chrispee

Won the Palazzo for $121 after rebidding my way up from $85 (5* Vegas Strip North only + free rebid zones).

My guess would be an unreported hotel: Marriott's Maui Ocean Club.

We bid on a hotel for our last-minute trip to Tofino, and ended up getting the Best Western Tin Wis Resort Lodge for $85 first bid. It was showing up under the Express Deals at $99 per night so I thought I'd take a crack at a bid with the $99 rate as my backup. Luckily I won with my first bid as there are no rebid zones, but I might have left some money on the table as I didn't have multiple days to increase bids. Don't know if it's worth noting, but I originally bid on the night of March 8th, and added the extra night of March 7th at the same rate after the win.

Ahh, makes sense. Good luck with the bidding!

Why not add the 4* for Kaanapali and roll the dice on the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Villas? This appears to be the only 4* reported in that zone, and I would argue it's at least as nice as the resort class properties in Kaanapali...

Looks like the Sheraton Poipu to me. It was downgraded from a 4* to a 3.5* during renovations I believe, but has probably been upgraded to a 4* again? If you're ok with the Sheraton Poipu, or the Hyatt Poipu, why not throw out a bid for a 4* in Poipu on Priceline? People seem to have good success getting the Sheraton Poipu in the $140-$150 range?

I've been bidding on rental cars over the past few days for our trip to the big island of Hawaii in January of 2014. We needed something large enough for 5 people, so I've unsuccessfully bid on standard/full-size/premium/luxury cars up to $26 per day. Today on a whim I threw out a bid for a full-size SUV for $30, and was given an offer of $35 by priceline to seal the deal. I declined and adjusted my date slightly and won bidding $32 per day (National car rental KOA). I was actually quite surprised as priceline's normal rate for my dates was $100 per day, and hotwire had it for $72. I checked on the National's website, and their total price is $2675.90 including tax, and I paid $712.45 total. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy! I used the priceline and HOTWIRE links of course, and thanks again to the site owners and moderators!

Started bidding at $61 for a 3.5 star pet friendly hotel in the Portland PDX Airport zone. Using free rebids, I worked my way up and finally won at $88 plus $5 bonus cash.

The Outrigger Reef on the Beach is actually a resort class hotel, does your confirmation say 4.5 star or did you get upgraded even though it was a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal?

This February does seem to be pretty challenging for sure. FYI there's a beachfront 4* showing up on HOTWIRE.com for your dates in the Waikiki Beach zone for $178. Probably worth the extra $8 to be guaranteed beachfront (and arguably in a more desirable zone). Good luck!

FYI since you'd just be guessing on that booking anyhow, PRICELINE EXPRESS is showing a resort class kapaa hotel on your dates for $129 per night. Likely the Kauai Beach Resort as well, but maybe the Marriott which is also very nice. Why not throw out a bid on PRICELINE for less than $129 since you're very likely to get either one of those two hotels?

congrats on the wedding! since it's your honeymoon, you should also consider if you and your significant other would be satisfied being in a 4* or resort property even if it meant you had an "urban" view. quite often priceline bidders end up with a low floor view out the non oceanfront side of the hotel. i would guess that if you mentioned it was your honeymoon at check-in you would likely get an upgraded view, but there are no guarantees!

Hi everybody, just got back from this stay and really had a great time. Although parking was supposed to be $7 per day we did not get charged for some reason, and we more than offset the cost of this hotel by enjoying our own food and drinks on the resort on many of the days. Click here for my full hotel review.

We stayed here for 1 week in December 2012 and would come back to this hotel in a heartbeat. We're seasoned Hawaii travelers as we love the short flight and family friendly atmosphere. I will admit that prior to our trip to the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, I had mixed feelings about our prior trips to Maui. One of my main reservations has been that eating good restaurant food on Maui is expensive in comparison to the other Hawaiian islands. So, we've found in the past that we either had to pay big to eat, or stay in a not so resort-like condo in order to prepare our own meals. Staying at the Westin Ocean Villas requires no sacrifice as you get true resort grounds and amenities with a very usable kitchenette. We greatly enjoyed shopping at Whole Foods on Maui and preparing our own meals at the common BBQs by the pool, and were happy to enjoy a few more expensive meals on the resort as well. We were lucky enough to get a studio with an upgraded pool/partial ocean view upon check-in even though we booked through bidding on Priceline.com. At no time did we feel like second class citizens, and there was never any mention of our Priceline booking method. Our room was well appointed with a comfy king bed, sofa bed, fully equiped kitchenette, small table, and washer/dryer. The bathroom is a great size, with separate Jacuzzi tub and shower. There is no real balcony in the studio unit, but there is a glass sliding door with railing so you still get to take advantage of the hawaiian breeze. I should note that I've heard others complain about timeshare sales pressure, but we were only asked once by the concierge at check-in if we'd like to attend a sales session. We politely declined and were not asked again the entire trip The resort grounds are what really put the Westin Ocean Villas over the top in my opinion. The common areas are beautifully landscaped and there is plenty of natural beauty. You enter through the open air lobby and are greeted with the koi pond complete with frogs and little birds splashing around in the waterfalls. The pool is an organic shape with a tastefully done water slide for the kids. One thing I really liked about the pool is that it does not stink like chlorine or chemicals. The pool was never really crowded during the day, and it can't be beat for an evening swim under the torches, swaying palm trees, and clear evening sky. If you have kids, this hotel can't be beat. The grounds boast a kids' pirate ship pool and playground, and there are many activities for children of all ages. They were set up for Christmas during our stay, and had a mini ice rink set up for the kids to skate on (artificial ice, but good nonetheless). The beach out front of the resort is excellent for swimming, with numerous good breaks in the coral to enter. The grounds are set up so that guests can enjoy their own drinks/food throughout the resort. We found this refreshing as usually resorts don't want you enjoying your own drinks and food in the public areas. The pool restaurant/bar has good food, and we did eat/drink there a few times during our stay and it certainly does provide a good yet expensive experience. We went for a drink at the Sheraton Black Rock pool bar down the road and came to the consensus that we preferred the atmosphere and value at the Westin Ocean Villas better. Another bonus that many of the hotels in Ka'anapali provide is a complimentary shuttle around the local area. The Westin Ocean Villas has a great shuttle that goes to the other hotels, shopping, the Cannery Mall (grocery, drug stores, restaurants etc.), and even all the way into Lahaina. We loved this as you could go out for a drink and not have to worry about parking or driving back to the resort. I can for the life of me figure out why Priceline rates this as a 4* and not a Resort class property, but I hope they continue to do so as it makes bidding on it easier! We've been lucky enough to stay in some nice hotels in our previous trips to Hawaii, but both my wife and I agree that this was unequivocally our favourite stay out of a dozen or so trips. The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas strike the ideal balance of condo and resort for us, and I have a renewed love of Maui as a result. We will be back for sure!

The Westin Princeville is rated as a 4* now in the non-bidding side of PRICELINE it looks like...

I see it too, but it's in the Wailea zone: 4-star Hotel in Wailea - Makena This Hotel features the following amenities: Resort Free Parking Beachfront Property Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Laundry Facilities (self-service) High-Speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Spa Services Children's Activity Program Accessible path of travel <amenity names only please... not descriptions> In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking <amenity names only please... not descriptions>

We stayed in The Sheraton San Diego Hotel And Marina for 3 nights on a family trip to the San Diego Zoo etc. It is a beautiful hotel in a convenient location to all of San Diego's amenities. During our stay, we visited the San Diego Zoo and local beaches, all within a 15 minute drive. The Hotel has an excellent resort style pool and hot tub, with an adjoining fire pit area. The ocean view over the marina is outstanding, and there is a nice walking path right in front. We were pleasantly surprised to receive an 11th floor king room with an unobstructed view of ocean over the marina. It's always nice to pay the Priceline bidding rate (in our case $104 per night) and not receive the worst room in the hotel. Our room was spacious, well outfitted, and clean. Unlike previous reviewers, we did not notice any noise coming from other rooms. Perhaps the deficiencies mentioned above have been remedied. Parking did seem exorbitant at $22 per night, but the hotel is located right next to the airport which does not help local parking rates. One thing that has not been fixed is the parking gates which seem to have great difficulty reading room keys. Overall, this was a great stay for us, and I would be happy to win this hotel again on Priceline.

Just to close this thread, my inlaws booked a studio condo at the Waikiki Shore direct from owner rather than roll the dice on the PRICELINE.com condo express deals. Good for them, but too bad for the rest of us as I'm still curious.

HOTWIRE shows a Waikiki Beach 4* at $171 for your dates. Also, HOTWIRE is showing a 4* on the North Shore that is likely to be the Turtle Bay Resort for $162. That's a huge deal if you're into the North Shore.

I'm not sure why we're seeing different search results, but I don't see anyone in recent history winning the Sheraton Waikiki beach for less than $149 per night (plus taxes, resort fees etc). If you don't mind potentially staying in two different hotels, I'd consider splitting my bid. Lots of people are on vacation right up until the end the week you're arriving. You'll notice that for your dates, Hotwire offers no 4* hotels, and Priceline has no 4* or resort express deals for the Waikiki Beach zone. If you switch your dates to Jan 7-8, you get Priceline express deals for a 4* and resort for $230+. Hotwire shows a 4* for $194 per night. If I were to guess though, I think it's going to take a $160+ bid for you to win a 4* or resort in the Waikiki Beach zone for any time during your stay. Hopefully you get lucky though, you still have some time!

The Waikiki Shore sounds like a good guess for the 4*, any ideas for the resort? Couldn't be the Trump could it?

I don't know what threads you're seeing but are you sure you aren't confusing the resort class Sheraton Waikiki Beach with the 3 star Sheraton Princess Kaiulani? Almost all of the bids that I see over the past year for the Sheraton Waikiki Beach have been $150+ per night. Don't forget, your dates overlap a bit into primetime holiday at the beginning of January as well. Good luck with the bidding!

Hi guys, I'm trying to find a 4 star or resort class hotel in the Waikiki Beach zone for my in-laws for March 2-8. In the express deals, there's a resort condo (Amenities: Free Internet | Indoor or Outdoor Pool | Restaurant | Business Center | Fitness Center | Condo) showing for $196 and a 4* condo (Amenities: Free Internet | Indoor or Outdoor Pool | Restaurant | Business Center | Fitness Center | Condo for $184. Any ideas what these two would be, I'm stumped?

I share Theareuare's doubts about this being the Aston Kaanapali Shores. It's almost certainly not the Royal Lahaina as I've stayed there and they don't have kitchenettes to my knowledge. A blind guess on my part would be that it's an unreported thus far hotel: Kaanapali Beach Club Resort. Just a guess though! Interested to see if anyone books this hotel, lots of curious onlookers ;)

Did you rule out adding 4* in kaanapali and going for the Westin Villas? I bid and won this hotel in December for $171 and would based my decision on being able to win this hotel or the Makena Beach and Golf resort at a similar price. I walked through the Westin Villas grounds/facilities last time I was in Maui, and it looks to be on par with the resort class hotels in the area. I haven't been in a room, but they look good in pictures as well. The Makena Beach and Golf Resort is in a nice location, but the facilities didn't look to be all that upscale to me when I did my research. Just my opinion though.