My Hawaii Plans - Money Saving Tips?
 

OK,

So my fiance and I are planning a trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon september 10-21. We plan on flying out of one of the three New York Airports ($667 round trip right now out of EWR on AA) or could fly out of Philly if it offered significant savings.

I like AA because that's who I have my miles with, but am open to others if it saves me a significant amount.

We're Looking at Oahu and Kauia.

Probably stay the 10-16 at one, fly to the other, and stay 16-21 at the other, then fly home.

We're looking at JW Marriott for Oahu and Kauai Marriot Resort & Beach Club for Kauai.

The room rates seem reasonable and the resorts seem nice.

Ocean views seem like they go at around 390/night in Oahu and 419 in Kauai. AA rate could save us a few bucks but not much.

Also need a car, Marriott will let you add a hertz car for $30/day, but i'm assuming i might be able to get a better deal directly through Hertz or possibly on expedia.

Basically, I'm hoping someone can offer insight on how to get some deals on these accommodations, offer alternatives that may be similar quality but lower price, or tell me how i can get some upgrades for free because it's my honeymoon :)

Thanks in advance for all your tips!

Don't know if this will help or not, but you might try one of the major consolidators (like pleasant holidays) who can put together a trip with hotel and flight together. They can usually give you a better price than you'd get booking each separately.
Give them a try and see what you come up with.

i'm not familiar with consolidators. i'll try, can you recommend others?

try priceline - make sure you enter the appropriate paramenters that apply to you. 5-star property, beach side, etc.,waikiki area. there's a section in p'line's bidding site where it lets you enter your parameters. i would start at $200 bid.

in kauai, try calling the hilton property (i think it's in kapa'a)and ask about their entertainment book rate. this rate is usually 50% off the hotel's published rates.

good luck and happy planning!

We stayed at Marriott Ko'Olina in October 2007 and liked it alot. It is next to JW MArriott. We got a special package that included 6 days/5 nights; room and car and $50 gift certificate for $799. It does include a 90 minutes timeshare presentation which was no pressure and we left after exactly 90 minutes. The price varies depending on what state you live in.

Here is the website,
http://www.marriottvillas.com/getawa...efault.asp?ec=

If you have any specific question, feel free to email me directly.

Hope this helps...
Debi

You're best bet at getting the lowest rate at these resorts is to use the Marriott Rewards member discount code. It is "M11." You can get oceanview rooms at either resort for about $350/night. If you don't have a Marriott Rewards number, you can get one for free on line.

Both resorts are alos offering a 5th night free (rate code MBG) but I still think the M11 is the lowest rate.

I am highly biased against using a consolidator or 3rd party agent. You have to lock-in and pay upfront and if you have to change plans (or find a better rate later), you're looking at hefty rebooking fees or lost deposits. I have never found a 3rd party rate (for Marriott) equal to or better than the Marriott M11 code.

We have stayed at both resorts. We loved the JW Marriott on Oahu. The rooms were big and well appointed. The only three negatives:

1. You are 30 minutes from Honolulu, so nearby dining options are limited.

2. The beach is on a man-made lagoon. The fine sand makes to water cloudy.

3. The pool is small.

The Kauai Marriott has beautiful grounds and a nice pool. The major downsides:

1. The beach is similar to the JW's; the water is cloudy. It is in a small bay that it shares with the main port, so you will see ships coming in & out.

2. The hotel is practically adjecent to the airport, so you will hear planes landing & taking off.

3. We were there in 2002. The rooms were worn and musty. The manager said they were due for a renovation, but I've seen reviews on other sites that indicate that the musty smell is still there.

The timeshare option is a good idea. The problem is that Hawaii is not offered to residents in most of the east Coast states.

uconn1990 thanks for the input.

i'm a marriot rewards (silver) member, but i did not know of the m11 rate. which do you enter it into (group, corporate, etc?).

thanks for the tip, i'll check with that.

also, for the kauai, would you recommend another marriot, or is that the only one? maybe i'll do hilton instead of the kauai marriot isn't up to par.

Enter M11 into the corporate code. You probably need to log in or at least enter your MR number first.

Marriott also has a property, the Marriott Waiohai, on Poipu Beach. We are staying there in July. The Waiohai is relatively new. It was being built in 2002 when we stayed at the Kauai Marriott. I have not seen it first hand, but like the fact that it is on Poipu. When we stayed at the Kauai Marriott, we would go to Poipu if we wanted to go to the beach.

The only consideration you may have is room type. From what I’ve seen, the Waiohai offers two room types: A 2 BR “villa” that goes for over $500/night or a standard room for about $300/night. The standard rooms do not have oceanviews and I have seen some reports that the views are “less than desirable.” The Waiohai doesn’t seem to offer any special rates. We are going with my kids & in-laws, splitting the cost of a 2-BR villa, so it makes sense for us.

I admit, I may be overly biased against the Kauai Marriott. Our stay started off bad and I’m not sure I got over it during the trip. First, we booked and paid for an 2-BR oceanview villa in the timeshare part of the hotel. The only thing we could see from our room was the lobby roof and palm trees (and the room was musty). When I asked to change rooms, the front desk clerk was unresponsive and said that timeshare owners got the better rooms. While I can understand owners having some priority, I am also a Marriott Silver member AND paid for an oceanview room. I asked for the manager. He politely said the only other rooms available had similar views, but agreed to reduce our rate to lowest 2-br view they offered, knocking about $100/night off the room.

There is one other thing I did not like about the Kauai Marriott. The restaurant where they serve breakfast was sub-standard compared to the other Marriotts in Hawaii. We had just come from the Maui Marriott (nka Maui Ocean Club). The breakfast buffet, part of our rate, was superb and the service excellent. The buffet and service on Kauai was what you would expect at any ordinary Marriott.

uconn,

thanks for the input again, the other marriott you mentioned is a vacation club right? we imagine it's more families, and since we're young honeymooners (25/26), we thought we'd shy away from the marriott vc's.

i'll check into more hotels though thanks!

The Kauai Marriott is also a Vacation Club resort. Part of the resort is considered timeshare, part is considered hotel, but it is all a single complex.

If my wife & I were going by ourselves, we would probably stay at the Princeville Resort. They are running a 6th night free special.

http://hawaii-exclusive.destinations...ii_SPG35HI_ALL

If you really want money saving tips, my # 1 tip is to get a room for much less than those at JW Marriott.

There are a lot of good hotels & condos on Oahu between $150 - $250 per night.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564

www.visit-oahu.com free brochure There are over 400 websites for lodging, restaurants, attractions in the brochure & on the site. Click on: OVB Yellow Pages.

www.kauaidiscovery.com free brochure

www.kauai-hawaii.com

I find that in Kaua'i that the Kapa'a area is the cheapest. You go to Princeville or Poipu and the price goes way up. These are nicer areas, but if you plan on traveling around the island a lot, then this is a good central location and not far from the airport. IF you're looking to lounge and not do much, then spend the extra cash and stay at a pamper resort. It's worth it.

If you wanna save money on activities while there, go to the Boss Frog in Kauai ask for the discounted rates. Also, for snorkel rentals gear, there's a coupon for super cheap two for one at:

http:www.mauisnorkeling.net/snorkelcoupons.html

Click on the internet coupon and then print it before going in. Also, call the numbers on that page or go the the Boss Frog people for cheap activities.
Hope this helps.

AMPED

As above, my best money saving tip would be not to spend $400 on a hotel room (yikes). Or maybe splash out the first few nights on Oahu somewhere fancy, then get a condo for the week on Kauai? Are you sure you need a car on Oahu if you are staying in the Waikiki and Honolulu area?

I would book the best hotel you can afford--but the CHEAPEST view. Often they will upgrade you if there's room (and it's your honeymoon). Be sure to join the hotel chain in question's preferred guest program (you can do them all for free). Even if you don't get an upgrade, it's been my experience that views are nice when you get them but it's nicer overall to be in a great hotel.

Hilton, Marriott, Outrigger, Resortquest and Starwood all offer vacation packages that can include air, hotel and a car. It appears quite often if you get much of any discount it's on the hotel not the airfare.

hulajake, are you saying that through the hotel websites i find these packages? should i check marriott.com?

I've stayed at the KoOlina Oahu JW Marriott twice. I booked a mountainview both times and both times was upgraded to a beautiful oceanview just for asking. The first time, it was our anniversary, but the second time we just asked and they complied. The service there is fantastic! We are scheduled to stay at the Lihue Marriott in Kauai this June. Despite all the negatives posted here and other places, we are going to give it a try. We like Marriotts because they are usually great and we build our AA miles faster for the next trip!

Yes to the right of the hotel search there are different titles click on deals and on that page to the left will be a air, hotel and car box.

uconn,

Sorry you had such a bad experience at the Marriott Kauai. We own a timeshare and have gone every year since 1997 (ocean view) and yes the rooms have been remodeled as far as paint, wallpaper, pictures, new bedding, etc. Those beds are so comfy.

We have not yet toured the Waiohai but it is built as a mostly timeshare unit and has full kitchens unlike the timeshare units at the Lihue Marriott.

I do agree that the main restaurant, Kukui's, could be a lot more attractive and I pointed out this negative in a survey they sent me last year. However there are several other places to eat, Duke's and Portofino and both really good although not open for breakfast, and there is also the Apauka Terrace where you can get light meals (bagels, fruit, coffee, etc.).

i searched the marriott rewards rates and it's nearly $100 cheaper per night!

jw marriot for ocean view is $328/night
kauai marriott for partial is 299/night

if i stay at the waikiki marriott instead of jw, i can save approximately 100/night, plus probably no need to rent a car.

but i think maybe jw will be my splurge and we can explore the island with a car.

Best price for hotels and cars will be through Priceline. Check www.biddingfortravel.com before bidding on Priceline.
If you would like to save money on gifts (for yourself and others), I suggest the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and the Crazy Shirts Outlet.

Hi, bradykp. Congratulations to you on your upcoming marriage!

We have stayed at the JW Marriott on Oahu, at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club.

Re the JW Marriott on Oahu: We really like the hotel, the grounds, the lagoons. But it is pretty far from most restaurants, activities, etc. The restaurants at the hotel are very expensive.

Re the Kauai Marriott Resort: We really like staying here. It's convenient to both the north and south sides of Kauai. The pool is amazingly large and nice.

We've also stayed at the Marriott Waiohai, on Poipu Beach. This is also a very nice place. We live in the Atlanta area, and we were able to get a deal for about $650 for 5 nights, including rental car and $100 in gift certificates we would use at the hotel; we did have to attend a 90-minute timeshare presentation, but it was worth it to us. I'm not sure if it would be worth it on your honeymoon, however.

Also check out the Hyatt on Kauai. It's very near the Marriott Waiohai. The grounds, landscaping and pool are amazing. We've stayed there, and it was incredible. You can get Hyatt Stay Certificates for $249 per night. Check out their website for this.

One thing I would recommend is to save the most luxurious lodging for the last. It's always hard to go from really nice lodging to not-so-nice lodging.

Have a fun time planning!

You may wish to check out the Hyatt on Maui and Kauai. My husband and I did this for our honeymoon and it was the best. We got a package deal for 10 days which included breakfast. We also recently took an NCL cruise around the islands for our anniversary last september which was very affordable. Best wishes!

I have been using luxurylink.com for travel lately and have totally fallen in love with their deals. In Europe our family stayed at some incredible places for about 65% less than the rates quotes.

I checked for Kauaii and Oahu and found that you could get (assuming you are the winning bidder) a 4 night package for $1345-the room would be ocean view, it would include breakfast, some other things and most of all tax. You have to remember in the rates you are being quoted, they don't include tax which would add a lot to your prices for Hawaii.

There is also a seven night package for the Hyatt hotels on Oahu, Maui and Kauai which includes airfare between the island, breakfast and other things for $3300. Also the Hyatt Kauai (which is a great honeymoon hotel) is listed at $1345 for 4 nights with breakfast etc.

When using luxurylink, I'd advise you to call the hotel before you bid and tell them you want to check if you can use the luxury link package for the days you want to go. Also many a time you can add aditional nights to your luxury link package at a substantial discount.

Since you are coming from the East Coast, give yourself plenty of time to adjust to the time difference.

Finally, if you want to save some money, I recommed alohacondos.com. We stayed at the 2 bedroom condo at the Hanalie resort in Kauai for my sister's wedding 3 years ago. its the one whose number starts with "8" and is decorated by a new york designer. We had a fabulous place with an ocean view, great canopy kingsize bed and we could open the windows and see/hear the ocean since we were on a bluff. It is locate din the resort complex so it had a nice pool and beach access. It shared a beach with the more expensive princeville resort.

The place was decorated very nicely and the price was such a deal it left us with a lot of money for nice meals and tours.

Good luck.

JEC,

How did you enjoy the NCL cruise?

samsaf, the cheapest hyatt rate is $390/night for a garden view. what are these $249 certifications you're talking about?

bradykp, go to hyatt.com website, then click on "certificates," near lower righthand side of page. Then click on "Stay" box on lefthand side of page. The Hyatt Kauai is an elite property.

If you decide to use the "Stay" certificates, make sure to read the terms and conditions.

Love the title - such an oxymoron, you know? If you can figure it out, let me know. My husband will thank you but AMEX will be mad. $-)

well, i went on the honeymoon and must say, jw was worth it. they told me while there that you can often easily get upgraded if you just ask.

Kauai Marriott was also nice, but nothing special. We booked a partial ocean view and asked about upgrade on arrival. they gave us the full ocean view (only the top two floors of the building are for non timeshare guests) for $50 extra per night. much cheaper than the regular rate difference.

i really enjoyed both places, though the new marriott timeshare at poipu is much nicer if you can stay there (i think it's timeshare only).

anyways, bottom line is: hawaii is expensive. the places to save are breakfast and lunch if you can. we asked for as much as possible though. we did the timeshare presentations on both islands, which got us $125 on Kauai and luau for two at Polynesian cultural center ($180) - which i never woulda paid for myself - it was more disney than polynesian (but kinda cool to tour the mock "villages")

<i>though the new marriott timeshare at poipu is much nicer if you can stay there (i think it's timeshare only).</i>

FWIW, the Marriott Waiohai is a timeshare property, but they often have space available for &quot;renters&quot; - we were there in July and friends of our's were there in August. It's a very nice property, although if you stay, try to avoid being in the back of Building 4 -- the rooms and balconies face the parking lot, whereas almost every other unit faces the interior gardens (which are beautiful) or the ocean.

bradykp, thanks for taking the time to post back about your trip. since i'm planning my first hawaii vacation for june 2008, it's especially helpful.

Stating the obvious ;-) the best money saving tip would be to stay at MUCH cheaper hotels than the kinds of resorts that are being mentioned here.

check with hotel if they have Entertainment Book rates. i know the Hilton in Kauai has some special rates for EB. since you're not going until Sept '08, you can purchase your EB around summertime next year for a deeply discounted rate. it usually sells for $30 ( valid from nov-1 to nov 31(?) the ff year ) but if you buy halfway into the validity period, you can expect to pay around $10. it also offers discounts on car rentals (shop around first to compare prices), 2 for 1 deals at PCC, 25% disc at luaus, etc.

brady,

oops, you've done the trip. didn't realize your orig post was dated 2/07. glad to hear that you had a great time in Hawaii.

ejcrowe, if you have any questions for me, let me know. we can chat over email or on here.

suze.....my hotels were extremely nice hotels all for less than $300/night. given a lot of hawaii rates, i think i got some real deals.

to some people...saving money doesn't need to mean staying in a slightly downgraded hotel, it means.....how do i get the nicer for less than normal.

i was on my honeymoon, so i was more willing to spend a bit more. but being the thrifty person i am, i still wanted to get the best deal on those nicer rooms.

i share the information from my trip so others are aware you can stay in basically the top resorts for a lot less than the normal published rates.

ejcrowe....sept is a great month to go as far as rates. i don't know much about how june compares, but good luck with your plans!

To me getting a $400 room for $350 would hardly be considered a money saving tip (though technically I guess it is!).

Maybe a better title would have been something about how to get luxury for less.

One person's &quot;slightly downgraded hotel&quot; is another person's palace
:-)

For those who like to stay in nice hotels...my tip is: Book the cheapest view possible. A garden or mountain view will give you the same quality of room at a much less expensive price, and there is always a chance you will get upgraded.