Thank you so much for your page and this article! I love all the wonderful information you provide! We’re planning our first trip for next summer and have been renting condos with kitchens for each leg of our trip. We are staying 10 nights on Oahu, followed by 7 nights each on Kauai, Big Island and Maui. I’m wondering for two adults if we are planning to use the kitchen, and cook most meals would the $70 per person per day for budging still apply? Just not sure if grocery costs are that much higher?? We usually spend about $450-$600 a month. Thanks!
Thank you! Would suggest you plan food costs being about double what you are used to. It takes a lot of shipping and handling to get anything out here. Costco may help although the quantities might not work for many items.
I have always used VRBO but now I see these extra fees and now I know why. I won’t use them again. Who would you recommend for vacation rentals on Kauai and Maui? Thank you so much for your help.
Aloha – We try to vacation on Maui every year and absolutely love it! After staying in various parts of the island and many different places, we have made The Whaler in Kaanapali our second home while on the island. Perfect location, the condo we rent is amazing and you can’t beat being that close to the Barefoot Bar and ocean. Highly recommend it! Mahalo!
My family is going on a long vacation. Thanks for the advice about how rentals let you reduce food costs and is more kid friendly. Another benefit is that you don’t have to deal with maids or other staff.
Sorry I missed this thread — we were in Hawaii! This time, Kauai and Maui; our 5th trip in 4 years. Our first trip was a package purchased on Skyauction.com for a week in Oahu with round-trip airfare. The lodging was a privately-owned studio at the southwest end of Waikiki. The decor was not 5 star, but otherwise it was a PERFECT place — convenient, and even an ocean view. Since then we have stayed there every time we’ve gone to Oahu, and will continue unless they raise prices hugely. Believe it or not, that trip cost $1300 from LA for my husband and me! Plus we had to fly from NY to LA. But still, a great bargain. Since then we’ve also stayed in rentals on three other islands: The Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. We stayed in a resort this year just for kicks, that I thought was a good deal, $800 for 5 nights. But for that, we had to go through another TEDIOUS sales presentation. And adding one more night was another $250. Plus $100 for parking. But that’s where we ended the resort experience. Except for using the resort’s beach a few times, we certainly never dined or drank on the premises — where a simple mai tai could easily cost $20. You know, even in a hotel you can buy a bottle of wine (from a store) and keep it in your room!
We like finding great food without breaking the bank, and in many years of travel we’ve learned that good food doesn’t have to cost a lot, and many times you have to pay top dollar for mediocre food. We always eat breakfast in the condo, and sometimes lunch. We have a practice of only eating one meal a day in a restaurant. If we splurge on lunch we get takeout for dinner, or cook. As a result, the cost of eating while we’re on vacation is not much more than at home. In short, we are totally sold on vacation rentals, not just in Hawaii but all over the world.
We used a vacation rental house through Kauai Vacation Rentals last year and it was perfect for us. We did our shopping at the local Farmer’s market and the local fish market. We like to make our own food so a rental with a kitchen is what we look for.
Years ago we stayed in hotels in Waikiki and liked it. Discovered Kailua 12 years ago and that’s all she wrote. No hotels, resorts, etc. so we stayed at a vacation rental . Been staying there 12 years…same place for winter months. So awesome…no parking fees, etc. don’t feel like tourists…just our winter home!
We have always used VRBO. With the recent purchase by Expedia, they are raising fees to list rentals AND they will be charging the renter a booking fee. IMO this is greedy and I will not be using it again. Will look for other options and won’t use VRBO or Home Away again.
I stayed at both hotels and p2p VRBO type vacation rentals before. The value when you jump to a multi room condo or a house would be so expensive with any hotel, the only way to go is a vacation rental they offer such a great value in terms of cost. Can you imagine the cost of a 2 bedroom suite of 1,000sf at the hotel price, $$$$, if you can get that size of a hotel room.
But VRBO a few weeks back put in place a 4-10% ‘SERVICE FEE’ on the gross amount of the booking. Between their greed and the 3-5% by the credit card company, I pity the poor owners who have no choice.
Expedia now owns VRBO and milking the process for all the money they can get out., Pete
I have been a devoted VRBO user for years and am now a newly AIRBNB user. Being 64 and often a solo traveler I do not fit the demographic…who cares! I love condos, Ohana cottages, and homes on Maui, Hawaii and Lanai. No going back to stifling hotels. By the way, SF, Boston, WAashington DC, Seattle, Portland,OR, and NYC are fun places to try out a variety of neighborhoods. Just the space is nice but a kitchen for breakfast, and BBQ’s for the fresh fish of HI are magnificent pluses. It was the early 2005 that I tried VRBO and now find short stays in even luxury hotels unsatisfying…I like my own home away from home.
We much prefer a condo, cottage or home to a hotel for stays longer than a couple of days. Cooking wih local seafood and eating local fruit and produce from farmers’ markets gives a real taste of the islands you’ll never get in a hotel or restaurant. Food is just fuel for some people who are happy with the same things they eat at home but expanding your outlook is a significant reason to travel and Hawaii’s many cultures give multiple opportunities to sample a variety of foods, cooking them yourselves or from small local spots you’d never find if you stayed in a resort area or a hotel.
We go to Maui every other year and rent a very nice and reasonable villa in Kapalua. We normally eat breakfast and maybe lunch in the villa and go out to dinner on some nights. I booked a room for one night for my son’s birthday at the Grand Wailea and with the high room fee itself along with daily resort fees, taxes, valet parking and then all the tipping we will need to do, it is really pretty ridiculous. Of course, we are paying for the use of the (very crowded) pools etc but not sure if it’s worth it. Which makes me wonder…Why am I doing this again? Oh yeah, my son’s birthday! 😀
It’s hard to compare pricing between hotels and vacation rentals… the vacation rentals come with weird pricing structure (each according to its property owner) and cleaning fees that can be ridiculous ($50 cleaning fee for a 1 bedroom for a 1 night stay).
As a vacation rental manager in the past, I can attest that advertising is prohibitively expensive for the property owner, and you may get a better deal by dealing with the owners directly. Also, VRBO, HomeAway, VacationRentals, and a few other sites are all owned by one BIG company that almost has a monopoly for online vacation rental traffic. They charge property owners in excess of $1000 to advertise on their “family of sites”, and the more we pay, the higher our property gets listed on their site.
We had a marvelous two-week stay in a house on the Big Island in Hawaiian Paradise Park, booked through VRBO in 2011. The home was lovely and we were really comfortable there. We never ate breakfast out once while we were there, instead preferring to stock up on the things we wanted and eat in–I still remember the fresh papaya and pineapple that I had every morning on the lanai. The owner provided detailed maps of the Big Island, along with a cooler, and some days we would pack a picnic and head out–in two weeks, we covered 1400 miles!! Some dinners we had in, some out, we were able to do as we pleased. Friends went with us, staying with relatives of theirs for the middle of the visit, so we had time both alone and with them. There’s no way that a two-week hotel stay could possibly compare with that.
We have stayed in two different homes in Paradise Park and we just love the neighborhood and area! We very well may have stayed in the same house you rented. Both our rentals there were just fabulous and so affordable too!
bEING A BUDGET TRAVLER,I STILL USE HOTELS ON OHAU. bUT IT’S THE BEST,WAIKIKI PRINCE. cLOSE TO BEACH AND BUS LINES. plus I HAVE all year to pay after a small deposit. All the money up front for me is hard to do. So until the Prince becomes too exspensive,I will continue to stay there.
We have used VRBO for many years and with the exception of one condo at Turtle Bay have always had a wonderful experience. We have returned to the same 1 bedroom apartment on Oahu’s North Shore at least ten times. It’s a walk-out basement apartment with a private pool and we NEVER lock the door. Best of all, it’s below $100 a night. We travel to Hawaii annually and the only time we have ever stayed at a hotel was when we could not make our onward connection.
My husband and I own a wonderful home in Kona that we rent out on VRBO. We’ve done really well with it too because we have a great rate and are in a great location. However, buyer beware . . . . . VRBO/HomeAway is now owned by Expedia and they have just recently started charging renters a fee to use their site. We are no longer going to advertise on their site after our subscription is up. We are sad about it as we have always appreciated the ease of use and fair pricing to use their site, but now with these new owners they want to double dip and that is just not good business. Our renters are down now too. Thankfully we had most of our now bookings already booked before the new fee went into effect. From what I’ve read on comments on their Facebook site there are going to be a lot of owners bail on them. They just got too greedy!
I had no idea, good to know about Expedia. Thank you. I’ve rented most our rentals through real estate companies. Sometimes they are less expensive for the same house/condo that VRBO
I’ll second the comment about VRBO and their new way of doing business. We paid plenty to be listed on the site and now they want to charge us and the users fees on top of our “membership”. I don’t like the wall they are putting between us and our guests nor this greedy new method. I asked for a refund of our unused membership but was denied. So, we too, will be leaving that site and not looking back.
Any vacation owner who is one you will want to deal with will have their own web site, want to communicate with you and will care about who is in their home. Owning a vacation rental is not a hands-off, turnkey business…at least if one cares about their guests, their experience and the property.
I think for most travelers, a vacation rental can provide a unique and enjoyable experience. Before we bought our own condo, we stayed in many and these experiences helped us decide what we should and could offer. Hotels also care greatly about the guest experience, just in a different way that has its own place and time. Let your unique needs determine which is best for you.
My wife and I own a couple of timeshares on Kauai. Unfortunately, due to our performance and filming schedule, our timeshares are not always available when we have free time. For several years, we’ve booked an AirBnB and have met wonderful local folks. We’ve never had a problem using this method. The cost of Hawaiian hotels has gotten out of hand, which led us to the alternate booking. Unless the hotel prices can be more competitive, we will continue with other methods to continue our enjoyment of the island.
We’ve only stayed in hotels in Honolulu. All other island stays have been in either condo’s, cottages, or Westin timeshares on Maui (rented from owners with too many weeks to use). You honestly cannot beat the value. On Maui, we stayed multiple times at ocean front locations (Napili Bay), and Ocean view (Westin Villa’s) for not much more than $220/night, including fees. On Kauai, we’ve booked condo’s and car via Suite-Paradise and have never been disappointed. Hotels would costs us double that amount for a non-view room with no kitchen or washer, plus “resort” fees.
We are family of 5. Cost wise – for us – when the kids were young and it’s only for a night or two, hotels are cheaper. Downside is everyone is in one room, one bathroom. Now that the kids are older and ahem – me and my husband want privacy – we get condos or homes on VRBO or airbnb. It’s cheaper for us and for longer stays makes more sense. Having a kitchen, fridge, and access to living like a local makes more sense.
I’ve been using VRBO to rent condos for many years and I’ve never stayed in a hotel in Hawaii, so in 2009 when I bought a condo and put it on the vacation rental market, it was a very easy decision to list it on VRBO. I’ll admit that I’m concerned about the new “service fee” they are adding to the cost now, but time will tell how that work out.
I agree with most everything you have to say about condo rentals, except your recommendation to only book through management companies. We self-manage ours and have an on-island contact for emergencies. If we used a management company, we would have to raise our rates to pay their commission or it would put us out of business. We have a total review score of 4.8 stars with 50 reviews and several repeat guests. So my advice to renters is that when you are looking at a listing, check the reviews and call the owner if you have questions, but don’t hesitate to rent directly from the owner. Most owners take great pride in their properties and want you to enjoy your stay in beautiful Hawaii.
We also prefer private rentals. The hotel industry is getting really expesive, why pay over 400 a night for the same condo that you can rent privately for much less in the same complex?
Another advantage to renting privately is that you are not locked in to an area in which to stay. You can move around the islands in the time span you like and stay in the areas that are so different and uncrowded than the hotels are. For instance, on the Big Island, there are 4-6 areas worth staying in, hotels are only in 2 of those.
Another advantage is the convenience of cooking meals which saves money and you don’t have to vacate for maid service.
We prefer rentals…best is a house. then condo. Like you say, the vacation rental feels more local and real than the plastic resorts. I can tell you that the one time we splurged and had a suite at the old side of the Royal Hawaiian it was very nice.
Our most recent trip included three nights at the Kuaui Palms, two nights at the Wild Ginger Inn in Hilo and then a rental outside of Captain Cook. The kitchen and w/d make a world of difference. It feels like home pulling in to the house after a long day of scuba diving.
My last two trips to Oahu have been booked through VRBO. I prefer a vacation rental over hotel rooms because the resort fees really annoy me. I cannot justify one particular hotel chain charging $30.00 per nite for trolley, phone calls and internet. Really ? That is more for internet in one day that I pay in a month at home. No more hotels for me (- :
Interesting article in that it feels that they treat all condos as non-hotels regardless how they are booked, i.e., Aston, which have condo properties with the same amenities as hotels (daily maid service, etc) and even show up on Expedia/ Travelocity, etc like a hotel.
We did the Pleasant Holidays/ Costco vacations the first couple of times especially when it was the first time to a particular island. But they’ve always been condos, not actual hotels. I can’t imagine not having a kitchen and a washer/ dryer available. Since then, we’ve always booked thru VRBO/ Homeaway.
Benefits through VRBO/ABnB (non-travel agency)-
Cost savings can be significant.
Additional perks – some VRBO owners act as concierge and give really good advice on activities.
The ability to pick the actual unit
Downsides –
If you’ve rented a condo from the owner you “Can’t call front desk”.. for anything including maintenance issues or needing extra towels.
No daily maid service… for us, this was a benefit. No need to worry about someone coming in and making sure any valuables were locked up.
If you like the control of picking the unit you are staying in & saving $, I can’t imagine not using VRBO or AirBNB, after doing the proper research.
If you don’t think you aren’t paying for these in a hotel booking, you are mistaken. At least in using a PtoP booking the charges are upfront. “There are negatives about vacation rentals too. Fees usually include cleaning, security deposit and sometimes a reservation fee.”
I own a rental condo and you CAN call the front desk for issues, 24 hours a day.
Just don’t rent through VRBO Bin program where you are padding the pockets of Expedia and getting nothing in return.
We rented through VRBO as well. We stayed in hotels for our honeymoon 18 years ago…which for a honeymoon couple I think is great. 2 kids and a bff later we want more of a family place where I can cook, the kids can do homework (summer homework!), watch movies, laundry and have space. The prices cannot be beat and we get to review a lot of different condo’s and resorts. We are staying in a resort on both Maui and Kauai that are owner rented but still have the pools and amenities you get with a hotel (albeit probably not as grand a scale but still lovely). We always use VRBO for our vacations on the east coast as well and was very happy with the selection for Hawaii. The candid reviews and photos are very helpful..you know you are getting THAT condo and not just the best/most expensive room the resort photographer could find.
Hotels just are not giving the personalized service for the buck. Fees are crazy, restaurants overpriced, rooms outdated etc. If you want an extended vacation with family VRBO is the way to go.
You’re lying or wrong claiming that traveler’s are better off with management companies. They charge about 30% of the gross to do a mostly poor job. I and my on island rep handle problems better than any management company in existence. I’ve been managing my own vacation rentals for years and I not only take great care of issues when they come up, I better maintain and stock my properties so they don’t come up.
With growing boys I prefer a vacation rental. Everyone can have their own bedroom and having the advantage of shopping at the farmers market and cooking just elevates the vacation. I have never had a bad experience and typically go through VRBO.
Stayed at the old Moana about 36 years ago and had a great experience. Still return to the banyan tree bar for the best Mai Tai on the Island.
We have done hotels over the years and have a Worldmark Timeshare which provides about a week a year on the Islands.
We use VRBO for all other stays, but they have gotten more pricy with extra charges for cleaning, security deposit and credit card fees. Some units are getting pretty old, so if the price is low you have to be careful.
Love your web site. Used the car rental link several times.
My husband and I are planning a trip to Oahu and Hawaii in April. After learning how expensive hotels are in Hawaii we decided to look into other options, and we selected 4 different places to stay. We haven’t gone yet, but if they are as good as they look we probably won’t be using hotels often in the future.
We have completely changed from staying in Hotels to VRBO. Hotels have priced themselves out of the game for families based on several factors.
1 – Room prices are too high even for those rooms without a “view”.
2 – Hotels now impose a “Resort Fee” which is just another way to double charge for something you have already paid for with the room rate
3 – Hotels add an additional Daily or Valet Parking Charge, yet again, another double charge.
4 – Hotel restaurants are ridiculously priced for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is much more affordable for a family to rent a condo/home/time share and prepare most of their own meals.
Too many other great options than to lock into a Hotel that charges you for every little thing in addition to the room rate. We have had tremendous success and excellent values for the VRBO we have used for the past 9 years. Hotels have missed out for sure and will continue to miss out as Airfare, Car Rentals and entertainment costs keep rising.
We’ve always stayed in condos, usually in the Waimanalo Beach area. Last trip we stayed again in condos, a bit further north for half and the other half over on the west side by Makaha Beach. Much prefer them to hotels.
We have stayed in timeshares for the last 20 years or so and our cost is only about $70 per night. We have four condo like weeks at the Waikiki Banyan which we got almost for free and can trade for two bedroom places on the other islands. We have gone three or four weeks at a time and sometimes go twice in a year. We have military retirement benefits and can often fly over and back on a space available basis for free and also can fly free on Some airlines. With the inexpensive military golf courses and shopping at Costco and the commissary a month in Hawaii is very reasonable. We have stayed. Several times for a few days at owner condos and hotels but prefer our own very small one bedroom timeshare condo.
My husband and I don’t stay at any of the big resorts anymore.
Refuse to pay “resort fee” and $30-40 to park your car(crazy) per night. We like Kona Tiki on big island!
The first time I visited Hawaii (2009), we stayed in a hotel in Honolulu and we had a bed, a chair, a tv, and a small table, a tiny “closet” area, and a dresser, and we paid about $180 a night for that.
The next time we went (2014) we stayed in a 1 bedroom condo at Turtle Bay (by the golf course), with a living room (couch, chairs, and tv), a dining room (w/table and chairs for 4), a full kitchen with a full size refrigerator (and all the pots, pans, dishes, etc, one could ever need if you wanted to eat in), a separate bedroom, onsite laundry facilities, barbeque facilities, and the owner also had beach chairs, an umbrella, and more all included…for $135 per night (including the cleaning fee).
So, as you can see there really isn’t any comparison, and I’ll never rent another hotel room nearly anywhere for a vacation (we got an excellent place in Chicago on AIRBNB too) and hopefully in the next 20 years we can start seeing some of the high rise monstrosities in Honolulu beginning to be torn down and letting the sun in.
We tried a villa last yr down in Florida and now know that is the way to go! When we booked this vaca we booked a condo in Maui and the bottom of a house in Oahu. Much cheaper and quiter. No walls paper thin and no-one running down the halls at 2am or 6am.
Plus some come w/ your OWN PRIVATE hot tub or pool.
I’ve been going for 3 weeks every year for about 7 years now and we only did the resort thing the very first time. The next time we went with AirBnb and have never looked back. The resorts are nice but I like feeling like a local, not having to fight over parking, and being able to cook my own meals. Eating out every meal for 3 weeks can become tiresome and expensive, esp with kids.
if i want to stay on waikiki, i stay at the sheraton moana in the old building. on the other islands, rentals, rentals, rantls, ability to cook, cheaper, i usuallys tay on kauai and like the north shore,princeville area. have found both VRBO and AIRBNB rentals. and yes, remember to stop at costco on the way. i personally travel alone much of the time. so a hotel package is not my deal. but…the sheraton moana, can’t do better, i love it. so it just depends. but mostly rentals.
Have been travelling to Hawaii for the past 20 years almost every year and have never used a hotel always rented a condo. Larger rooms, ability to cook and much cheaper.
Vacation rentals are OK, but if you truly care about Hawaii then please be mindful about the impacts on our communities:
https://www.change.org/p/maui-planning-commission-no-more-short-term-rentals-in-our-community
Thank you so much for your page and this article! I love all the wonderful information you provide! We’re planning our first trip for next summer and have been renting condos with kitchens for each leg of our trip. We are staying 10 nights on Oahu, followed by 7 nights each on Kauai, Big Island and Maui. I’m wondering for two adults if we are planning to use the kitchen, and cook most meals would the $70 per person per day for budging still apply? Just not sure if grocery costs are that much higher?? We usually spend about $450-$600 a month. Thanks!
Hi Saundra.
Thank you! Would suggest you plan food costs being about double what you are used to. It takes a lot of shipping and handling to get anything out here. Costco may help although the quantities might not work for many items.
Aloha.
I have always used VRBO but now I see these extra fees and now I know why. I won’t use them again. Who would you recommend for vacation rentals on Kauai and Maui? Thank you so much for your help.
Hi Sandy.
We suggested 4 companies that we know personally in the post on both islands.
Aloha.
Aloha – We try to vacation on Maui every year and absolutely love it! After staying in various parts of the island and many different places, we have made The Whaler in Kaanapali our second home while on the island. Perfect location, the condo we rent is amazing and you can’t beat being that close to the Barefoot Bar and ocean. Highly recommend it! Mahalo!
Are you guys still renting out a hale ?
Hi Marsha.
Ha. Definitely not. Are you coming over? Would love to meet up in person.
Best Aloha.
My family is going on a long vacation. Thanks for the advice about how rentals let you reduce food costs and is more kid friendly. Another benefit is that you don’t have to deal with maids or other staff.
Sorry I missed this thread — we were in Hawaii! This time, Kauai and Maui; our 5th trip in 4 years. Our first trip was a package purchased on Skyauction.com for a week in Oahu with round-trip airfare. The lodging was a privately-owned studio at the southwest end of Waikiki. The decor was not 5 star, but otherwise it was a PERFECT place — convenient, and even an ocean view. Since then we have stayed there every time we’ve gone to Oahu, and will continue unless they raise prices hugely. Believe it or not, that trip cost $1300 from LA for my husband and me! Plus we had to fly from NY to LA. But still, a great bargain. Since then we’ve also stayed in rentals on three other islands: The Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. We stayed in a resort this year just for kicks, that I thought was a good deal, $800 for 5 nights. But for that, we had to go through another TEDIOUS sales presentation. And adding one more night was another $250. Plus $100 for parking. But that’s where we ended the resort experience. Except for using the resort’s beach a few times, we certainly never dined or drank on the premises — where a simple mai tai could easily cost $20. You know, even in a hotel you can buy a bottle of wine (from a store) and keep it in your room!
We like finding great food without breaking the bank, and in many years of travel we’ve learned that good food doesn’t have to cost a lot, and many times you have to pay top dollar for mediocre food. We always eat breakfast in the condo, and sometimes lunch. We have a practice of only eating one meal a day in a restaurant. If we splurge on lunch we get takeout for dinner, or cook. As a result, the cost of eating while we’re on vacation is not much more than at home. In short, we are totally sold on vacation rentals, not just in Hawaii but all over the world.
Hi Anne,
Thank you!
Aloha.
We used a vacation rental house through Kauai Vacation Rentals last year and it was perfect for us. We did our shopping at the local Farmer’s market and the local fish market. We like to make our own food so a rental with a kitchen is what we look for.
Years ago we stayed in hotels in Waikiki and liked it. Discovered Kailua 12 years ago and that’s all she wrote. No hotels, resorts, etc. so we stayed at a vacation rental . Been staying there 12 years…same place for winter months. So awesome…no parking fees, etc. don’t feel like tourists…just our winter home!
We have always used VRBO. With the recent purchase by Expedia, they are raising fees to list rentals AND they will be charging the renter a booking fee. IMO this is greedy and I will not be using it again. Will look for other options and won’t use VRBO or Home Away again.
I stayed at both hotels and p2p VRBO type vacation rentals before. The value when you jump to a multi room condo or a house would be so expensive with any hotel, the only way to go is a vacation rental they offer such a great value in terms of cost. Can you imagine the cost of a 2 bedroom suite of 1,000sf at the hotel price, $$$$, if you can get that size of a hotel room.
But VRBO a few weeks back put in place a 4-10% ‘SERVICE FEE’ on the gross amount of the booking. Between their greed and the 3-5% by the credit card company, I pity the poor owners who have no choice.
Expedia now owns VRBO and milking the process for all the money they can get out., Pete
And that’s the kind of information I am grateful to you and for BoH for sharing. Bummer. What’s the alternative?
I have been a devoted VRBO user for years and am now a newly AIRBNB user. Being 64 and often a solo traveler I do not fit the demographic…who cares! I love condos, Ohana cottages, and homes on Maui, Hawaii and Lanai. No going back to stifling hotels. By the way, SF, Boston, WAashington DC, Seattle, Portland,OR, and NYC are fun places to try out a variety of neighborhoods. Just the space is nice but a kitchen for breakfast, and BBQ’s for the fresh fish of HI are magnificent pluses. It was the early 2005 that I tried VRBO and now find short stays in even luxury hotels unsatisfying…I like my own home away from home.
We much prefer a condo, cottage or home to a hotel for stays longer than a couple of days. Cooking wih local seafood and eating local fruit and produce from farmers’ markets gives a real taste of the islands you’ll never get in a hotel or restaurant. Food is just fuel for some people who are happy with the same things they eat at home but expanding your outlook is a significant reason to travel and Hawaii’s many cultures give multiple opportunities to sample a variety of foods, cooking them yourselves or from small local spots you’d never find if you stayed in a resort area or a hotel.
We go to Maui every other year and rent a very nice and reasonable villa in Kapalua. We normally eat breakfast and maybe lunch in the villa and go out to dinner on some nights. I booked a room for one night for my son’s birthday at the Grand Wailea and with the high room fee itself along with daily resort fees, taxes, valet parking and then all the tipping we will need to do, it is really pretty ridiculous. Of course, we are paying for the use of the (very crowded) pools etc but not sure if it’s worth it. Which makes me wonder…Why am I doing this again? Oh yeah, my son’s birthday! 😀
It’s hard to compare pricing between hotels and vacation rentals… the vacation rentals come with weird pricing structure (each according to its property owner) and cleaning fees that can be ridiculous ($50 cleaning fee for a 1 bedroom for a 1 night stay).
As a vacation rental manager in the past, I can attest that advertising is prohibitively expensive for the property owner, and you may get a better deal by dealing with the owners directly. Also, VRBO, HomeAway, VacationRentals, and a few other sites are all owned by one BIG company that almost has a monopoly for online vacation rental traffic. They charge property owners in excess of $1000 to advertise on their “family of sites”, and the more we pay, the higher our property gets listed on their site.
We had a marvelous two-week stay in a house on the Big Island in Hawaiian Paradise Park, booked through VRBO in 2011. The home was lovely and we were really comfortable there. We never ate breakfast out once while we were there, instead preferring to stock up on the things we wanted and eat in–I still remember the fresh papaya and pineapple that I had every morning on the lanai. The owner provided detailed maps of the Big Island, along with a cooler, and some days we would pack a picnic and head out–in two weeks, we covered 1400 miles!! Some dinners we had in, some out, we were able to do as we pleased. Friends went with us, staying with relatives of theirs for the middle of the visit, so we had time both alone and with them. There’s no way that a two-week hotel stay could possibly compare with that.
We have stayed in two different homes in Paradise Park and we just love the neighborhood and area! We very well may have stayed in the same house you rented. Both our rentals there were just fabulous and so affordable too!
bEING A BUDGET TRAVLER,I STILL USE HOTELS ON OHAU. bUT IT’S THE BEST,WAIKIKI PRINCE. cLOSE TO BEACH AND BUS LINES. plus I HAVE all year to pay after a small deposit. All the money up front for me is hard to do. So until the Prince becomes too exspensive,I will continue to stay there.
We have used VRBO for many years and with the exception of one condo at Turtle Bay have always had a wonderful experience. We have returned to the same 1 bedroom apartment on Oahu’s North Shore at least ten times. It’s a walk-out basement apartment with a private pool and we NEVER lock the door. Best of all, it’s below $100 a night. We travel to Hawaii annually and the only time we have ever stayed at a hotel was when we could not make our onward connection.
My husband and I own a wonderful home in Kona that we rent out on VRBO. We’ve done really well with it too because we have a great rate and are in a great location. However, buyer beware . . . . . VRBO/HomeAway is now owned by Expedia and they have just recently started charging renters a fee to use their site. We are no longer going to advertise on their site after our subscription is up. We are sad about it as we have always appreciated the ease of use and fair pricing to use their site, but now with these new owners they want to double dip and that is just not good business. Our renters are down now too. Thankfully we had most of our now bookings already booked before the new fee went into effect. From what I’ve read on comments on their Facebook site there are going to be a lot of owners bail on them. They just got too greedy!
I had no idea, good to know about Expedia. Thank you. I’ve rented most our rentals through real estate companies. Sometimes they are less expensive for the same house/condo that VRBO
I’ll second the comment about VRBO and their new way of doing business. We paid plenty to be listed on the site and now they want to charge us and the users fees on top of our “membership”. I don’t like the wall they are putting between us and our guests nor this greedy new method. I asked for a refund of our unused membership but was denied. So, we too, will be leaving that site and not looking back.
Any vacation owner who is one you will want to deal with will have their own web site, want to communicate with you and will care about who is in their home. Owning a vacation rental is not a hands-off, turnkey business…at least if one cares about their guests, their experience and the property.
I think for most travelers, a vacation rental can provide a unique and enjoyable experience. Before we bought our own condo, we stayed in many and these experiences helped us decide what we should and could offer. Hotels also care greatly about the guest experience, just in a different way that has its own place and time. Let your unique needs determine which is best for you.
My wife and I own a couple of timeshares on Kauai. Unfortunately, due to our performance and filming schedule, our timeshares are not always available when we have free time. For several years, we’ve booked an AirBnB and have met wonderful local folks. We’ve never had a problem using this method. The cost of Hawaiian hotels has gotten out of hand, which led us to the alternate booking. Unless the hotel prices can be more competitive, we will continue with other methods to continue our enjoyment of the island.
We’ve only stayed in hotels in Honolulu. All other island stays have been in either condo’s, cottages, or Westin timeshares on Maui (rented from owners with too many weeks to use). You honestly cannot beat the value. On Maui, we stayed multiple times at ocean front locations (Napili Bay), and Ocean view (Westin Villa’s) for not much more than $220/night, including fees. On Kauai, we’ve booked condo’s and car via Suite-Paradise and have never been disappointed. Hotels would costs us double that amount for a non-view room with no kitchen or washer, plus “resort” fees.
We are family of 5. Cost wise – for us – when the kids were young and it’s only for a night or two, hotels are cheaper. Downside is everyone is in one room, one bathroom. Now that the kids are older and ahem – me and my husband want privacy – we get condos or homes on VRBO or airbnb. It’s cheaper for us and for longer stays makes more sense. Having a kitchen, fridge, and access to living like a local makes more sense.
I’ve been using VRBO to rent condos for many years and I’ve never stayed in a hotel in Hawaii, so in 2009 when I bought a condo and put it on the vacation rental market, it was a very easy decision to list it on VRBO. I’ll admit that I’m concerned about the new “service fee” they are adding to the cost now, but time will tell how that work out.
I agree with most everything you have to say about condo rentals, except your recommendation to only book through management companies. We self-manage ours and have an on-island contact for emergencies. If we used a management company, we would have to raise our rates to pay their commission or it would put us out of business. We have a total review score of 4.8 stars with 50 reviews and several repeat guests. So my advice to renters is that when you are looking at a listing, check the reviews and call the owner if you have questions, but don’t hesitate to rent directly from the owner. Most owners take great pride in their properties and want you to enjoy your stay in beautiful Hawaii.
We also prefer private rentals. The hotel industry is getting really expesive, why pay over 400 a night for the same condo that you can rent privately for much less in the same complex?
Another advantage to renting privately is that you are not locked in to an area in which to stay. You can move around the islands in the time span you like and stay in the areas that are so different and uncrowded than the hotels are. For instance, on the Big Island, there are 4-6 areas worth staying in, hotels are only in 2 of those.
Another advantage is the convenience of cooking meals which saves money and you don’t have to vacate for maid service.
We prefer rentals…best is a house. then condo. Like you say, the vacation rental feels more local and real than the plastic resorts. I can tell you that the one time we splurged and had a suite at the old side of the Royal Hawaiian it was very nice.
Our most recent trip included three nights at the Kuaui Palms, two nights at the Wild Ginger Inn in Hilo and then a rental outside of Captain Cook. The kitchen and w/d make a world of difference. It feels like home pulling in to the house after a long day of scuba diving.
My last two trips to Oahu have been booked through VRBO. I prefer a vacation rental over hotel rooms because the resort fees really annoy me. I cannot justify one particular hotel chain charging $30.00 per nite for trolley, phone calls and internet. Really ? That is more for internet in one day that I pay in a month at home. No more hotels for me (- :
Interesting article in that it feels that they treat all condos as non-hotels regardless how they are booked, i.e., Aston, which have condo properties with the same amenities as hotels (daily maid service, etc) and even show up on Expedia/ Travelocity, etc like a hotel.
We did the Pleasant Holidays/ Costco vacations the first couple of times especially when it was the first time to a particular island. But they’ve always been condos, not actual hotels. I can’t imagine not having a kitchen and a washer/ dryer available. Since then, we’ve always booked thru VRBO/ Homeaway.
Benefits through VRBO/ABnB (non-travel agency)-
Cost savings can be significant.
Additional perks – some VRBO owners act as concierge and give really good advice on activities.
The ability to pick the actual unit
Downsides –
If you’ve rented a condo from the owner you “Can’t call front desk”.. for anything including maintenance issues or needing extra towels.
No daily maid service… for us, this was a benefit. No need to worry about someone coming in and making sure any valuables were locked up.
If you like the control of picking the unit you are staying in & saving $, I can’t imagine not using VRBO or AirBNB, after doing the proper research.
If you don’t think you aren’t paying for these in a hotel booking, you are mistaken. At least in using a PtoP booking the charges are upfront. “There are negatives about vacation rentals too. Fees usually include cleaning, security deposit and sometimes a reservation fee.”
I own a rental condo and you CAN call the front desk for issues, 24 hours a day.
Just don’t rent through VRBO Bin program where you are padding the pockets of Expedia and getting nothing in return.
We rented through VRBO as well. We stayed in hotels for our honeymoon 18 years ago…which for a honeymoon couple I think is great. 2 kids and a bff later we want more of a family place where I can cook, the kids can do homework (summer homework!), watch movies, laundry and have space. The prices cannot be beat and we get to review a lot of different condo’s and resorts. We are staying in a resort on both Maui and Kauai that are owner rented but still have the pools and amenities you get with a hotel (albeit probably not as grand a scale but still lovely). We always use VRBO for our vacations on the east coast as well and was very happy with the selection for Hawaii. The candid reviews and photos are very helpful..you know you are getting THAT condo and not just the best/most expensive room the resort photographer could find.
Hotels just are not giving the personalized service for the buck. Fees are crazy, restaurants overpriced, rooms outdated etc. If you want an extended vacation with family VRBO is the way to go.
We use airbnb when we travel and also rent through airbnb and vrbo. It’s a great value for us.
You’re lying or wrong claiming that traveler’s are better off with management companies. They charge about 30% of the gross to do a mostly poor job. I and my on island rep handle problems better than any management company in existence. I’ve been managing my own vacation rentals for years and I not only take great care of issues when they come up, I better maintain and stock my properties so they don’t come up.
With growing boys I prefer a vacation rental. Everyone can have their own bedroom and having the advantage of shopping at the farmers market and cooking just elevates the vacation. I have never had a bad experience and typically go through VRBO.
Stayed at the old Moana about 36 years ago and had a great experience. Still return to the banyan tree bar for the best Mai Tai on the Island.
We have done hotels over the years and have a Worldmark Timeshare which provides about a week a year on the Islands.
We use VRBO for all other stays, but they have gotten more pricy with extra charges for cleaning, security deposit and credit card fees. Some units are getting pretty old, so if the price is low you have to be careful.
Love your web site. Used the car rental link several times.
Mahalo Paul!
My husband and I are planning a trip to Oahu and Hawaii in April. After learning how expensive hotels are in Hawaii we decided to look into other options, and we selected 4 different places to stay. We haven’t gone yet, but if they are as good as they look we probably won’t be using hotels often in the future.
We have completely changed from staying in Hotels to VRBO. Hotels have priced themselves out of the game for families based on several factors.
1 – Room prices are too high even for those rooms without a “view”.
2 – Hotels now impose a “Resort Fee” which is just another way to double charge for something you have already paid for with the room rate
3 – Hotels add an additional Daily or Valet Parking Charge, yet again, another double charge.
4 – Hotel restaurants are ridiculously priced for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is much more affordable for a family to rent a condo/home/time share and prepare most of their own meals.
Too many other great options than to lock into a Hotel that charges you for every little thing in addition to the room rate. We have had tremendous success and excellent values for the VRBO we have used for the past 9 years. Hotels have missed out for sure and will continue to miss out as Airfare, Car Rentals and entertainment costs keep rising.
We’ve always stayed in condos, usually in the Waimanalo Beach area. Last trip we stayed again in condos, a bit further north for half and the other half over on the west side by Makaha Beach. Much prefer them to hotels.
We have stayed in timeshares for the last 20 years or so and our cost is only about $70 per night. We have four condo like weeks at the Waikiki Banyan which we got almost for free and can trade for two bedroom places on the other islands. We have gone three or four weeks at a time and sometimes go twice in a year. We have military retirement benefits and can often fly over and back on a space available basis for free and also can fly free on Some airlines. With the inexpensive military golf courses and shopping at Costco and the commissary a month in Hawaii is very reasonable. We have stayed. Several times for a few days at owner condos and hotels but prefer our own very small one bedroom timeshare condo.
My husband and I don’t stay at any of the big resorts anymore.
Refuse to pay “resort fee” and $30-40 to park your car(crazy) per night. We like Kona Tiki on big island!
The first time I visited Hawaii (2009), we stayed in a hotel in Honolulu and we had a bed, a chair, a tv, and a small table, a tiny “closet” area, and a dresser, and we paid about $180 a night for that.
The next time we went (2014) we stayed in a 1 bedroom condo at Turtle Bay (by the golf course), with a living room (couch, chairs, and tv), a dining room (w/table and chairs for 4), a full kitchen with a full size refrigerator (and all the pots, pans, dishes, etc, one could ever need if you wanted to eat in), a separate bedroom, onsite laundry facilities, barbeque facilities, and the owner also had beach chairs, an umbrella, and more all included…for $135 per night (including the cleaning fee).
So, as you can see there really isn’t any comparison, and I’ll never rent another hotel room nearly anywhere for a vacation (we got an excellent place in Chicago on AIRBNB too) and hopefully in the next 20 years we can start seeing some of the high rise monstrosities in Honolulu beginning to be torn down and letting the sun in.
We tried a villa last yr down in Florida and now know that is the way to go! When we booked this vaca we booked a condo in Maui and the bottom of a house in Oahu. Much cheaper and quiter. No walls paper thin and no-one running down the halls at 2am or 6am.
Plus some come w/ your OWN PRIVATE hot tub or pool.
I’ve been going for 3 weeks every year for about 7 years now and we only did the resort thing the very first time. The next time we went with AirBnb and have never looked back. The resorts are nice but I like feeling like a local, not having to fight over parking, and being able to cook my own meals. Eating out every meal for 3 weeks can become tiresome and expensive, esp with kids.
if i want to stay on waikiki, i stay at the sheraton moana in the old building. on the other islands, rentals, rentals, rantls, ability to cook, cheaper, i usuallys tay on kauai and like the north shore,princeville area. have found both VRBO and AIRBNB rentals. and yes, remember to stop at costco on the way. i personally travel alone much of the time. so a hotel package is not my deal. but…the sheraton moana, can’t do better, i love it. so it just depends. but mostly rentals.
We always book a condo on VRBO.
Have been travelling to Hawaii for the past 20 years almost every year and have never used a hotel always rented a condo. Larger rooms, ability to cook and much cheaper.