Question specifically for cynthia-ga related to question 448284 Best answer on the web
cynthia, if you recall (see the link below if you don't), I had written about a year ago asking about a honeymoon spot. You had suggested Costa Rica, and even suggested a website to find travel packages for Costa Rica. I took you up on both suggestions and ended up having an amazing honeymoon.
Well, the time has come for a one-year anniversary trip! I am basically looking for a similar travel package as the one you suggested, but this time for Hawaii. I am willing to look in other places (Carribean, Florida Keys, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico) but my first preference is Hawaii.
Any suggestions from you would be greatly appreciated.
Here is my original post:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=448284
Thanks in advance!
Got sidetracked, but today I found more information for you, Deciding which island to visit is a major consideration, one I can't make for you. In this round I selected agents and companies that make a point to mention they will help you decide and plan a vacation based on your interests, the ambience and experience you want to have. I'd use any of them, they are all reputable.
First, start by reading about the differences in the islands...
Island of Hawaii forum: which island??
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29217-i268-k584511-Which_island_-Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html This is a forum thread that offers some unique insights and contact information.
I found that here:
HOME PAGE: Island of Hawaii Vacations - Island of Hawaii Tourism
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g29217-Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii-Vacations.html
FORUM TOPIC LIST: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g29217-i268-Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html
WHICH ISLAND TO VISIT ?
http://www.traveltoparadise.com/which_island.htm
HOME PAGE: http://www.traveltoparadise.com/index.htm
..."offers the best Hawaii travel deals in vacation accommodations, Hawaii hotels and condos, airfare and reservations to the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kauai. Paula Simpson, an experienced Hawaii travel agent offers personal service, custom tropical vacation packages, Hawaii travel tips and tourist information for a Hawaii honeymoon, family vacation, or romantic island getaway..."
Hawaii Vacation Packages from Cheap Hawaii Tickets
http://www.riverestate.com/hawaii-vacation-packages.htm
..."We're able to produce a Hawaii vacation package that is best suited to your own specific needs at a rock bottom price because we live here and know how to save you money.
on a vast array of Hawaii vacation properties as well as having access to a wholesale bulk Hawaii airline ticket source that enables us to beat the larger brand name websites selling Hawaii airline tickets online. Having contracts with local travel suppliers that we have developed throughout the state as well as living in Hawaii for over 30 years allows us to provide our valued customers an insiders view before making their final decision to buy the Hawaii vacation package they select..."
Vacation Discounters
http://www.0nly-hawaii.com/introduction.htm
..."is a Hawaii vacations destination specialist. Our agents have experienced each of the spectacular Hawaiian Islands; Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Lanai, Hawaii and Molokai. Whether your travel plans include a family Hawaii vacation playing on the white sand beaches of Maui; or an indulging yourself at an elegant beachfront resort; or a Hawaii Honeymoon or a golf package on the "Big Island"; or a Hawaii cruise to all of the islands; we can create a custom Hawaii vacation with a significant discount tailored just for you and your budget..."
Let me know if you'd like more!
~~Cynthia
I'm looking for you in between my day job duties. May I ask when you are thinking about going? Give me a window of time.
~~Cynthia
Hawaii "all inclusive" vacation OR package
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&rls=DVXA%2CDVXA%3A2006-10%2CDVXA%3Aen&q=Hawaii+%22all+inclusive%22+vacation+OR+package&btnG=Search
Here's a site with 5 all inclusive packages:
Hawaii All Inclusive Packages
http://www.hawaii-aloha.com/html/all_inclusive_hawaii_.html
..."For the discriminating traveler who wants only the best "high end" experience, Hawaii Aloha Travel offers the perfect getaway for you and your family. We bring you Hawaii like no else has before. We're in Hawaii and as a result have chosen the best tour operators to work with in Hawaii. Our packages have been carefully selected to give you the BEST Hawaii has to offer. Our all inclusive packages and tours will make sure you leave the world behind and enjoy Hawaii as it is meant to be.....like royalty. Mahalo! ..."
All Inclusive Hawaii Vacation Packages
http://aloha-hawaiian.com/
Click on the left to view any of the 5 packages.
Don't miss the FAQ's: http://aloha-hawaiian.com/faq.html
This is a single offer of the type you are describing, it sounds fabulous:
Hawaii All Inclusive Vacations (click to see the activities)
http://www.alohadestinations.com/all-inclusive/
..."The perfect nine-day Hawaiian getaway. Journey to Oahu, Kauai and Maui, three of the most beautiful islands on this all-inclusive, first-class Hawaiian package. Pristine white beaches, crystal waters and friendly people await you..."
Better?
As I mentioned, we stayed at the Copamarina. For the most part, it was a really well-organized visit, except for the very beginning. There was supposed to be somebody waiting to pick us up from the airport, but it took about 1 hour of waiting and a ton of phone calls before anybody showed up.
The resort itself was beautiful though -- great service, great food (even for strict vegetarians), and beautiful surroundings (right along the sea, nicely landscaped, pools, jacuzzis, etc.). A tip for anybody planning on visiting -- the all-inclusive package is the way to go -- VERY cost-effective. One other tip though -- you may not want to pay the extra rate for the ocean-view room, because the garden views are probably a lot nicer -- you essentially overlook the resort, and THEN the ocean from your room with the ocean-view room (as I did).
As for what we did -- we spent a day just lounging around the resort -- went swimming, ate, hung out on the beach, etc. We spent another day doing water activities -- sea kayaking, snorkeling, etc. The only complaint about this day was that we took a trip out to the famed "Gilligan's Island." It certainly was not a deserted island -- it was PACKED with kids yelling their heads off. Maybe it was a school field-trip or something (we experienced the same feeling at the resort, which was a little too kid-friendly)! Anyhow, another day we spent exploring the Guanica Dry Forest, which was AMAZING! Imagine seeing a normal forest with deciduous trees interspersed with cacti, all along cliffs overlooking the sea, packed with amazing birds flying all over! The final day we took another snorkeling trip (out to a reef, much more exciting than Gilligan's Island) and visited La Parguera at night to see the bioluminescence. Unfortunately, the moon was in its full glory during our entire trip, so the luminescence looked more like clouds in the water rather than lights, but cool anyway.
All-in-all a great trip, very relaxing, great weather, and got to do some cool stuff. Thanks for the recommendation markvmd, and be on the lookout for my review after giving out your suggestion a try, cynthia-ga!
Plan on visiting the Cabo Rojo lighthouse, about an hour drive from Copamarina through a fascinating natural preserve and past active sea salt harvesting flats. Beautiful, stunning, incredible location for a lighthouse, and standing on the cliff is breathtaking. I wrote a series of letters from 1992 to 2001 urging the restoration; dunno if it had any effect, but it's fixed up now.
Feel free to ask any questions.
I can give you a pretty exact time window -- mid June 2006. I would say anywhere between June 9th and June 23rd would be fair game.
I took markvmd's suggestion and started looking into Puerto Rico. Since he gave me some specific areas, I was able to find some pretty decent travel packages. I am going to use what you give me and what I found and do a comparison and just see what makes sense. Either way, a trip to Hawaii will happen at some point, so I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks again for your help.
If you have the time, I wouldn't mind a few other options. I filled out that quiz, and it came up with, "No destinations available." Then I tried to vist the "Hawaiian Travel Beaurau" site, and I got a "Host Not Accessible" error (I tried it multiple times and I know my Internet connection was working at the time).
Thanks!
vka2b
I got to thinking, and I remembered who I used on my vacation packages to Hawaii. I used these folks twice:
Pleasant Hawaiin Holiday - Dream Destinations
http://www.pleasantholidays.com/PleasantHolidaysWeb/MainDestinationDisplayView.do?key_MainDestinationOID=code__.__HAW ..."With its majestic volcanoes and palm-fringed beaches, Hawaii holds some of the most superb scenery on earth. Firmly established among the world's greatest vacation playgrounds, it combines top-quality hotels and restaurants with almost unlimited opportunities not only for sheer self-indulgence, but also for activities such as surfing, diving, golf and hiking. Visiting Hawaii does not, however, have to be expensive; budget facilities on all the islands are listed throughout this guide, together with advice on making the most of your money..."
Try this:
Pleasant Hawaiian Vacation Finder
http://www.pleasantholidays.com/PleasantHolidaysWeb/VacationQuizDisplay.do
In Hawaii, besides the beaches there are two MUST DO activities:
Polynesian Cultural Center
Arizona Memorial
Second choices:
I also went on a Dinner Cruise (fun)
Snorkling (magical)
Luau (ok, but not my favorite)
Parasailing (exhilarating)
Jet-skiing (ok, but not my favorite)
Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays Press Release
http://gohawaii.about.com/library/weekly/blpleasantpress111802.htm
..."Pleasant Holidays is now offering a variety of Hawaii?s most popular activities for purchase before customers leave for the Islands, the company announced today. The activities range from luaus and stage extravaganzas to helicopter and submarine tours, and the pre-purchase option allows customers the convenience of having these activities arranged for in advance..."
For more information and reservations, call the Pleasant at (800) 242-9244.
Then, I found this:
Hawaii Travel Bureau
http://www.hawaiitravelbureau.com/hawaiivacationpackages.html
Custom Design Your Ideal Hawaii Vacation Package: Luxury, Moderate, All Inclusive, or Anything Else
..."Hawaii Travel Bureau offers customized Hawaii vacation packages for 10-65% less than published rates. Whether you are looking for a beach vacation in Waikiki, romantic getaway to Maui, or a multi-island vacation, we can put together a Hawaii vacation package that fits you.
As a company with perfect BBB record, we offer high-quality customer service that you can rely on. Our detailed reports on the islands and hotels can save you hours of online research. Our prices are clear and have no hidden fees, and our booking process is easy and simple..."
Let me know if you'd like me to find more options...
~~Cynthia
Search strategy:
Personal experience
"Hawaii Vacation Packages"
http://aloha-hawaiian.com/multi.html
I will certainly look into this for my next vacation!
I don't want to make you keep searching, so if you want to stop, that's okay with me, because I already have my vacation booked for the summer (will get to get in a moment).
However, if you're up to looking, let me try to clarify more of what I'm looking for (for future vacations). Basically, all of the sites you pointed me say something to the effect of "Tell us what you want to do and we'll give you a price estimate." I don't know if it's more that I'm lazy, don't have much time, or just that I trust people that do this for a living rather than myself to do the planning, but what I'd really like is something similar to that Costa Rican site you pointed me to -- where they say "Here are the packages we offer. This is what the package contains. Here is how much you will pay. Click here to book." And what the package contains is an itinerary of activities in different regions of the country, transportation, lodging, etc. The reason my Costa Rican honeymoon was so successful was that I spent about 10 minutes on the site you sent me to, said, "Oh, that package looks like fun," gave them my credit number, and did nothing else. A few months and a few thousand dollars later, I was being carted around various regions of Costa Rica doing various activities and did not have to worry about absolutely anything other than having a good time.
Granted, such a site may not exist for Hawaii, and if it did, it is probably pretty pricey, but that's essentially what I'm looking for. I completely understand if the dollar amount of this question is not worth it to you for a third go-round (although, if you found exactly what I was looking for, I would surely tip you accordingly).
That being said, I decided that for this summer, I would choose Puerto Rico, only because I was essentially able to do what I mentioned above based on a tip from markvmd (thanks markvmd)! I was mainly interested in exploring, so I did a search for Guanica Dry Forest and came across the Copamarina Resort. They have an all inclusive package that includes, lodging, meals, water sports, and can arrange trips to nearby places (a bioluminescense bay, the forest, etc.). I thought that was the way to go, because it involved little planning on my part.
I will surely do my duties as a faithful GA user and report back on how this trip goes!
Thanks for all of your help!
I am eagerly awaiting to see what you come up with for Hawaii, Aruba, or otherwise.
BTW, sorry for my delayed reponse to yours and others comments -- usually I get a notification alerting me to the fact that there has been activity on my question, but I didn't this time -- I just randomly checked and saw all the comments!
I appreciate everybody's suggestions. The main thing I was looking for though was a travel package for any of these places similar to the "Costa Rican Trails" package that Cynthia-GA found for me last time. It was a perfect mix of luxury and adventure, and it took all the headache out of planning -- transportation, lodging, etc. was arranged in advance.
Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing the suggestions!
For others considering a visit (or for Vka2b, if you are considering returning), think about going during the middle of winter. Airfare is higher, but for some weird reason, the locals-- Puerto Ricans from San Juan and environs, that is-- seem to vacation along the south and west during the summer only. I have no idea why they don't just go their own beach . Except for weekends and new moons, Parguera is nearly deserted as is Guanica, Combate Beach, Joyuda, Rincon, and Boqueron Beach. Daytime temps don't get too much above 27C (80F) and night bottoms out around 19C (65F) in late January and much of February. Prices are phenomenally cheap for basic, non-chain hotels (where you will often meet the owner).
As for Hawaii, skip Honolulu and go just about anywhere else in the chain. If you've never heard of the destination island, it is even better!
By the way, I'm so happy you had a wonderful trip! Give me a couple days, I'll come up with something for you.
Thanks so much for the kind words, the 5 stars, and the tip!
~~Cynthia
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July 30th, 2010 edit