Archive for January, 2010

A Wrecking Ball Saved This Hotel

Jan 29, 2010 6 Comments by Jeff

When TripAdvisor’s list of the dirtiest hotels in America came out last week, the Laie Inn on Oahu’s North Shore was missing. A wrecking ball saved it from the list and innocent guests will no longer have to endure its nightmare.
Laie Inn closed in October and is being demolished this week. This is good news [...]

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Why Airfares Vary From Site To Site

Jan 28, 2010 6 Comments by Jeff

Our friend Arthur Frommer, spoke yesterday on his blog about a question we’re also frequently asked. His readers, like ours, are often unable to replicate a fare that we’ve researched and know is available. Arthur gave his good thoughts behind the discrepancies and points to the provisional nature of air fares typically presented on the [...]

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United Hawaii Mileage Sale – Save 20%

Jan 27, 2010 3 Comments by Jeff

It’s unusual to see a Hawaii mileage sale, so this is a great find. Instead of 40,000 miles round trip, you can visit Hawaii for only 32,000 miles.  From the East Coast, smaller cities, and even most West Coast cities, this represents excellent value.  I typically think of miles as being worth one cent each, [...]

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Can TripAdvisor Stop Review Fraud?

Jan 26, 2010 4 Comments by Jeff

Recently TripAdvisor contacted me to verify that I authored an unfavorable, three star review five years ago. They gave me two weeks to respond or else my review would be removed from their site. That’s right, before I questioned Trip Advisor’s authenticity I was a frequent contributor.
So why, 5 years later, has TripAdvisor questioned [...]

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Cheap 4-Star Hawaii Hotels On Priceline

Jan 25, 2010 11 Comments by Jeff

Priceline is a great way to keep accommodation costs down. I’ve used it myself when traveling throughout Hawaii.
The deals are even cheaper now than in our last Priceline report on Hawaii hotels in June 2009. Following are some examples of Winter deals on 4-star properties recently achieved through Priceline bids, as reported on Bidding For [...]

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Affordable Hawaii Summer Vacation

Jan 21, 2010 6 Comments by Jeff

This summer is going to be different than last.  Here’s what to expect and our suggestions.
As you know, we’re frugal travelers, as are most of our visitors. Therefore, traveling well while saving money is at the top of the list for vacation planning.
1. Airfares are going to be higher.
Certain markets and occasional sales [...]

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