See what these islands are planning for new Hawaii resort bubbles.
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405 thoughts on “Hawaii Resort Bubbles APPROVED | The Worst Idea Ever?”
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See what these islands are planning for new Hawaii resort bubbles.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
Staying at the resort, no matter how nice won’t work for most. When travelling to Hawaii, we want to see the sights, hike, go out to eat. I don’t think you’ll get a lot of takers with this strategy. We cancelled our August trip (timeshare) and will hope to come in 2022.
OMG! Like many others, I will be spending my dollars elsewhere for many years to come. Hawaii will go bankrupt because the politicians running the state.
CV-19 Isn’t the problem, Hawaii leadership is.
I hate to ask, but please tell us how much something like that would cost? Those Kohala Coast resorts are hundreds of dollars per night, not to mention sky high food and beverage prices.
And would returning residents like me have to do this or would we still be allowed to go home for the 14 days?
House arrest would be preferable to the torture you mention of looking out over the blue Pacific from a hotel room but not being allowed to even dip your toes in the water.
Hi Mike.
Good question. Another unknown and one that was never mentioned.
Aloha.
I would consider a bubble in Maui if we are free to go to restaurants, for us mainly TS restaurants, go to the beaches of our choice, sounds like I’m already out of the bubble
that’s a lot of money to spend for bubbling, I guess it’s ok if you are at one of the bigger resorts with amenities, we stay at the Whaler in Ka’anapali. Come on Maui, maybe wait a little
longer when things calm down so we can enjoy our long, rescheduled vacations.
Thank you Beat of Hawaii for the update on this. From a particularly selfish point of view I do not see how a resort bubble will help vacation rentals since I can’t imagine this being in any way remotely feasible for them.
That said, I could see this working in principle however I am not sure how enticing this will be for people to visit Hawaii. I would think you need a completely different kind of experience than what was provided before the pandemic. It would need to be all inclusive and have access to a nice swimming beach. Perhaps supervised outing could be done. But this kind of experience has already been available for years in Mexico and the Caribbean and will be much less expensive than anything in Hawaii. And also, let’s be honest about it, if this is done correctly then it does need to be resort jail, no matter how gilded the cages are.
[Oh, if you allow me to be a bit cheeky, perhaps the first site should be Kaluapapa]
From my (albeit mainland) perspective I give the Governor and Mayors a lot of credit as they seem to have put the lives and health of their people first. So in my opinion, all of us who want to visit should wait until the country gets its #$%^ together and there is enough testing so that it is truly safe for the residents.
And for the record I totally support travel bubbles with other countries that have effective managed the virus. This will give desperately needed relief to the Americans living in Hawaii.
Hi AW.
Thank you.
Aloha.
If flights, room rates, and food were priced low enough to make up for the fact that visitors couldn’t go off site, we’d probably do it. But only if the resort were beachfront, with decent acreage for walks. Scheduled activities that could be done while socially distanced would be a plus. But we are return visitors who have been enough times to not feel compelled to hit the tourist spots.
In a word?
RIDICULOUS
Trying to quantify where people will come from and where they’ll stay is impossible.
What’s next? Ankle bracelets?
Besides what’s Hawai’i going to do, use government funds to hire “Resort Tracking Police? The RTF.
This whole mess would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic.
Mahalo Beat Of Hawai’i for the wonderful information.
🌺
Hi Pam.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Thank you for all you are doing to keep us on the Mainland informed. While I think this idea has some potential, we are annual visitors to Kauai Lagoons Kalanipu’u, and I don’t see how it would work for that resort. While it would be nice to not be confined to our villa for 14 days, there’s no restaurant, only a little shop (like Waiohai), and while the facilities at Kalanipu’u are nice, they aren’t enough for a 3-1/2 week stay without leaving the grounds for the first 14 days. I’m glad someone is thinking positively, though. We’ve now cancelled out annual visit twice and are hoping to be able to get there before we’re too old to travel.
Hi Katherine.
Thanks.
Aloha.
I am curious who will have the authority to choose which hotels are suitable for quarantined lodging. Would Hyatt, Marriott, Sheraton etc., bid for this ‘prisoner of paradise’ experiment? Sounds like a tempting opportunity to line someone’s pockets…Bad idea for locals and tourists alike.
I’d be happy to be stuck at Hapuna Prince Hotel for 5-7 days! Food, ocean, pool and room. That’s all I need to relax. But other than looking for a relaxing getaway, I don’t think it would work for most.
Aloha Rob and Jeff,
As a resident of Kauai, I haven’t been able to find the answer for my question…
I will be going to CA next month for about six weeks to see my family. Upon my return, I would have the blood test (about $200) three days prior to the flight. When I get back to my island home, will I have to go to a quarantine resort or will I be able to my own home for the six or seven day quarantine?
On the other hand, if I choose not to have the test, will I be able to go to my own home and quarantine for 14 days as I did back in May?
Mahalo nui loa for all you do for us,
Melissa
Hi Melissa.
Long time no talk. Good to hear from you. We don’t know what September will bring in terms of testing to avoid quarantine. We hope to know by mid-August. On the other hand, you can definitely return to your home to quarantine if there is no testing option.
Aloha.
We have a Kauai trip planned for September 25-October 4 that has been rescheduled twice since May. The first three days are at the Pono Kai in Kapa’a with the last seven at a North Shore Haena residence.
Why should only resorts benefit? There are numerous private lodging’s whose owners have suffered financially because of the quarantine. They should be afforded the same consideration as corporate resorts.
That’s not something that I would spend money on to be stuck in a hotel no thanks
🙂 If we make the bubbles small, we could bring back Do Ho to sing “Tiny Bubbles” 🙂 and pipr the mucic thru to each room.
I doubt that this will work well if at all. If a tourist has to remain within a single resort, there are far more cost effective areas to do that like Mexico and the Caribbean. Why pay more for a similar experience? Add the all-inclusive aspects of these competing areas and Hawaii doesn’t make sense financially.
I also wonder how in he world this could actually be enforced. How is a resort supposed to keep close tabs on hundreds or thousands of guests? How do they know how long you’ve been there? Would this actually be an effective strategy to mitigate Covid infections? What’s the procedure when (not if) someone turns out to be positive? Way more questions than answers about this idea.
I agree on the All-INCLUSIVE aspect. I’ve been to a few Jamaican All-Inclusive resorts. They offer tons of activities and amenities, including food and booze. I can’t see Hawaii pulling this off, which would make it viable.
There is almost NO NEED to leave your Jamaican resort, everything is there… Hawaii has tons of outside attractions to be seen and done…
Not going to work…. 🙁
I’d go to the Caribbean for this type of Bubble, but NO WAY would I go to Hawaii.
Next??
If I can’t go wher I want with who I want when I want, I won’t be traveling there
I agree
Why should I pay a premium price to get a restricted vacation? I’ll be back when you open up for real.
I would never subject myself or family to such a wacky vacation. Would anyone plan such a vacation???
This does not sound like a workable plan to me. We usually visit at least two islands on our visits, one where our kids live, and then on the Big Island. We also like to explore, and find new restaurants to try, so do most travelers. If your governor wants to open up, then he should do so, if he doesn’t want to open up, he should say so. People need to be able to plan months in advance for these trips. We have already canceled a trip in April, and pushed our November trip to March of 21, because there is no guarantee that Gov. Ige will not push back the opening dates farther and farther. In addition the testing is not available, and with continued high numbers of testing being done, tests are not available for travel. Even if they were, they cannot get results back in 3 days. Glad you are a reliable resource for information, because you are the only place this info is readily available. You keep us informed. Thanks.
Hi Lee.
Thank you.
Aloha.
I think it is inexcusable to refuse to let people who take the time discomfort and expense to travel to Hawai’i enjoy the wonders of the islands and lock them in their rooms or limit them to deveoped resort bubbles. I would sue the state for travel and lodging expenses wasted. I have been there fourteen times, but I may never return if there is a chance I would be denied enjoying my vacation.
Not interest in being a prisoner!
No…..not happening. Will not be in resort jail for half of our vacation. Our trip for November looks like a No Go….Cancel!!!
Thank you for keeping us informed of this YO YO situation.
Hi Marilyn.
Thanks.
Aloha.
My wife and I are still hoping to visit Hawaii in early October. If this is the only option, we will cancel our trip for sure. I don’t go on vacation to be held captive and really, this sounds very boring. I can stay in Wisconsin and watch the leaves fall. Hawaii, unlike Jamaica, is a place you want to go and explore on you own. These bubble places seem like they are bubbles even in good times… You’d need to be cautious in venturing out from a resort. In any case we are eager to know what the rules will be for October as we really want to make this trip.
I actually kind of like this idea, for us anyway! We have been to Maui so many times and have loved it Everytime, but we do not Need to go a lot of places! At this point we just Want to come there in January and Enjoy our favorite place on the planet doing almost nothing, swim in the ocean, swim in our pool, if safe, get some food, BBQ at our condo, watch the whales, read a book drink ice Cold Longboard beer while sitting in the sun in front of the complex watching waves!
Having ANY other countries citizens come into one of our states without allowing our own citizens in first is wrong on so many levels but considering the way little Iggy and his cabal of mayors has been running the state into the ground this is probably what they will try to do. At that point I truly hope that the President steps in and says oh HELL no you don’t! They will take federal tax dollars and then do that? Next time they want a big cash infusion then go to the Japanese government first and see how that works. And comparing Jamaica, a sovereign country, to Hawaii, a US state is just asinine!
On the Kohala Coast, there is only one property that one could call “self-contained” — Mauna Kea/Hapuna, now owned by Marriott. The Marriott Waikoloa, Mauna Lani, and Hilton Waikoloa are all within easy walking distance to shops and restaurants. Unless guests can be constantly monitored (non-removable electronic bracelets?), this doesn’t seem to be a feasible plan for the Big Island. Already, daily cases on Oahu are recording their highest rates ever. A Florida teen and his father were just handcuffed and taken to a quarantine facility for ten days. My best guess is that people will simply remove their electronic devices and leave them in the room, ignoring their bubble quarantine.
I understand that they are grasping at straws here but I just don’t see someone paying that kind of money and investing their vacation time in being a prisoner even if it is at a resort. Hawaii is too beautiful to be caged in paradise. I appreciate all of your great information and perspective.
Hi Tim.
Thank you.
Aloha.
Bubble concept!
NOT INTERESTED
STUPIDEST idea yet. But hey at least someone is trying to come up with ideas. Just not this one please.
Just simply say we don’t want u in Hawaii and we can go ahead and cancel our reservations and quit worrying about it
This is absolutely the most ridiculous proposal I’ve ever heard.
I agree with you. Hawaii has covid carriers it makes me so mad they are hiding it. I work at a trauma center. Hawaii has people walking around that are carriers of COVID …asymptomatic because look at the numbers … they are not getting tested in Hawaii like here on the mainland. Thousands being tested except in Hawaii. [Edited to remove upper case – please no UPPER CASE – thanks].
No, No, No!!!! What a crazy idea! I would never pay the expensive price for a Hawaiian vacation just to quarantine in a resort. I guess an ankle bracelet comes with that bubble. Stop this fear people!!!
It would be nice to be able to quarantine in our own condo but it is not on the approved hotel list. Hopefully Canadians will be welcomed back as soon as it’s safe. Currently we are unable to buy travel medical insurance so it is not possible for us to come to Hawaii.
Check with the HTA, but you ARE allowed to quarantine in your condo or any condo so long as you stay within the structure, lanai included. Our daughter and her family just came off the 14-day. They were asked at the airport for address and cell number. They were contacted each day by phone and also received the “all clear” call on the final day.
I’m not sure how they were able to quarantine in a condo. Before cancelling our trip, I contacted the governor’s office and was told that we had to quarantine 14 days in a hotel before relocating to the condo because the condo was considered a vacation rental. We were planning to rent the condo for 4 months, but that didn’t matter.
I am truly sorry to hear that you got bad information. Perhaps you were traveling to Oahu. I know that the Mayor, not the Governor, at one point identified hotels as the only option because of the horrible problem with illegal vacation rentals on Oahu. Three groups that I personally know, including my daughter’s family, were able to quarantine in a condo.
sounds complicated. there would have to be start and stop dates every 2 weeks. staff would have to quarantine with guests then without guests on a rotating basis. Alternatively, if the plan is to protect the local population and not the guests, as it is in jamaica, a point to point system where the guests are sequestered from the arrival gate to departure gate could be implemented, thereby containing any infection to the guest population. We could let them mix it all up like sandals and come and go with their diseases. The flight crews would have to be contained in the same way.
Good Point John J
This is a pipe dream that cannot happen, and totally over the top in the rabid paranoia chart.
Do what is working, enforce masks and handwashing and personal space and we can reopen hawaii. Make sure you vote out IGE and State rep Tulsi Gabbard and crazy Mazie
I’d be very careful about how this could really run up the cost of a trip. Naturally, the bigger the resort the better, but since you and your family are basically a captive audience, the sky is the limit on what they could charge for each and every thing!
As much as we love the islands, Hawaii is already an expensive vacation for us. If this added say an additional 25-50% to the trip, it would put this vacation in the out of reach category.
As frequent travelers to the Big Island we will NOT travel and spend our hard earned money under this concept. We love exploring, traveling and touring the island. If I wanted to stay in a hotel complex under “supervision” I would just stay home(its free)! Why spend all the money and time to get there and be under what can be considered house arrest. Almost as bad/ridiculous as the concept of allowing Japan to travel first to Hawaii. It looks more and more like our November trip to Hawaii will not occur with these parameters in place.
I guess our Hawaii “fix” will be through Beat of Hawaii for the foreseeable future, until we can visit when and where we want with no conditions in place. We wish the Hawaiian islands and people well during this time.
Aloha
Hi Jan.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Wow. Kind of like a detention camp? This is a vacation? Hard pass here. Good luck Hawaii. Evidently you’re going to need it.
I think something like this could work. Front desk areas could put up stations that are plexiglassed off for social distancing between each group and the agent checking them in. In order to make it feel more like Hawaii a stage area can be plexiglassed in from the visitors and from each musician where entertainment can be provided as a warm touch. The rooms should be utilized in a way of the rooms located next to the elevators should be empty. Then the room next to that could be utilized, then ensuring the room across of the utilized room is also vacant. Then every other room can be utilized down the hall while it being the opposite on the other side of the hall. Hire elevator operators to ensure a limited number of people are allowed at a time. Bellman control the flow into the hotel lobby and reservations are made for pool usage.
It could really work!
🙂 If we make the bubbles small, we could bring back Do Ho to sing “Tiny Bubbles” 🙂 and pipr the mucic thru to each room.
This appears to be the best of all the bad ideas so far.
The Big Island could group Manuna Kea, Fairmont, Prince, Hilton Waikoloa, Marriot Waikoloa and the Four Seasons into a travel corridor…add in the airport to entry/exit privileges. Rentals traveling outside the corridor would be penalized. Arrange for local restaurants to deliver when the hotel food gets too monotonous or pricey. Add a COVOD test center at each hotel.
Resort Bubbles: Not a great idea. Who or what entity would be charged with being a bubble cop? Does one go to “resort jail” instead of some ridiculous fine? How, electronically, would one be tracked at the resort? Too many what if’s.
Thanks – you guys do a great job keeping us informed!
Hi Dale.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Is it going to be free? LOL no thanks. Why would a person pay full price to stay in a hotel that would treat you like a prisoner? I have plenty of stupid ideas, maybe I should run for public office in Hawaii.
Who comes up with crazy ideas such as this?? Hawaii governance appears to be a Junior Achievement project. I agree with you 100%
That would be a definite NO! Colleen
Double ditto, NO, NO.
Twice a year Traveler to Maui, not with this plan. I’m not spending 10 grand to be sequestered in my resort. Pre-arrival test and Temp chk is all Hawaii can reasonably do. Hawaii wants a perfect system and if they continue to push for that they’ll never get it open. Therapy’s have dropped the death rate by 70% nationally, despite spike in cases. And hospital rates except in 4 states are way down. The current death rate is similar now to the common flu. Time to open it with a testing plan. It won’t be perfect but if this goes beyond Sept. you can kiss most of the restaurants and small businesses,and work force good-bye for the foreseeable future. Maui will be especially damaged where Tourism is 90% of the economy.