I'm going to Hawaii in Sept 2002. I want to stay for one week at the 4 Seasons Maui and one week at the 4 Seasons Big Island. The BI Prices are too expensive for me. Will they haggle with me?

I recently read an article in the NY Times about the sagging economy in Hawaii. Will they give me some leverage?

Any tips on how to get low prices are much appreciated.

Does it have to be the 4 Seasons? I think you should comparison shop. Then if you REALLY want to stay at the 4 seasons, you can say, "Well, XYZ hotel is only going to charge me this much...." and maybe they will re-think. I don't have a really sure-fire answer for you, but maybe that will work. I'm finding that many of the hotels on the neighbor islands need to wise up about those things, especially during this time.

I don't know if this applies to Hawaii too but I have heard that rather than lower rates the hotels are just closing down sections of the hotels and laying off workers.
OTOH I saw four seasons vegas for 195 a night with a $25 food credit. Search really hard on the web for discounts.

I too am considering going to the Big Island and Kaui in December. I started calling around and many of the hotels were all booked (for the lower fares). We do not plan to go unless we find a great deal. The Hyatt in Kaui had a rate of $255 a night with free breakfast. That is much lower than their normal rate, but still not an "exceptional deal". The air fare is around $500 range (from SFO) but there are many plane changes etc. I haven't had any luck yet finding a hotel in the BI. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANY "EXCEPTIONAL DEALS"?

By the way, we stayed at the Four Seasons Maui for our honeymoon a few years ago. We were upgraded to a suite when we got there. It is absolutely the most beautiful property! I think it's worth the prices.

People..he is talking about traveling a year from now. Hopefully by then tourism in Hawaii will be back to normal!