Hawaii Help
 

Hi folks;
Looking for some help here in planning my winter 2013 trip to Hawaii.
Been to Oahu long time ago an want to try Maui and Big Island as I heard they are very nice but apart from that don't know much about them.
Will have about 1 week for each and prefer a vacation rental but so far everything I look at is expensive, in $250 per night range. Should I look at B&B instead, or hotels ? Are there expensive areas then cheaper areas?
Looking at Mauna Kea in Maui, anyone know about this condo ?

Would like to stay by beach, which are the nicer ones ? Is Kihei area nice ?
It appears that we need to rent a car too but is this necessary just for local shopping ?

Any advice will help. Thanks.

If you are trying to visit in the December-March peak months, $250 is about the going rate for a nice condo. B&B can be less, but usually are not very close to the water.

Expensive areas on Maui are Wailea/Makena and Kapalua. Kihei is more affordable.

Expensive areas on Hawaii are south Kohala or Waikoloa Area. Kailua-Kona is cheaper.

I don't know of any Mauna Kea condos on Maui. The Mauna Kea area is on The Big Island of Hawaii. There is a resort and there are homes and condos in this area, but they are more expensive than your budget.

You will need to rent a car on each island. The best rates are for the week.

Just keep googling away and you can find something. There are a ton of accommodation sites, but Dec - March is "Snowbird" season. Also Check VRBO is you haven't yet.

Actually - if you can go around the first part of Dec thru Mid Dec - it's usually less crowded/expensive, post Thankssiving and pre-Holiday.

Here are a couple of other condo/accommodation sites - and some places have names similiar to Mauan Kea. http://tinyurl.com/cr72cm8

Here are some other Maui condo sites. We stayed - waaaay back in '78 - at the Maui Sunset - and it was fine. There are also B & B's that sometimes have condo type rooms/guest houses - that you might check out.

http://www.mauihawaiivacations.com/
http://www.mauihawaiivacations.com/west-maui-condos.htm
http://www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com/...ui/condos1.htm

If you check VRBO(rentals by owner) and avoid Christmas/New Year, you can find nice 1 br condos in the best areas sub $200/nt, budget areas sub $150(try kahana on Maui)

Mid December is a shoulder time, with the best prices
example- Hotwire has a 3.5 star condo in Wailea for 133/nt 12/16-23
imo- there isnt a bad 3.5 star in Wailea

We go to the Big Island twice a year and can always find places to stay for less than $250--

See the following links for some ideas.

Kapoho (east side of Big Island) haven't stayed at either property--but have stayed at others in Kapoho--nice area--about 30-45 min from Hilo or Volcano

http://tinyurl.com/7dxkwnr

http://tinyurl.com/83c2ef4


in south Kona

http://www.vrbo.com/141871--have stayed there twice--photos are accurate--very private, quiet, great view of the coast

http://www.vrbo.com/293127-- have stayed there at least 6 times--again photos are accurate--great lanai--

Thanks folks.
This helps, good leads to follow.
Surprisingly expensive compared to condos I rented in Europe and Australia. Can't go in December so will just have to bite the bullet I guess and pay the price.

Hey - dems da breaks. :)

frank: >>If you check VRBO(rentals by owner) and avoid Christmas/New Year, you can find nice 1 br condos in the best areas sub $200/nt, budget areas sub $150(try kahana on Maui)>>

I agree.

We had to be in Oahu for Christmas & New Years for a family get together. The hotel prices were really high. We took a side trip to Kauai for about 5 days and rented thru VRBO. We got the best house/condo deal ever!! We paid $85/night for a beautiful 3bed 2ba (very large, expansive and brand new condo)
because the pool in the complex hadn't been completed yet. Hence the deal.

You might check with the real estate person and see if they can find you something along the same lines.

Have you found the Maui Kai Condo on Maui yet? It is on VRBO and also reservations can be made direct. It is absolutely ocean front and prices are reasonable IMO. It is west Maui, in the Honokawai area north of Kaanapali. I will be there myself the last week of May :)

Yes I did get a response from Maui Kai, I sent in a question through a link from Trip Advisor.
http://www.mauikai.org/tmk.html
They sent a list of available units and they do look nice but I really don't know anything about the place or area.

I am wondering if anyone has any comments on the property ?

Here is a little more information for you. The Maui Kai is situated on the ocean in a quiet area north of the main Kaanapali Beach. It is between Kaanapali and Kahana if you look at a map. It is very low key, not at all a resort. Get a high floor, all have lanais and the views are fantastic. You can see both Lanai and Molikai. The building is NOT new and modern, but OK. Each unit is privately owned, so there is a great deal of variance. You can Google the units and get more information about them, just type in Maui Kai the number and enter. On Maui you would want to have a rental car, Maui Kai offers free parking, unlike Kaanapali. There is a shopping center nearby, although I prefer to shop in Lahaina.

Christo,
Here is a resource where you can see properties as they are

Let me add that the Honokawai area has plenty of oceanfront, but the beach is poor. Maui Kai would offer some incredible whale watching from your room but you are driving. The good beach area of Napili might be where you would drive to on beach days

http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mauwestmap.html

Waikoloa Fairways Villas have about 50 listings, lots of them around $100 to $150.