Your Costco rental comparison is incomplete and missed one of the biggest benefits of using Costco-you can book, cancel, and then rebook again-all at no charge until you pick it up. And that is awesome. Most people book a trip and either don’t look back or can’t because they can’t change their reservations. On my last trip to Maui in May I rented a minivan from the 8th to the 22nd. I cancelled and rebooked my reservation 5 times. Costco allows you to do this and I save a lot of money every trip.
Costco price changes
Enterprise $1175
Avis $1014.90
avis $947
avis $901.22
avis $879.22
alamo $874.43
On this trip I saved $300. And that is the out the door price – no extra or hidden fees
From what I see with costco is the rental cars save you money, two drivers are free.. and you can book and rebook if you see a better price or a car, this works anywhere you go. The hotels however aren’t a great deal, you get a lesser room, but if that’s ok with you, then thats great. Most can’t (won’t) afford the cost of a hotel in Hawaii… crazy $$
Last fall we used a COSTCO package without air as your comparisons. We stayed at the Westin in Kaanapali and saved +$1300 for our gang of seven. We would have saved a couple of hundred dollars more if we didn’t have to make last minute changes requiring us to rent an extra car and paying for an extra night’s lodging.
BTW Southwest cancelled our return flight home that stranded us in Las Vegas (the 9th island) overnight. Their vouchers enabled us to get to NYC this spring. Mahalo
I booked three Costco hotels and car rentals this past April and saved a ton of money! Booking through Costco saved us the daily resort fee too which adds up quickly. The free airport transfer was so worth it for the Waikiki hotel. We stayed at the Royal Sonesta on Kauai and then had two bookings at the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. Totally recommend Costco Travel for Hawaii.
I use Costco travel exclusively when booking my Hawaiian vacations, one more advantage of using them is all resort fees are included or greatly reduced in the total price for hotel stays, you will still have to pay cleaning fees for condo stays however, as far as airfare is concerned, Hawaiian airlines allowed us to upgrade to comfort plus seat with no problem, we even bid on first class seats as well, just use your Costco confirmation number when making changes on the airline website, one more thing to add, always check the modify room option when booking, sometimes a cheaper room will be hidden there, when booking a car as well, the package price always includes a full size car, but you can sometimes downgrade to a smaller car for cheape
Aloha, we cannot wait for our stay on Kauai in August! I thought you might like to know that the $1068 fullsize car I rented from Costco in April has now gone down to $698! I will continue to check prices because they may continue to go down. Mahalo for your great newsletter. I look forward to it every day!
Aloha, we cannot wait for our stay on Kauai in August! I thought you might like to know that the $1068 fullsize car I rented from Costco in April has now gone down to $698! I will continue to check prices because they may continue to ho down. Mahalo for your great newsletter. I look forward to it every day!
I saved over 50% a few years back staying at the Kahala. Plus free breakfast Buffett which is expensive like $80 a person. no resort or parking fees. Gotta hit the dates right.
Costco Travel tip: Work from the bottom up when booking a package online. Costco has a specific order on purpose to charge you more for any changes.
Been using Costco travel travel to Hawaii for years can’t be beat!!!
Your Costco rental comparison is incomplete and missed one of the biggest benefits of using Costco-you can book, cancel, and then rebook again-all at no charge until you pick it up. And that is awesome. Most people book a trip and either don’t look back or can’t because they can’t change their reservations. On my last trip to Maui in May I rented a minivan from the 8th to the 22nd. I cancelled and rebooked my reservation 5 times. Costco allows you to do this and I save a lot of money every trip.
Costco price changes
Enterprise $1175
Avis $1014.90
avis $947
avis $901.22
avis $879.22
alamo $874.43
On this trip I saved $300. And that is the out the door price – no extra or hidden fees
From what I see with costco is the rental cars save you money, two drivers are free.. and you can book and rebook if you see a better price or a car, this works anywhere you go. The hotels however aren’t a great deal, you get a lesser room, but if that’s ok with you, then thats great. Most can’t (won’t) afford the cost of a hotel in Hawaii… crazy $$
Last fall we used a COSTCO package without air as your comparisons. We stayed at the Westin in Kaanapali and saved +$1300 for our gang of seven. We would have saved a couple of hundred dollars more if we didn’t have to make last minute changes requiring us to rent an extra car and paying for an extra night’s lodging.
BTW Southwest cancelled our return flight home that stranded us in Las Vegas (the 9th island) overnight. Their vouchers enabled us to get to NYC this spring. Mahalo
Hi Brad.
Thanks for letting us know how things went for you here and sit your free trip to NYC.
Aloha.
I booked three Costco hotels and car rentals this past April and saved a ton of money! Booking through Costco saved us the daily resort fee too which adds up quickly. The free airport transfer was so worth it for the Waikiki hotel. We stayed at the Royal Sonesta on Kauai and then had two bookings at the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. Totally recommend Costco Travel for Hawaii.
I use Costco travel exclusively when booking my Hawaiian vacations, one more advantage of using them is all resort fees are included or greatly reduced in the total price for hotel stays, you will still have to pay cleaning fees for condo stays however, as far as airfare is concerned, Hawaiian airlines allowed us to upgrade to comfort plus seat with no problem, we even bid on first class seats as well, just use your Costco confirmation number when making changes on the airline website, one more thing to add, always check the modify room option when booking, sometimes a cheaper room will be hidden there, when booking a car as well, the package price always includes a full size car, but you can sometimes downgrade to a smaller car for cheape
Did you forget about the Costco cash card Costco sends after your travel! Depends on the cost of your entire trip but for us it was about $700
Aloha, we cannot wait for our stay on Kauai in August! I thought you might like to know that the $1068 fullsize car I rented from Costco in April has now gone down to $698! I will continue to check prices because they may continue to go down. Mahalo for your great newsletter. I look forward to it every day!
Hi Lisa.
Thanks. Glad to hear your car rental became more reasonable!
Aloha.
Aloha, we cannot wait for our stay on Kauai in August! I thought you might like to know that the $1068 fullsize car I rented from Costco in April has now gone down to $698! I will continue to check prices because they may continue to ho down. Mahalo for your great newsletter. I look forward to it every day!
I saved over 50% a few years back staying at the Kahala. Plus free breakfast Buffett which is expensive like $80 a person. no resort or parking fees. Gotta hit the dates right.