Help me plan my Hawaii trip.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Okay all you Hawaii pros.

I need help.

I'm gonna finally make the trek to Hawaii in Sept./Oct.
Sept. 26th thru Oct. 8th.

I need help with suggestions on how to do a 2 island stay in a 2 bedroom.

I want one to be Maui and where should the second one be?

I've already been to Oahu and Maui 20 something years ago.

Has it changed that much or should I skip it. (Oahu).

How can I save on airfare?

I've got HGVC(5000 pts)and Wyndham Points(168K) as well as an II deposit and an AC with II and some RCI points (38K) to use. Also have some DVC points but maybe enough for only a night or two in the new Ko Olina resort (if they'd ever post the points requirement).

So...............what do you guys think?

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

Do you have anything you can deposit with the independents like HTSE or Trading Places/Trading Places Maui or Platinum Interchange?

Platinum has a 2 bdr for the 2nd week on Molokai, HTSE has a 2 bdr at RAVC Waikiki for the first week and a Mauna Loa 2 bdr on the big island for the second week.

In your list of possibilities, I only have any real experience with RCI points. I don't think 38K is enough for a two bedroom unit unless you get something at the last minute.

In general, 2 bdrs on Maui is tough. Maui Lea and Kamaole Beach in Kihei have the most 2 bdr availability that I have seen but I can't say what the Marriotts and Westins have near Lahaina because I have never owned anything that could easily trade for them. You should search through the II Exchange Opps from last March forward to see if anything was posted for Sep/Oct 2009 for the areas you want to go.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Unfortunately I don't have anything to deposit with the independents.

I've already deposited my one week that I had available to exchange with II.
I doubt I'll see anything with the AC as I've been looking and don't see Hawaii as an option at all.

I do have an owner willing to do some Bluegreen points but don't know what they have on Maui.

I might have to rent but was hoping to use what I've got.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

Airfare

Sign up for email specials for all of the interisland carriers. iflygo, Island Air and Hawaiian Air all have specials periodically. I have found that it's usually cheaper to book the hop separately from the long legs.

Start fare searches on Kayak and Orbitz and sites like that to email you when fares drop to a rate you like for your itineray. Then pounce on it when (if) it comes down.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

For a second island, I would suggest either Big Island or Kauai since you have already been to Oahu and Maui.

The mostly likely shot through II on the Big Island is Kona Coast, a good choice (but they do have smaller units there as well). You should be able to rent at a Wyndham fairly easily or borrow/rent enough points to close your gap, if you can even do that with Wyndham (I think Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Village is about 231,000 points or so). I think you might find an ongoing search fruitfull in II - Sept/Oct is not prime season. Kauai may be tougher for a two bedroom unless you won't need air conditioning. There are a number of resorts in Princeville with larger units but no air conditioning. Not sure if you'd miss it in September/October, but when we were there in July we used it part of the time, though only needed it a couple of days.

For Hawaii I would definitely recommend the independents going forward. When is your next deposit available?

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

I don't think the independents will take my Ft.Laud. BR week.
It's not a prime week. Week 24 1 bedroom.
It's available 2011.

Maybe I'll try the ongoing search with II. I have never done one so
maybe this would be a good chance to see what I can get.
How can I get a 2 bedroom? Do I request it? I don't want a 1 bedroom.
I'd rather rent if that's the case.

Do you think SFX will have any rentals?

I saw a few things with RCI and II but there is very little inventory even with rentals. I thought this was low season.

Should I wait til closer to the dates?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I don't think the independents will take my Ft.Laud. BR week.
It's not a prime week. Week 24 1 bedroom.
It's available 2011.

Maybe I'll try the ongoing search with II. I have never done one so
maybe this would be a good chance to see what I can get.
How can I get a 2 bedroom? Do I request it? I don't want a 1 bedroom.
I'd rather rent if that's the case.

Do you think SFX will have any rentals?

I saw a few things with RCI and II but there is very little inventory even with rentals. I thought this was low season.

Should I wait til closer to the dates?

I am pretty sure TPI would take your week, and also the other independents mentioned here. But since you won't have it available until week 24 this year (I am assuming), that's probably late. I would definitely put an ongoing search with II if you have a deposit. You can't request a 2 bedroom with a 1 bedroom deposit, but you can choose resorts that don't have smaller units and you'll get one if you have the trading power

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Unfortunately I don't have anything to deposit with the independents.

I've already deposited my one week that I had available to exchange with II.
I doubt I'll see anything with the AC as I've been looking and don't see Hawaii as an option at all.

I do have an owner willing to do some Bluegreen points but don't know what they have on Maui.

I might have to rent but was hoping to use what I've got.

They don't but can probably get bonus time at Pono Kai on Kauai, 90 days out.

All the WYNs are very pricey, points wise, even at <60 days if you can get them and pretty limited to Oahu and Kauai.

You should be able to get something thru II close in to check-in.

Molokai I don't think has enough to do for a week but perhaps a 3 day stay would be nice.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

I don't think the independents will take my Ft.Laud. BR week.
It's not a prime week. Week 24 1 bedroom.
It's available 2011.

Maybe I'll try the ongoing search with II. I have never done one so
maybe this would be a good chance to see what I can get.

What resort is it? I would be surprised if it isn't red time unless it's not on the coast. I would be surprised if any of the independents except SFX would not take it as a deposit.

I just did my first II ongoing search ever and got a 1 bdr on Maui for the exact date I needed (10/30/10). It matched almost exactly a year out so you may be a little late but I think II members in general deposit later than RCI depositers.

Look for rentals on VRBO. If you wait longer the prices may drop but you will have less to choose from. If you are not picky about your accomodations, waiting could save some money. Redweek usually has rentals but you have to pay to join their site before you can talk to an owner.

We stayed in a great townhouse in Waikola on the big island in 2007 that we rented after seeing it on VRBO.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

What resort is it? I would be surprised if it isn't red time unless it's not on the coast. I would be surprised if any of the independents except SFX would not take it as a deposit.

Look for rentals on VRBO.

I own Ft. Laud. Beach Resort. Supposedly it's red time all year. I don't think so though.


I might resort to VRBO if nothing pops up. We'll see.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

I am pretty sure TPI would take your week, and also the other independents mentioned here. But since you won't have it available until week 24 this year (I am assuming), that's probably late. I would definitely put an ongoing search with II if you have a deposit. You can't request a 2 bedroom with a 1 bedroom deposit, but you can choose resorts that don't have smaller units and you'll get one if you have the trading power

Thanks, nice tip. Now which resorts only have 2 bedrooms?

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

For airfare I would check a multi-city flight on "Cheap Tickets". They are very good. I used them to purchase our tickets to Hawaii next month. We are spending one week on the Big Island and one week at Oahu. I checked all the others travel sites as well as the airline sites and "Cheap Tickets" had the best price and schedule by far. My daughter has used them several times as well with excellent results. They are good for hotels as well.

Here is their link:

Cheap Airfare, Flights, Airline Tickets & Flight Deals at CheapTickets

Varying the time of departures and arrivals can change the price considerably.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

I own Ft. Laud. Beach Resort. Supposedly it's red time all year. I don't think so though.


I might resort to VRBO if nothing pops up. We'll see.

RCI has it listed as Red time all year, that's all you need for HTSE. I am almost certain that all of the independents would take your week as a deposit with the exception of SFX and possibly TP-Maui. You can email TP-Maui to verify.

Here is a link to the place we stayed in on the big island in case you are interested. The nightly rate is now actually lower than what we paid in 2007.

[wwomant Member Find all posts View Profile Close wwomant]

Thanks, nice tip. Now which resorts only have 2 bedrooms?

To get the complete list it wouldn't take too long to go through the II Resort directory for Hawaii by island, and write down all of the resorts that only have 2 beds.

[HassieRiver Member Find all posts View Profile Close HassieRiver]

Check ReWeek if you want to rent in the Islands

RedWeek has lots of rental listings for all the Hawaian Islands and some very reasonable.