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All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?

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GiGiBXFL Posts : 16 Registered: 12/6/08
All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?
Posted: Jan 4, 2009 4:30 PM

Can anyone suggest any all inclusive hawaii resorts? My hunny and I are getting married in November and we really would love to go to Hawaii except that it's really expensive even around the month of November. We're looking at a couple of resorts in Maui and there's only a few all inclusive in this area. Are there any pro's and con's to be aware of in an all inclusive resort? We've never been to one.
Live in peace and harmony

november_2009 , florida
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SoonetobeMrsA Posts : 31 Registered: 12/27/07
Re: All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?
Posted: Jan 24, 2009 12:55 AM Go to message in response to: GiGiBXFL

I am in this same boat, except I'm getting married May 30th. Although someone at work suggested renting a place (condo/cottage) instead of doing a hotel/resort. I've looked around at vacationrentals.com and many places have cheaper prices I've seen for non-all inclusive resorts. I'm actually researching this idea now and will likely start a post asking if anyone's done this instead.
Obviously, it wouldn't be as pampering as staying at a resort, but with stuff like a full kitchen and a bunch of appliances, it's easy to keep the fancy dining to dinner time only. Or at least that's how I am rationalizing it right now. We want to go to Hawaii, but we want to stay for at least a week without spending ridiculous money. Is that too much to ask?
Anyway, I figured I'd put that out there for you as a potential alternative to a resort.

november_2009 , massachusetts , may_2009 , florida
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FutureMrsGillum... Posts : 23 Registered: 1/24/09
Re: All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?
Posted: Jan 28, 2009 12:08 PM Go to message in response to: GiGiBXFL

I lived in Hawaii for a while. First of all Maui and Oahu are the most expensive islands to visit. Me personally, if you just want a romantic getaway and sit on the beach with your man, go to Kauaii. If you want that plus volcanoes hit the Big Island. Right now alot of places have some really good prices on rooms and flights. You may be better off just doing some light planning yourself. My guess is, if hotels are cutting prices, then things like helicopters rides are. hawaii is a tourist based state, that is the only industry they have besides sugar cane, (which is a very romantic walk fyi! lol) I think if you do a like research maybe even Maui would be affordable. To be honest, Hawaii is a chance of a lifetime and you don't want to spend it sitting by a pool, so i think maybe you should think about not going the all inclusive route with this one. I would be happy to give you some tourist info, I was a bartender for Norwiegn cruise lines for a while, I know the area.

april_2010 , november_2009 , florida
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MaunaLaniBride Posts : 631 Registered: 3/31/06
Re: All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?
Posted: Feb 27, 2009 11:13 PM Go to message in response to: FutureMrsGillum...

There is only one all-inclusive resort in the entire Hawaiian islands chain, it's the Kona Village Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii: http://www.konavillage.com/

Kona Village is meant as a complete get-away, there are no phones, no TVs and no alarm clocks in the hales...the do-not-disturb sign is a coconut you put in front of your door :) It does not include unlimited alcohol, only a drink or two at their special evening cocktail hours or dinners (check the schedule, they have it online). FYI, their Friday night luau is the best on the island, definitely worth it even if you are not staying there (we've been to it 3 times!). It's also not for someone on a budget, it's pretty pricey, some hales are more expensive than rooms at the Four Seasons Hualalai next door. You don't need an all-inclusive in Hawaii though (although people that go to Kona Village LOVE it, they have a frequent guest program called the Coconut Club).

It's absolutely NOT true that Oahu and Maui are "the most expensive islands to visit." Oahu is actually the most economical island for a couple reasons: 1) It has Honolulu which is the aviation hub of the Hawaiian islands chain - most flights go in/out of Honolulu so it's usually the least expensive place to fly into and 2) Oahu as the most hotels of any island so there's a lot of competition to get your business. There are hotels in for every budget on Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. The island of Molokai only has B&Bs and vacation rentals, the only hotel on that island closed last year. The island of Lanai only has 3 hotels and two of them are Four Seasons properties.

On Maui, check out the Pineapple Inn, it's super cute and rates are as low as $139/night: http://www.pineappleinnmaui.com/

If you are on a budget though, I highly suggest you consider Oahu instead of Maui for the reasons I mention above. It's got everything that Maui has and more. Many people judge Oahu by visiting Honolulu (or Waikiki which is just one neighborhood of Honolulu) and think that the entire island is a big city - but Honolulu is just a small part of Oahu, there's so much more! Honolulu is great since it has all sorts of cultural activities (museums, Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu Zoo and the only royal palace in the United States: Iolani Palace http://www.iolanipalace.org/), the most restaurants and shopping of the entire Hawaiian islands chain plus the most nightlife options in Hawaii.

But if you've seen the TV show LOST then you've seen Oahu since the entire series is filmed on this island. Oahu has lush rainforests (on the east side of the island, check out Kualoa Ranch!), loads of activities and amazing beaches all over the island (we stay away from Waikiki Beach since it's so crowded, instead we like Lanikai, Waimanalo and Kailua beaches). There's some really great hiking on Oahu too which is a wonderful free activity :)

We really like the line of boutique hotels by Aqua Resorts on Oahu since they include a lot of free amenities like free continental breakfast, free internet, etc. My hubby is from Oahu so we visit at least twice a year, we started staying at a hotel instead of family a couple years ago. We've been staying the most at the Aqua Palms & Spa which is on the edge of Waikiki across the street from the Hilton Hawaiian Village. If you sign up to be on the Aqua mailing list, they will email you their specials that can be pretty great (this year during the holidays, we got 50% off of rooms): http://www.aquaresorts.com/

Whichever island you decide on, here are a couple great resources to help you figure what activities are available to you on each island:
1) get a free Hawaii travel planner from http://www.gohawaii.com/
2) take your fiance to Barnes & Noble and flip through the Revealed series of books by Andrew Doughty - there are Revealed books for the four most popular Hawaiian islands to visit (Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii). These books list nearly every activity/attraction plus offer suggestions for the best ones. Once you choose your island(s), these are the only guidebooks you'll need: http://www.wizardpub.com/

Good luck!

Knot planning bio:  http://tinyurl.com/2od5dr

Knot married bio: http://tinyurl.com/2zatxp

hawaii
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smthwu123 Posts : 1,415 Registered: 9/13/12
Re: All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?
Posted: Dec 7, 2012 2:09 AM Go to message in response to: GiGiBXFL

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jackson132 Posts : 1,662 Registered: 9/13/12
Re: All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?
Posted: Dec 24, 2012 1:48 PM Go to message in response to: GiGiBXFL

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Uberoom1 Posts : 33 Registered: 12/10/12
Re: All Inclusive Hawaii Resort Recommendations?
Posted: Jan 14, 2013 4:49 PM Go to message in response to: GiGiBXFL

Here are some pros and cons for all inclusive resorts:

PROS
You don’t have to use your brain. Your stay will truly be stress-free. The resort has made all the decisions for you – meals and activities are predetermined. This can be especially beneficial for honeymooners who are burnt out from wedding madness.

Stay within budget. Paying upfront helps a lot of people avoid encountering a bigger bill than expected upon checkout.
It’s actually pretty cheap. Do the math – break down what you ate, accommodations and activities and you’ll find it’s actually a great deal.

Included activities. Most all-inclusives have tennis, snorkeling, private beaches and more that are included in the cost.

Amazing scenery. All-inclusive resorts are known for their picturesque locations. If you are meant to stay in the resort, it had better be beautiful!

CONS
The term “all-inclusive” is open to interpretation, so be careful and always ask all the features included.

Good Luck.

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