Hawaii

[Tondi G]

what the most cost effective way to do Hawaii? We were all set on possibly taking a cruise this summer... we live in LA so we figured a mexican riviera cruise would be great... drive to the port, no airfares. Now the whole swine flu thing has me re-thinking a vacation that involves Mexico. I know my DH would love to visit Hawaii but it always seems so expensive. I am thinking Maui since we've always heard it is great for families/kids. My kids love waterslides at hotel pools... it makes their vacation!

I am open to any suggestions! Thanks

~Tondi

[vludmilla]

We went to Maui the summer before DD was born almost three years ago. We used the Maui Revealed guide as a starting point and we had a VERY affordable and enjoyable 2 1/2 week trip. We rented a very nice, renovated, ocean view 1 bd condo in Kihei for about $110 a night and stayed in a beautiful, small, self-serve B&B (for about $100/nt) on the other side Maui in Paia. (We really, really loved Paia). We also rented a several years old Corolla because it was super-duper cheap and easy. The rental co. picked us up on time from the airport and drove us the short distance to their rental place. It wasn't a glamorous car but it got us around safely and cheaply. We visited the fancy hotels but we don't think we missed anything by not staying in them. Our trip felt plenty luxurious to us just because Maui is so lush and incredibly gorgeous. We also felt it was a more genuine experience by staying in a local person's home/B&B. The car was essential to us because there is so much to see in Maui. We did the full road to Hana and the road that goes around the other end of the island. We did Haleakala before dawn...absolutely worth the horrible 4am wake up and rush out the door. There were also so many free and beautiful beaches with almost no one on them that we felt were so much nicer than the beaches in front of the fancy hotels (those beaches had many more people on them too--not a selling point for me).
Anyway, we both loved Maui and want to go back with DD when she can appreciate it more. Have fun and good luck if you go!

ETA: We planned our trip less than 3 weeks before we went. We used cyberrentals.com, vacationrentals.com and trip advisor a lot. If happen to want any more specific info, let me know.

[Zansu]

Most cost effective way to do Hawaii is to rent a condo. If you look around, you can find timeshare rentals at places that have the fun pools. Try vrbo.com. We don't stay at a place with a fabulous pool b/c we spend our time in the ocean, so I can't make a specific suggestion.

I have a lot of experience with West Maui (Lahaina/Ka'anapali/Kapalua side), so PM me for personal recommendations.

Maui is great for the entire family, and the fares right now are fantastic.

[new_mommy25]

The fares are really cheap right now. We bought our r/t tickets from Honolulu to LAX for $235 each. I think they might even be cheaper now. Or, if you can get a package deal, they are usually a good bet as they will have hotel and car. Like others said, the condos are great, but if you're looking for water slides they probably aren't your best bet. Maui is great for families. Kauai and the Big Island are also gorgeous and lots of stuff to do there with kids. Our family favorite is the Hilton Waikaloa on the Big Island. Also don't discount Oahu. Although it is definitely the most "big city" out of all the islands, it's also probably the least expensive, and there is a lot for families here.

[codex57]

As a kid, and later as an adult, I loved Oahu.

I'm leaving for Maui this Sat. Airfare was pricey cuz it's a direct flight (18 month old and a pregnant wife demanded direct flights). We're doing a condo cuz with a family, it's just a lot cheaper and more convenient.

I'm not an expert Hawaii person, but I'm sort of a cruise nerd. I'm a total cruise fan cuz you get to visit lots of places but only unpack once. In general, it's a great value.

However, not for Hawaii. For one thing, the only 7 day cruise is run by Norwegian. They're one of my least favorite lines anyways, but the Hawaii one is special. It's a US flagged ship and has primarily US crew members. Unfortunately, to be blunt, that means service sucks. The common complaint is that the crew seems to feel that tips are their birthright whether or not they deliver good service. Yes, you have the random eager to please staff, but they seem more the exception than the rule. On foreign flagged ships where crew comes from countries with much lower standards of living, the opposite is true.

Otherwise, you're looking at 10+ day cruises out of LA (usually) and kids can get bored on sea days. Plus, it can get pretty rocky out in the open ocean.

I remember I took my wife to Oahu back in grad school. Price was similar to recent cruises we took to Alaska and the Caribbean with a balcony cabin. The main thing is to keep ancillary costs, like food, down. We MUCH prefer Hawaii to Mexico. I'm originally from SoCal too (went to school at UCI) so the whole island paradise thing doesn't wow me as much. However, I will ALWAYS pick Hawaii over Mexico b/c it is that much nicer.

[geochick]

We did Hawaii relatively cheaply last time.

Shop at Costco (even plan to eat at least one meal there each day).
Rent a condo/house through VRBO or other rep. vacation dealer.
Cook all meals.
Spend a lot of time at the beach or hiking or doing other free stuff.

Read the forum on Tripadvisor. They have all sorts of tips about cheap places to eat/stay/play.

[zag95]

I've gone to both Maui and Oahu (pre DC) and did it cheaply both times.... Maui we did our honeymoon- we stayed at the Sugar Beach resort in Kihei- it was very nice (had AC and a beautiful ocean view) we went to the grocery store and bought food for breakfast and lunch and a few dinners.

We rented a car from a travel agency and drove around the island.

Both Maui and Oahu have great "free" things to do- I have used TRIP ADVISOR for other trips and it is a great resource.

You can also go onto the Hawaii tourism website and searcg 101 things to do- it gives you a list (some are free things to do) of activities-

Maui has much better snorkeling and wonderful beaches that are EVERYWHERE!! We also did the sunrise volcano, drove the Road to Hana, etc. With kids some other fun things might be: visiting the Maui Whale Center (in Lahaina), snorkeling, swimming (beach and pool) stopping at pools along the road to Hana, going to the Iao Valley (to see the "needle" rock that juts into the sky) going to the Sugar Museaum, going to the upcountry and seeing where cowboys work, etc.

Have a blast!

[codex57]

Oooh, condo was suuuuch a much better choice than a hotel. With kids, I mean.

And yeah, beaches are EVERYWHERE! Very nice! I wouldn't do Road to Hana again. I thought the drive was easy, but way too twisty. DS was fine, but DW and MIL got car sick and puked. Black sand beach there was nice, but not worth the drive. The waterfalls were nice and all, but not overly impressive and just not worth the drive.

I'm thinking Kuaui would have been more worth it. Oahu if you want more non-nature activies or Kauai if you want to see nature. Maui is basically just one giant beach (altho one VERY nice giant beach at that).