My husband and I would like to spend 2-3 weeks in March in Hawaii visiting 4 or 5 of the islands. Are condos easily available at reasonable prices? If so, where do we find them on line and must they be booked for the entire stay in advance? We are watching our budget and thought that condos might be the least expensive way to go. If there is a better way to do this (motels, small hotels, bed and breakfasts, whatever), we would like the feedback. We are in our early 70's, reasonably active, and would appreciate any advice.

You could try www.vrbo.com. Good Luck!

Condos in Hawaii are a great value--you can cook your own meals when you want and they usually come with washers and dryers so you can pack lightly and wash. VRBO.com is a good place to find condos to rent from individual owners. Also look online for the main real estate companies on each island that rent condos. For reviews of the various condos check in the books Maui Revealed, The Ultimate guide to Kauai, and the same publishers book on the other islands.
Doing more than 2 islands in 2-3 weeks in my opinion would be too hectic and not allow enough time to really see each island plus have time to relax. I would recommend to spend half your time on Maui and half on Kauai.

What is a reasonable price?

The general guideline is one week per island. I certainly would not try 5 islands in 2 or 3 weeks.

We have rented with VRBO and homeaway in the past with great results, have always been happy. If you are looking to save money some places have a little cheaper rate weekly compared to daily. Also most places charge cleaning fees so the more places the more fees which can be $100 or more. If I were going I would do one island per week. Enjoy yourselves.

A problem you might find with VRBO is there may be a minimum of 5-7 nights for most listings which would limit the number of islands you can visit.

Several management companies have condos along with hotels. These you can get for less days. Outrigger, Castle, Aqua & Aston (formerly ResortQuest) are some.

Lots of info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

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