Priceline Hotel: Help needed for a first timer.

[wffsoccer]

Hello, First post.

My girlfriend and I would like to go to Hawaii over spring break, March. 12-19th are going to be our flight dates. The cheapest I have found flights out of Minneapolis was $396 last night.

I would like some advice on, how much should I be paying for airfare, what is the min. amount of stars I should request on the hotel I will be pricelining, and since we are both not quiet 21, is not having a car going to severly hamper us?

Thanks for any advice.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding

You must be at least 21 years old to book a hotel room through priceline.

This may or may not be a problem, but not sure if it is a risk you are willing to take.

[wffsoccer]

Used it when we went to orlando last year, shouldnt be a problem.

[thereuare]

Every hotel, and check-in clerk, is different... some don't care, others make it their business to try and catch any minor infraction.

Only you (and your girlfriend) can decide what star level you should bid. I would start by reviewing our hotel lists for PRICLINE and HOTWIRE, then read the reviews on the hotels, and figure out what is the minimum star level you are willing to accept.

[dc3]

You sound like you would really benefit from reading some of the standard guidebooks or consulting a travel agent to make your plans. The age restriction on rental cars is pretty confining. The only place where it would not be a problem is Waikiki. There are plenty of hotels and lots of public transit. You can let Travelocity"]Travelocity keep tabs on the lowest airfares.

[LoneStar]

Sure hope you bought that airfare! FWIW, there was a weird fare war with Delta that artifically depressed MSP Hawaiian airfares YESTERDAY. Roundtrip fares will generally be north of $700 from that fortress hub (like they are today).

FWIW, Hawaii will generally be an expensive spring break trip, unless you can redeem ff mileage.

[wffsoccer]

Dangit, I knew I shoulda booked last night....Guess Ill just sit and wait to find another drop.

[LoneStar]

I hate to say it, but the odds that you will find a comparable fare from MSP to Hawaii in the next 2 months is less than 5%. That was a VERY unusual deal from a fortress hub such as yours. Your best bet is to follow West Coast fares on Travelocity"]Travelocity][url="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=18566&sourceid=40346950&categoryid=Travelocity"]Travelocity/yahoo's "dream maps" and then buy a separate ticket from MSP to those gateway cities. Realisticaly, though, barring a miracle, you're looking at AT LEAST $500 all in.

Maybe you need another spring break destination? :)

[thereuare]

Lonestar, just how low were the fares?

[LoneStar]

Those MSP fares were under $400 roundtrip, which is obviously very good from that market. It was Delta's response to Northwest offering very cheap fares from Delta's hub cities.

I saw somewhere today (probably flyertalk) that Northwest was giving a couple hundred off their Hawaii packages for March (air + hotel), and that this was resulting in some very good deals in certain markets. Might be something for this traveler to look at.