Hawaii - best place to stay
- Thread starter teresaq
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teresaq
Active Member
Thanks. i dont think i could leave m kids alone in coach. they would send the plane crashing. :scared: We arent fancy people, so a 3 star is fine with us as long as the sheets are clean there are towels in the room i good to go. this will be an exciting trip for us. my husband and i were going to go 9 yrs ago, then we decided to adopt our first child instead. we are picking up our newest daughter from china in early 2008, so this will be our last big vacation before our new arrival is here. the kids will not be going to china with us. we usually take a month every summer, but this yr it will only be two weeks. lasr yr we flew from fla to vegas, then drove to san fransico, then drove up the coast to oregon then drove back to vegas. then flew home. it was a really nice trip.
fishy head
Member
i looooove Kona on the big island, the hotle i sayed at was the four seasons
i loved it so much!!!!
i loved it so much!!!!
f14peter
Member
Originally Posted by TX Reef
Do you need to rent a car while staying there (Big Island - Kona)? Is it really worth the extra money?
Renting a vehicle on BI is nearly mandatory . . . the island itself is quite large (Bigger, square mile-wise than all other Hawaiian islands combined), there's really no reliable public transportation, and the sites/attractions are really spread out. If you're a bit adventurous, rent an SUV (And a smaller one at that) as some of the more beautiful beaches are only accessable by hiking or over a 4WD road.
By my calculations, it would cost around $5,000 for my wife and I to stay in Kona for 8 nights. $2,800 for flight, hotel, and rental car; $2,200 for food and fun.
Does this sound about right?
Rent a condo, they have fully equiped kitchens, probably 80% have washers and dryers, and they're usually not much more than hotel rooms. Eating expenses could easily be cut in half or more simply by "eating at home", so to speak. Last trip we were there 10 nights and only went out for dinner twice, packed a lunch for the daytime excursions, and the washer/dryer means we can pack less. There's also a much more "homey" feeling as there's a kitchen, living area with sofa, seperate bedroooms, usually a nice lanai.
Also, the BI is more of a natural wonderland where you make your own fun, there's less pay-as-you-go entertainment than like in Honolulu.
There's some great deals on condos through Vacation Rental By Owner (dubya-duby-dubya-dot-vrbo-dot-com). One of the best flight/car rental deals I found was through United Airlines' vacation division: their quote for a flight and rental car were less than airfare only at Orbitz and Travelocity.
Do you need to rent a car while staying there (Big Island - Kona)? Is it really worth the extra money?
Renting a vehicle on BI is nearly mandatory . . . the island itself is quite large (Bigger, square mile-wise than all other Hawaiian islands combined), there's really no reliable public transportation, and the sites/attractions are really spread out. If you're a bit adventurous, rent an SUV (And a smaller one at that) as some of the more beautiful beaches are only accessable by hiking or over a 4WD road.
By my calculations, it would cost around $5,000 for my wife and I to stay in Kona for 8 nights. $2,800 for flight, hotel, and rental car; $2,200 for food and fun.
Does this sound about right?
Rent a condo, they have fully equiped kitchens, probably 80% have washers and dryers, and they're usually not much more than hotel rooms. Eating expenses could easily be cut in half or more simply by "eating at home", so to speak. Last trip we were there 10 nights and only went out for dinner twice, packed a lunch for the daytime excursions, and the washer/dryer means we can pack less. There's also a much more "homey" feeling as there's a kitchen, living area with sofa, seperate bedroooms, usually a nice lanai.
Also, the BI is more of a natural wonderland where you make your own fun, there's less pay-as-you-go entertainment than like in Honolulu.
There's some great deals on condos through Vacation Rental By Owner (dubya-duby-dubya-dot-vrbo-dot-com). One of the best flight/car rental deals I found was through United Airlines' vacation division: their quote for a flight and rental car were less than airfare only at Orbitz and Travelocity.
gnorman
Active Member
been to Hawaii 3 times, 2 to the big island and 1 to Maui and one other island. my favorite is the big island b.c its not too populated, they have great hotels and golf courses, an active volcano on one side of the island and 2 hrs away you have lush rain forests with gorgeous waterfalls. not to mention the amazing beaches and the great amounts of spectacular snorkeling they have. but the best snorkeling i have had was in St John at lemon cay and trunk bay. cant wait till i go there again this summer!
firerescue
Member
I have been to all the islands and maui is my favorite. If you scuba dive it is a must. I can recommend a dive company and if you do go you have to do the back wall of molokini crater.Awesome dive, 300 feet straight down to the bottom. Kaui is also very nice, did not spend enough time there though. It is cheaper to fly to honolulu but I don't like it their because it is crowded. Big island is good but all you got is the volcano which is awesome and when I first went there I walked up to where the lava was going into the ocean. Now they don't let you anywhere that close. Really anywhere in hawaii is better than at home so enjoy.