Is a low-cost Hawaiian vacation possible? - General Tiki

T thejab Grand Member (1 year) Tradewinds Apartments, Alameda, CA Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 2992	T thejab Posted posted on Wed, Mar 2, 2005 11:05 AM Book well in advance, avoid summer travel, and you should be able to get a RT flight on a major airline for $400-500 from LA to Oahu. I also have heard horror stories about Suntrips and other charter companies so I would avoid them. Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays sometimes have good deals but usually the hotel choices aren't that good (big chains) and by the time you add it up (the rate quoted is per-person) sometimes it costs more than booking the flight, lodging, and car seperately. Stay for a week or two. You can usually get a cheap weekly rate on a rental car. I loved this older little hotel in Kona called the Kona Tiki Hotel. It's right on the ocean (cliffside but great beaches are close by). The rooms all have kitchens and face the ocean, the ones on the ground floor have patios while the 2nd. and 3rd. floor units have lanais. None have TVs or phones. There are tiki carvings on the doors. There is a great pool with lava rock walls so close to the ocean that waves sometimes crash over the wall into the pool. There are even barbeques for the guests so you can cook up some fresh fish and save money that way. The best thing is the price which ranges from $65-85 per night, but you'll need to book way in advance, and they don't take credit cards. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60872-d111596-r2332712-Kona_Tiki_Hotel-Kailua_Kona_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html If you don't mind roughing it, camping is a cheap way to go. For example, there are some gorgeous canyons and beaches on the leeward side of the Big Island that you can camp at for free.

Book well in advance, avoid summer travel, and you should be able to get a RT flight on a major airline for $400-500 from LA to Oahu.

I also have heard horror stories about Suntrips and other charter companies so I would avoid them.

Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays sometimes have good deals but usually the hotel choices aren't that good (big chains) and by the time you add it up (the rate quoted is per-person) sometimes it costs more than booking the flight, lodging, and car seperately.

Stay for a week or two. You can usually get a cheap weekly rate on a rental car.

I loved this older little hotel in Kona called the Kona Tiki Hotel. It's right on the ocean (cliffside but great beaches are close by). The rooms all have kitchens and face the ocean, the ones on the ground floor have patios while the 2nd. and 3rd. floor units have lanais. None have TVs or phones. There are tiki carvings on the doors. There is a great pool with lava rock walls so close to the ocean that waves sometimes crash over the wall into the pool. There are even barbeques for the guests so you can cook up some fresh fish and save money that way. The best thing is the price which ranges from $65-85 per night, but you'll need to book way in advance, and they don't take credit cards.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60872-d111596-r2332712-Kona_Tiki_Hotel-Kailua_Kona_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

If you don't mind roughing it, camping is a cheap way to go. For example, there are some gorgeous canyons and beaches on the leeward side of the Big Island that you can camp at for free.

Post #144196 by thejab on Wed, Mar 2, 2005 11:05 AM