Go Visit Hawaii

• Hawaii’s Prince Hotels have announced their “Fall into Winter” promotion. You’ll find Prince resorts in great locations on Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island. Rates start at $224 per night and include your choice of daily breakfast buffet for two or a daily $50 resort credit.
• Volcano Bike Tours on the Big Island is offering an exciting new bike tour to see the active lava flow.  The tour is called Bike to Pele and you can read more about it towards the bottom of this Web page.
• Another cool new tour combines a helicopter ride with a hike into a remote area of the lush Kohala coast. The hike will take you to waterfalls that have plunge pools. Blue Hawaiian Helicopter and Hawaii Forest & Trail have teamed up for this Waterfall HeliHike Adventure.  For more information, see this link.

July 8, 2008 Update: Points of Light has suspended operation of their ebay store for travel. For more information see this Q&A.
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A Go Visit Hawaii reader, Lindsay, recently wrote me to tell me about how she had purchased two roundtrip tickets for $780 on American Airlines. That’s a steal at $390 per person from the Midwest!

Now, you’ll probably never guess where Lindsay purchased these tickets. It wasn’t through the American Airlines, or a travel agency, or online discount agency like Travelocity. Are you ready for this? She purchased the tickets on ebay. That’s right, ebay! So, how did she do it? She was kind enough to give me to the scoop to share with you.

So, here’s the deal. There’s a non-profit organization called Points of Light that auctions tickets and vacation packages on ebay as a means for raising funds. Here’s a link to their ebay shop. They sell other items besides airline tickets and travel packages, so you may have to sift though random stuff to find the Hawaii travel related items for auction. Some travel items are available for “buy it now” and others are available for bid. At the moment, here just a sampling of the Hawaii airline tickets and packages that are up for auction:

• Buy It Now: 2 Roundtrip Coach Tickets from the West Coast - $900
• Buy It Now: 2 Roundtrip Coach Tickets from US and Canada - $1500
• For Bid: 2 Roundtrip Coach Tickets from US and Canada - current bid at $810
• For Bid: 4-Star Hotel and Coach Roundtrip Airfare for 2 to Kauai - current bid at $1,475.

Note that there are restrictions for each item for auction so make sure you know what they are before purchase or bid. Also, make sure you understand what additional taxes and fees may be required. Most tickets and packages have restrictions like a 7 or 14 day advance reservation and a Saturday night stay. Most tickets must be used within 12 months. From sifting through a few of them, it appears that it’s best if you have flexibility in your travel dates.

Though this ebay seller has an overall positive feedback rating (approximately 96%), they do have a some neutral and negative ratings. Make sure you shop with ebay wisely.

For frequent fliers, you’ll still earn travel miles with these tickets. That’s a great bonus.

A big mahalo to Lindsay for sharing this tip! What do you think of this way of purchasing discount tickets? Do you think it’s worth a try or are you scared? Have you purchased tickets or vacation packages from this ebay store? How did it work for you?

UPDATE: Did we flood their system? The day after I posted this tidbit, all the travel items were removed from the ebay store and this notice was posted:

Due to unexpectedly high volumes of summer travel, we have exceeded our capacity to handle new travel packages efficiently. We have temporarily suspended the sale of future travel until we can catch up with your demand.

Excellent Hawaii travel deals are popping out all over the place. Some deals that were advertised a month or so ago, have become even better. For example, the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel deal listed below is better than this one I posted just over two months ago. With deals like these, it’s a great time to go to Hawaii!

ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel on Oahu
The Deal: Every Third Night Free
Why I like this deal: Whoa! Buy two nights and stay one night for free or buy four nights and stay for six! This offer includes free daily breakfast on Waikiki Beach. You’ll also receive a coupon book for 2 for 1 luau tickets and other discounts.
Offer Valid Through: Book now through December 25, 2008 for stays from August 25th - December 25th. Blackout dates are December 11th - 14th.
Special Rate Code: The booking engine should automatically issue each third night free. If you have an issue, you can call 1-800-514-1969. Note that this special rate hasn’t even been advertised yet, so you’re getting a sneak peek now.
For More Information: See this link for more on ResortQuest Waikiki Beach.

Waikoloa Beach Marriott on the Big Island
The Deal: Rates starting at $209 per night
Why I like this deal: Rates are advertised at 20% off during peak summer travel. Waikoloa Beach Resort is a great base for a Hawaii vacation. There’s great golf, restaurants and shopping all within walking distance at this Kohala Coast resort. This Marriott is set back from one of the best beaches on the Big Island, Anaehoomalu Beach (also known as A-bay). This hotel has recently completed a $40 million dollar renovation. The decor is quite sophisticated without feeling pretentious.
Offer Valid Through: For stays through September 6th, 2008
Special Rate Code: None specified
For More Information: See this link

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So, these were some of the special offers that have especially caught my eye. If you’re searching for more great rates, don’t forget to check out all the deals that the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau have arranged with several top travel partners.

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HCVB) and it’s partners have launched travel promotions aimed at making Hawaii a more affordable destination. Here’s more about it in a statement from the HVCB

Travelers will save at least $200 per person on their trip to the Hawaiian Islands through HVCB’s partnership with American Airlines Vacations, American Express Vacations, Classic Vacations, Expedia, NWA WorldVacations, Orbitz, Pleasant Holidays, Travelocity, and United Vacations, which offers travelers money saving air vacation packages loaded with incentives including deeply discounted airfare, free hotel room nights, free meals, free rental cars, and free food and beverage dining credits. These value packages offer significant savings and make Hawaii a competitive vacation destination this summer.

They’ve created a website to house these deals at GoHawaii.com/summerfun. Have a look at the special offers.  They’re pretty enticing.

Check out eCouponsHawaii.com before you go on vacation and you may find some valuable savings. I’ve been clicking away on that website and finding some nice deals that would definitely benefit Hawaii visitors and residents, too.

To save you some steps, I’m linking to coupon pages that I felt were worth pointing out to my fellow Hawaii travelers. The offers do vary from island to island. After you click on the island link for each category listed below, access the specific coupons by clicking on the individual business logos.

• Car rental coupons for Maui, Oahu, Big Island, and Kauai. Definitely take a look at these coupons and compare them to quotes you get from some of the websites like Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, etc.
• Looking for discounts on tours and activities? You’ll find discounts for everything from guided tours to luaus to kayak rentals, bike rentals, and much more. You’ll even find coupons for helicopter tours. Here are the links for the offers for the Big Island, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Molokai.
• Spas! See these spa and beauty coupons for Oahu and the Big Island.
• Are you getting married in Hawaii? Then check out these coupons for weddings including photography, transportation, flowers and beauty needs for Big Island, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai.
• A free DoleWhip with the purchase of two DoleWhips at the Dole Plantation on Oahu. A DoleWhip is a refreshing frozen pineapple treat. If you have the time a stop at the Dole Plantation is a neat little place to visit, though it is a bit touristy. I enjoyed just walking around the gift shop and seeing some unique souvenirs.

I like to thank the LA Times Daily Deal Blog and a comment from Hawaii Money Saving Mama for introducing me to eCouponsHawaii.

While we’re on the topic of coupons and discounts, I’d like to point out that the 2008 Hawaii Entertainment books are currently on sale for $9.99. You may recall we talked about these Hawaii coupon books last month. The consensus from the comments is that the coupon books were particularly valuable for Oahu, but not as useful on the other islands.

Wednesday, May 28th update:  It appears that all the lower fares are possibly all gone, but it’s still worth looking into as Kayak.com is reporting some lower fares.

Tuesday, May 27th afternoon update: These fare seem to be fluctuating erratically. I just checked Charlotte to Honolulu for myself and the best Continental fares were gone, then 10 minutes later, I rechecked and they were back. The good news is that American Airlines fares were $588, which is still a very, very good fare from the East Coast to Hawaii. I’ll keep my eye on this situation for you.

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United Airlines and Continental have dropped fares to Hawaii with prices as low as $297 roundtrip. So far, these great airfares only apply from these hubs:

• Newark (United)
• Houston (United)
• Charlotte (Continental)
• Philadelphia (Continental)
• Pittsburgh (Continental)

You must fly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays and stay for three nights minimum. Per the Frugal Travel Guy, the travel dates that apply are:

Jan 9 to Feb 15
April 24 to June 7
August 21 to Nov 10
December 5 to Dec 14

Continental is only offering the best airfares into Honolulu (HNL), while United is offering the good deals to both Honolulu and Kauai (LIH).

Use Kayak.com to help you find the best airfare. With the fantastic hotel deals in Hawaii combined with these excellent airfares, this is an amazing time to go visit Hawaii.

A big mahalo to the Frugal Travel Guy for the heads up!

Happy Aloha Friday and Memorial Day weekend! Here are some interesting newsy bits and enticing Hawaii deals for you.

• Dr Beach announced his 2008 list of the ten best US beaches.  Hanalei Beach on the North Shore of Kauai made the list at number 2.  Hamoa Beach on Maui near Hana is this year’s seventh best US beach.
• BookIt.com named ResortQuest’s Waikiki Beach Hotel in their top ten list of Memorial Day weekend getaway deals.
• Starwoods hotels have some fantastic Hawaii hotel deals.  They’re offering 35% off, fifth night free and a $100 dining credit. .  The offer is only available for Starwoods Preferred Guests, if you’re not already a member, don’t worry, sign up is quick and free.  The offer is valid for stays through December 25th, but you must book before June 30th.
• Four Seasons Resorts are offering a couple of freebies that vary by Hawaii location.  They’re offering a free night’s stay on Lanai, and free breakfast for two on the Big Island and Maui. 
• American Airlines announced that it will be charging a fee of $15 for the first checked bag. Elite status passengers are exempt from the fee.  Other airlines are considering adding this fee, but Delta said they wouldn’t. Remember that you’ll save yourself money and time by packing light. 

Before we dive into this week’s best Hawaii deals, I wanted to let you know that Expedia.com is offering a free $50 gas card if you book a hotel stay of three or more nights. You must book by Friday and complete your travel by September 30, 2008. See Expedia for more details and restrictions. You’ll need to attempt to book a hotel before you’ll see the offer at the top of the results listing. By the way, this offer is also valid for all destinations, not just Hawaii.

Here are the top Hawaii deals to catch my eye this week.

Sheraton Maui Resort
The Deal: $275 for a room, which is advertised as 45% off. I checked directly with the hotel’s official website and based on their rates, I’m assuming this is for a garden view room.
Why I like this deal: This four-star hotel is very well located on Kaanapali Beach by Black Rock. Kaanapali makes a great base for a Maui vacation.
Offer Valid Through: May 21 - June 30; September 2 - November 20; November 28 - December 23.
Special Rate Code: None specified, but you must book through the link below.
For More Information: See this link.

Aqua Prince Honolulu
The Deal: Remember how I mentioned yesterday, that I’ve seen rates as low as $60 per night? Well, here’s a deal for $57 per night! If I’m reading all the fine print correctly your entire stay must value $350. So, with that in mind, you must stay for a minimum of 7 nights for this deal.
Why I like this deal: It’s $57 per night! This two-star hotel gets high praise from TripAdvisor reviews.
Offer Valid Through: Now through September, 2008
Special Rate Code: AQUA50
For More Information: See this link for all details and restrictions.

Here are some great deals I dug up today.  If you find a really good one, would you consider taking me along? 

Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Big Island Orbitz Sale
The Deal:  Save 10% or more   
Why I like this deal: This sale covers all budgets from 2-star to 5-star hotels.  I was particularly drawn to the 5-star Mauna Lani on the Big Island at a nightly rate of $266 including buffet breakfast for two.  I’ve stayed here and it’s a nice hotel in a wonderful location.      
Offer Valid Through:  Book by July 6th for travel by September 30th (2008)   
Special Rate Code: SUMMERSALE10  
For More Information: See this link to Orbitz

$438 Hawaii September Weekend Getaway
The Deal:  Four nights accommodation and airfare for $438 purchased through Expedia.   
Why I like this deal:  It includes airfare!  The catch is you must fly from Los Angeles (LAX), if LAX is not your normal departure airport, consider buying separate roundtrip airfare from your home to LAX.      
Offer Valid Through:  It’s valid for September weekend stays only.  You must depart on Thursday and return on Monday.
Special Rate Code:  NA  
For More Information:  See this link.  

I love this deal from ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel! The resort is ideally located right across from Waikiki Beach. Here’s the skinny on the deal:

The Deal: The nightly rate of $129 is 50% off, plus you get free daily breakfast.
Why I like this deal: The hotel has recently been renovated and the location is ideal. You can upgrade to an ocean view room for only $20 more. The deal also includes 2 for 1 luau offer and coupon book.
Offer Valid Through: From now - June 4; September 4 - December 9; December 15 - December 23 (2008). You must book by April 25th.
Special Code: 5050
For More Information: Call 1-888-311-5050. Also, take a peek at the TripAdvisor reviews. I really like how the manager interacts with the reviewers.