My husband & I are planning a trip to Maui the first week in October for our 25th anniversary. This is the first big trip that we are flying to our destination. I have read a lot of your postings and have decided to stay at the Renaissance (Mokapu Beachfront). Thanks to your advice I purchased the entertainment card for $9.95 and will save over $500. We will be flying out of New Orleans, Louisiana and the rates for 2 are presently $658.72 per person. I can get a cheaper flight but since I don't like to fly, it's the shortest flight time. My question to all is - should I book now or do rates tend to fall after the summer? Any help is appreciated.

nanny41, I think you will love the Renaissance, and I'm so glad you got that E. Card. It's a great savings tool........... we always use it! Enjoy the RW now, because it has been sold and will change next year........ boohoo! Is that airfare you quoted for one of you or both of you? If that is for both of you, that sounds pretty darn good!

Whoops! Sorry! Pea-Brain here! You said airfare is per person. That still sounds pretty good.......... From Raleigh, I'm getting a fare of $600 plus taxes, etc. for October.

Nanny,

I have been to Maui three times now, and I think that the airfare you quoted sounds about right. It may go down by as much as a $100, but that is speculative. It rarely goes much lower, and with the price of oil these days, it may go up. Since that is your fare to Maui and not just Honolulu, I would go ahead and lock it in. You're only celebrating your 25th anniversary once!

dfotravels

Thanks for your replies - should I be concerned that RW has been sold? I picked it after a lot of research and good reviews. Since we've never been, we wouldn't notice any subtle changes but I don't want to get up there and have to deal with bad service or even worse major construction!

If you let hotel ownership concern you, you may as well forget vactioning in Maui this year. The Grand, the Renaissance, the Four Seasons, and the Outrigger have all been sold this past year, as well as many others. Part of it is due to mainland companies interest in older local resorts, such as Outrigger and Aston properties, and part is divestment of Japanese investment in the area, as is the case with many golf courses and the Four Seasons and the Renaissance. Starwood purchased the Renaisannce in 2003, and announced their intention to eventually rebrand it as a W resort (as opposed to W hotels), but such conversions are not rapid untertakings and the intial investigative phase is expected to take up a year , according to a recent business news piece on the morning news.