MY husband and I are planning a trip to Maui in early 2004. We do not have any plans yet and can be very flexible with dates etc. Is it generally cheaper to go with a vacation pkg. that includes hotel and air or can I do better searching on my own. I heard about the website www.vrbo from this site and checked it out. If someone has a favorite condo and unit they can reccommend in the Wailea area I would really appreciate that. Is Priceline or Hotwire the way to go? Thank for any info you can provide.

There really is no answer to your question.

Each trip is an entirely new endeavor. There are no constants, only variables. Timing is everything.

You really have to shop all the options. And, it all depends upon your priorities. You may get a better much rate for a nicer hotel within a package, but it will likely be for a standard room, which you may or may not be able to upgrade. You may also find more convenient flights on your own, though cheaper prices within a package.

At the moment, Hotwire seems to have some truly incredible packages. Whenever anything "new" is offered, there are always a sufficient number of "wows" so that others will flock.

Best is to research everything for your dates - packages and booking on your own - through every resource imaginable.

Truly, it's an entirely new endeavor. The experiences of others may be totally irrelevant to what you'll find upon serious shopping about.

There is an article in this month's Conde Nest Traveler talking about package deals at how in many instances, they are considerably cheaper than pricing separately.

In my experience of planning a trip to Hawaii this past May, I put it together from deals I found on my own, plus used FF miles for the airfare. I think it depends on how much time and research you want to do.

Hi - We also are going March 2004 - 3rd trip and I think with each trip you get a little smarter with your $. In 2000 spent 425.00 per night for condo at Alii and did a package with condo/car/ air thru Classic. 1600.00 each person. This was our 20th so we did spend more on nicer Condo. 2002 stayed at the Sheraton for 365.00 per night with room/car/air thru Pleasant. 1,000.00 per person, air was 365.00! (Good price because of 911.) 2004 we are renting Whaler condo thru VRBO and doing a car/air package thru Pleasant. Packages are always cheaper. Pleasant books so many seats on each flight and then sales them in packages. You can get air/car/room or car/air. Whats nice about a package is you only have to come up with a deposit when you book and then balance 60 days before you leave and you also can get trip insurance (I recommend) in case you have a family emergency or something happens that you cant go you will recover aleast 75% of your $. Insurance is about 50.00 for each a adult and insurance is free for children. We checked out the Whaler on last trip and liked location and then I found Whaler Condo on VRBO for 150.00 per nigt (includes 11.25% tax) 2004 trip will be about 1,000.00 each. 2000 and 2002 were 5 nights. 2004 will be 7 nights. Hopefully in 2006 we will have enough skymiles for airfare! Hope this helps.

I don't know about hotel & air packages. I always use points for free hotel nights so I've never priced anything out. I have priced condo & air packages and always find that I can do better on my own by booking air separately and looking for a condo on vrbo.com. This is comparing the same condo complex and view. Of course you shouldn't rely completely on anyone else's past experience and should do some checking on your own for your specific dates and requirements.

My husband & I are going back to Maui in Oct ('03) and this is the very 1st time I have ever used a "package deal" for any vacation. I used Pleasant Holidays (www.pleasantholidays.com) which was recommended in the Maui Revealed book and somewhere else. I priced the entire trip on my own vs. using them (air from NYC, hotel for 7 nights, car rental etc...) using all of the deals I was looking for (free buffet breakfasts, etc)...and came out a bit lower using the package, so I chose to go w/that. Everything w/them has been smooth sailing so far ... just waiting for Oct to roll around now!

I think sometimes the best thing the packages offer is taking care of the details. Some people love to research and plan and deal shop - others don't have the time or the inclination so a package is appealing.

We used a package for our honeymoon - a great decision, everything was taken care of in one fell swoop. I will probably not use a package again without checking to see if it is the absolute best deal - just because I love to plan.

We used a package trip through Northwest Airlines, and were very happy with it. We stayed at Kaanapali Shores, a really terrific condo. It is located a mile or 2 north of Kaanapali, but has very easy access to Kaanapali and Lahaina. Just a short trip on the highway. We stayed in Wailea for some years. It got to be a real hassle about where to have dinner. Also, eating in a restaurant every night is not all that special. The "Shores"has a wonderful reasonably priced restaurant, located near the beach, and open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We have enjoyed some very good meals there, especially breakfast.

My package price was slightly cheaper through the travel agent, but I would not do it that way again. If you are staying at a hotel, you check in with vouchers and will be treated as a budget traveller. We didn't realize we would not be eligible for airline miles or hotel club points. In the end, it really wasn't any cheaper. You can probably do just as well with airline fare sales and direct reservations through the hotel or it's 800 line.

We've done a couple of packages to Kauai with American Airlines Vacations because they were the best deal *at that time*. Far from feeling second class travellers we felt we had some clout behind us if needed. I see that AA is offering up to 11,000 miles as incentive for booking some properties.

Bonn,

Re: points

We found that out as well when we booked a package to St. Lucia, however, even tho we didn't get "full" points when I contacted the Hyatt when we got home, they did give us a few (500 I believe)hundred points to compensate us....not much but something

It's pretty standard procedure for frequent guest programs to not issue points on prepaid hotel nights. If you charge any incidentals to your room though, you should be eligible to receive points on those extra charges. This is another reason why I don't go for packages.