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Hawaii Accommodations Tips
Below we'll cover a few tips for selecting the perfect hotel, condo, resort, bed and breakfast, or house/cabin rental.
1.) As we’ve said already on this site in multiple places, booking online is your best bet for discovering good values and saving money. Booking a room along with a car or flight will especially save you money, as many online companies have pre-negotiated rates for “packaged” trips.
2.) Many guidebooks provide 20-30 pages of details on each and every hotel, condo, and resort on the island. In our opinion it's wasted space because most of that information is readily available on the internet. If you're following our advice of booking online, check to see if the company has a rating system set up for the "accommodations" segment of your booking. Most of the companies online do, for example, Expedia and TripAdvisor. (TripAdvisor is also a good resource for advice on a variety of topics concerning Hawaiian travel.) They even provide user comments from multiple travelers who have already stayed on the premises.
Naturally, some companies will log on and attempt to skew their ratings, so we typically look for places with five or more ratings with in-depth comments. Any written review that both compliments and critiques the place is where you'll find your best advice. To date we haven't been steered wrong using this method, and we always try to follow up with our own rating after the fact. We encourage you to do the same. Ultimately, this system of reading multiple reviews by multiple travelers is better in our opinion than us giving you our two cents about our single experience with a place.
3.) Look for condos if you're in the "do-it-yourself" crowd. We consider our style of traveling as such, and thus we tend to lean towards condo rentals versus resorts or hotels. Our favorite thing about condos is the kitchen and fully-furnished rooms. Normally this gives visitors a chance to do laundry in their room and reduce the clothing taken on their trip. Plus, the full kitchen is nice for fixing meals to take on the go during the day, especially if you're looking to save some money by preparing your own meals. Let's face it, you can't exactly pull up to a McDonald's while on a 10 mile hike. The kitchen allows you to store and prepare food for your daily excursions and this is a huge advantage in our opinion. Most resorts and/or hotels (except the nicer ones) often do not have a refrigerator in the room. Condos aren't any more expensive than the alternatives and can often be cheaper. Besides it may just feel more "homey" than a sterile resort room.
4.) Looking to enjoy Hawai'i in an even more unique way? When we travel throughout Hawai'i we like to immerse ourselves in the full island experience. And a B&B (bed & breakfast) allows us to do that in a way no hotel or resort ever will. B&B's are also a fantastic way to save money on the island. Some areas (like Hilo on the Big Island) in Hawaii are especially notorious for their bad hotels and "resorts." B&B's provide a great alternative, and are usually a better value. Plus nothing beats having a local host who can aid you in your travel plans or just talk story with you.
Naturally, some companies will log on and attempt to skew their ratings, so we typically look for places with five or more ratings with in-depth comments. Any written review that both compliments and critiques the place is where you'll find your best advice. To date we haven't been steered wrong using this method, and we always try to follow up with our own rating after the fact. We encourage you to do the same. Ultimately, this system of reading multiple reviews by multiple travelers is better in our opinion than us giving you our two cents about our single experience with a place.
3.) Look for condos if you're in the "do-it-yourself" crowd. We consider our style of traveling as such, and thus we tend to lean towards condo rentals versus resorts or hotels. Our favorite thing about condos is the kitchen and fully-furnished rooms. Normally this gives visitors a chance to do laundry in their room and reduce the clothing taken on their trip. Plus, the full kitchen is nice for fixing meals to take on the go during the day, especially if you're looking to save some money by preparing your own meals. Let's face it, you can't exactly pull up to a McDonald's while on a 10 mile hike. The kitchen allows you to store and prepare food for your daily excursions and this is a huge advantage in our opinion. Most resorts and/or hotels (except the nicer ones) often do not have a refrigerator in the room. Condos aren't any more expensive than the alternatives and can often be cheaper. Besides it may just feel more "homey" than a sterile resort room.
4.) Looking to enjoy Hawai'i in an even more unique way? When we travel throughout Hawai'i we like to immerse ourselves in the full island experience. And a B&B (bed & breakfast) allows us to do that in a way no hotel or resort ever will. B&B's are also a fantastic way to save money on the island. Some areas (like Hilo on the Big Island) in Hawaii are especially notorious for their bad hotels and "resorts." B&B's provide a great alternative, and are usually a better value. Plus nothing beats having a local host who can aid you in your travel plans or just talk story with you.
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Author: J.C.Derrick
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