Travel Guru's (Update in Comments)

vlagrl29

brij2006 said:

We keep saying Hawaii will be our 5 year anniversary trip (2 years from now).  Maybe I should look a little more into doing it now instead.

we are doing it for our 10 year - only 4 more years till paradise again

dragonstarjk

We did Hawaii for our 5-yr (last year) and it was magical! We did one week on Oahu and one week on a cruise to the different islands.  We saved for two years so we could totally splurge on everything we wanted--the whole trip was about 12K.  Not MM at all, but all paid in cash and worth every penny! 

brij2006

Update:  I tried very hard to pass a cruise off to my H.  Yeah, didn't work at all.  No matter how I played it, he would not go for it.  

So we're back to the drawing board.  I had the travel agent quote Hawaii for us, and that came back at about $4,300 for airfare, hotel, and rental car.  So we would still need to factor in food and entertainment on top of that.  I know we could probably do it for cheaper though, and stay at a less expensive hotel.

At this point we both are thinking that maybe we just book some last minute deal when we get closer to the date of travel.  The prices are making us want to go nowhere right now. 

AprilZ81

brij2006 said:

Update:  I tried very hard to pass a cruise off to my H.  Yeah, didn't work at all.  No matter how I played it, he would not go for it.  

So we're back to the drawing board.  I had the travel agent quote Hawaii for us, and that came back at about $4,300 for airfare, hotel, and rental car.  So we would still need to factor in food and entertainment on top of that.  I know we could probably do it for cheaper though, and stay at a less expensive hotel.

At this point we both are thinking that maybe we just book some last minute deal when we get closer to the date of travel.  The prices are making us want to go nowhere right now. 

That is a bummer he won't give the cruise a try. He could have laid by the pool and drank all week the same as at an AI.

dragonstarjk

brij2006 said:

Update:  I tried very hard to pass a cruise off to my H.  Yeah, didn't work at all.  No matter how I played it, he would not go for it.  

So we're back to the drawing board.  I had the travel agent quote Hawaii for us, and that came back at about $4,300 for airfare, hotel, and rental car.  So we would still need to factor in food and entertainment on top of that.  I know we could probably do it for cheaper though, and stay at a less expensive hotel.

At this point we both are thinking that maybe we just book some last minute deal when we get closer to the date of travel.  The prices are making us want to go nowhere right now

 

 

Stuck in the box--  Which island?  If you are going to Oahu, definitely check into staying at one of the cheaper hotels a block from the beach instead of the big fancy hotels right on the beach.  H and I saved a ton of money doing this and we were still very easy walking distance to the beach.  We walked right past those big fancy hotels to get there .  Also, we had breakfast a couple of times at one of the nice hotels because their restaurant got rave reviews.  And we booked a an outrigger canoe ride on the beach in front of one of the hotels as well.  So it was like we got all of the amenities you would get staying at one of those places for half the price!

 

brij2006

@dragonstarjk  Do you care to give me a bit more information about Hawaii?  Where to stay?  What to look at doing?

Our thoughts are that we will rent a car and drive around to different sights, waterfalls, beaches, roadside restaurants, etc.  The travel agent quoted us staying on Waikiki Beach at the Aston hotel.  According to what I was looking at, there isn't much around it.  Just a couple of restaurants, but the rooms include full kitchens.  Which may or may not be nice to just veg out and make some breakfast, then go lay on the beach for a while. 

So we would probably end up driving somewhere for dinner every night, but I wouldn't be surprised if we bought stuff for breakfast and cooked at the hotel in the morning.

Or would we be better off staying a few days there, then a few days where the action is?

als1982

I can't help with AIs, but my mom and I went to Maui and Oahu for two weeks in 2014. I found an incredible deal on Jetsetter.com for the Maui Andaz. It was hands down the most incredible hotel I've ever stayed at. We also stayed at the JW Marriott on Oahu (next to the island's Disney resort) for a few nights and then switched over to the other side of the island to The Modern Honolulu on Waikiki (awesome pools and beach access!) I used United and Marriott sign up bonus miles and in total spent maybe $2,000 on the rest of the trip.

JoanE2012

@brij2006 - We went to Hawaii last year - spent a couple nights in Oahu (primarily to see Pearl Harbor) and then went to Maui for a week.  If you plan on going to Hawaii, I strongly recommend you research each island to determine which island would be the best fit for you.  Each one is quite different.  We had already done enough research to know we wouldn't like Oahu, but we really wanted to see Pearl Harbor so a couple nights was ok.  And we were right - we hated Oahu.  It was like a big city with a beach.  Not my cup of tea.   Maui on the other hand, we loved!

We are actually going back to Hawaii next month - this time to the Big Island.

Both trips we redeemed airline miles so we flew for free (but paid for the upgrade to economy plus).  We booked the hotel and car rental (and interisland air for our 1st trip) through Costco.  The prices were really good.  We get breakfast included and the resort charge waived (usually around $25-$35 per day).

dragonstarjk

Hmm.  I guess there are a couple hotels named Aston; do you have the full name?  I looked at one on Trip Advisor that's just across from Waikiki Beach.  If you are anywhere near Waikiki Beach, you are definitely where all the action is.  That's arguably the most popular area on Oahu!  And, there should be TONS of restaurants within walking distance.

If you want a quieter, slow-paced vacation, you might want to stay away from Waikiki Beach area.  However, that is the area we stayed and loved it.  We walked everywhere--shopping, beach, activities, restaurants--most of the time we were there.  We did rent a car one day and drive up to the North Shore.  That area has a cool, funky kind of vibe that's worth the drive.  Also drove to Pearl Harbor because I swore I'd never visit Hawaii without paying respects.  It's an amazing memorial and definitely worth a visit!

brij2006

@dragonstarjk Hmmm, it just says "Aston Waikiki Beach" in the quoting that she did. This is the address I'm finding for it on Tripadvisor.  

formerlyGDaisy09

@brij2006, I would agree with your H, I have absolutely zero interest in cruising, I've nixed it whenever MH has brought it up as an option. 

Hawaii sounds lovely, it's on our list, but a little ways down, travel time to Hawaii for us is basically the same as Europe. I wonder if you might be able to plan it cheaper on your own?

The other option migh be saving Hawaii or one of the caribbean AIs for another year and finding somewhere warm on the main land to go? CA or somewhere on the gulf coast? I was in Miami in December a couple years ago and it was sunny and warm. 

short+sassy

brij2006 said:

@dragonstarjk  Do you care to give me a bit more information about Hawaii?  Where to stay?  What to look at doing?

Our thoughts are that we will rent a car and drive around to different sights, waterfalls, beaches, roadside restaurants, etc.  The travel agent quoted us staying on Waikiki Beach at the Aston hotel.  According to what I was looking at, there isn't much around it.  Just a couple of restaurants, but the rooms include full kitchens.  Which may or may not be nice to just veg out and make some breakfast, then go lay on the beach for a while. 

So we would probably end up driving somewhere for dinner every night, but I wouldn't be surprised if we bought stuff for breakfast and cooked at the hotel in the morning.

Or would we be better off staying a few days there, then a few days where the action is?

Caveat: It has been a long time since I vacationed in HI, but I have a lot of family there.  I've never vacationed in the Caribbean islands.

I don't know if this is true in the Caribbean islands, but in the Hawaiian islands almost everything is more expensive because it has to be shipped long distances.  That includes items you buy in the grocery store.  I remember restaurant meals being a bit more than on the mainland, but most grocery items were a lot more.  Probably still cheaper to cook breakfast/lunch for yourself, but not at the same difference it is on the mainland.

Fun, random fact about short+sassy...some of you were talking about the Azores earlier.  The family on my mom's side immigrated from there in the mid and late 1800s to go work in the sugar cane fields of HI.  Decades before there were tourists.

It's a beautiful place now, I'm sure it was really breathtaking back then.  Though extremely isolated.  Most of my extended family has never left. 

hoffse

I'm pretty sure there's a Costco on both Oahu and Maui now near the airport.  If you are members, it's probably one of the cheaper ways to stock up on groceries for the week.

short+sassy

hoffse said:

I'm pretty sure there's a Costco on both Oahu and Maui now near the airport.  If you are members, it's probably one of the cheaper ways to stock up on groceries for the week.

Lol, that would be me.  I could see myself insisting we stop at Costco on the way to the hotel from the airport to pick up food and drinks at a good price. 

dragonstarjk

So it looks like it is at the other end of Waikiki Beach from where we stayed but definitely still right there in the middle of the main part of the Waikiki area.  Easily walkable to hundreds of restaurants and the beach.  I wouldn't be concerned about location as far as accessibility goes.

If you're looking at different hotel options, we stayed at a place called Vive Hotel; the room was really small and it didn't have all the high-end amenities such as a spa, etc, but it was a really nice boutique hotel, easily walking distance to everything, and the staff was super friendly and helpful.

vlagrl29

brij2006 said:

Update:  I tried very hard to pass a cruise off to my H.  Yeah, didn't work at all.  No matter how I played it, he would not go for it.  

So we're back to the drawing board.  I had the travel agent quote Hawaii for us, and that came back at about $4,300 for airfare, hotel, and rental car.  So we would still need to factor in food and entertainment on top of that.  I know we could probably do it for cheaper though, and stay at a less expensive hotel.

At this point we both are thinking that maybe we just book some last minute deal when we get closer to the date of travel.  The prices are making us want to go nowhere right now. 

Personally you could never get me on a cruise boat either.  You could do hawaii for cheaper.  DH and I rented a beach house in Kauai just 100 ft from the ocean and cooked half of our meals to make it cheaper.  Don't do a hotel in Hawaii - beach house all the way.

vlagrl29

we spent 3 nights on waikiki - saw diamond head, pearl harbor, etc - very touristy island.  Then we spent 5 nights on the island of kauai - my personal fav.  So much beauty on that island and very low key.  Next time we go to hawaii we will stay for 2 weeks - 1 week on Kauai again and then another week maybe on the big island.

vlagrl29

the only thing about shopping at costco on vacation is that they sell stuff in bulk and most likely you won't get thru all that food in the time you are staying there.  I remember a styrofoam cooler costing $8 and 20 oz of coke bottle $2.50.  Yes things are more expensive on the islands but it didn't break us financially.  

brij2006

@vlagrl29  How did I not think of that?  I use airbnb for every other travel.  Why did I not think to check it out for Hawaii?  My H would be all for that.  He keeps saying I won't allow him to relax and enjoy Hawaii, because I will have every day planned.  He just may be right. ;-)  But I will look into a beach house where we could veg out and cook.  We both would love that. 

vlagrl29

brij2006 said:

@vlagrl29  How did I not think of that?  I use airbnb for every other travel.  Why did I not think to check it out for Hawaii?  My H would be all for that.  He keeps saying I won't allow him to relax and enjoy Hawaii, because I will have every day planned.  He just may be right. ;-)  But I will look into a beach house where we could veg out and cook.  We both would love that. 

we used vrbo.com for our cottages in kaua'i - luckily both DH and I like to relax with on vacation but we still like to spend a few days checking out the sites.  If you stay in Kaua'i I highly recommend these cottages below:

http://www.coasthotels.com/hotels/hawaii/waimea/waimea-plantation-cottages/

vlagrl29

and please please please do the helicopter tour on kaua'i - a bit pricey but well worth it - I pretty much cried at all the beauty we saw on that tour.

brij2006

vlagrl29 said:

and please please please do the helicopter tour on kaua'i - a bit pricey but well worth it - I pretty much cried at all the beauty we saw on that tour.

That's good to know.  We're aiming toward looking at Maui for the most part, with a day or 2 in Oahu for Pearl Harbor.  But I bet a helicopter tour would be just as beautiful no matter where we did it. 

dragonstarjk

We did a helicopter tour in Kauai as well--absolutely magical!  My MO for any vacation is to save where I can so I can spend where it matters.  Experiences matter.

@brij--In Maui, we visited Ka'anaapali Beach (sp?) and it was a super gorgeous beach.  It's right in front of some super fancy resort properties, but that doesn't matter because ALL beaches in Hawaii are public access.  I'd recommend it for sure if you are in Maui!

Alos, drive up to the top of Haleakala at either sunrise or sunset.  We did sunset.  It was absolutely worth it and totally lives up to all the hype you can read about online!

brij2006

@dragonstarjk Thank you!  A friend recommended staying right outside that beach in condos, and gave me the info for them.  

Going to Haleakala and doing a helicopter tour are the only 2 things on my list.

And @vlagrl29  Could we do the helicopter tour from Maui?  Is it something that they would go to Kauai?  Or do we just do a tour of Maui and maybe Lanai instead?

I'm excited.  I did all of the pricing myself last night, using airbnb and including flights to hop over to Maui from Honolulu, and I think it's going to end up being what we decide on.

We're between Hawaii and Costa Rica (all-inclusive).  But we know for sure that we will do Hawaii at some point, and what's a better time than now?

vlagrl29

brij2006 said:

@dragonstarjk Thank you!  A friend recommended staying right outside that beach in condos, and gave me the info for them.  

Going to Haleakala and doing a helicopter tour are the only 2 things on my list.

And @vlagrl29  Could we do the helicopter tour from Maui?  Is it something that they would go to Kauai?  Or do we just do a tour of Maui and maybe Lanai instead?

I'm excited.  I did all of the pricing myself last night, using airbnb and including flights to hop over to Maui from Honolulu, and I think it's going to end up being what we decide on.

We're between Hawaii and Costa Rica (all-inclusive).  But we know for sure that we will do Hawaii at some point, and what's a better time than now?

I'm not totally sure about the tours.  All I know was on our last day out of Kaua'i we decided last minute to schedule a tour of the island.  If you have a chance to tour Kaua'i I would do it.  Its where the film Jurassic park was filmed so it has lots of vegetation. Also it took us into an extinct volcano - kid you not there were waterfalls all round the inside..  Also the place to snorkel on that island is poipoo (sp?) - Ugh you are making me have a major itch to go back!

JoanE2012

dragonstarjk said:

We did a helicopter tour in Kauai as well--absolutely magical!  My MO for any vacation is to save where I can so I can spend where it matters.  Experiences matter.

@brij--In Maui, we visited Ka'anaapali Beach (sp?) and it was a super gorgeous beach.  It's right in front of some super fancy resort properties, but that doesn't matter because ALL beaches in Hawaii are public access.  I'd recommend it for sure if you are in Maui!

Alos, drive up to the top of Haleakala at either sunrise or sunset.  We did sunset.  It was absolutely worth it and totally lives up to all the hype you can read about online!

We did Haleakala at sunrise - and then biked down.  What an incredible experience!  And so cold - be prepared with winter clothes!

brij2006

Woot! Woot!  We have it narrowed down, and are just hashing out the details.

We're going to Hawaii!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to leave on a Friday, and come back the next Sunday.  Starting out with flying into Honolulu on Friday, and staying until Sunday afternoon.  We will head to Pearl Harbor on Saturday and pay our respects.

Then Sunday afternoon we get on the island plane and head to Maui, where we'll pick up a convertible and spend the rest of the week.  
The only things we have on our agenda are to maybe do a snorkeling excursion (with whale watching), and probably a helicopter tour.  Just debating which one to do, since there are so many.

We came to the conclusion that we would rather take that kind of money and go on the trip we've been talking about for over 10 years now.  We originally wanted to do it for our honeymoon, but the price scared us away.  We also put a certain amount of money aside to travel, and we know if we don't just go and do it, we won't ever pull the trigger. 

So anyone who wants to give input, feel free to tell us places to eat, give input on which helicopter tour looks amazing, and any other things we are forgetting.

After the past 2 years of losing babies, my brother, 2 grandparents, and working insane hours to get out of debt.  We're ready to take some time, just the 2 of us, and get away.  Rekindle "us" a bit, and spend some time together without there being discussion of what's going on with my brothers' estate, how things are going with infertility issues, and how many Saturdays and Sundays we're both working this weekend.

short+sassy

Wonderful!  Your plans sound great and, with everything else you all have had going on, this seems like the perfect time to go on your dream vacation.

My everyday car is a convertible...and it is still a special feeling to put the top down on a nice day...so I definitely give a big thumbs up to toodling around HI in one.

als1982

My mom and I did an excursion through Mauisnorkelcharters.com and enjoyed it. Cost includes breakfast and lunch plus a t-shirt. We went in July, so no whales but we saw tons of sea turtles. Also it's pricy, but check out Mama's Fish House for lunch. It's incredible!! She hiked Mt. Haleakala at sunrise and loved it, but I passed over sleep and beach time!

vlagrl29

you must also attend a luau - so much fun - I even learned how to hula dance.  Never been to Maui so I have no advice on that Island.  We were only on Oahu for 3 days and stayed at Waikiki Beach. Fun but very touristy.  It was awesome to see Pearl Harbor for sure!

I'm so glad you decided to go to hawaii - it is just so beautiful.  We can't wait to go back for our 10 year anniversary.