possibly get it for less. It will be a mountainview room if that matters. I have shopped for condos and you can get an oceanview condo for $175-$200 per night. It just won't be as convenient but that is minor compared with the savings. If you don't get the buffet thrown in at Hyatt it could easily cost you $40.00 per day for breakfast there. In a condo you could eat breakfast at home before venturing out. I just booked a convertible for 7 days in April for around $290.00 from Budget. There is a wide range of food choices and entertainment. There are plenty of free or nearly free things to do. Depends on what you like or want to do. Molokini snorkel ($$) versus Black Rock snorkel (free except for gear). Good luck with your plans. Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the beach erosion problems in front of the Hyatt if that would be a concern.

travelinwifey

I'd definitely use Priceline for the Maui Hyatt. Otherwise count on about 3k - 3500 for hotel & and hotel dining. Use Priceline for car rental (you don't secify the car type or where you'd be flying from). Entertainment is also very expensive. When you add everything together including air, car for 2 you can easily spend around 6k. Whatever your budget is plan on spending about 50% more once you get there!

travellyn

I'm hoping we'll come in at right around $7000 for 4 people for 11 days on the Big Island. This is a mid-range budget, but the most we will ever have spent on a vacation.

We're going for 3 and 4* accomodations, an SUV, 2-3 really nice restaurant meals, and the rest low budget. We're also going to a luau, taking a snorkel cruise, and doing a couple of other nice things. Our airfare is relatively high because we're flying out of a small airport, and connecting from there.

Booges

My husband and I are planning to go in March of 2004. We've priced out just about everything (including food estimates) and we're planning on spending about $6000.00 for 8 days. That's including our flight over, accomodations, 3 SCUBA diving trips, a luau, a kayak trip, a trip to Hana, an airplane/helicopter flight to see the active volcano on the Big Island and $500.00 of miscellaneous stuff. We are only spending $140.00 a night on accomodations, I'm planning roughly $100.00-$150.00 for food per day, about $45.00 a day for a car and $10.00 a day for gas.

Don't know if this helps with your estimate?? I put everything into a spreadsheet on the computer and got prices off the internet for our activities. I estimated the gas, food and miscellaneous purchases but based on my past vacation estimates, I'd say I'm probably pretty close.

Patty

We spent about $3600 total for the 2 of us for a week on Maui but we also stayed in a condo and flew from the west coast. Where are you flying from? That can make a big difference. And of course, the Hyatt will cost a lot more than a condo.

Taking out our flight and condo costs, we spent about $2000 on rental car, dining, and activities. We probably averaged $150-175 a day on food. We dined out for lunch and dinner and had half of our breakfasts at the condo and half out. A car for the week was about $200 plus the cost of gas. And the rest was spent on a snorkeling trip, a day trip to Lanai, whale watching, and other activities.

I find that costs are not much more than most major U.S. cities.

Suzie

Hi we went to Maui last year on a deal from the Marriott. Stayed at the Marriott Ocean Resort for 5 nights included convertible for $798 for 2 adults, kids were free. Our flight for 4 was $2000. Other money we spent was for food and drink, snorkel equipment @ $18 for 4 from Snorkel Bob's,and trip to Molokini on Four Winds. Free snorkeling at Black Rock, Ulua Beach and other location that starts with "H".

Thought food in nice restaurants was about the same as nice restaurants in CA. Thought food in less nice restaurants was way more expensive than in similar places in CA.

razzledazzle

Hi calalily!
Are you locked on Maui? Just for consideration I'll offer up our last trip-Oahu, North Shore house rental near Haleiwa town next to Laniakea Beach (yes the house was beachfront,but rocky so we had to walk 50 yds!)
The rental was $1225+tax/7 nights-and a wonderful bungalow it was-lanai on 2 sides,gardens,koi pond,indoor&outdoor shower. We ate out dinner 4-5 nights in Haleiwa, and most lunch,(prices to us were no less than home which taint cheap!)snorkeled at Shark's cove & Waimea,explored the island (but not Waikiki-not for me!)Hiked at Ka'ena Pt.& well, could have stayed another 7 days and not been bored.
Of course our airfare was west coast
(SFO) around a $1000(for 2)on Hawaiin and car was a Jeep Liberty-anywho me and the bank (same person) agreed that it's doable for $3,500 for two and now are setting our sights
on Kauai. Of course a 4S hotel setting would most likely bump up your costs.
Just offering another idea!
Enjoy planning!
R5

gyppielou

$5478.00 including mandatory luau!

Seriously, I'd figure the Hyatt will run you about 400 a night with taxes and fees, convertible 350 with fees, 100-200 per day food, depending on your tastes, 700 +- for air each depending on your location, so yeah, that's not a ludicrous estimate! Lifetime memory - priceless

Waldo

From Baltimore, you can spend seven days in Waikiki, exclusive of meals and shopping, for less than $1800.00 total, for two people. This includes airfare and a good hotel, not the Halekulani or HHV.

Kal

Rule of Kal's Thumb:
Take travel costs and x 8=food, bar bill.
I have to go get a second job for this trip....and lose 30lbs in 40 days.

gyppielou

when do you leave Kal? In Kauai 12-15-12-22, north shore, looking for best places to break the bank besides A Pacific Cafe and Princeville Friday night buffet which we've never tried! Woo hoo the days are ticking away!!!

Kal

G'lou-leaving in 40.
Not too much of a NoShore restaurant buff. Did the one place in Kilauea in the same location as the Island Soap Factory. Name escapes me now but very good fish tacos, burritos, salads.
Pretty darn good wine list too.
Any place that has Blockheadia Rhingsio Zin in it's cellar can't be all bad.

I can't wait to break da bank at Coconuts, Lemon Grass, Huki Lau to name a few Coco Coast haunts.
Mahalos to ya.

Jenn

Have been three times with a family of
3 total. Usually spend right around
$5000.00 all in all. That includes
flights from SF, staying at a top hotel
and eating where ever and whenever we please.

Hope this helps.

Rusty

Kal, are you saying that you spend 8 times as much per person on food and booze as on travel to get to Hawaii ? Wow !!

Cindyrella

Leaving for Maui (7 days)in a few days. Staying in a condo for $110/nt.(not oceanfront but close walk). We spent $2600 for airfare for 4 from west coast (WA), $200 for rental car. I've planned $200/day for food, will eat breakfast in the condo and pack some lunches for the beach-eat dinner out every night. I bought an AOA gold card for activities. I'm hoping to come in around $5000. Gosh, we went to Europe a few years ago and only spsent $7000 for 12 days!