I don't know how the fares are priced from New Orleans, but can comment about them from the west coast. One thing to consider is getting cheap tickets to the west coast and combining that with a cheap ticket from west coast to Hawaii. LA, Sacramento and Phoenix sometimes have good deals.

The airlines typically keep fares high way in advance to get the people who plan their trip ahead of time to pay top dollar. Then a few months in advance they may run specials if they have plenty of seats left. Or if they don't have plenty of seats left they don't. May is not a peak time and so there is a chance that there will be sales announced end of feb or march for that period. At least I'm hoping there will be.

Alan

Thanks, Alan. We are watching fares.

Is it pretty much unanimous that Maui has the best snorkeling?

Not the best, but a few spots on Maui (e.g. Makena) run a close second to the Big Island.

It sounds like your daughters are more into athletic activities than partying. In that case I would recommend north shore Kauai. It was our ultimate dream vacation. (We rented a house.) Snorkeling at Ke'e Beach and Tunnels Beach, hiking the Kalalau Trail and that fabulous lush landscape is my idea of what Hawaii is all about. We did Oahu and Maui as well - haven't done the Big Island yet so can't comment on that. Maui, except for Hana and surroundings, reminded me of Florida. North Shore Oahu was nice, but, again, Kauai was the bomb. Our two bedroom rental was beautiful and only $199 a night for the whole place, less than you'd pay for one room at a hotel. Here's the website if you are interested:
http://kauaivilla.com/

No, IMO, Maui doesn't have the best snorkeling. There is just too much development. I would say the Big Island or Kauai does.

One of the best places to snorkel on Maui is Ahihi-Kinau which is south of Makena. I've read that there are proposals to close it - perhaps one of the maui experts can fill us in. You can also do a snorkel cruise to Molokini, but that you'd have to pay for.

On Kauai the best snorkelling is on the north shore at tunnels and kee beach. Note that the north shore beaches sometimes close due to high surf in the winter. On the south side there is good snorkelling at Poipu Beach and the beach in front of the Lawai beach resort. On the east side Lydgate park is a good place for beginners to learn.

Alan

Thanks for the great advice! Now if we can just find afforable airfare from New Orleans.

I just got back from low budget vacation to Maui and Molokai with my husband and daughter.

Silvia Mayon of Maui Travel Service www.mauitravelservices.com

was a great help planning our trip. I read about her in a Fodor posting. She helped us book the ferry, hotels, car rentals and activities. I explained to her that we really had to keep costs to the minimum. Everything she booked was lower than the published prices and if she even recommended cottages and rentals to us when she wouldn't get a commision because they were the lowest cost places available. Silvia really went the extra mile to make sure we had a great trip even though we weren't big spenders. Maybe she can help you get a good airfare.

TO Excited_Confused:

This looks like a great deal! I checked it out and it is still being offerred.

What did they want shown as far as proof of income? I am always reluctant to flash my financial income...even for a good deal.

Also, this offer appears to be good only for residents of certain states. I own homes in 2 states, 1 of which is on their list of approved states, but my drivers license is from other state. What did you have to do to prove residence?

How pushy were they? How long did you actually spend with them? Did they let you get away fairly easily? What did you say to get away?

Were you able to get room upgrade and/or extend your stay?

Thanks so much for your input.
Deb