Making our first trip to Hawaii in October (yay!!) and hoping to keep it affordable. Would love recommendations for great and affordable places to stay in Maui, Kona and Hilo - condos, B&Bs, etc. all OK!

THANKS!!!!!!

Can you give us an idea about what is affordable to you? October is a great month to go as it is off season and you can get great deals. Have you checked vrbo.com for dealing directly with owners for better rates.

You'll be staying in both Kona and Hilo on the BI? Is there any place specific you are interested in on Maui? Your answers to these questions will help us to determine what to recommend.

Okee dok.... - Here are more details...

We're hoping to go for 10 days in mid October and would LOVE to keep the trip well under 4k for flights, economy car rental, and accommodations. (Our goal is to definitely keep the entire trip - w/ food and excursions - under 5k)

We'll be flying from the DC area. Planning to visit the Big Island for half the time... and think we'd like to stay in both Hilo and Kona to take advantage of all the island has to offer. Then we'll take an inner-island flight (hoping to use FF miles for this) to Maui. I have NO idea where is best to stay here - so recs for that would be appreciated too. And one TA suggested that we have a long layover in Oahu on the way home just so we can see Pearl Harbour - which sounds good to me.

Finally - we aren't terribly picky about accommodations. I'd actually prefer interesting B&Bs with character or a small condo over a big resort. (But wouldn't rule anything out!) We aren't 'lay on the beach all day' kind of people and doubt we'll be in our rooms too much - but it would be nice to be close to the ocean and have a clean room.

So advise away.... your suggestions/recs are TREMENDOUSLY appreciated!!!!!

(PS - Is the best board for me to post on?)

When you say you want to stay "in Hilo", chances are you really mean "on the Hilo side of the island". There's a difference. Hilo itself is a nice place to visit but chances are you wouldn't want to spend any length of time there. The bulk of activities and attractions on that side of the island lie outside Hilo, either north or south.

For example, if you want to stay near Volcanoes National Park and Kilauea, there's no shortage of wonderful B&B's near the park. My favorites are the Forest House at My Island B&B, Golden Goose B&B, Hale Ohia and the Kilauea Lodge.

If the possibility of rain bothers you I'd strongly recommend spending the bulk of your BI visit on the Kona side, as the west side of the island gets a lot less rain than the east/Hilo side.

As for Kona, there's a long strech of accomodations just south of town, my midrange favorites are Kona By the Sea condos and Keauhou Beach Resort Hotel, and for barebones travel, the Kona Makai and Kona Bali Kai which are both condos. The Bali Kai is a great place to meet locals as there's a surfing beach right in front of the complex, although it can get noisy and a little rowdy.

I'll leave Maui suggestions to others, as I've only been there a few times. We did have one great stay at the Maui El Dorado, which is located on a golf course and is very quiet, although the complex is older and the pool and other amentities are nothing to write home about. It's also set back from the ocean about 1/4 mile.

We got Sheraton Maui for $140.00 a night in April. I've seen it go for that price many times so you might check it out. Go to biddingfortravel.com first to figure out how it all works. Sheraton is in a great location if you like activity, shopping, restaurants, snorkeling, etc.
It is only a garden view room but you said you probably wouldn't spend much time in your room anyway.

I can recommend the Aston Papakea condos on Maui. The property is at the end of Ka'anapali, so you don't have a swimming beach right outside, but you ARE right on the water and a short walk brings you to a swimmable beach. This keeps prices a bit lower. You are right across the street from a supermarket, not to mention about 1/2 mile from a FANTASTIC take-out food place called the Honokowai Deli (I think?). Best chicken katsu I've tasted in awhile. The Aston is also walking distance from some large hotel/resorts, so if you want restaurants and bars on the water, you've got them. But you can cook in the condo or use the grills which surround the pools. There are two pools, two jacuzzis.

We liked the Keauhou Beach Hotel in South Kona, and their rates were $119 per night. We didn't stay at the Dolphin Bay Hotel in Hilo, but I want to go there sometime. It consistently gets good reviews for value.

The Napili Bay area on Maui is a great place to stay. Most of the places are low-rise, older condos that are very reasonably priced. Most are right on the beach. The beach is fabulous. Quiet, low key and great swimming and snorkeling. You are close to Kapalua Bay beach which is another great place to swim and snorkel. The Mauian, Napili Shores, Napili Kai and Napili Sunset are some of the places that I am familiar with. Consider also a cottage rental in Hana for a day or two. Fabulous!

Depends on what you call affordable. What price range are you looking for in lodging? We just got back from a two week trip to Hawaii on the Big Island, Maui and Kauai. On the BI we stayed at a very nice B&B located just a couple of miles from Hilo, called Hale Kai Hawaii(www.halekaihawaii.com). It sets right on the bay and after a rate increase I think they now run $110 per night. Nothing fancy, but it was full the three days we spent there. (they have 5 rooms)Breakfast is served on the upper outdoor porch and has a great view of the bay. I agree with Iamg on the Napili Bay area on Maui, this time we stayed at Honokeana Cove Resort condos and it was very affordable. Have also stayed at the "Napili Bay" condo and loved it. The ones iamg mentioned are good choices in the Napili Bay area.

Affordable in Hilo: Dolphin Bay Hotel.
Look up on the web. www.dolphinbayhilo.com
John Alexander [owner] can help you out with sites to see. Very friendly and laid back. This is in the range of budget accommadatons. All rooms have kitchen. No A-C., ceiling fans.

Hilo is an interesting town. My favorite. Most tourists by-pass it [thank goodness]!.

Kona: another suggestion. You can get a condo fairly resonable. Many have minimum stay. Try DreamHawaii.com.
Give Carol a call on her 800 number. she has helped me out several times.

Grand Champions Villas in Wailea Maui is a great place. The price is not in the Wailea stratosphere. Rates in October are $950 a week. Check out www.ownerdirect or www.mauihawaiicondo.com

ttt

We rent a condo on the Big Island every year at www.vrbo.com. I have also rented a condo in Maui through that web site. All are owned by individual owners. I have not had a bad experience yet and you can get some great deals.