Alan
Monday, May 18, 2009
Surfer dog
Not having learned to surf (yet !), I find it impressive just watching people get up on the boards and ride the waves. However getting your dog out into the waves and onto the board is even more impressive.
Alan
Alan
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Great airfares from Seattle to Kauai for the fall
Since I travel from Seattle to Kauai regularly and do not like to pay more than I have to for plane tickets, I have developed a strategy for getting good airfare. Since I have an upcoming trip this fall I have found that airfare for travel in the fall is as low as I've ever seen it. Typically airfares are around $500 round trip, sometimes higher for holiday times and sometimes lower when there are fare sales. I've just found that Delta and Northwest are offering round trip fares at $380 round trip. This is a great opportunity to go to Kauai inexpensively as it is shoulder season with hotel/condo rates low and few crowds.
Because this upcoming fall is a slow season, I am offering great specials on stays at Poipu Sands 124. If you mention this blog post I can offer a special rate of $185 per night which is significantly below the typical $235+ regular season rate.
My strategy for finding good airfare is to know the typical airfares, know the dates I want to go, check the airfares often and when I find a good airfare I buy it. To follow the airfares I check the fares often - sometimes every day. Kayak is great for this since it saves your search history and can retry the search with a single click. I've also signed up for air fare alerts from Travelocity, Expedia, Hawaiian airlines and others. By doing this I also get a good idea of what a good airfare is.
Alan
Because this upcoming fall is a slow season, I am offering great specials on stays at Poipu Sands 124. If you mention this blog post I can offer a special rate of $185 per night which is significantly below the typical $235+ regular season rate.
My strategy for finding good airfare is to know the typical airfares, know the dates I want to go, check the airfares often and when I find a good airfare I buy it. To follow the airfares I check the fares often - sometimes every day. Kayak is great for this since it saves your search history and can retry the search with a single click. I've also signed up for air fare alerts from Travelocity, Expedia, Hawaiian airlines and others. By doing this I also get a good idea of what a good airfare is.
Alan
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Strategy for finding the best price for a car rental
[Editors Note: This post originally published on 5/1/2009]
My suggestion is that on Kauai, typically Alamo with the Costco discount and coupon is the least expensive. A big thing about the costco rate is that it includes an extra driver for free. Without that you’ll need to pay $10/day or something for an extra driver. However there is a lot of truth in the saying “Remember the Alamo”. I’ve had mixed results at the location in Lihue. The last trip we were upgraded on the spot to a convertible for free from a compact rate. Thank you Robin ! The trip before we had a convertible but it had lots of bugs. The agents use a lot of pressure to buy the extra insurance. Mike is worst. However the reason I usually rent from Alamo is that it is the cheapest. As an aside having a convertible when the weather is good is a great experience. And if you do get one, I recommend the Sebring instead of the Mustang. The V8 Mustang eats gas while standing still and with low speed limits on the island the car’s power is not needed.
My strategy for car rentals is as follows:
1. Go to costco.com, rentalcode.comand also the car rental forums on flyertalk.com to see the different rate codes and coupons. Try a whole bunch of rates and coupon combinations. On Kauai, Alamo almost always has the best regular rate. Book one but do not pre-pay.
2. I sign up for the Alamo and other rental car emails and when I see a special I try it out but it usually doesn’t help.
3. I frequently repeat step 1 (sometimes every day) to see if the quote I’ve already booked has gone down in price. I don’t know why, but at least Alamo changes the rate for the same days and car type often. If I get a better quote for the same days and car as in step 1, I book the better rate and then cancel the old one.
4. I also use Priceline. Sometimes Priceline can beat my quote in step 1 or 3 and sometimes it can’t. I will typically start at 50% less than the best quote I’ve got. The more time I have before I leave the less serious I am about a reasonable bid. I figure out how much I will need to save from my quote in step 1 or 3 in order to accept Priceline because with Priceline you do not get a second free driver. As it comes closer to my trip I might start raising my bid. You don’t want to start too high because once it takes your bid the game is over and you are committed.
5. If Priceline does not accept your bid and you get within a day or two of your trip you can try a final bid. At this point you know what you will pay with your reservation in step 1 or 3. Depending upon how you feel you can try saving 10% or 20% or whatever you think is appropriate. Usually Priceline will come back with its best counter offer a day before or on the day you leave. At that point if it saves you enough then take it. Otherwise go with reservation in step 1 or 3.
6. Depending upon your budget you might want to use Priceline for the “fun” car (say convertible) and bid for that at around what you’d pay for a compact or midsized in step 1 or 3. I’ve gotten a convertible for $20/day though you probably could do better.
You can also get the Costco discount coupons from the travel brochure that are available when you walk out of the store.
Alan
My suggestion is that on Kauai, typically Alamo with the Costco discount and coupon is the least expensive. A big thing about the costco rate is that it includes an extra driver for free. Without that you’ll need to pay $10/day or something for an extra driver. However there is a lot of truth in the saying “Remember the Alamo”. I’ve had mixed results at the location in Lihue. The last trip we were upgraded on the spot to a convertible for free from a compact rate. Thank you Robin ! The trip before we had a convertible but it had lots of bugs. The agents use a lot of pressure to buy the extra insurance. Mike is worst. However the reason I usually rent from Alamo is that it is the cheapest. As an aside having a convertible when the weather is good is a great experience. And if you do get one, I recommend the Sebring instead of the Mustang. The V8 Mustang eats gas while standing still and with low speed limits on the island the car’s power is not needed.
My strategy for car rentals is as follows:
1. Go to costco.com, rentalcode.comand also the car rental forums on flyertalk.com to see the different rate codes and coupons. Try a whole bunch of rates and coupon combinations. On Kauai, Alamo almost always has the best regular rate. Book one but do not pre-pay.
2. I sign up for the Alamo and other rental car emails and when I see a special I try it out but it usually doesn’t help.
3. I frequently repeat step 1 (sometimes every day) to see if the quote I’ve already booked has gone down in price. I don’t know why, but at least Alamo changes the rate for the same days and car type often. If I get a better quote for the same days and car as in step 1, I book the better rate and then cancel the old one.
4. I also use Priceline. Sometimes Priceline can beat my quote in step 1 or 3 and sometimes it can’t. I will typically start at 50% less than the best quote I’ve got. The more time I have before I leave the less serious I am about a reasonable bid. I figure out how much I will need to save from my quote in step 1 or 3 in order to accept Priceline because with Priceline you do not get a second free driver. As it comes closer to my trip I might start raising my bid. You don’t want to start too high because once it takes your bid the game is over and you are committed.
5. If Priceline does not accept your bid and you get within a day or two of your trip you can try a final bid. At this point you know what you will pay with your reservation in step 1 or 3. Depending upon how you feel you can try saving 10% or 20% or whatever you think is appropriate. Usually Priceline will come back with its best counter offer a day before or on the day you leave. At that point if it saves you enough then take it. Otherwise go with reservation in step 1 or 3.
6. Depending upon your budget you might want to use Priceline for the “fun” car (say convertible) and bid for that at around what you’d pay for a compact or midsized in step 1 or 3. I’ve gotten a convertible for $20/day though you probably could do better.
You can also get the Costco discount coupons from the travel brochure that are available when you walk out of the store.
Alan
Going green while on Kauai
[Editor Note: This was originally published on 4/30/2009]
Kauai is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Each time I visit I want to do the right thing to care for the land. I do this not only because I am a guest to the island but also because I want to keep it beautiful for my next trip and for the future. It has always disappointed me a little that the island government have not been more proactive about creating the infrastructure that would keep the island beautiful. I do understand that for visitors, the last thing they want to worry about on vacation is separating the recycling.
In any case I’d like to make these suggestions to visitors who’d like to do a little extra to help keep the beautiful island beautiful.
Use less electricity. Practically all of the electricity on the island comes from a power plant that burns imported diesel fuel. Aside from the overall costs of transporting and using oil, there is also the pollution generated. Some homes have solar hot water heaters and panels while some big store also rely on solar power; Costco is one of them. However the island power co-op (KIUC) is not encouraging more use of solar. The typical resort is probably using oil generated electricity.
Buy locally produced food. Kauai is a net importer of food and doesn’t produce everything that most people would want to eat so it would be pretty difficult to only rely only on locally produced food. Additionally consider that all that imported food has travelled all the way from the mainland on a ship for a week or two. Go to the sunshine markets where you can get the best locally grown produce at often better prices than the two week old supermarket produce. I also love to try new things.
Bring a couple of grocery bags with you in your luggage and use them to shop, go to the beach or go out exploring. Each plastic bag from the store is shipped from the mainland, used once and then dumped at the landfill in Kekaha. Also if you have an insulated bag you can freeze water bottles overnight and place them in the bag. They will keep your groceries cold as you drive home from the store.
Recycle. It is probably not going to be as easy to recycle as it would be at home and some of the resorts are trying to support it but the infrastructure on Kauai is not quite there yet. Around the island there are recycling stations where you can put your recycling if your resort doesn’t have separate bins. In Poipu the recycling bins are across the street from Poipu Beach park. I’ll admit I am not always great about this.
Alan
Friends of Coco Palms
The Friends of Coco Palms is a group that is seeking to purchase the defunct Coco Palms resort and recreate it as a cultural and historical gathering place for all of the people. Coco Palms is the dilapidated and fenced off resort on the mauka side in Wailua. Once the premier resort on the island, it is now an eyesore. The land belonged to the Hawaiian royalty and contains fishponds, temples and birthing sites. The group received a grant from the state for creating a plan to buy the property, demolish the old buildings and manage the site over the long term. The Friends of Coco Palms is also being supported by the Kauai Public Land Trust.
Senator Hooser said “Securing a $234,000 grant from the state will enable the Friends of Coco Palms to make significant progress towards acquiring the property for public benefit. Now is the time to finally create a viable and culturally relevant plan for the Coco Palms that will benefit all of Kaua‘i.”
My cynical side thinks that despite getting a three year extension to the permits to redevelop the Coco Palms, the developer who owns the property knows there isn't much of a chance to get the resort rebuilt given the overbuilding of recent years and the steep drop in visitors. And so the state is trying to figure out a way to bail him out. Regardless of the motive, my hope is that the end result is a public space where local people can enjoy their island, the Hawaiians can honor their culture and history and visitors can come to learn and respect it.
Alan
Senator Hooser said “Securing a $234,000 grant from the state will enable the Friends of Coco Palms to make significant progress towards acquiring the property for public benefit. Now is the time to finally create a viable and culturally relevant plan for the Coco Palms that will benefit all of Kaua‘i.”
My cynical side thinks that despite getting a three year extension to the permits to redevelop the Coco Palms, the developer who owns the property knows there isn't much of a chance to get the resort rebuilt given the overbuilding of recent years and the steep drop in visitors. And so the state is trying to figure out a way to bail him out. Regardless of the motive, my hope is that the end result is a public space where local people can enjoy their island, the Hawaiians can honor their culture and history and visitors can come to learn and respect it.
Alan
Coco Palms may yet live on
[Editors Note: This blog originally written on 5/1/2009]
50 years ago Coco Palms was the premier resort on Kauai, built on a royal coconut grove on the east side of the island near the Wailua river. The land here is considered sacred by the Hawaiian people. Anyone who has travelled the highway through Wailua has seen the dilapidated buildings on the mauka side of the highway. It has been this way since Hurricane Iniki in 1992. The landowners had obtained permits to rebuild the resort, but were not able to attract enough investors to get construction started and so the project stalled. Important requirements of the original permit included cleaning up the site and reopening the coconut grove that lies on state leased land. However absolutely nothing has been done at the site. Since many residents (and visitors) of Kauai feel that there are already enough resorts, especially in Wailua, they do not want the Coco Palms rebuilt, but instead see the area become a park.
The original permits expire next month and so the landowner went back to the planning commission to ask for an extension. This week the planning commission voted 6-1 to extend the building permits for the Coco Palms resort for another 3 years. However they did add new conditions including cleaning up the site, complete nomination of the fish pond to the National Register of Historic places and create a plan to manage the drainage ditch near the fishpond.
Given the current economic climate and the fact that Kauai has added thousands of new units in the last few years but that visitor counts are dropping fast, I don’t see this project going anywhere soon at all. It will be interesting to see what happens three years from now when the extension expires. My personal hope is that somehow the people of the island will figure out how to obtain the land and create a park for everyone.
Alan
50 years ago Coco Palms was the premier resort on Kauai, built on a royal coconut grove on the east side of the island near the Wailua river. The land here is considered sacred by the Hawaiian people. Anyone who has travelled the highway through Wailua has seen the dilapidated buildings on the mauka side of the highway. It has been this way since Hurricane Iniki in 1992. The landowners had obtained permits to rebuild the resort, but were not able to attract enough investors to get construction started and so the project stalled. Important requirements of the original permit included cleaning up the site and reopening the coconut grove that lies on state leased land. However absolutely nothing has been done at the site. Since many residents (and visitors) of Kauai feel that there are already enough resorts, especially in Wailua, they do not want the Coco Palms rebuilt, but instead see the area become a park.
The original permits expire next month and so the landowner went back to the planning commission to ask for an extension. This week the planning commission voted 6-1 to extend the building permits for the Coco Palms resort for another 3 years. However they did add new conditions including cleaning up the site, complete nomination of the fish pond to the National Register of Historic places and create a plan to manage the drainage ditch near the fishpond.
Given the current economic climate and the fact that Kauai has added thousands of new units in the last few years but that visitor counts are dropping fast, I don’t see this project going anywhere soon at all. It will be interesting to see what happens three years from now when the extension expires. My personal hope is that somehow the people of the island will figure out how to obtain the land and create a park for everyone.
Alan
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Welcome to the MyKauai Blog
Thank you for clicking over to the MyKauai blog. In this blog I write about the beautiful island of Kauai in Hawaii. Kauai is one of the most special places in the world because of the stunning scenary, wonderful aloha spirit of many of the people who live there, the gorgeous beaches and the many fun activities such as hiking, kayaking, bicycling, golfing and much more. Since my first trip there I have been facinated with the island and have returned many more times. In between trips I need a regular Kauai fix and so I follow the happenings on the island from people I know there and the local Kauai newspaper. I am lucky to be able to visit two or three times a year.
One reason I've started this blog is to share my experiences, suggestions and views about Kauai and what is going on. Look ahead and you'll find a post about getting a good rate for car rentals. I also have another motive and that is to generate interest in a vacation rental that I am able to rent directly. The rental is an oceanview two bedroom condominium in the Poipu Sands resort which is on the south and generally sunny side of the island. If you are thinking about staying in Poipu and looking for a condo, please consider Poipu Sands 124. However my main intention for this blog is to interesting and informative with only a little bit of spam.
I welcome any comments, feedback or questions as one of my favorite things to do is talk story about Kauai.
Alan
One reason I've started this blog is to share my experiences, suggestions and views about Kauai and what is going on. Look ahead and you'll find a post about getting a good rate for car rentals. I also have another motive and that is to generate interest in a vacation rental that I am able to rent directly. The rental is an oceanview two bedroom condominium in the Poipu Sands resort which is on the south and generally sunny side of the island. If you are thinking about staying in Poipu and looking for a condo, please consider Poipu Sands 124. However my main intention for this blog is to interesting and informative with only a little bit of spam.
I welcome any comments, feedback or questions as one of my favorite things to do is talk story about Kauai.
Alan
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