Feedback for Amex Travel's Hawaii Itinerary
 

I have been pricing packages and fares and this is what amex came up with . . .

I wanted to get any feedback I could on this itinerary and if anyone has any special insight.

Thanks!!!

TRAVEL SMART PLAN FOR FOUR ( 4 ) PERSONS.
FOUR ( 4 ) COACH CLASS SEATS ON AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT

WAIKIKI PACKAGE "C" WAIKIKI HOTELS R/T, DIAMOND HEAD VACATIONS AT HONOLULU INTL ARPT FOR FOUR ( 4 ) PERSONS.

ALII OCEAN VIEW, HILTON HAWAIIAN VILLAGE BEACH RESORT IN WAIKIKI, ISLAND OF OAHU. DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ROOM RESERVED FOR THREE ( 3 ) NIGHTS WITH "BEST AVAILABLE RATE LEVEL 6" PACKAGE.

FOUR ( 4 ) COACH CLASS SEATS ON HAWAIIAN AIR FLIGHT #182. DEPART HONOLULU INTL ARPT AT 11:43AM. ARRIVE HILO AIRPORT AT 12:34PM
A RENTAL VEHICLE: STANDARD SUV, HERTZ AT HILO AIRPORT FOR SIX ( 6 ) DAYS.
CLIENTS TO PICKUP IN HILO AND DROP OFF IN KONA

DELUXE OCEAN VIEW, HILTON WAIKOLOA VILLAGE IN KOHALA DISTRICT, ISLAND OF HAWAII. DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ROOM RESERVED FOR TWO ( 2 ) NIGHTS WITH "BEST AVAILABLE RATE LEVEL 4" PACKAGE.

FOUR ( 4 ) COACH CLASS SEATS ON HAWAIIAN AIR FLIGHT #129. DEPART
KONA AIRPORT AT 11:07AM. ARRIVE KAHULUI AIRPORT AT 11:36AM
A RENTAL VEHICLE: JEEP - FUN COLLECTION, HERTZ AT KAHULUI AIRPORT FOR SIX ( 6 ) DAYS.

FAIRMONT DELUXE OCEAN VIEW SUITE, THE FAIRMONT KEA LANI MAUI IN WAILEA, ISLAND OF MAUI. DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ROOM RESERVED FOR FIVE ( 5 NIGHTS WITH "SUNNYSIDE BREAKFAST" PACKAGE.
Guests will receive a luxurious one-bedroom suite and daily buffet
breakfast for two at Kea Lani Restaurant (gratuity inclusive).

FOUR ( 4 ) COACH CLASS SEATS ON AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT #6. DEPART
KAHULUI AIRPORT AT 04:55PM.

Both Hiltons are enormous and require a 20 minute trip to get to the lobby level. The Alii Tower is nicer than the rest of the 3000 room Waikiki Hotel - but it is usually full of conventioneers. (I've been to three there.) That said - you are right in the middle of the action of Waikiki. If you have small children, they might be overwhelmed by it all. Waikoloa is even more spread out - you will need to take the tram or boat (yes, boats) to get around. The resort fee is heinous and an add-on for services that should be provided. You will need to pay extra for a room fridge (not mini-bar.) It will take you 20 minutes to get to your car parked behind the hotel. Don't do the Dolphin program - Its better and cheaper at three other hotels in Hawaii that I could name for you. Our friend's son got 6 minutes (of the 45 stated) for playing with the dolphins, and then no family photos were allowed. - very cheap, IMO. Shop at the local Safeway for snacks - room service waits are HUGE, and the food is not very good.
If you're only doing 2 nights, I would cut it entirely from the trip, and add to the Kea Lani.
The Kea Lani is great - service is very good (resort fee again) - the views are awesome, as are the sunsets, there are rolling lawns, spaciousness. Polo Beach is very good for the day. Not overcrowded. The Four Seasons cafe at the beach has some of the best lunch items I've had in Maui. You can shop in Wailea, go all over the island - you're very central to all Maui has to offer. I recommend trilogy catamaran trips to Lanai - very Hawaii, really an experience. Good luck.

Here's my silly question: why are you going through Amex? Have you tried pricing everything out on your own? I can't see how you couldn't do better frankly. There are so many deals to be had, if you are willing to do some research and spend a little time. You'll be a lot more knowledgeable when you arrive that way too, from having seen also the choices and making your own decisions.

I'm not sure how to evaluate it without knowing the price of the package.

At a glance it doesn't seem like anything special that you couldn't have easily put together on your own.

The package was about 13,000 for 4 people. Way too high in my opinion. I called Amex b/c I thought that the packaged stuff would be cheaper,now I know better. I just have to start making decisions and moving forward. I just have to pick the hotels. I am still deciding between West Maui and South for that portion of our stay. i also still need to decide where to stay in VNP. I am going to check rates tommorrow at all the hotels and see if there are any "deals." I also need to rent a car - I usually use Hertz - but I need to check all the companies.
Thanks for all your help.

When are you going? We have a similar trip planned for July. I found the best rates on the hotels' websites. There were also several promotions, packages, and upgrades offered, depending on what kind of credit card was being used, and whether or not you were a member of the hotel's club program. I was able to get cheaper rates by planning way ahead.

Just a FYI- You asked about VNP. We're staying at The Kiluaea Lodge, which is just a mile or two from the park. It's a moderately priced hotel that also offers one and two bedroom cottages. It's gotten great reviews online, and apparently has one of the best restaurants in the area.

Anyway, have fun in Hawaii!

We are going the end of July - beginning of August. Funny, I emailed the Kilauea Lodge for rates yesterday. I have been looking at hotel websites and dont see any promos for those dates - it seems thar it is a black out time for deals. How many nights are you staying near VNP? We are spliting the time btwn VNP & Kona and not sure if it should be 50/50.

I hope I'm wrong, but I think you may have problems booking Kilauea Lodge this late. When I booked several months ago, I was already having trouble trying to reserve some of the rooms and/or a cottage. Also, there is a marathon event that takes place in or around Volcano Village toward the end of July.

To answer your question, we're only staying at Kilauea Lodge one night. We'll be spending the rest of the time ( 3 nights) at The Fairmont Orchid.

Hi MBM, We stayed at the Ali Tower and then went onto the Hilton in Waikoloa as well. I loved both hotels and resorts. I would try to price this itenerary on your own. 13,000 sounds high to me. I know the prices of airfares have gone sky high, but that does sound expensive.
Both are large resorts, but I felt this offered more. The restaurants at the Big Island's Hilton were very good.

I have dumped the travel agent and I am working alone. I have booked the airfare and I am working on the hotels. But first I need to decide we should spend 4 nights on BI and 6 on Maui or 5 nights on each. Also once I decide how long to stay on BI I have to deicde how to spilt the stay between Kona side and VNP. If its 4 nights then 2/2 - how does all that sound?? TIA :)

We stayed at the Hilton on the Big Island for 7 nights last year. We only did a day trip to the volcano. Now, I know this sounds shallow to the volcano lovers out there, but that was the most boring day of our trip. We, my DH, myself and my two teen daughters, hiked all over the black lava rock and after a couple of hours had had enough!
We stopped at the different waterfalls driving along the way to the volcano, we dined in Hilo and walked around a little. We drove north and down to Hilo.
Our favorite part of the Big Island was the great snorkeling. We spent a couple of days down in the Kona area at the different beaches and on a snorkel cruise. You don't need to cruise to see wonderful and huge beautiful turtles. This was more my family's speed. We also spent the day boogieboarding at Hapuna Beach. This was so much fun. Even I was boogieboarding! The waves were terrific. I wish we had tried the horseback riding in the area north of Waikoloa. I know they go near waterfalls and such.
So, if it were me, I would book the resort for the 4 or 5 nights and travel for the day to see the volcano. If I returned to the island, a helicopter ride to see it all from above would be the only way I would return to the volcano.
On the other hand, if you are a lover of rocks, you may want to spend a couple of days there.
This is just my 2 cents. I was only in Maui about 15 years ago, but I would love to return there.