jmoosman

4* Maui Kaanapali 7/24-7/26 $203 90% recommended in reviews Ameneties: Resort Beachfront Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Laundry Facilities High-speed Internet access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Spa Servies Children's Activity Program Is there any way to tell if this is the Sheraton or the Hyatt? We would be happy at the Sheraton but stayed at the Hyatt before and hated the beach there (or lack of). Thanks for any insight.

We got a midsize car accepted for San Diego (5/3-5/7) at $13. I first tried same price for Standard and was rejected. They offered us an upgrade to full size for $3/day but we declined.

After much bidding and rebidding, we got the 4* Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in the Harbor Island area accepted for $110. I added a 4th night for same price on Priceline. Same hotel is currently $249/ night on Expedia and looked like it was on Hotwire for $148 (which was my backup plan anyway).

We just returned from a weeklong trip to Maui where we spent our last 3 nights at the Hyatt on Kaanapali. Last year we did a similar trip and spent our Kaanapali time at the Westin, and had heard good things about the Hyatt (even being rated a nicer hotel most places), so were hoping for the best, but ended up quite disappointed. We were extremely disappointed by the complete lack of beach at the Hyatt- absolutely TINY (20 feet long and maybe 5 feet deep), with rough rocky sand instead of powdery sand elsewhere on Kaanapali beach, and basically unswimmable conditions- with rocks and high surf. No lounge chairs of any kind there, but you can rent a cabana for $40 a day! Yikes. To be fair, I had read that the beach is "small" at the Hyatt- but it was basically uninhabitable. The pool area was where everyone was, which was certainly nicer than the beach, but became fairly crowded. The nice parts of the pool area was the great water slide (be sure to get your wrist bracelet before walking up to the top b/c they'll turn you around!) and shaded chairs. Our room itself was very nice (much larger than the Westin's rooms), with comfortable bed and sitting area. The tower we were in faced over their nightly luau which allowed us a free show the first night, but could be annoying if you were wanting peace and quiet (it does end early enough not to interfere w/ sleep). Lastly, there is a $15 resort fee- which we took advantage of to play an hour of tennis daily on their loverly courts (which we enjoy anyway but wouldn't have done if we weren't already getting charged for it). Self-parking was never a problem as we parked in the larger back lot. Another nice feature of the hotel were the penguins, flamigos, and swans spread throughout the landscaping. For the money, I would never stay at the Hyatt again and instead would stay at the Westin or try the Sheraton on Kaanapali beach. If you go to Maui to enjoy the ocean, snorkeling, and beautiful beaches (like we do) rather than shopping (the Hyatt had a lot of shops), or spa treatments- then the Hyatt may not be for you. We ended up driving each day to the Sheraton, renting their umbrellas/chairs (they rent them to non hotel guests), and spending the day enjoying the ocean to its fullest (and pretending we weren't staying at the Hyatt). Hope this helps other beach lovers!

Won Full size $14 through Alamo for 10/15-10/22. Started at $12 for Mid $11 compact $10 economy $13 standard all rejected and then accepted for $14 full. Very happy with this price!

While I certainly agree that we took a risk of being "the first" to get a less desirable hotel, I disagree that you must save at least 30% for it to be worth it for a number of reasons specific to our situation. First- the Sheraton showed as sold out for our dates (and we were not flexible with dates or of course we could have found cheaper options). Secondly, we wanted to stay at the Westin or Hyatt based on location and previous experience. So yes- I too found similarly priced options elsewhere not through Priceline but not for the two hotels we were interested in on our dates. So for us, when it came down to either paying more elsewhere for the same hotels or less through Priceline, it was a no brainer.

Certainly a disappointing time to book travel in Maui compared to what we paid last year, but we're still happy that we got the Hyatt for considerably less than listed rates to stay at the Westin or Hyatt. Were hoping for the $175 at Sheraton others have gotten recently, but Sheraton was all sold out. So we started at $160 and just kept bidding upwards (using different credit cards/ email addresses) until we were accepted at the last price we were going to list. Were rejected for $260 and then bid $280 and were accepted. FWIW Hyatt lists $380 on Expedia right now for same dates. So I guess it's still better to save some of the $ on this trip, as we already booked air and first half of our trip at Maui Prince. Hope this helps others.

Oops! Sorry I didn't know you had a separate HOTWIRE link.

Thanks for the help. We always book through SavingsBarn. :) We'll keep looking since we're not interested in that resort.

4* hotel in Wailea-Makena listed for $217 for 10/24-10/28 Amenities listed: Resort Suite Fitness Center Pool Restaurant Business Center High Speed Internet Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Kitchenette Spa Services Not sure which hotel might have suites w/ kitchenettes. Thanks for help as always!

Bid for 3* (or higher) for Thursday 9/7 for 1 night. First included Tigard area for $30 and then added Downtown Portland for $35 and then North Harbor for $35 and then (about to give up) added Beaverton for $37 and won the Doubletree Portland Lloyd Center for $37 in Downtown area. Very happy with such a cheap rate last minute! Booked through Savingsbarn as usual. :)

Just a follow up to say what a great stay we had at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver this week. They gave us free upgrades (for both rooms), possibly because we were Starwood members(?) to the big tower - and we ended up w/ larger 18th floor rooms with incredible views over the marina and towards the mountains and Stanley Park. May be worth it to become a Starwood member even for just this one stay if they are more likely to upgrade you (there's no cost and my friend signed up there at the hotel). The location next to Stanley park was awesome- we walked all over the park with no problem. Concierge was helpful in finding great breakfast place nearby for WAY less than hotel buffet (a Dutch place), as well as superb Thai and great Chinese/Dim Sum restaurants. A bit of a walk to shopping districts, but we never drove once we arrived and simply walked all over.

Bidding for 2 rooms for a 4* hotel in Downtown Vancouver region. First bid $55, was given a counter offer by PL for +$15 ($70/night), and decided to try bidding upward with my free re-bids. Used my 3 free re-bids up to $60 and was still rejected. Then had my husband try and bid $62 and was immediately accepted for 2 rooms at the Westin Bayshore. Very pleased with the price for a 4* hotel, as the Westin's lowest price currently is $169 CAD. I used the SavingsBarn link as usual. :)

Just as a follow-up to this thread, we ended up booking a 1BR suite at the Sundial Boutique Hotel through Expedia, since we were really preferring separate sleeping quarters rather than staying in a studio room at either the Pan Pacific or Summit Lodge. We ended up getting our room for $266/night. Thanks for your help as always!

Thanks so much for your input. It looks like both the Pan Pacific and the Summit Lodge have sofa beds in all rooms, so if we're ok with that we may book one room. Otherwise, it sounds like it's safest to book two. I'll let you know what we end up doing, and of course will book through SavingsBarn, as always. :) Such a great website!

One more to clarify: 3.5* hotel in Whistler Main Village & Village North (2/16/06-2/20/06) lists the following amenities: Restaurant Pool(s) Fitness Center Spa Services Kitchenette Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby (customer favorite) Looks like maybe the Summit Lodge? Any other thoughts? Thanks again!

I found a 4* Whistler hotel for $207/night for 2/9-2/13/06 and would like to clarify which hotel it might be (i.e. the Westin or the Pan Pacific). The amenities listed are: Restaurant Pool Fitness Center Spa Services Kitchenette High Speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Laundry Facilities Also, we're hoping to get a room that is a suite (not studio) as we're 3 adults (2 are a couple). Are we better off bidding for 2 separate rooms or is there anyway to try for a suite set-up? Thanks in advance!

After weeks of trying to get a convertible car on Priceline, with no success (bidding up to $27 and being rejected), I bid $15 for a compact which was accepted. They offered to upgrade to midsize for $1 more/day or to a standard or full size for $2/day. We chose to take the standard for $17/day. Here are the details: Your Offer Price: $15.00 Upgrade Charge: $2.00 Final Offer Price: $17.00 Total Rental Days: 8 Subtotal: $136.00 Total Taxes & Fees: $56.32 Total Charges: $192.32 This is considerably cheaper than the $300+ to get same car online through Expedia, so we're happy after all. And we're paying 1/2 of the $34/day we were prepared to pay through Alamo for the convertible. One last interesting thing to note: I had previously bid $17 for standard and full size cars and $16 for midsize (exactly what they ended up offering to me), but been rejected. Seems like once you get your "foot in the door," they give you cheap upgrade options.

Having just booked another trip successfully through Priceline, I thought I'd give it a go for our upcoming trip next week to Missoula, Montana. Since there were no hotels listed on this list yet for that area on Priceline, I thought others might like to know what I got. The only quote I got on Hotwire was for $66 for a 2 and 1/2 * place. We wanted to go as cheap on this trip as we could get away with. So I first bid $35 for the 2* place for only one night (7/13). - rejected Bid $40 still at 2* but added Lolo (an area outside Missoula) for 7/13-- rejected Changed date to 7/14 and bid $40 again-- rejected. Changed date to 7/13-7/15 and bid $42-- rejected. Changed date to 7/13-7/16 and bid $43-- rejected. Changed date to 7/13-7/17 and bid $44-- rejected. Changed date to 7/13-7/18 (our whole planned stay) and bid $45 and was accepted! Perseverence paid off on this one! We got the Red Lion Inn in Missoula for $45. Just checked Expedia and they gave us a quote for $109 for the Red Lion for the same dates of stay! :) Hope this helps others. BTW we entered Priceline through SavingsBarn.

Yes the Westin is still rated 4.5* on Hotwire. Thanks again for all the help from this site!

Somehow the title is reflecting the Honolulu Prince, but we booked the Maui Prince in Wailua/Makena. Just to clarify :) Also, we just booked the Westin Maui on Kaanapali Beach for the 2nd half of our stay and we did it through Hotwire (via the SavingsBarn.com) for $228/night. Plus we used the GIFTCARD06 savings code and kicked off another $40 off the price. Amenities in their full list were: Resort, Beachfront, Restaurants, Pools, Fitness Center, Spa Services, Children's Activity Program, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby, and Business Center. Now we just have to wait until September!!

Yes they were. I have since booked the Maui Prince through Priceline for $175 (see my thread in Priceline forum) for half of the stay (9/20-9/24). I was too nervous that the Hotline 4* hotel may be the Diamond one not on the beach. Thanks for your help! (by thereuare, copied from another post): We just booked the Westin Maui on Kaanapali Beach for the 2nd half of our stay and we did it through Hotwire (via the SavingsBarn.com) for $228/night. Plus we used the GIFTCARD06 savings code and kicked off another $40 off the price. Amenities in their full list were: Resort, Beachfront, Restaurants, Pools, Fitness Center, Spa Services, Children's Activity Program, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby, and Business Center.

After debating between spending our time in Wailea or Kaanapali, we decided to split our time between the two. I first bid $160 for Wailea for the 2nd half of our trip (dates 9/24-9/28), received the $25 rebid suggestion which I chose not to do, and instead rebid free bids (by adding Kihei and Kahului) and raised the price to $170 and then $175, but was declined. I then decided to switch the dates in a last ditch attempt, kept the price at $175, and was instantly accepted at the Maui Prince (the property we were hoping for!). The current cheapest rate on Expedia for this hotel during these dates is $259. :)

In researching some of our options for a trip in late September to Maui, I've been debating between staying on Kaanapali beach or in Wailea. I noticed that the highest rating hotel on Hotwire for Wailea I've seen is a 4* hotel for $201/night w/ the following amenities listed: Resort Restaurant(s) Pool(s) Fitness Center spa Services Golf NEarby Tennis Nearby Notably, this hotel does not say it is beachfront. Any ideas on what property this might be? Thanks again for your help!

Thanks for your advice. We may need to book our airfare sooner than firming up the hotel plans, as airfares are cheap right now (but of course may go up at any moment). So I may end up taking the Hotwire deal for security- at $228 (plus the other discounts) it's way cheaper than I got elsewhere even w/ other discounts (lowest I had found before that was $260). I'll post again if I do more bidding on this one. Thanks!