Priceline Hotel: Kauai Resort Help - 8/5 - 8/12

[rmarm]

Hello,

I've been reading through the topics on Kauai but still need a little help. I'm planning on using priceline for my trip from Aug. 5 - Aug. 12th.

I would like to bid the resort class in hopes of getting the Marriott resort in the Kapaa region.

It shows up under the Vacation packages.

My questions are:

Is the Marriott the only resort that I could get or are there others in the Kapaa region?

On the priceline page it says small chance of a winning bid until I put in $139 or higher. Does that mean anything for my bidding strategy?

Thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Always ignore priceline's "low bid warning" messages as they're meaningless. If you'd like some help with a bidding strateg let us know your maximum bid and we'll try to help.

As far as other resorts in the area, there could always be hotels not yet reported or otherwise unknown in the area. Not all hotels that participate in the opaque hotel product also participate in the vaction product, so the vacations listing should not be considered inclusive.

[rmarm]

Hi,

I bid $95 for resort area and was rejected.

Then added Princeville and bid $110 and was rejected again.

Any thoughts on what I should bid after the 72 hours are up?

Thanks.

[thereuare]

I would try $120 and then $125.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[LoneStar]

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I need to inject a little realism into your bidding strategy. It will take a miracle to get 7 straight days at the Marriott or any other Kauai resort at around $100 for early August. Miracles do happen, of course, but it's an extreme long shot.

What I would do is the following. Go ahead and bid up to $125 for all your nights as soon as you are allowed. You're almost certain to be rejected, but every once in a while a miracle happens. After that, if you're willing to split your stay, play around on priceline vacations and hotwire and see if you can spot any off-peak days where there might be availability at cheapo rates (also a long shot, but a lot more likely than getting 7 straight days).

If that doesn't work, and you are unwilling to pay non-opaque prices, you have to consider "lowering your standards" -- particularly to the 3-star level. On Kauai, there are a number of more modest properties that tend to be pretty decent and often have priceline/hotwire availability when the resorts "sell out." If you play around with your dates on hotwire/priceline, you'll see these properties.

The other good option is booking with Aston or Outrigger at the 50% off Entertainment Card rate (you obviously would need to get an Entertainment Card if you book the rate). Aston manages the Waimea Plantation Cottages (WPC) on Kauai which I consider one of the best places to stay in the Islands (and perhaps the world) if you're not looking for glitzy resort amenities and want to experience "old Hawaii." I personally would pick half-off at the WPC to a priceline deal at the Marriott, but everyone is different. I also don't know if the WPC will give you half-off for those dates (if you're interested, check Aston and the hotel separately -- sometimes one will honor it when the other won't!).