hawaii
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Cheap and Simple Hawaii Vacation Ideas
Low Cost Hawaii Beach Resorts
Hawaii has some of the most excellent free beaches in the world, a few of which are accessible only by helicopter or landing watercraft. The Waialae stream flows through Waialae Beach Park and into the ocean, where its waters have created a wide canal through the reef. Considered by locals to be the top swimming beach in Hawaii, Lanikai's lucid waters, bright shore, and swaying coconut palms make it a photographer's dream. Hanauma Bay is one of the finest and most popular snorkeling and swimming areas in the world. Swimming and boogie boarding conditions are excellent at the Hapuna Beach State Park Big Island, which also features an abundance of fish and corals that make for superb snorkeling. Regardless of what you are looking for, Hawaii has an island and a beach that is just right for you.
Bargain Shopping in Hawaii
At the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, you will not only find bargain wares but also some great and useful freebies. They offer free lessons in hula dancing, playing ukulele, and lessons on how to make a lei. On Saturdays, there is a Farmer's Market at the Kapiolani Community College, which is a great way to soak up local culture and find some local produce and crafts, as well as spectacular deals. Don't forget to set aside a bit of time to take pleasure in the laid-back surfing town of Haleiwa, a place where you can go on a few cheap shopping sprees and discover inexpensive restaurants. Kukui Grove Shopping Center, one of the island's largest shopping centers, presents an open courtyard and provides weekly Polynesian entertainment with live music on weekends. Don't leave Maui without visiting the ABC Store at Whaler's Village, where cheap souvenirs abound and you can even pick up food on-the-go to save you some precious dining dollars. Find impressive savings at Waikele Premium Outlets for brand names like Armani Exchange, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Inexpensive Hawaiian Vacation with the Family
You can expect higher rates in Hawaii during holidays like Thanksgiving, so it would be a better idea to put off your Hawaiian vacation with your family until the off-peak season to save on expenses. Even if you do not want to bring your tent, there are literally thousands of cheap vacation rentals in Hawaii that can accommodate your plans of a bargain family travel to the island paradise. Hawaii vacation homes are fully equipped with complete kitchens, which can save you tons of money on all your meals. Most vacation rental hosts also offer great amenities, such as free high speed internet access, snorkel gear, and boogie boards. The earlier you make your car rental reservation, the better your chances are for a decent deal. Discover favorite beach snorkel spots at reduced rates where tropical fish and marine life are abundant.
Cut Price Hawaii Vacation Island Hopping
All of the islands in Hawaii hold different experiences with their own geology, sites, traditions, and activities, and many visitors want to island hop and make the most of their vacation time. The ocean surrounding the islands offers great swimming, diving, and fishing experiences, as well as transportation options, which make this part of your trip planing very easy and reliable. You can relax by walking over the beaches or by lounging on the sand. For the ultimate vacation seeker, a single island home-away-from-home can be chosen as a hub from which to launch mini-vacations to the other islands. If you venture into a cheap island hopping trip through Hawaiian Airlines or Go Airlines, you can leave first thing in the morning and come back as late as 8 or 9 in the evening. Best rates are usually found on the official websites of Hawaiian Airlines and Go Airlines, or possibly via your mainland carrier when you book your flight to Hawaii.
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Best Beaches For Weddings on Oahu, Hawaii
Wedding planners recommend Magic Island, Waialae or Waikiki Beach for quick, small weddings because these beaches are located close to the Waikiki hotels. Wedding coordination companies can pack in more weddings a day if the weddings are held close to where the bride and groom are staying. Venture outside of Waikiki, and you may get hit with travel fees. But if a beautiful beach is an important component of your dream wedding on Oahu, read on. You can avoid the travel fees that some wedding vendors charge by hiring vendors who live near the beach of your choice.
Windward Oahu: Kailua, Lanikai, Waimanalo and Makapu'u Beach
Two of the most beautiful beaches in the world are located on the east coast of Oahu. Kailua and Lanikai Beach were both rated as top beaches in the world by Steven Leatherman, an expert on sand and oceans. Kailua Beach is two miles of white sand. Lanikai Beach, which is located adjacent to Kailua Beach, has two offshore islands, the Mokes (Mokulua Islands) nearby. Lanikai Beach is a popular spot for sunrise wedding ceremonies as it is one of the best places on the island to watch the sunrise.
Waimanalo is another breathtaking long white sand beach that is surrounded by the magnificent Ko'olau mountains. Makapu'u Beach offers a view of Rabbit Island and has an area with lava rocks. This is a small beach and can be crowded on weekends and when surf's up.
North Shore: Pounders, Ke Iki, Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay
The North Shore of Oahu has lots of beautiful beaches to hold your wedding. However, the North Shore can be very crowded in the winter and when there is high surf. It is also dangerous to be very close to the water during a swell. Ke Iki Beach can be difficult to find, but once you do, you will love it. It is a big beach with large lava rocks, tide-pools and offers an amazing view of the sunset. Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay have several well-known surfing spots and can be crowded on weekends. Pounders, named after it's powerful shorebreak, is located in Laie and is another great location for a wedding.
Waianae Coast: Makaha and Pokai Beach Parks and Makua Beach
Waianae Coast is the place to be if you want a truly local experience. It is the antithesis of Waikiki. The crime rate is higher in this area, so don't leave valuables in your car. The Waianae beaches are secluded and the view is amazing.
Final note: Beach weddings on Oahu now require a permit. Your officiant or wedding coordinator can get this permit for you. Chairs or wedding arches are no longer permitted on the beach. If you are expecting more than a few dozen guests for your wedding, it is best to hold the ceremony at an oceanfront private residence or hotel.
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Sunday, November 6, 2011
How We Bought a Condo in Hawaii
After our fifth trip (in 23 years) to Hawaii in Winter 2010, we decided that it would be a great destination every year. The best day weather-wise in the Midwest (where we live) is a high of 80 and a low of 70, low humidity, sunshine, and a light breeze. There are on average 10-20 days like that in central Iowa. That describes nearly every day in Hawaii.
Some islands and some parts of islands are more rainy than others. The rainier the climate, the more plants, flowers, and waterfalls. But that also means higher humidity. We prefer the dryer climate on the Kona (west) coast of the big island. We get all the benefits of a moderate climate, more sunshine, and lower humidity.
The largest expense, and most nerve-wracking experience, of a Hawaiian vacation is choosing and paying for a vacation rental. We got a good deal on a hotel room on the big island, we had a fantastic condo in Princeville on Kauai (but paid quite a bit for it), and we had a fairly ratty condo in Kihei on Maui (trying to save money after spending so much on Kauai). So when we decided to go again in Winter 2011, we also decided two things:
We would try staying in one place on our favorite island for the whole two weeks to see how we liked it We would spend a day or two "just looking" at real estate possibilities in the area of Kailua-Kona
When we got back home from Hawaii in 2010, I started running a saved search on hawaiis.com to see what kind of properties were coming and going on the market. Over the next 8-10 months, listings were mostly coming, and not many were going. And the prices were dropping. One unit I had put on my radar was listed in February of 2010 for 0,000 (way out of my price range). When it was still for sale in December of 2010, they dropped the price to 0,000 (a pretty dramatic drop!). And by the time we got to Kona in February of 2011, it had dropped to 5,000. While still a bit above my budget, it was getting close.
Hawaiis.com also hooked me up with a very nice realtor (Kurt Carlson), who listened to my needs and took us to a few condos right after we got there. We looked at the (now) 5,000 condo, but were very disappointed in the condition it and it's contents were in (no wonder it hadn't sold). There was one condo that caught our eye for 5,000, but we talked ourselves out of spending that much, and we pretty much decided owning our own condo in Hawaii was not going to happen.
We went about doing our vacationy-things (there is so much to do on the big island), and had a great time. When we only had a couple of days left, I happened to check the listing of the one that had caught our eye. The price had dropped by ,000 (37%) THAT DAY!
I spent Thursday morning tracking down Kurt and getting viewings arranged for that condo and one other that had just popped up next door to it for a similar price. We immediately wrote off the new listing, but spent over an hour in the original one, deciding that maybe the price had dropped enough that we could not resist buying it. After thinking about it over dinner, we decided to write an offer Friday morning.
Expecting a counter-offer to come back in a day or two, we lazed around, and started packing for the long trip home. So we were shocked when Kurt called back after three hours to say that our offer had been accepted! Is the current owner crazy? Are we crazy?
Price drops are so common now, hawaiis.com had to come up with a new category to tell me about in my email alerts - condos whose price had dropped. They are still dropping, so get out there a look!
Well, here we are at the end of March, about a week away from closing escrow on our own private little piece of paradise! I never would have dreamed it just two months ago when we were anticipating and packing for our trip.
Come stay with us and look for your own slice of heaven!
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