Hawaii Vacation Specialist-Chris

*Time of year.  Of course we have been over this many times.  December around the christmas holiday and the new year’s holiday is the most expensive time of year to travel to hawaii.  The air is typically higher at that time as well as no specials at the hotels, no reduced rates, no free nights etc.  If you want to go during this time it will be more than other times of the year, but booking it early can help to keep the cost of the trip down some.

The cheapest times to travel to hawaii will be in the fall, after labor day through even the beginning of december, say before the 15th of december.   May tends to have some good pricing as well.  Off season typically tends to be when the kids are in school.  So summer while not as high as holiday travel doesn’t necessarily tend to be at an all time low either.

*Days of travel.  Back to the days of travel.  Monday through thursday travel is typically best for better air prices.  If you can travel during the week this may help keep the costs down on your trip…as well as I tend to see better flight schedules during the weekdays.

*Choice of island.  Generally oahu is the cheapest island to visit accomodations wise.  Maui tends to be the highest for resorts as well as kauai.   The big island (kona/hilo) I would have to say runs a second to oahu in being the least expensive resorts.  If you are trying to keep your costs down in maui and are okay with a condo then that would be a way for you to go.

*Accomodations.  Deciding on the kind of accomodations you want is one of the bigger deciding factors on the price of the trip.  Of course if you want a 5 star resort it’s gonna be high versus a 2 star hotel and again on maui the condos run less expensive than the resorts do mostly because they are all 4 and 5 stars in maui.  But that isn’t the only thing that can effect the cost.  Room category at the hotel can also play a big part in the price.  Many people really want a nice 5 star resort however if you don’t have to have an oceanview or oceanfront you can certainly keep some of the cost down by getting a cityview or gardenview yet stay in a very nice resort.

Another thing that makes it nice in the off season is many times you can find free upgrades on hotel categories.  So you may just get an oceanview for the price of a gardenview at some hotels when they run those specials.

If you are doing a multi-island trip you can switch it up.  You don’t have to go 5 star all the way and oceanfront all the way.  If going to oahu maybe cut back and take a cityview for a few days while there as you probably won’t be in the room much there to enjoy it and then go and take that oceanfront on maui or kauai.  I even have customers take a 5/6 star resort in maui and then take a 3 star hotel in oahu for a few days, knowing they will probably be out and about while on oahu anyways.

*Car rentals.  While it is nice to have a jeep or a convertible in hawaii and yeah it may not add a whole lot to the package..you can still save a few dollars by taking a smaller economy or compact car.  Convertibles/jeeps/SUV’s run the highest priced cars besides of course specialty cars.  Depending on how long your trip is you could save a nice chunk of change there to be spent elsewhere.  Think about it..would you rather stay in a 2 star hotel and drive a jeep or convertible or maybe drive a small car and upgrade the hotel a little bit?

*Food costs.  Many hotels offer specials with breakfast daily included.  Sometimes this can save you some money as many times I see the special with breakfast at  some hotels is less than the room only or even just a very minimal amount more than the room only.  It may add a little to your package price but in the end is worth it, in most cases but not all.  So ask if there are any hotels with breakfast specials and have your travel agent compare the price of room only and room with breakfast daily.

While you may have a picture in your mind of what you want on your hawaii trip and it sounds great, in reality sometimes when you let your imagination run wild and think up many things that you have to have, secluded beach area, pool with waterslide, oceanfront rooms, these things do add up.  Sometimes it helps if you sit down and think about your budget and what realistically fits in your budget.  If an oceanfront room is important to you, hey take a 3 star hotel middle of the road with an oceanfront view room.  But if a big huge resort with waterslide, spa and all the works is important to you but you can live without the oceanview to keep your costs down to meet your budget hey take a 5 star resort with a gardenview.

Set your priorities in place.  If you can afford to go all the way then go for it.  But if you are on a budget like many of us are then decide what is the most important things and have an agent try to get you as much of what you really want for the price you would like as well.

Remember fall is the best time to travel to hawaii.  So if you still want to come to hawaii fall of 2007 , there are still many great deals to be had.  If I had to say the time of year that was easiest to get a last minute good deal to hawaii, it would definately be the fall.  So don’t think it’s too late for you this year!