[Closed - new thread started] Will Hawaii Open by [OCTOBER???] [Please use this thread for all Hawaii Coronavirus discussions]

[csodjd]

Well my husband and I don't budget we get what we want and do what we want within limits for the best price or least cost. We have stayed in Hawaii from 3-4 months since we retired in 2009. Without timeshares we couldn't have afforded to do that. We also couldn't have afforded to do that if we rented a car, shopped at the grocery stores, took Taxis or Ubers, ate out more than a few times a week.

My husband also golfed quite a bit when he was younger. He always raves about when he was a kid how he played the Black Course at Bethpage State Park on Long Island which has held the US Open for $2. He hasn't played in Hawaii.

Oahu has one of the best public courses in the Country. https://www.koolaugolfclub.com/ Not Bethpage or Torry Pines, but really a great course to play. You can buy a 3-round package for $330. That's less than one round cost me at Waialae, which, other than being in great condition, I found to be a pretty ordinary course.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Ka'anapali Beach Club is open 6/1. I just found that out from some people who are supposed to go 7/3-7/17. They are willing to go to Maui, if they don't have to quarantine.

 

[slip]

Ka'anapali Beach Club is open 6/1. I just found that out from some people who are supposed to go 7/3-7/17. They are willing to go to Maui, if they don't have to quarantine.

From the way the governor is talking July doesn’t sound good.

 

[csodjd]

Ka'anapali Beach Club is open 6/1. I just found that out from some people who are supposed to go 7/3-7/17. They are willing to go to Maui, if they don't have to quarantine.

That's a big if. I suspect a LOT of people are "willing" to go to Maui if they don't have to quarantine.

 

[beachlynn]

I agree with alot of the thinking here on the high end tourist. Timeshare owners are NOT high spending tourists. Since their accomdations are already paid for with maintenance and have kitchens in the units they usually eat many of their meals in the timeshare and save a considerable amount on restaurants for food as well as alcohol, I know we do. I believe that a great deal of the first tourists to Hawaii will be timeshare owners. VRBO renters are also low spending but at least they are paying something per night, although lower than hotels, for their accommodations.

The tourist to Maui may be somewhat higher income than the other islands so that increasing the cost to go there may be able to fly successfully. I know that Hawaii news usually says that the room rate in Maui is higher than the other islands.

Hotel rooms are certainly one of the major costs of travel to Hawaii so that raising taxes on those could attract a higher spending tourist and additional income/tourist. However, in addition to the timeshare and VRBO lower spender we know a good deal of seniors who rent apartments in Hawaii at a very low cost/night. Those people will continue to be low spender tourists.

Another thought is that many of the high end tourists, particularly in Honolulu are Japanese. Is travel to Hawaii going to be opened up internationally?

Tell that to my credit card. We spend a lot. Golf, Fishing, Whale Watching, Spa treatments, restaurants. I think TS owners are split. I sure see a lot of people dressed up to go to dinner. Even if we cook a meal in we go to Farmers Markets and local grocery stores. One could also say that some of the really high maintenance fees are used to pay locals workers to work on the properties. I can't wait to get over there, when it is fully open of course, to go to our favorite places.

 

[controller1]

Tell that to my credit card. We spend a lot. Golf, Fishing, Whale Watching, Spa treatments, restaurants. I think TS owners are split. I sure see a lot of people dressed up to go to dinner. Even if we cook a meal in we go to Farmers Markets and local grocery stores. One could also say that some of the really high maintenance fees are used to pay locals workers to work on the properties. I can't wait to get over there, when it is fully open of course, to go to our favorite places.

I agree all TS owners are not the type who cook most meals in their villas and are self-sufficient. We cook about 50% of our lunches and only about 20% of our dinners. We purchase drinks and food at the pool and will go on at least two catamaran trips over a two-week period. We also rent cabanas, beach chairs/umbrellas, will have a spa treatment or two and purchase groceries. In a two-week period we will spend on Maui at least 1.5x our annual maintenance fees. AND we do this twice a year.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I agree all TS owners are not the type who cook most meals in their villas and are self-sufficient. We cook about 50% of our lunches and only about 20% of our dinners. We purchase drinks and food at the pool and will go on at least two catamaran trips over a two-week period. We also rent cabanas, beach chairs/umbrellas, will have a spa treatment or two and purchase groceries. In a two-week period we will spend on Maui at least 1.5x our annual maintenance fees. AND we do this twice a year.

We are pretty similar. I almost always fix breakfast in the room, but otherwise, we eat out quite a bit.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

When we are in Hawaii we cook most of our meals in. Our time in Hawaii is usually a multi-generation family time, and the process of planning and preparing meals, especially dinner, is a social activity. involving preparation of beverages, grilling meat, preparing salads, etc. We enjoy all sitting around a table, and letting the meal go as long as wanted, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

That being said, we generally do spend at least two nights having a dinner at a restaurant, and will often do takeout once or twice - usually when we've been doing a long-activity and it's getting too late to do a full meal preparation.

 

[Luanne]

When we are in Hawaii we cook breakfast in most of the time. This is after we take our morning walk to get coffee. We go out to breakfast a few times, like after a whale watch. We alternate eating lunches and dinners out.

 

[csodjd]

When we are in Hawaii we cook breakfast in most of the time. This is after we take our morning walk to get coffee. We go out to breakfast a few times, like after a whale watch. We alternate eating lunches and dinners out.

Breakfast is in the room about 5x per week, and lunch is about 50-50. We always cook 2-3 dinners each week, and eat out other nights. The simple fact is, some of those nice dinners out, expensive as they may be, are also some of the most memorable times. Sunset dinners at a nice restaurant overlooking the ocean is one of the reasons we GO to Hawaii.

 

[Luanne]

Breakfast is in the room about 5x per week, and lunch is about 50-50. We always cook 2-3 dinners each week, and eat out other nights. The simple fact is, some of those nice dinners out, expensive as they may be, are also some of the most memorable times. Sunset dinners at a nice restaurant overlooking the ocean is one of the reasons we GO to Hawaii.

Two words: fresh fish

 

[Tamaradarann]

Tell that to my credit card. We spend a lot. Golf, Fishing, Whale Watching, Spa treatments, restaurants. I think TS owners are split. I sure see a lot of people dressed up to go to dinner. Even if we cook a meal in we go to Farmers Markets and local grocery stores. One could also say that some of the really high maintenance fees are used to pay locals workers to work on the properties. I can't wait to get over there, when it is fully open of course, to go to our favorite places.

Since we stay in Hawaii for 3-5 months every winter we could only afford to do it by economizing as we do at home When Timesharing. We eat all of our breakfasts, lunches(or pack a lunch to eat out), and about 1/2 our dinners in the unit. When we do go out to dinner we eat salad and have a couple of drinks in the unit before going to out to dinner. That saves about 1/2 the cost of a dinner out. We don't rent a car so we walk or take the bus when we go out. Seniors ride for $1 with a Medicare Card but we don't pay at all since we get a senior monthly or annual bus pass.

 

[csodjd]

Since we stay in Hawaii for 3-5 months every winter we could only afford to do it by economizing as we do at home When Timesharing. We eat all of our breakfasts, lunches(or pack a lunch to eat out), and about 1/2 our dinners in the unit. When we do go out to dinner we eat salad and have a couple of drinks in the unit before going to out to dinner. That saves about 1/2 the cost of a dinner out. We don't rent a car so we walk or take the bus when we go out. Seniors ride for $1 with a Medicare Card but we don't pay at all since we get a senior monthly or annual bus pass.

I'd love to hear how you arrange the 3-5 months. Is that all TS? I've thought about a leasehold. Or maybe just buying some cheap points. I have about 24,000 Hilton points, and another 2BR Marriott week that can be 2 weeks. But I'm curious about how you make the 3-5 months happen.

 

[Tamaradarann]

I'd love to hear how you arrange the 3-5 months. Is that all TS? I've thought about a leasehold. Or maybe just buying some cheap points. I have about 24,000 Hilton points, and another 2BR Marriott week that can be 2 weeks. But I'm curious about how you make the 3-5 months happen.

Well we have 34,600 HGVC points and 86,500 RCI points, and usually over 1,000,000 Hilton Honors Points. We have never paid for nights on the 4 main Hawaiian Islands but have hopped over to Molokai and Lanai for a few nights in between. We had also had built up probably a years worth of points from the previous year when we started doing this in 2009.

We mostly stay in Studios in Honolulu using HGVC points, but have booked RCI weeks in a Studios and 1 BRs on all 4 Hawaiian Islands. As you know Studios are only 2200 points a week during Platinum Season. At times we have used the Hilton Honors Points for a few nights to get us to the next timeshare reservation.

However, recently we have been borrowing from the next year since as I have mentioned before that we now own a Leasehold Unit at the Wailana that we are currently renting. It is right across the street from the Hilton Hawaiian Village so location wise it is the same as being in the HHV. We had planned on moving in this fall until this coronavirus fiasco turned the plan into an unknown future.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Well we have 34,600 HGVC points and 86,500 RCI points, and usually over 1,000,000 Hilton Honors Points. We have never paid for nights on the 4 main Hawaiian Islands but have hopped over to Molokai and Lanai for a few nights in between. We had also had built up probably a years worth of points from the previous year when we started doing this in 2009.

We mostly stay in Studios in Honolulu using HGVC points, but have booked RCI weeks in a Studios and 1 BRs on all 4 Hawaiian Islands. As you know Studios are only 2200 points a week during Platinum Season. At times we have used the Hilton Honors Points for a few nights to get us to the next timeshare reservation.

However, recently we have been borrowing from the next year since as I have mentioned before that we now own a Leasehold Unit at the Wailana that we are currently renting. It is right across the street from the Hilton Hawaiian Village so location wise it is the same as being in the HHV. We had planned on moving in this fall until this coronavirus fiasco turned the plan into an unknown future.

How did you handle mail?

 

[controller1]

Since we stay in Hawaii for 3-5 months every winter we could only afford to do it by economizing as we do at home When Timesharing. We eat all of our breakfasts, lunches(or pack a lunch to eat out), and about 1/2 our dinners in the unit. When we do go out to dinner we eat salad and have a couple of drinks in the unit before going to out to dinner. That saves about 1/2 the cost of a dinner out. We don't rent a car so we walk or take the bus when we go out. Seniors ride for $1 with a Medicare Card but we don't pay at all since we get a senior monthly or annual bus pass.

That works for you but what some of us are saying is your previous statement (shown below) is NOT true since you made it as a universal statement.

Timeshare owners are NOT high spending tourists.

 

[Kapolei]

 

[gdrj]

I did watch one of the press conferences or listen to one of the mayors radio interviews and I’m not sure the mayor has a clear vision of how to get where he wants to be. I did hear him say they want people who are here for longer periods of time (2 weeks +) vs. shor t trips. I did not hear him say anything about time share visitors NOT being welcome, though I may have missed it. I took it more as Air BNB and VRBO etc as not being the guests they are striving for.

As far as reducing rental cars, from a traffic stand point that make sense, BUT tourist still need to get to resorts, so Vans/busses with multiple traveling parties Bringing guests helps social distancing how? There are two different issues. COVID-19 and tourism saturation. Hawaii created the tourism over population.They approved, hotels, timeshares AirBNB etc.

limiting rental cars will not encourage spending, it will encourage guests to not go out.

 

[Tamaradarann]

That works for you but what some of us are saying is your previous statement (shown below) is NOT true since you made it as a universal statement.

You are correct, people can spend as much as they want when they are timesharing. I was pointing out some of the financial benefits that attracts many peope to timesharing and that attracted me to timesharing. I personally don't know anyone that does not take advantage of those financial benefits.

 

[Tamaradarann]

How did you handle mail?

Our adult Son stays home in our house and forwards it about once a month or so. We pay all of our bills automatically.

 

[bnoble]

limiting rental cars will not encourage spending, it will encourage guests to not go out.

I see it a little differently. Limiting cars is about discouraging the visitors that they seem to be talking about wanting fewer of.

Limiting rental cars drives up the price of an individual car. If you are staying in a resort destination (one of the Hilton complexes, Ko Olina, etc.) you can probably do without a car and maybe book a day trip or two, and given the price of parking maybe you already were. But, if you are in an e.g. AirBnB/VRBO well, that just drives up the price of your overall vacation. Maybe some people think twice about going at that point.

 

[Tamaradarann]

I see it a little differently. Limiting cars is about discouraging the visitors that they seem to be talking about wanting fewer of.

Limiting rental cars drives up the price of an individual car. If you are staying in a resort destination (one of the Hilton complexes, Ko Olina, etc.) you can probably do without a car and maybe book a day trip or two, and given the price of parking maybe you already were. But, if you are in an e.g. AirBnB/VRBO well, that just drives up the price of your overall vacation. Maybe some people think twice about going at that point.

Everywhere in Hawaii but Honolulu limiting cars will reduce the number of tourist that come. The only place in Hawaii that you can be without a car comfortably is Honolulu. Otherwise almost all people need and get a rental car to fully enjoy their vacation.

Since they have a shuttle going around Waikoloa you could conceivably do it at the 4 Hilton Resorts on the Island of Hawaii but we have never done that. Also, getting to and from the airport to the Waikoloa resorts is an expensive cab or Uber ride and if you are going to go to Costco, Target or Walmart to get inexpensive groceries it is another expensive round trip cab or Uber ride. Taking a cab or Uber to the supermarket on the hill where the prices are more expensive than the big box stores is reasonably. Otherwise you are relegated to taking the shuttle to the specialty supermarket in the Queens Shopping Plaza which has high pricing like whole foods before it was reborn.

 

[Ken555]

This is silly. There’s no way the majority of Hawaii visitors will enjoy their time without a rental car.


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[Tamaradarann]

I did watch one of the press conferences or listen to one of the mayors radio interviews and I’m not sure the mayor has a clear vision of how to get where he wants to be. I did hear him say they want people who are here for longer periods of time (2 weeks +) vs. shor t trips. I did not hear him say anything about time share visitors NOT being welcome, though I may have missed it. I took it more as Air BNB and VRBO etc as not being the guests they are striving for.

As far as reducing rental cars, from a traffic stand point that make sense, BUT tourist still need to get to resorts, so Vans/busses with multiple traveling parties Bringing guests helps social distancing how? There are two different issues. COVID-19 and tourism saturation. Hawaii created the tourism over population.They approved, hotels, timeshares AirBNB etc.

limiting rental cars will not encourage spending, it will encourage guests to not go out.

That is an interesting thought that the Air BNB and VRBO tourists are the ones they are trying to prohibit. Well they have been trying to crack down on those before the virus since many of them evade the taxes. Stiffening that enforcement might be good. However, there are Hawaii residents as well as non-Hawaii residents that own those Air BNB and VRBO operations so they would be hurting the pocketbooks of some of the residents of Hawaii.

I do agree that limiting the rental cars will encourage guests not to go out, and the only way it will increase spending is by tourists using more cabs, Uber, and Lyft.

 

[csodjd]

I see it a little differently. Limiting cars is about discouraging the visitors that they seem to be talking about wanting fewer of.

Limiting rental cars drives up the price of an individual car. If you are staying in a resort destination (one of the Hilton complexes, Ko Olina, etc.) you can probably do without a car and maybe book a day trip or two, and given the price of parking maybe you already were. But, if you are in an e.g. AirBnB/VRBO well, that just drives up the price of your overall vacation. Maybe some people think twice about going at that point.

I might be simplistic here, but the impression I got with respect to the desire to reduce rental cars wasn't about reducing the NUMBER of tourists, it was about reducing the IMPACT of tourists by reducing traffic and parking and congestion. Yes, a car is helpful. But if, for instance, they develop good effective shuttles between hotels and Lahaina, for instance, perhaps the congestion there can be significantly reduced by people coming for dinner or shopping or whatever by shuttle instead of their rental car. I don't think their plan is to leave people stranded. I think it is to replace the dependence on rental cars with friendlier alternatives.