Hawaii Winter Rates 2009

Aloha Hawaii travelers and welcome to Best Hawaii Vacation blog,

Remember a few blogs back when we told you that Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has opened for business again after a 2-year extensive renovation, we told you:

"When asking for a hot deal rate quote for Keoki's birthday in March, the cheapest was Mountain view at $375/nt. on floors 5 - 8 and cheapest Oceanview Room at Beachfront Plumeria Beach Club on floors 1-4 was $625/nt. There was a Mountain View Package Deal for Room and Car for $450, which seems to be 'affordable' for Mauna Kea standards."

At that time, we decided why not sign up for their 2009 hotel specials and see whether what Mauna Kea Beach hotel hot deals will be offered for the time of Keoki's birthday. Today, nearly a month later, we received for the first time a room special winter offer 'Escape to a warm getaway' by the Prince Resort hotels in Hawaii. Here it is for our Hawaii blog visitors:

There's still time to plan an escape to a warm Hawaiian getaway this Winter at any of our beautiful oceanfront resorts on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.

Prince Winter Escape Package Rates - Rates include $50 daily resort creditgood toward golf, dining, massage and other resort activities.

Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki - starting rate range: $219 - $249
Maui Prince Hotel - starting rate range: $298 - $340
Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel - starting rate: $299
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel - starting rate: $385

Rates are valid now through 3/31/09* For details and online reservations, please visit Prince Winter Escape Details.

I would not really say that the starting room rate for 'winter rate' at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel of $385/nt. is a special rate - the $50 credit a day might just pay for my dinner tip - but who knows. With all the repeat clients coming back to their favorite beach - famous Mauna Kea Beach - and hotel, there is probably no need to offer special rates.

Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki has definitely the best Hawaii winter rate of all the Prince hotels. Plus if you don't want to do much sightseeing on Oahu - most of Honolulu's attractions can be reached by public bus service anyways - you will save lots of money by not renting a car in Hawaii. Remember Oahu is the only island where a car rental is not absolute necessity as it is on Maui, Big Island and Kauai, where there is no public bus service available.

Last but not least, as mentioned before chances for Hawaii winter rates 2009 with private vacation rentals are not as promising as you might have thought. There are still a few openings for Hawaii Kona Kohala Coast rentals during our high season winter months but best way to go is getting quotes for low season Hawaii Spring Specials 2009 NOW!

Good luck planning your Best Hawaii Vacation 2009. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
p.s.
After reading the Hawaii Prince winter 'bargains', the 'Hawaii Molokai Condo for Sale' sounds even better by the minute.

I don't want to forget to tell you who is our beautiful Hawaiian girl on today's blog post. It's Kahiau from WahineStyle, our favorite site when it comes to Hawaiian girls. 2009 Hawaii calenders with all the Hawaii beauties, who invited you to Hawaii on our blog, are still available.

Tags: Hawaii, Hawaii winter rates 2009, Hawaii hotels, Spring specials Hawaii 2009

Hawaii Resort Fees an issue for your vacation?

Aloha and welcome back to travel tips from Best Hawaii Vacations,

Our recent posts about the Hilton Waikoloa Village may have enticed you to plan your next Big Island vacation at this wonderful hotel on the sunny Kohala Coast. When ready to book this Hawaii hotel or any other, make sure that your room rate, listed on the hotel website, will be really the cost for your accommodation at the end of your stay. Accommodation tax, of course, applies. Resort fees are the new 'exciting words' in the travel industry...for hotels to make an extra dollar, disclosed or not disclosed upfront, and for the tourist a reason to get upset about a vacation which was otherwise enjoyable and relaxing.

I have been looking into writing this post about 'mandatory' resort fees for quite some time. For that reason, I have been following online discussions in travel forums. Some of the reviews are not funny anymore. The issue about resort fees has become big in the tourism industry. That's why I was not surprised at all when the TV program '60 Minutes' picked it up. Here is how the TV team proceeded: The reporter would check in as a 'regular' person, mostly at a pricey hotel on the Mainland (don't ask me where they went), and then when presented with the bill after the stay a hidden camera would record the conversation between him and the concierge.

Believe me there were rare incidents of refunds when the reporter proved that he did not use any of the resort fee features. The magic word was mandatory resort fees. I think what is most upsetting for the guest are two things, either that the resort fee is not disclosed at the beginning of the stay, especially when making online hotel reservations, or that it is disclosed but stated as 'mandatory' right from the beginning and one cannot even opt out.

Why should a guest pay for a fitness and spa or daily snorkel in the ocean or use high speed Internet for the laptop, he or she did not even bring for their Hawaii vacation? I consider including the self-parking on the hotel parking lot into the resort fee, the 'sneakiest' move by a hotel. Where else can you leave your rental car? Especially when we are talking Hawaii and the hotels in the Kohala Coast like the Hilton. There is no way to park your car somewhere else!!!

OK, here we go. What do we learn from that? Before making your hotel reservation for your Hawaii vacation, make sure to know what is included in the resort fee and whether it's mandatory. And maybe you will even give booking a Hawaii vacation rental another thought? When we were running our vacation rentals on the Kohala Coast, the cottages included: free WiFi, free washer/dryer, cable TV, on property parking and even lei greeting upon arrival. So make sure, you will be happy at the hotel you book and the resort fee is for something you will really use. The guys from Hawaii Travel put a great Hawaii Resort Fee list together about which Hawaii hotels charge a resort fee, what do you pay and what will you get for your money. I also liked the article by Alex, founder of Hawaii travel blog Hawaiirama and published by Hotelchatter .

We would love to hear from our Hawaii travelers about their experience with resort fees. Which Hawaii hotel did you stay and did you have to pay a resort fee?

Mahalo for your comments. A hui hou, Pua Hawaii Vacations

Last but not least, Hilton Waikoloa Village has an $18 resort fee for coffee in room, seaside putting course, Kohala Spa access + $25 beachtoys credit (?). Avoid valet parking. It's a mandatory $11 fee.

Our today's Hawaii blog post girl is beautiful Amber from WahineStyle. Mahalo, Kawika!

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Maui Hotel Vacation

How time flies by when you are having fun, on your Best Hawaii vacation or just writing about it! It's Monday and our Hawaii photo of the week is here from Hawaii stock photographer Jennifer Crites. I had not seen this photo before. Though I have seen many of these fancy Hawaii resort photos in the past, this one belongs to the best Hawaii Resort photos. Anyhow, here its...a photo of the recently totally renovated Ritz Carlton Kapalua Maui:

As usually, I did my homework on an update on the resort and what recent visitors to the Ritz Carlton Kapalua have to say. The resort reopened on January 7, 2008 following a $160 million transformation. This AAA Five-Diamond 445-room hotel offers exquisite sunset ocean views and overlooks the neighboring islands of Molokai and Lanai. Rates start at 'luxury' $599/nt. to $2000/nt. for Club Suite and $8000/nt. for Royal Pacific Suite. Ouch! Seems those 'ritzy' Maui hotel rates are not for us but definitely cater to the rich and famous. Movie celebrities love to visit Hawaii on their vacation. Ritz Carlton Kapalua, one of Maui's 6 star hotels, fits their budget and expectations (now or later?).

At the current moment though, celebrities or regular people, are advised to read recent Tripadvisor reviews Ritz Carlton Kapalua Everybody agrees that the Maui Ritz is at one of the most beautiful locations, as our Hawaii photo of the day proves, but obviously the hotel had reopened prematurely. Guests reported lots of construction noises inside and out still going on at any hours during the day. Pool area was not fully open and too noisy from ongoing landscaping, plus main restaurant and spa will be due to open in May. The completed rooms got in most cases great reviews and so did the staff (with exceptions). There is no doubt that after a few months, the Ritz Carlton Maui will live up to its expectations!

Vacation Packages to Maui for February and March 2008:

Well, I can't leave this post about Maui Hotel Vacation, without including some Maui Vacation Package information for 2008. Compared to the Ritz Carlton Kapalua hotel rates, even the Kapalua Villas offer really a bargain from $299/nt. pp. Read more on Kapalua Villas Vacation Packages.

Here are a few more hot deals I found on Vacation Packages to Maui for February and March 2008:

Pleasant Holidays still offers Maui Vacation Packages from $559 for February through March 22: 2 for 1 Air Fares from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Maui.

HawaiianAir offers Round trips for Book now - 2/27/08 and travel to Hawaii Now till March 14. Even though not all of these round trips flights are direct flights to Maui, the Interisland Fares are affordable these days:

LA - Honolulu $293 RT

Phoenix - Honolulu $298 RT

Seattle - Honolulu $338 RT

San Diego - Maui $270 RT

Kaanapali Beach Hotel claims to offer the Best Rate Guaranty Claim for the hotel stay when booking online. It does not hurt to check out their 2008 packages and rates for your Maui vacation.

That will do for today. Maui travelers, who spent their best Maui vacation at one of the Maui hotels, let us know the name of the hotel, when you were vacationing there and what special amenities at the hotel you liked best!

Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
p.s.
Whether your next vacation is to Maui or Oahu or Kauai or the Big Island, you want to read 'When is the best time to visit Hawaii?'

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When to stay at a Hawaii Hotel for your Hawaii Vacation?

High season for Hawaii vacation is approaching fast. Many tourists will celebrate Thanksgiving in Hawaii next week, and in another 3 weeks, the Christmas holidays will be the the highest season week with most hotels having 100% occupancy. Hawaii as top vacation destination is in the talks. Ever wondered whether to book a Hawaii hotel at a beach resort or make a reservation with a fully equipped vacation rental for your Hawaii vacation? If you answer with 'Yes', then continue reading because this blog post is for you.

First of all, let me assure you that you are not the first or the last one, who is contemplating the pros and cons of these Hawaii vacation options, Hawaii hotel or vacation rental. And once having decided for the wrong one, might be quite devastating and totally spoil your Hawaii vacation. So let Best Hawaii Vacation blog, based on our knowledge and experience, help you make the right decision for your visit to Hawaii. Let's focus in this post on 5 best reasons when staying at a Hawaii hotel is right for you:

1. Hawaii Vacation Packages for hotel, air fare and car rental

When you want to save big on your trip to Hawaii, the big Internet travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocity or Orbitz offer unbeatable Hawaii vacation packages for hotel with airfare and car rental. Try to book all these things individually, and you will soon find out that it's very hard to beat the deals, not to mention all these hours you spend on your computer to find the best deal for the hotel, the flight to Hawaii and the car rental on the island of your choice.

2. Short term stays in Hawaii

For a 3-night stay in Hawaii, Hawaii hotels and resorts are the best solution for your visit. In many cases, you don't even need to hassle with a car rental. Just take a shuttle froim the Airport to your Hawaii hotel (forget about complimentary that was in the old days) and hang loose on the beach, in the pool and the jacuzzi. If you get the urge to do something, join one of the ocean activities or luaus organized by the hotel.

3. Last Minute Hawaii Vacation Deals

If you are flexible with your Hawaii travel dates and can decide for Last minute deals at resorts or hotels, that's the way to go on Hawaii vacation. OK admitted there are not many people who have the freedom to decide for a a Last Minute deal, but Hawaii resorts and hotels are definitely right for these folks. Check with the big travel companies and Hawaii vacation package links above for Last Minute deals about 1 week before you want to get on the plane to Hawaii.

4. Hotel Amenities

Hawaii hotels and resorts are right for those travelers who love hotel amenities: beach chairs, towel service, swimming pool, jacuzzi, room service, house keeping, breakfast with ocean view, hotel luau, concierge service, nightly Hawaiian music and hula dancer, massage with spa service and much more. It's all there, right at your finger tips. Not all free but definitely easy to take advantage of.

5. Travel to Hawaii with kids

Parents need sometimes a little break from their kids for some privacy on their Hawaii vacation or a round of golf or spa visit. Check with the hotel whether they have a kids program. It doesn't cost a fortune. Kids can be signed up for an afternoon. Sometimes, kids even like it more than hanging out with the parents because many hotel kids' programs are well designed with lots of fun adventure. For lunch, kids have diffent options to choose from. The hotel kids' program allow you as a parent to fully enjoy your Hawaii vacation knowing that kids are sound and safe and have fun!

When preparing this blog post, I came across the Marriott Hawaii website. Rates for the Marriotts in Hawaii are pretty decent for ocean front and other amenities. Not everybody can afford the luxury of a 5-star resort. Check it out. This might be an option for you. Just an idea to help with your next Hawaii vacation - I am not an affiliate! If you like that post, stay tuned for the next post when we tell you "When to stay at a Hawaii vacation rental for your Hawaii vacation?". Will be coming soon!

Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

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Celebrate the New Year on the Kohala Coast!

Dear Kohala Coast visitors,

Sorry for not continuing our posts on Kohala Coast Real Estate or the Hawaii Big Island Housing Bubble, which we had started recently. For those who are looking into moving to Hawaii and buying a Big Island home or a lot at an affordable price (Hawaii market considered!), we promise we will be back with more information on trends of Kohala Coast real estate market at the beginning of the New Year.

First things first! Now, it’s time to get ready to celebrate the beginning of a new year. The year 2007! Time flies when you are having fun. We wish everybody a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year, which will hopefully include a visit to our wonderful island.

For everybody who was lucky and enjoys their well-deserved Hawaii vacation on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island at the moment, here is the great news about fireworks at Kohala Coast Hotels and Resorts for starting the New Year with a magnificent show:

Fairmont Orchid at Mauna Lani Beach Resort
Four Seasons Hualalai
Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel

Find the Kohala Coast hotel, which is the closest to your vacation home or resort, on our Kohala Coast Map. Happy New Year from Pua Kohala Coast Vacation Guide

Tags: Hawaii hotels, Kohala Coast hotels, Hawaii vacation

Kohala Coast Beaches

Where are the beaches?

Aloha again everybody. Since you know from our previous post where to stay on the Kohala Coast, we want to answer the most asked question by Kohala Coast visitors is 'Where are the beaches?'. Depending on your preferences, you can choose from: Spencer Beach Park (perfect for families with small children) and Kauna’oa (Mauna Kea Beach w/public part - never crowded and separate from hotel part, so you don't need to mingle with the hotel crowd) and Hapuna Beach State Park. All three beaches feature shower and restroom facilities. Mauna Kea and Hapuna beach have both been ranked among the best beaches in the world by Conde Nast Magazine. Other great options are Wailea Bay in Puako or Anaeho’omalu Beach (called 'A Bay' by the locals) in Waikoloa Beach Resort. Just to name the most well-known and most gorgeous white sand beaches in our area on the Kohala Coast. Locate beaches on our Kohala Coast map.

Mauna Kea Beach

Kauna'oa Beach (Mauna Kea beach), 2 miles south from Kawaihae Harbor & Marina, also known as Mauna Kea beach has been voted one of the the top beaches world wide by Conde Nesta magazine. Located on the property of Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, beach access is by way of a beach pass obtained at the entrance. Get there early to assured of a pass, otherwise hop on over to Hapuna Beach Park next door.

Mauna Kea beach is a quarter mile crescent of white sand offering swimming, snorkeling, boogie-boarding and surfing depending on the conditions. Food and drink are available at the Hau Tree Cafe on the beach (not inexpensive). Better you bring your cooler if staying very long. Outdoor showers and bathrooms on the public beach at the south end are maintained by the hotel. Don't forget your sunscreen. Enjoy!

Hapuna Beach Park

Hapuna Beach Park, 3 miles south of Kawaihae Harbor & Marina, Hapuna Beach State Park is located 2 miles south of Kawaihae Harbor & Marina. Hapuna offers one of the best white sand beaches on the island, the other being Mauna Kea beach. Beach activities such as swimming, snorkeling, boogie-boarding and surfing are available year around, though dangerous rip tides can appear during periods of high surf.

Sunbathing and picnicking are available year around due to the abundance of sunshine and warm temperatures, almost 360 days a year. Restrooms and outdoor showers are available. Picnic areas with BBQ pits make for a relaxing day on the beach. If you forgot food, a snack bar offers various basic food fare and drinks.

Spencer Beach Park

Spencer Beach Park, next to Kawaihae Village Harbor and Marina. As this beach is very protected from big ocean waves even in winter, it's the favorite beach for families with small children. Spencer Beach is also preferred by local residents for BBQs and family reunions as it kept the old Hawaiian style atmopshere. Camping permits are available for this beach. The Heiau next to Spencer Beach Park also attracts Kohala Coast visitors who are interested in Hawaii's history and culture.

Puako Beaches

Puako Beach 69 or Wailea Bay Puako Beach 69 (named after electric pole 69!) or also known as Wailea Bay is a more secluded beach well know by residents or return visitors to Puako, a tiny oceanfront village, next to famous Hapuna Beach. The south end of the beach is perfect for snorkeling and encounters with the green sea turtles and occasional Manta Rays or Eagle Rays. In addition to Wailea Bay, Puako offers many more beach access along Puako Drive. As Puako is the dry side of the island and gets less than 11" of rain per year, oceanfront Puako has developed into one of the most desired area for Kohala Coast visitors.

Mauna Lani Beach

Mauna Lani Beach Club is one of Mauna Lani Resort's nicest white sand beaches. All Mauna Lani condo visitors, like the Islands, Mauna Lani Point and Mauna Lani Terrace, have access to this beach from the road through their access card. However, as each beach in Hawaii is public, other Kohala Coast visitors can access this lovely beach by parking at public parking of Mauna Lani Bay and walk left past Mauna Lani Fish Ponds. It's an easy 10-minute walk. The beach is a crescent white sand lagoon with calm waters and a huge array of tropical fish, turtles and rays. Ocean activities like Scuba and Snorkeling are offered. Restrooms, outdoor showers and an ocean front restaurant make this beach a hidden gem on the Kohala Coast.

A-Bay Beach

Anaeho'omalu Bay in Waikoloa Beach Resort, also known as A-Bay, is one of South Kohala’s treasures. In the summer months this long curving sandy beach is great for swimming and snorkeling. Nestled on beautiful Anaeho'omalu Bay is Hawaii Ocean Sports which offers snorkeling, kayaking, diving, whale watching, sailing on a catamaran or relaxing on the beach. It's fun for the entire family.

There are many more beaches along the Kohala Coast. Talk to locals and return visitors for smaller, hidden beaches. Believe me there is a beach for everybody's taste! A hui hou. Aloha, Pua Kohala Coast Vacation Guide

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