I sometimes wonder if everyone who frequents this forum is rich, what about those of us who have to save forever to be able to afford Hawaii?????

Lets talk about normal hotels, not the hotels for the rich and famous. I don't need luxury, just clean and affordable with a few nice ammenties.

Suggestions??????? Please don't tell me the Four Seasons or Hyatt, simply cannot afford it.

I don't know how much you make or what your budget for a vacation is but as you can see I am a nanny, so I think you probably make more. I stayed at the Renaissance Wailia (sorry spelling) as part of a package deal (air/hotel/food allowance). I usually go on vacation with my sister, who makes a whole lot more than me but we split the trip equally. We go cheap on the eats. In fact the first thing we did when we touched down in Maui was head to the Costco that we spotted from the airport. Sorry I cannot recommend anything cheaper, but please look into the package tours with Pleasant Vacations if I could afford it I think a lot of people could afford it. Granted it is easier if you don't have children to support.

Hi Janice

I'm not rich either, we went to Maui this past October and stayed at the Aston Kaanapali Shores Resort. This was a very nice place- Condo with hotel ammentities. They have tennis courts, 2 swimming pools, restaurant & fitness center. Along with small stores in the hotel. I definetely recommend this property. It's not that expensive. We had a 1 bedroom oceanview.. BEAUTIFUL view of the ocean/mountains... They have gardenview rooms and regular hotel rooms. Please give them a try?? You never know..Also the Maui Marriott is offering Discount rates (due to remodeling)... You may also want to give them a call. If you need Aston Kaanapali Shores phone # let me know.
jan

We're definetly not all rich here!!!
I have backpacked many times and stayed in hostels. (as well as stayed in some of the nicer places)

I believe travel is a choice made.
I choose to travel and hang on to my '84 VW Rabbit Convertable, or live in a smaller home, etc...

Hawaii is expensive. If that is a dream of yours though, GO! You may have to eat raman noodles for a month before (or after...)
Think of it this way, some people can't afford to eat much less budget to travel. Look at the entire spectra. It may take you a lifetime to save up or just one year of strict budgeting.

Not sure of your age or what "you do", but look into information on camp grounds youth hostels, student programs, etc...

There are ways to do Maui on a budget, but you will need to think about budget
condo not hotels that way you will be able to cook your own meals which will save you money. A simple no frills condo
will run you around $80.00 to $100.00 per nt plus tax. A car on Maui is a must and they will run approx $25.00 per day for a 4 door compact plus all the many many taxes. If you do a search for condos on Maui I am sure you will find what you can afford and what you will be comfortable with.

Enjoy the search and the planning.

HJS

Try to book any trip as a package deal & you will get the cheapest price poss.verses booking individually.

4 of us just returned from Maui on dec. 1st, 2000. Aston hotels, which you can look up on the net at www.astonhotels.com had reasonable rates for condo's. we stayed at the Papakea resort on the West coast near Lahiana. We paid $125 a night plus taxes. When you split it it's not bad.

Janice,
There are so many wonderful places to discover and enjoy in Hawaii. Get to the library or the bookstore and check out 'The Hawaii Handbook'by JD Bisignani, 'Frommer's Hawaii on ...$$'s a Day" and any of "The Ultimate Kauai, Maui... Guidebooks. Also, purchase a Hawaii Magazine. Their rental section at the back often has great deals on rentals offered by private owners at better prices than through agents or packages. The websites for Vacationspot.com and Alternative-Hawaii.com have great accommodation options and in the case of A.H. have information on local events, beaches and activities.

There are some wonderful places to stay in smaller areas like Haiku, Hana, and upcountry Maui. Also great deals at state run cabins in Hana, up at Kokee State Park on Kauai (rustic accommodations but incredible hiking) and private cabins at spots like Kahili Mtn Park in Koloa near Poipu on Kauai. We have rented a number of small cottages from homeowners and have been charmed by both the accommodations and the helpful innkeepers. Straying a bit from the beaten track can mean great memories of beautiful spots less frequented by masses of tourists.

There are also some great condos close to the big hotels in Wailea. We particularily like Hale Hui Kai which sits on Keawakapu Beach and is a good value. Another fun thing to do is see if any of the big hotels has a "day rate" available. These are generally offered at 50% of the normal rate and allow you to use the room for the day and play in the pools, etc. We have done this at the Hyatt at Poipu and have had a blast.

There is a lot to discover in Hawaii. Do some research and have a great time.

Frankly, Janice, I have wondered that too, we've been to Hawaii about 14 times and never stayed in one of those super expensive hotels and still had wonderful times. We've usually rented a condo and it works out real well,you can alternate eating out and having some meals/snacks in (breakfast usually for us). On Maui I'd recommend The Mahana. Some one mentioned the Papakea - we have not stayed there but walked around the grounds, it's a low rise and quite pretty. On Maui the less expensive condos are in Kihei so you might want to look there (The Manaha, Papakea are just above Kaanapoli). We've stayed at hotels in Waikiki that had great package offers through various airlines - you just need to check what is out there. The big airlines all have lots of package deals. We've stayed at the Keahou (not sure of spelling, something like that) on the Big Island twice and it was great. I always pick nice hotels/condos (not the bottom of the line but someplace in the middle) and they are always great.

janice- i just returned from hawaii. my grown daughter went with me. we are
from indiana. we did oahu for 3 nights, took a one day trip to the big
island and then went to kauai for 5 nights. we did a package deal that
included hotels, car rental on kauai,
interisland flights and transfers. we
stayed at outrigger east at waikiki and
aston islander on the beach at kapaa, kauai. the package was $1450 per person and the one day trip to the big
island was $165 per person. i thought
the price was reasonable for 8 nights and we saw 3 islands. my travel agent
booked this thru classic hawaiian vacations. she also had a second option that was similar for $1200.
my opinion is that we got a lot for the
money as 10 years ago i went for $1100.
we aren't rich either so i just told
my travel agent that we wanted clean,
decent rooms, nothing fancy.
as for eating, you can get a real good
breakfast for about 8 bucks, sometimes
we did denny's also for about 8 bucks.
and usually dinner was about 12.
but watch your purse when you go shopping in hawaii. they have great stuff and it is easy to over do it.
if you have any questions just email
me.
mel

Janice:

I have not been to Hawaii, but have been researching places to stay on Maui for a possible trip. On a more moderate price scale, I was interested in the Napili Kai Beach Resort. You can do a search on this forum and find out more information about it, and it also has a website. It seems to have gotten some good reviews, and looks nice on the website. It is located on Napili Bay not that far from Lahaina. Good luck.

Janice,

I spent 3 days at the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort; the price was reasonable. We had a studio with a full kitchen (went unused). It is located at the end of Front Street in Lahaina. Has a nice pool and small stretch of beach. We visited Wailea Beach which is used by the Wailea Resort and Four Seasons. Had some very inexpensive dinners at Cheeseburger in Paradise and Maui Brews.

If you visit http://travel-hawaii.com/, they have a trip calculator that will show prices for the various hotels on the islands. I believe they also book packages from the mainland. My trip to Maui was an extension of a business trip on Oahu; I booked the interisland, Maui accomodation and Maui car rental through them.

You can enjoy a great vacation in Hawaii on a limited budget; just don't go crazy in the ABC Stores.

have fun,

janet

I find that most hotels are pretty expensive but if you get the Entertainment card, you are able to get a 50% discount at some nice hotels. We are not rich at all and was able to stay at Embassy Suites for $145 per night with the card (otherwise it would have been double the price). Great value for the money there! Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

Janice: I'm going to Hawaii this Christmas for 17 days - last time there was 21 years ago. Will be island hopping this time - going to the Big Island, Maui & Honolulu. Was also looking for a clean basic room - not fancy or expensive. Were staying at a lodge on the Big Island near the Volcano Park - it was $59 per night. In Honolulu we will be staying at one of the Aston Hotels - also very resonable
$55 per night, 1/2 block from the beach.
Try there website as per a pervious posting you can pull up their hotels with pictures and pricing. Most expensive hotel was in Maui, again staying at an Aston Hotel in Lahania -
$90 per night. We will cook our own breakfasts and lunches to keep the cost down, sent away for the entertainment book and will use that for dinners and excursions. We are from Canada so all the prices we have to add on another 50% for the exchange which really hurts us.
We booked our own interisland flights through a travel agent in Canada it was cheaper that booking directly with the Aloha Airlines. Also booked our own flight from Canada to Hawaii with American Airlines, got a seat sale for $700 per person, Canadain Funds. It takes a lot of work and research to find these deals but it can be done so we too can afford to see Hawaii. Good luck in your search.

Hi Janice, you have a tough decision to make. In what ever you decide make sure you dont miss out on things to do in Hawaii because of cost. Pay for some things now and others use your credit card.
Suggest you go to AAA or Classic Hawaiian Hollidays and ask for a package deal (Air,Hotel,Car). Try the Aston Kaanapali Shores Resort/Condo, it has a full kitchen to eat in and is close to everything including a grocery store (dont forget to stop at costco from airport).
Good Luck, DO

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Thanks to everyone for all of the ideas and recommendations.

I think we have narrowed it down to either the Aston or the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, we are going for an anniversary celebration, (we never had a honeymoon) so I don't want a condo, I really don't want to cook.

Again I really appreciate all the suggestions, we are going in March, I'll be sure to post when we return.

Hi Janice: Congratulations on choosing Maui for your anniversary. Kaanapali Beach Hotel would be a great choice. I stayed there in May 1999 - clean rooms, great location (within walking distance to restaurants, shopping, etc..)and nice stretch of beach. I would highly recommend it for the value and the Hawaiian ambience. Have a great time!

We just got back from Maui, and, although we didn't really hold back on spending, sometimes we just get tired of eating out every night. We went to the grocery store twice and bought some turkey, rolls and chips and had budget dinners. There's also a pizza hut that's reasonable. Most hotel rooms have a refrigerator, so it's a good idea to buy even some fresh fruit and soda/juice to keep in your room, so that you can avoid the hotel/convenience store prices.

Hi Janice,

I have to agree with Janet. I have only been to Maui one time, and my husband and I stayed at Lahaina Shores. We had a studio with a kitchen, and it was very clean, a good location, and very affordable. You can also walk to all of the shops and restaurants on Front Street in Lahaina.