Let’s see what top news the surf has brought us on this Aloha Friday:
* Congratulations to Go Visit Hawaii reader, Natalie for winning the Go Visit Hawaii reader reward contest. Natalie reads Go Visit Hawaii from her Canadian home in Nelson, BC. When I told her she had won, she shared this with me, “I just started to receive the emails from you. I find them very enjoyable. We will be going to Waikiki for our Family Christmas Vacation this year, and it will be our first with no snow…Not sure if I will miss it or not.” I hope she enjoys it. I do like Christmas snow, but wouldn’t mind trading snow for sand on occasion.
* Waikiki’s Hilton Hawaiian Village has two nice Winter sales:
- The Winter Sale has rates starting at $159 for stays between January 1, and March 31, 2010 . If I remember correctly, $159 is probably the lowest rate I’ve seen from Hilton Hawaiian Village in quite some time. So, it’s a real deal that this great rate is being offered during peak Winter travel months. I’m told that inventory is limited and you must pre-pay in full for this non-refundable special rate. To book it, call Hilton Hawaiian Village at 808-949-4321 and ask for rate code QP.
- The Suite Sale offers a fourth night free and special low rates on suites and specialty rooms during December. For example, rates for Rainbow Tower King Oceanfront room with Diamond Head views start at $279 per night. With this sale, the average price per night for a four-night stay would be just a little more than $200. For a complete list of available suites and specialty rooms, call the resort at 808-949-4321 and ask for rate code P4.
* The newly renovated Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island is offering an early booking deal. If you book by 12/31/09, you can get rates as low as $278 per night during the prime Winter visiting months of January through March 2010. See this link for more details.
* If you like the looks of these deals, but you’re wondering if airfare is expensive, I have some great news. I’ve found quite a few excellent rates from around the U.S. Here are some of the examples:
- Portland to Honolulu $299 round-trip, plus taxes and fees on Delta and Northwest for travel dates between January 5 and March 13, 2010.
- Houston to Honolulu $413 round-trip, plus taxes and fees on American for travel between today and December 16 with no advanced purchase restriction. This low fare is available again from December 31, 2009 through March 3, 2010 with a 30-day advanced purchase.
- Charlotte to Honolulu $483 round-trip, plus taxes and fees on Delta and Northwest. There’s a 14-day advanced purchase for travel dates between January 4 and March 8, 2010.
- Newark to Honolulu $512 round-trip, plus taxes and fees on American for travel between today and December 16 with no advanced purchase restriction. This low fare is available again from December 31, 2009 through March 3, 2010 with a 30-day advanced purchase.
- Use a good fare search engine like Kayak or FareCompare to search for the cheapest flights from your hometown.
* American Airlines has a new 10% discount promo code for AAdvanage members. There are too many terms and conditions to list. So, see this link to play the game, see the T&C, and get your promo code.
* If you are looking for ideas of what to do for Christmas in Waikiki or New Years Eve in Hawaii, hang tight. For some odd reason, information hasn’t been as forthcoming this year and some events are pending. If your Hawaii business has a special Christmas or New Years Eve event, please submit it to me for consideration. Please us my contact form at the bottom of the about Go Visit Hawaii page
Sheila Beal
