Late arrival to get better airfare

Hello and thank you to all who answer questions, post travel reports, etc.

My husband, kids (7%26amp;4) and I are headed to Maui in July for 14 nights. We%26#39;re staying at the WKORV-North. We have not yet booked airfare, although I%26#39;ve been watching it for some time. We%26#39;ve had better luck with waiting in the past, and I haven%26#39;t seen anything great so far. Non-stops are $860 (from San Francisco), and I am finding one stops in the $440-$550 range. However, these get in late, like 8-9:30pm, and our arrival and departure dates are on a Sat., which is not helping prices.

We are now considering flying to Maui on Friday afternoon - husband can then work most of Friday - and arriving Friday night and just staying at the Maui Beach Hotel in Kahului for the night (~$125). Then we can hit the grocery and Costco in the morning before heading to Kaanapali.

As far as I can see, pros are lower airfare (doesn%26#39;t need to be much lower when savings are multiplied by 4), shorter travel experience for the kids (grocery and Costco are not tacked on to the flights and drive to Kaanapali), and we get a nice early start at the WORKV on Sat.

Cons are that we%26#39;ll not really be starting out the vacation and our first night in exactly the paradise we have in mind (on the lanai at WORKV with an adult beverage in hand), but hey, we%26#39;d still be in Maui!

I%26#39;ve read a few reviews of this hotel and clearly it%26#39;s not where we%26#39;d want to spend our vacation, but it sounds like it might be just fine for what we need - one night to crash before heading on to the real vacation!

We%26#39;re also thinking of tacking on 2 nights at the end of the trip and staying at the Westin Resort using points - the kids love the pool there, and it allows us to fly on Mon. rather than weekend, which is cheaper.

What do you think? Alternative suggestions are welcomed.

Julie

Late arrival to get better airfare

If you are wiling to fly out of San Jose the rates are 363 each way - - (HNL stops) SFO is coming up at 401 out but 351 back in via HA. It really does make a difference what day of the week, but the above flight prices seem to have many time frame options.

As for WKORV - have heard excellent reports from folks who have stayed there. Many repeats.

I always think adding time on Maui is a good idea! If you waited an extra day and left on a Sunday it would knock off about 70pp. (I just plugged in mid-July for example and of course the 4th is going to be more)

Late arrival to get better airfare

Fly in late, skip Costco and shop at Safeway of Foodland, or just hit Costco on the following day.

OK - so I went back and now I see your concern about the Maui Beach Hotel and NOT the WKORV - - so right about the one night to crash

(obviously it%26#39;s time for me to take a break ).

Thanks. We love WKORV - it will be our 3rd stay. It%26#39;s perfect for our family, esp. since we love to be able to snorkel right there off the beach.

Our dates at the hotel are 7/18 - 8/1, so we%26#39;re looking at airfares on those dates or 7/17 and 8/3. I%26#39;m pleased with the $440 round trip even with a stop. Yes, we%26#39;d consider SJC or OAK as well, but I%26#39;m not seeing an option better than the $440ish, esp. adding the qualification that we NOT get in late if we get in on Sat. 7/18. The prices you mention are each way, right?

Julie

Julie, if I found RT for 440 I would pounce on it. Paid 425 for 4 three years ago so all things considerd it%26#39;s not a bad price at all. (we ended up with several hour layovers which I won%26#39;t do again - two hours tops for me)

Budgets are such tricky things! x4 adds up quickly, so I certainly understand.

I would just go to your hotel the night you arrive - even if it is late. The next morning you have to check out and get to your new hotel - what if they don%26#39;t have an early check in? Whatever the hassle the night before - you will wish you were waking up the next morning already on vacation and not still in transit.

2 weeks with kids...I understand you%26#39;re desire for that Costco stop! I%26#39;d crash in Kahului on Friday and ';shop'; your way to WKRO. I really would advise a couple of nights at the Westin if you can use points, we%26#39;ve done this several times and it saves a bunch on airfare. If you could make it 3 nights the cheapest, at least on Hawaiin, is usually tues.

Good luck...I%26#39;ll be there in spirit, we own there as well.

If you stay overnight in Kahului then you will probably wake up early because of the time change. Perfect time to go the Saturday Swap Meet for your veggies. It is 2 blocks away from the hotel and opens at 6. Then you can get to Costco which I thinks opens at 10:00 or 11:00 for the meat and cereal etc.

Thank you for your replies! Les, we are getting close to pulling the trigger. The flights do have layovers of 2-3 hours, but if the trip is broken up by the night in Kahului it won%26#39;t be as big of a deal. On the way home it works because it gives us a chance to get a decent dinner for the kids in HNL before the longer flight to SFO. It really is a decent price and since I%26#39;m not willing to give up an early Sat. arrival, these flights are looking like a good call.

Mamma, WORKV is great for families, no? We love the activities for the kids and for us, too. We once participated in the session where the bartender taught us all to make a tropical drink, and the kids sat at a ';legal'; table right near us and watched the cook staff through the window while they brought the kids snacks and smoothies and pineapple and entertained them. The Costco trip is definitely a must for us, even if it was only for a week. We buy meat to grill plus cereal, wine, sunscreen, fruit, bread, snacks...works great for us but the kids don%26#39;t like to go so tacking it on after the flight is always a bit of a chore. We%26#39;ll just bring a cooler bag for the meat for before we can check in.

It will definitely be a bummer not to be ';there'; the night that we get there, but with the $$ savings I think we have to go for it. We haven%26#39;t been able to get our room early at WKORV, but we always have swimsuits accessible and just head to the pool and beach. This way we can probably also rent our snorkel gear before getting to the villas also.

Excellent tip on the farmer%26#39;s market, Jim! Those little nuggets of info are exactly why posting here is so great. I love farmer%26#39;s markets and so do the kids. They love when we give them $5 each and let them buy whatever produce they choose, and they often have it eaten before we get home. My 7yo is a foodie and loves trying new foods, so he might find something unique.

Can%26#39;t wait to get there!

I%26#39;m glad it%26#39;s coming together for you! Sounds like a very good plan to me.