April 22nd, 2007
Choosing a Hotel in Hawaii
If you have not travel to Hawaii before, choosing a Hotel can be intimidating on your own. All the clients that reach our company by phone or via our live chat are very happy to get live agents in Hawaii that can make getting a reservation at one of the many hotels here Hawaii easy. Most of us live here in Hawaii and have for all our lives. Let us help you choose the hotel that meets your travel preference and/or budget.
I hope these tips will help you when you call us to book your Hotel with Hawaii Aloha Travel. We don’t just book hotels, we book all components of travel. Most recently we expanded our services to other major travel destinations, whether it be by Air, Boat or Car.
Hotel vs. Condo
Condo’s offer the same facilities that Hotels offer at sometimes a lower rate. Condo’s have the normal….sheets, spreads, towels, shampoo/conditioner, phone, TV. Some Condo’s will have a full kitchen or kitchenette ( that have pots and pans, coffee makers). I would recommend a condo if you are planning to stay in Hawaii longer than just a few days and if you want to save money on the food budget of your trip. A condo is great to have breakfast in and to get sandwiches and a cooler ready for your day out at the beach or touring around the island. The clients that I book a condo for are mostly those with children and on a budget for the reasons above. Condo’s come with Maid service either daily (for full service) or daily just to change out the towels. Some private condo rentals will charge a additional fee to the daily rate for maid service. Details such as this will be explained when you book a condo.
Where in Waikiki do I stay?
Waikiki strip (Kalakaua Ave) is about 2 miles long and about 4 blocks wide. Any hotel you stay at will be in walking distance to the Beach. Of course the closer to the beach the pricier the hotel rates will be.
So then where do I stay you ask? Well it would all depend on your travel preference and/or budget.
We have more moderate hotels to sell, with budget hotels coming in next and then we have 5 star deluxe resorts. I would always recommend a Deluxe Resort 1st as it has the most amenities and service. They are located right on the beach. If someone can’t fit the price of a resort into their travel budget then I would ask what other features of accommodations would they 1st prefer and take them from there to find the right hotel.
When you are searching on line and see all the beautiful photo’s of the room for a particular property,…..please don’t let that photo fool you. Yes, the hotel has a room that looks like that, but normally those rooms are the very best for that particular property and it’s not the lowest rate the hotel offers.
I will get travelers that will call and say they book something online with a big travel booking engine and the photo they showed is not the room I received, "I don’t like this hotel and need to stay elsewhere." Well, a lot of times (depending on the season you travel), I may or may not be able to get a reservation for you last minute. So my advise is to call us and ask us questions about the hotel we book for you. Our staff (myself included) have done many site inspections of the properties here in Hawaii so we are more than skilled in our profession to recommend the right property for your travel preference and/or budget.
Rates
The hotels offer us many contract rates to sell and promotional rates. These are the rates we will sell first, if available. If not we will sell you the best available rate the hotel is offering for your dates of stay. Most of our hotel rates require payment within 7 days of booking, either with as little as a $50.00 deposit per person or the full payment. Most holiday rates will require full payment and may be non-refundable. Most rates are per person based on double occupancy. Meaning if you travel alone you still the rate for two guest.
When do I book?
The sooner the better. Especially if you plan to come to Hawaii during the Holiday Season. I recommend taking our cancellation waiver insurance (39.00 per person) to cover any possible fees that incur if you change or cancel a held room.
Are Hotel in Hawaii All-Inclusive?
Hotels booked ala-carte with air and/or car do not include meals. Some properties will include breakfast if that particular promotion is offered.
City View or Ocean View?
Rates for these categories will differ…of course City View being the least inexpensive category. The answer would be again preference of the traveler. My opinion on this is,….I have stayed at both type of categories. And, in the day the Ocean is beautiful, however when you get back to your room at night, you cannot see the ocean well at night. Then you have the City View, in the day it’s nice and if you have the Mountain View room Diamond Head is not a bad site to see. However the Honolulu City lights are beautiful. If you have a room that faces the city and you have a view of Kalakaua Ave or Kuhio Ave, the city lights are beautiful.
Well, I hope that helps you in planning a trip to Hawaii and choosing a hotel. Please take a look at our links for hotels at hawaii-aloha.com. We have a lot of information on each of the hotels listed. Some of them included photo’s we took from our personal site inspections of the property. We have testimonies from agents that have stayed at these properties too.
Call me so that I can help you choose the right accommodations for your stay here in beautiful Hawaii. It will be my pleasure to assist you.
Lisa Zablan
Hawaii Aloha Travel
6800 Kalanianaole Hwy #127
Honolulu, Hawaii 96825
lisa@hawaii-aloha.com
1-800-843-8771 ext 27
Hawaii Aloha Travel
6800 Kalanianaole Hwy #127
Honolulu, Hawaii 96825
lisa@hawaii-aloha.com
1-800-843-8771 ext 27