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524 thoughts on “Kauai Not Reopening Travel Soon + Kauai Resort Bubbles And More”
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See the latest delay on reopening without Kauai Resort Bubbles.
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This is insane. We are scheduled to come to Kauai in late March for two weeks. Our timeshare resort is not a bubble resort, and even if it was we will not give up a fourth of our time there. If this does not change by then, we will be giving up our four weeks of timeshare there and not be back. We have been coming for 20 years but this is too much. We will miss it, but it is just too difficult. If they don’t stop the nonsense there timeshare industry will go down the tubes as people cannot use their investment and will opt to just let it go.
I cancelled our February trip to Kauai in time to get a full refund. The new processes you have outlined here are certainly not enough to rebook my trip in 2021, at this time.
Who would want to go? Every week there’s a new plan.
There is alot of money, planning, that goes into an expensive trip. There are so many rules that I’d be afraid something would come up last minute and cost more,with hassel, and frustration. I am sorry for the economy there.
We love Kauai. we married there in 1981, have visited frequently and have had a time share there for 20+ years. We waited as long as possible, but yesterday traded our 2021 week for points. I don’t see a good end to covid-19 or Hawaii’s tourist policies within the next year. Sadly, I believe it will take years for Hawaii to recover; and some parts of the economy may never do so. We will hold tight to our memories and wish the many people who made our stays so wonderful but at our age, we may never be able to travel to Hawaii again.
OMG! Can this get any more confusing and absurd????
Mahalo
I guess it’s good news but how much more complicated can they make it!!! Thank goodness we’re not coming until mid-July!
I just figured out how much more this is going to cost me for my January trip and it’s too expensive.
You have pretest costs, shuttle to hotel costs, bubble hotel, grocery delivery charge, rental of bubble bracelet ($85-100 pp), taxi to get second test, cost of second test, taxi to get rental car, pay more for car because weekly rentals are less. If you decide to stay on Maui or Oahu first then add in interisland fare. So to me the people won’t come. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.
Hi Joan.
Thanks for the feedback and getting that off your chest. We appreciate your many comments over the past 5 years as well.
Aloha.
lucy charlie brown football gif
No
I’ve been coming to Kauai for years. This is so sad. There were 20 of us coming mid 2021 and renting 5 different condos. There is no way we can go through all this quarantine and stuff for days. The poor condo owners are suffering if not already lost their places, all the local businesses are suffering too, laying off or just sadly going out of business,it’s been over 9 months now and no end in sight. Everyone in the USA that was traveling to hawaii is making other vacation plans elsewhere,, I am so sad for the hawaiian people 🌺
Happy New Year
It’s time for the Governor to grow a set and set the rules for all islands. This changing every week is madding to travelers and locals alike. Small business and jobs are getting crushed under the weight of indecision. Corona is not ever going away so waiting won’t work. My state has no lock downs you are free to hit the ski slopes, snowmobile, tour, restaurants are open and serving. People are showing up in droves from the lockdown states. The corona gaslighting needs to stop and let common sense back into the picture.
Thanks for all the good info.
Hi James.
Thanks. Hauoli makahiki hou!
Aloha.
Kauai obviously wants to have their cake and eat it to. I cancelled my Kauai trip and rebooked to Maui. I’ll cancel there also is they follow suit and stay home. Mind you I wear an n95 everywhere.
Not interested in Traveling to Kauai while they have these ridiculous rules in place; we’ll just go elsewhere. Kauai was our vacation destination 3-4 times a year. Instead, we’ve booked Maui in January and Oahu in March.
Hurts. Well now the governor is as crazy as the mayor. Very sad. Resort bubbles are ridiculous. I would spend my $$$ elsewhere before coming to kauai. This is a joke. Obviously the mayor and governors people don’t read people’s comments. So sad.
This makes no sense. Hang with other people who will be coming and going along with staff for a few days is safer than being alone???? I cannot understand how this keeps my Island friends safer.
We are due to arrive Sunday and have made all our arrangements for the 10-day quarantine. So the option to make it shorter is to drop a couple of thousand dollars to increase our risk to the Island. I think the second test four or five days later may be a good option, but NOT after you have been hanging with people who may have just gotten off a plane. As of this morning, we have have no plans to stay at the resort next door to shave the days off. It strikes us as putting Kauai at a higher risk, not a lower one. Our convenience will not put Kauai at risk. EK
Hurts and really shows how lax hawaii is about its economic future. It also shows that it really doesnt care about tourism and tourists and basic freedoms as an American to travel freely.
Way to listen to your lifeblood! No one wants it, so lets do it?!
The more I read about what’s going on there, the more I think I’d be better in the Caribbean islands…. Many of them seem to have it more Together….
This reminds me of Abbott and Costello’s who’s on first routine. I just pushed our reservations out to July, if they can’t get it together by then….We’re Donef. As much as we enjoy Kauai, it’s not the only place to spend our money.
BOB G…Love the analogy and yes, same for us. If they don’t get it together by July – we’re going to a different island!!! Which is a shame because this Summer will be (hopefully) our 44th trip to Kauai – a place which we obviously love.
As to your final question, Does this latest proposal help or hurt your chances of planning a Kauai vacation?, this will have no effect on my travel plans. As much as I love and dream of The Islands, it would be irresponsible to travel anywhere for pleasure until this deadly virus poses no danger to Hawaii and/or myself.
Thank you Tony. All above comments lament one lost visit, a vacation during a deadly pandemic. With the virus raging in many mainland locations, our govenor continues to regard life more important than a vacation. If you truly love Kauai and it’s people you will understand. Financial difficulties are temporary, death or life long covid effects are not.
There is no lipstick that can be put on the ‘resort bubble’ plan and make it look appealing to anyone. 4 days,10 days or any days. This is the fever dream of a few Kauai politicians.
The resort owners won’t open with this plan as they know people aren’t going to do 4 days locked up before heading to their resort. They’ll stay closed or bleed cash big time. The restaurants and mom and pop shops will largely shutter. Their staffs will go broke and be homeless as clearly no meaningful assistance is coming from the feds. They’ll be plenty of ICU beds as all but the rich transplants will be driven off the island.
Hi Tom.
Thanks for your comments over the past 12 years. We appreciate it!
Aloha.
Just saw this in todays Garden Island News:
This rule is independent of the Safe Travels program and does not require travelers to utilize a state-approved travel or testing partner. Rather, travelers utilizing Rule 24, are allowed to submit any pre-travel and post-travel test so long as it has received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Get tested (if you can schedule one) before you leave home .. travel to the Big Island and get tested again.. fly to Kauai and get another test.. pay for and have to stay in a resort bubble for 4 days.. then get tested again..(hope you don’t get a false positive)….I’d rather stay home, not a welcoming strategy. Who comes up with these
plans ??
Aloha to Kauai Islanders from your loyal and respectful friends in British Columbia, Canada.
My wife and I were planning on our one month vacation in March 2021.
This would have been our 4th visit to your Island.
We are wishing you all the best for 2021 and hopefully will be able to visit in 2022.
Stay home and stay safe!
Mahalo Nui Loa 😃♥️
Powell River B.C. Canada
What makes a difference to us is the “Trusted Testing Partners” which I thought was part of he Bubble Resort Program. They need to accept any FDA approved tests including the instant tests. We have a COVID test facility a couple of miles from the house. The it is an antigen test, costs $115, and you have the results in 15 minutes. The test is 97% accurate. It is a nasal swab, but it is not accepted because it is not a molecular test.
I assume the test on the 4th day is some kind of instant test.
Does anyone know how the Bubble Resort thing work? Do you have to make your own reservation?
Sadly not realistic to even get to Hawaii and have testing results since “approved partners” are over booked on mainland. Testing should be done upon arrival on Islands at airports.
We will cancel our planned trip to Kauai with this latest proposal by the mayor. It’s expensive enough with airfare, hotel stays , hotel and city taxes, hotel resort fees, car rentals, COVID testing and now proposals to charge visitors only to pay for beach parking. I can think of other more welcoming places to plunk down my hard earned vacation dollars.
Thanks BOH for your great reports and providing a platform for commenting!
Hi Lee.
Thanks for letting us know. We hope you can return again.
Aloha.
Goodby Hawaii. Maybe see you when Covid is done. Too many beautiful places in the world that actually want us to bring our money to them. Maybe see you in 2023. Hang on till then.
We own a home in Kalaheo currently rented until 2022. Own 3 weeks at the Marriott Wiaohai but canceled our planned March trip to Kauai.
It’s not worth it!
We traveled to Kauai Oct 15th when opened with testing. Leading up to the trip is to much stress. Our medical is Stanford care. One of the best, but a Stanford test is not approved on the trusted list. We had to drive to Reno from Oakland to get a test at Walgreens. So we took two tests. We had to drive 4 hrs for the approved test, which btw was self administratored vs Stanford with trained nurses.
Three simple needs;
1) Expand the test approved list!
2) 96 hours vs 72 hrs
3) require a negative test preflight, everyone!
What’s the point of my testing if someone else chooses to quarantine?
Early December there were 18 cases with 14 quarantined at home , 4 in facility.
What’s that mean? 14 locals and four tourists with late test returns?
99% recovery! Follow the real science!
Aloha, I would not bother coming to Kauai as a traveler from the mainland to join one of these ridiculous resort bubbles that are never going to work, however if I was a traveler from the mainland I might go to Maui or another island, and then make Hawaii part of my multi island stay.
Unfortunately, for Kauai, this rule is going to do little to bring back business to these businesses who are no longer in business on Kauai thanks to the mayor’s horrible decision to leave the Safe Travels Program.
Travelers still have major hurdles
If you’re coming here to stay in a resort bubble, you can’t rent a car. How do you get to your bubble? How do you get from your bubble to the test site? How do you get from the test sight to the back to the airport to rent your car? Kauai is not worth it.
Most of not all winter travelers have already made their winter vacation travel plans, and Kauai is not a part of it. Kauai has missed the entire winter season, the snowbird season, when the big rates are here, and now Kauai will be possibly working on July 2021 travelers.
The only way for Kauai to regain traction and tourism, and stop the businesses from closing, is to join the Hawaii safe travels program as the governor has successfully ran it for the past couple of months.
Resort bubbles do not work.
Go elsewhere.
Rules change weekly. Two Covid tests now. A non-starter for me. Ridiculous. Plan on Maui in March, after canceling my planned trip for mid-January due to Covid problems currently in CA.
Ack! I don’t even understand this new rule. Am I supposed to have a negative test result within 72° before flying to Kaua’i from the mainland, and then where and when am I supposed to take the second test to get another negative result back by the 4th day, and who pays for it? Alaska Air is already charging $170 for a test in San Jose. Is our Marriott timeshare in Lihue a resort bubble? We’re about ready to cancel another 5 week stay in April!
Well its a little late for that. We already cancelled and lost our timeshare there. We are in Maui having a good time. We really wanted to come to Kauai Dec 26 to Jan 2.
I suspect the first proposal (travel interisland to Kauai following 3+ day stay elsewhere) would be way more popular than the resort bubble proposal. Either way, there is a second test, but in exchange for a relatively cheap inter-island flight, you will be free to travel around on one of the other islands for those first 3+ days.
Then, when you get there they change everything once again. No way will I be going to Hawaii now or in the near future. Maybe in 2 or 3 years, I may consider returning. I am finding other places that are more welcoming to visitors. After reading how the locals feel about visitors, Hawaii has lost it’s appeal to me as a vacation destination.
The situation about Kauai is confusing, any type of Quarantine upon arrival is a no starter, who wants to pay all that money to be locked up in a room, you tested positive from the time you left the mainland, what more do you want? I love kauai and respect the people,culture, I can wait it out and go back when they deem it safe without these unbelievable conditions. With Respect.
I am holding on to my June reservations because a lot can change between now and June. I will also make back up reservations for Kauai for December. The interisland travel and retest is not appealing and neither is quarantining. The airlines are very flexible right now when booking with points or I wouldn’t be able to book both trips and wait to see which one works. Best scenario is to be vaccinated before going. Mahalo.
To stupid to work.
No one is going to go for that. I know plenty of visitors do interisland travel to visit multiple islands during vacation, my family has done it. But very few are going to pay for a negative test to get to one island and then another test to get to Kauai. Its not just money, its time and frustration of getting another test within a certain time frame. And no one is going to pay those overpriced “resort-bubbles” for 4days. I can’t believe the governor even agreed to it! Whoever thinks people in a resort bubble who then later can have a positive test, who have been allowed to walk around in that bubble possibly infecting other occupants & people who work there that obviously go home, really?!?!? That is complete incompetence. Kauai was better off staying the way it is, adding interisland travel for now and just holding off on safe travels till it felt comfortable to join the rest of the islands in 1 understandable program for all. Guess I’m moving our family visit again, maybe by the end summer things will be settled down.
Why would you? The rules continue to change without notice. It’s a shame that the Mayor can’t get it together.
We were on an extended stay on Kauai when this pandemic hit and the rules changed daily from the onset. It has not altered one bit causing everyone on the island to think of nothing else but keeping up with each new update. And woe to you if you don’t! We got cited for being in a beach park without a permit- a rule we had missed in the daily onslaught of new rules. We were treated like horrid criminals who were out to spread covid on purpose even though we were hundreds of feet from anyone. It was awful. We waited for our mandatory court date for 7 weeks and 2 days before that a good friend (thanks, Bob) told us our charges had been dropped. He had called the courthouse to find out how to appear as a character witness for us and they had told him charges were dropped. We were never notified by the court. No text, no phone call, no letter- nothing. The charges were bogus. A way to keep us all scared and under control with threats of a 5K fine and or a year in jail. I realized then how little regard the local authorities there have for individuals. Reading these on-spot updates by my friends all these months confirms that the chaos junkies still have a strangle hold on Kauai and the authorities are not listening to the general public. It is heartbreaking to not be returning to the place I once felt so at home and the work I love, but I won’t let us be treated like we just don’t matter again. Poor Kauai.
JULIE H…
OMG! What an awful event – so much for Aloha. But curious – I knew they were thinking of having non-residents have to purchase a beach park permit but didn’t think that had passed. Were the circumstances of your being cited because of that or because of COVID?
With several mainland friends who own property and timeshares on Kauai, their unanimous opinions are, they are all planning on waiting until 2022 to even plan on returning to the island.
This whole mess is just getting dumber by the day.
Mahalo guys at Beat of Hawai’i for always being there with the latest and greatest news.
Aloha and blessings to all🌺
Hi Pam.
Thank you. Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
Aloha
Same to you guys! Let’s hope it’s a much better year for all.
Aloha nui oi