Priceline Hotel: Kauai north shore bidding question

[harikamboji]

Hi there,

I'm looking for a place on the north shore for Feb 28 - March 2 (2012).

It seems that Priceline has only one property in the princeville area, namely

the 3.5 star Westin condo complex. Does this mean I can instantly rebid by

selecting the 3-star option, and then again by selecting the 2.5 star option?

I guess there is always a risk that they could have added another hotel though.

By the way, my latest bid of $145 was rejected :(

On a different note: Resort fees are annoying, and hard to keep track of.

It would be helpful if they could be listed on the hotel lists on this site.

Just a small suggestion- the site has been most helpful!

Many thanks,

Hari

[thereuare]

If you haven't yet please start by reading your messages.

It seems that Priceline has only one property in the princeville area, namely

the 3.5 star Westin condo complex.

How did you determine this? If by using the 'retail' listings, the two sides of PRICELINE use a different universe of hotels, so you can't use the retail side to determine what is possible thru the 'name your own price' side of the service.

By the way, my latest bid of $145 was rejected :(

What is the best rate you're able to find at an acceptable hotel for these dates? What is your maximum bid for this leg of your stay?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[harikamboji]

I was using the list of hotels from this forum:

Priceline Hotel List

and the fact that going back over all the previous posts nobody

announced any priceline place on the north shore other than the

Westin.

I have not got a real backup plan in place. I guess in a pinch I would

try the Castles condo on HOTWIRE for $158 or the Princeville Oceanfront villas

on hotels.com for $160. I've looked at a bunch of B+B and condo options

on other sites. Most of these cost quite a lot, and are of dubious quality.

By the way, I have been using the PRICELINE / HOTWIRE links from this site

each time I go, and I encourage everyone to do the same to keep this place

going!

[thereuare]

If PRICELINE offers a star rating in a given zone, then it is best to error on the side of caution and assume that they do indeed have a hotel offered in that zone of that star rating. See the comments at the top of the Priceline Hotel List and that is why we stress not to use the hotel lists to determine your re-bid zones.

I would not recommend bidding the lower star ratings in this zone on the assumption that you'd be upgraded to a higher rated hotel, especially when you have over a month before your stay. Plenty of time to get a realistic gameplan in place so that there is no need to take unnecessary risks.

The North Shore does look fairly expensive for these dates. Not sure of your plans, but you may also want to consider Lihue which is more of the 'city central point' on the Island (if there is a 'city' on Kauai). It's not the North Shore, but is probably about a 45 minute drive to the North Shore, iirc, and you can make day trips there. Do note that the main roads on Kauai are 2 lane highways so a 30 mile trip will take a bit longer than in your hometown where you may be able to get on the freeway and drive 60mph and be there in 30 minutes.

Let us know how you'd like to move forward.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[harikamboji]

I've been working my way up in $5 increments. Tonight they rejected my $160 bid for the Westin condo.

Ouch! At this pt, the options in Lihue/Kapaa are looking pretty tempting.

[thereuare]

You can try using MAPS and HOTELS.com to see if anything nearby is available for less, but if fully refundable up until a few days before your stay, you also may want to book the Hotels.com deal you referenced above to protect yourself from rates going even higher or selling out.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (or our Hotels.com link should you go that route)

Keep us updated on your progress and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

[harikamboji]

Just to close this topic- I ended up booking a condo at Sealodge in Princeville, since the

priceline thing wasn't working out. I guess I waited too long to start my bidding. But I'm cautiously

optimistic about the place I ended up booking for $110/nt plus tax+fee.

Thanks for your help with this trip and this great board!

[thereuare]

Although the PRICELINE bidding didn't work out this time around, glad to hear you found the board helpful and we looking forward to helping with your next trip, hopefully with better results.

Thank you for closing this thread with your decision and enjoy your upcoming stay.