How to Save Big Bucks on a Hawaiian Vacation: Tip #3 -- Stay Away from Big Name Resort Towns
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This tip is closely related to a previous post on staying at off-brand hotel. The big name resort towns in Hawaii do sit astride some of the islands' best beaches. Which is why they can charge a premium on rooms. Kapalua, Wailea, Ka'anapali, Hapuna and Poipu are among those stories resort towns. That said, plent of lovely beaches remain and many have nice little places to stay right on them.
For example, in Maui, Makena beach is every bit as nice as Wailea. The Maui Prince Hotel sits a few bays to the east of Makena is a relative bargain (its older and not as posh as Wailea) and the beach is never as crowded. Napili, the beach just south of Kapalua, is a bit packed with condos but none are higher than two stories and they are priced quite affordably -- far less than, say, the average hotel room in New York City, Los Angeles or San Francisco. In Kauai, you can stay in Kapa'a for a song right on the beach and hop in the car to access Secret's, Donkey, Kalihiwai, Anini and other stellar beaches that lie only 15 to 20 minutes away by car. Kapa'a has the added benefit of being the biggest town in Kauai, which means its the only place with a critical mass of restaurants and bars. At any rate, this gives you an inkling that while a handful of Hawaii resort towns have world-class brand recognition, plenty of other Hawaii resort areas are just one notch below in terms of beach, location and comforts -- and often several notches below in price.
Related Posts: Napili Kai Beach Club, Makena Beach
Image via Travel-Hawaii.com
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Comments
BlueCollar Traveler said:
My wife and I spent two whole weeks on three different islands in Hawai‘i this past October. The total, including airfare to and from Hawai‘i, three interisland flights, rental cars, gas, accommodations, excursions, dining, groceries, gifts, etc., was only $6,359.71.
Of course, we had to plan it all and book it ourselves. But, the money we saved was worth it.
Where we saved the most was on our accommodations.
You can also save money on your Hawai‘ian trip by choosing to stay in a condo or cottage. These accommodations are usually booked a few to several months in advance, which means you really need to plan ahead.
You will find beachfront condo units starting at $135/night plus cleaning fees. We had a beachfront condo at the Valley Isle Resort and paid $135/night + cleaning in the off-season.
We have also rented cottages in Hāna (Maui) for $125/night. One was in Hāna proper right on Hāna Bay. Although that one had an ant problem, the other was closer to Kīpahulu that had an ocean view that was totally unbeatable. We have the fondest memories of that one.
Deals can be had. One just needs to spend the time and effort to discover them.
—01/05/07
Kerry Maloof said:
Do-It-Yourself HawaiiWe consider ourselves budget travelers and prefer heading to the Pacific once a year. We’ve camped and stayed in b&b’s and gone the condo route. Now that there’s the internet we exclusively use VRBO to make our reservations. There you can communicate directly with the property owner and see photos of the place. When you’re using this process, start planning months in advance. Many of the properties have a little calendar so you can see what’s been booked.
Renting a car and comparing prices can also be done on the internet. The guidebooks we use are the Trailblazer series. We’ve saved all kinds of money by planning our itineraries using these books. The authors divide the island into pieces and diagram all the stops with things to see and trails to get there. We read about them on Amazon.com and they have the lowest price. The titles are Kauai Trailblazer, Maui Trailblazer, Hawaii The Big Island Trailblazer and the newest one that we will use this coming March is Oahu Trailblazer.
If you’re going to Maui consider staying at the Wainapanapa State Park cottages or camp there. They’re a little funky, but cheap. Cottages just up the coast go for four times the price. There’s also a YMCA campground along the Hana Highway with campsites on a grassy knoll above the ocean. Do your homework before you go, save hundreds and go more often. The Euro is climbing every day so we’re sticking to Hawaii for now.
—01/07/07