Hi,
We (husband and I..25th anniversary) are planning a 16 night trip to 3 islands in May 2006. T/A is recommending the following...3 nites Outrigger Waikiki (ocean view), 6 nites Sheraton Maui (Deluxe ocean view), 3 nites Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and 4 nites Sheraton Keauhou Bay (Deluxe ocean view). We have a mid size car from Dollar on each island and the cost includes air fare between islands. Air fare from East coast is FC with frequent fliers. So...T/A is quoting a price of around $6800. Is this reasonable? Any comments would be very helpful. Thank you, Karen

My BIL and his wife are in Waikiki right now, for 7 days/nights at the Outrigger Reef. No car, just flights and hotel, and the cost was between $3000 and $3500 (closer to $3500) so your TA is probably about right. It is not cheap to travel to Hawaii (IMO).

Last summer we went for 12 nights, two islands with rental cars on both - but stayed at slightly higher end resorts (Grand Wailea and Kauai Hyatt) for $6200. so that's not way off. In retrospect, I believe that I could have done better booking on my own. You can get pretty good deals on Sheraton properties by going on their website. You have plenty of time to do some research on your own before commiting to the T/A. Look at the Wizard Publications books for each island or their website (wizardpub.com), tripadvisor.com, and then contact the properties individually by website and then phone. I try to use the internet, but calling them will get you the best deals usually.

I've been looking into hotels/B&Bs in and around Hilo and although the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel is cheap (around $120/night ocean view)it doesn't sound very salubrious. Check out the reviews on Tripadvisor!

The overall price quoted sounds high and you should try pricing hotels separately like the other poster suggested.

The Hilo Hawaiian will be a disappointment. Also I think 3 nights in Hilo is too long. You may want to consider booking your own accommocations in the Hilo area, maybe up in Volcano Village.

Have your tried checking costs on your own? Following this same general itinerary, reading on TripAdvisor for hotel picks, I bet you can beat the price of the Travel Agent and end up with better choices of hotels.

I think it would be worth a little independent research to see if that's true.

If you haven't done so an easy and very worthwhile first step would be to read reviews of each hotel at Trip Advisor.com

Thanks for the comments so far. Except for the Hilo Hawaiian (wasn't sure about this one myself) are the other hotels good choices?

You could skip Hilo entirely and stay at cottages or B&B at Volcano area for a 1-2 nights. Add the 'leftover' Hilo night(s) elsewhere like Waikiki or Maui.

I have stayed at the Hilo Hawaiian and thought it was pretty nice. Arguably the nicest place in Hilo. Having said that, the next time I go to the east side of Hawaii, I am planning to stay at My Island B&B in Volcano Village. Kilauea Lodge would also be a good choice. I haven't stayed at your other selections but know that all receive more good reviews than bad and are in good locations.

ttt

I have been researching a trip to Maui and Kauai for next year. The prices travel agents are giving me are actually better than hotels and rental car companies website prices.

I would agree to do a little research on your own, you'll probably end up going with what the TA is offering but it's good to check it out in case you can find some deals, especially for May. A very cool thing to do while on Maui would be to go camping one or two night in Haleakala crater, they have cabins that they rent out by lottery. Also, if you do decide to go with the TA, make sure that they mention to all the hotels you're staying it at that it's your anniversary. When we were there we were upgraded and got alot of preferential treatment because of that. A great, cheap hotel to stay at on Maui is the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, the most Hawai'ian hotel. Have fun!

Dear Karen,
I agree,with the others, check into the hotels yourself. I would skip the Waikiki - it is big city and a waste of your time. Stick to 1 or 2 islands. Island hopping is too much time in airports and packing and unpacking. You can take a local sightseeing airplane between Maui and The Big island. Air Taxi is terrific! You can see more, it is less expensive and no airport check in/security to deal with. You just get on the plane and fly.

Hilo is not a place to spend the night. There is nothing much to do there. Stay in Volcano Village for 1 night as you travel around the Big Island. The volcano is spectacular and best time to see the lava flowing is after dark. Remember to pack a flash light.It is nice to be able to drive just a couple of miles to your bed after a full day of adventure. Lots of good B & B's in volcano village. Kailua Lodge is beautiful and historic. The rest of the time you want to be in Kailua-Kona/Keauhou area. The Sheraton is renovated old hotel, it use to be the Kona Surf Resort. The guests on my boat have mixed reviews about it. Overall, no one has been overly dissappointed. The renovation was a huge makeover. It has a beautiful pool and the Manta Rays are along the shore line at night. They have lights in the water to see them. The food is so -so - but you have fabulous resturants in Kona just 4-5 miles away. Sheraton Maui is nice - it is Maui - the place to lay on the beach and drink Pina Colada's on the beach.

Price wise, I can't tell you off hand, as Kona is my home. The dolphins & I would love to meet you and share some Aloha,- 25 years celebration, that is Fabulous!!! Congratulations on 25 years of togetherness!!! ALOHA!

I have to disagree with the previous poster regarding Oahu. Yes, it is a big city but there is so much to see and do there. I don't think it is a "waste" of time, just different than the rest of the islands.

Instead of the Sheraton Keauhou have you considered going farther north to
Mauna Lani, Hapuna Prince, Four Seasons
etc?

As far as price, I think 6,800 sounds about right for you curent itinerary.

IMHO Waikiki is not a waste of time. On a 16 night trip to the Hawaiian islands 3 nights in Waikiki will be a treat for you. Plenty to do in this beautiful city! I would not pass it up since you have plenty of time to explore other islands.
Have a great time and Happy Anniversary!

Thanks for all the great responses. We are definately looking forward to all three islands we will be going to. We will be spending 3 nights in Waikiki, but are planning on seeing more of the island than just the city. I have heard the north shore is something! I hope to see as much of each island as we can. Keep the responses coming!
karen

artnkar, I would definitely scrub the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel ... and Hilo. I think that hotel would be a real let-down after the Outrigger Waikiki and the Sheraton. I highly recommend Kilauea Lodge, one of my favorite places anywhere, at Volcano Village instead. I'd stay there one or two nights, depending upon how much you really want to explore VNP, and add that extra night or two onto Oahu, which is an absolutely wonderful island. (Or one extra Oahu, one extra other side of Big Island.)

My other four nights on the Big Island, I would stay at the Marriott Waikoloa Beach on the Kohala Coast, if possible, although I think the Sheraton Keauhou wouldn't be bad.

May is one of the very best times to visit Hawaii. I think you could use the Entertainment Card to book your own hotels, and beat a TA's prices that time of year! By using the E Card, AAA, etc., I always beat the TA's rates.

Have a wonderful trip!

Don't stay at the Marriott Waikoloa on weekends unless you like the noise from the bar keeping you awake until midnight. the sheraton keahou is much better bet. the hilton waikoloa is very nice with motorboat or train to take you to your room