Living Accommodations
Visitors to Hawaii will find lots of accommodation options, ranging from the simple to the extravagant, from a tent at a campsite to some of the finest luxury resorts in the world. There are hundreds of hotels and resorts to choose from, and you'll find a good many listed (organized by price) in the chapters devoted to the various islands. Some have great restaurants, exotic grounds, lovely swimming pools, easy access to a beach, and nighttime entertainment. Others might be a block or two from the prime real estate, but the advantage is gained in the money saved.
Tours and packages typically set you up in predetermined places, and many online travel sites will list their favorites. Some people might enjoy checking out the options themselves by perusing the hotel Web sites. Keep in mind that most of these places put on their best face in their advertising. Fortunately, it would be hard for a really bad hotel or resort to stay in business in Hawaii, given the competition. Quality can fluctuate, though, as hotels change hands quite often.
Along with campgrounds, hotels, and resorts, there are bed-and-breakfast establishments to be found here and there, and condominium rentals are also available. The former tend to be quaint little family operations with just a few rooms. Breakfast or other meals are usually provided, and personal attention is typical. If you're interested in staying at a bed and breakfast, here are a few directories:
Bed and Breakfast Hawaii 1-800-733-1632 www.bandb-hawaii.com
Affordable Paradise: Bed & Breakfast and Vacation Rentals 261-1693 www.affordable-paradise.com
Hawaii Bed and Breakfast Inns www.hawaii-inns.com
Hawaii Island B&B Association www.stayhawaii.com
You might prefer to rent a condominium. With a condo, you are basically renting an apartment for a certain period of time, usually a week or two. Most condos include a kitchen, so you can cook your own meals instead of having to pay for restaurant food. To find condominium listings, check with the Hawaii Connection, at 1-800-351-1330 or on the Web at www.gocondohawaii.com. You can also search the Hawaii condominium Web page, http://condos.search-hawaii.com.
TRAVEL TIP
In some of the more popular tourist towns, there are booths designed to get your attention by providing weather information from the mainland or offering tourist information. What some of them are really offering, though, are sales pitches for time-share condominiums. You might be offered a free dinner or other compensation for attending a promotional meeting or tour of the facilities.
Some really regular visitors choose to participate in time-share programs, in which you basically own a share of a condo for a week or two per year. While it's possible to swap time shares, the downside to a permanent vacation destination is that you might find yourself stuck with the same vacation year after year. The advantage of a time share is that you pick out a place for yourself and it's there for you in perpetuity. If this option sounds appealing, you might like to research this further.
