Tip #4: How To Save Big Bucks on Hawaiian Vacations -- VRBO
Where: Statewide || Grouped in: Statewide Hotels || Tagged:
I'm always amazed when people tell me they have never heard of VRBO.com. The letters stand for "Vacation Rental By Owner" and the site is a compendium of vacation properties for rent by their owners rather than agencies. In most cases, you can actually speak to the owners of the properties before you book. While you are taking more of a risk booking a home over a hotel, you can often get four or five times as much space as you might have in a hotel room for the same amount of money. Witness Kailua Beach, a lovely, long sandy strand on Oahu's Windward Coast that is among the finest beaches in the country if not the world. Now, a decent 3-4 bedroom rental within easy walking distance of the beach (meaning, 100 yards or less) runs from $300 to $500. You'll pay a bit more for oceanfront, of course. But $300 to $500 is what you pay for a single high-end or even a mid-tier room in one of the big branded hotel properties. And it gets even better. There ARE NO BIG HOTELS ON KAILUA BEACH. So VRBO can not only buy you far more space for your money but it can also take you places that you otherwise could not go with a reliance on large hotels. The site breaks down Hawaii into dozens of neighborhoods and regions and covers all the major islands as well Molokai. You have to book pretty far in advance -- or be willing to go last minute. But it's an adventure well worth taking.
Now, a decent 3-4 bedroom rental within easy walking distance of the beach (meaning, 100 yards or less) runs from $300 to $500. You'll pay a bit more for oceanfront, of course. But $300 to $500 is what you pay for a single high-end or even a mid-tier room in one of the big branded hotel properties. And it gets even better. There ARE NO BIG HOTELS ON KAILUA BEACH. So VRBO can not only buy you far more space for your money but it can also take you places that you otherwise could not go with a reliance on large hotels. The site breaks down Hawaii into dozens of neighborhoods and regions and covers all the major islands as well Molokai. You have to book pretty far in advance -- or be willing to go last minute. But it's an adventure well worth taking.
Related Posts: Oahu Beginner's Surf Spots: Flat Island off Kailua Beach
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