Maui Discount Activities

Not a condo, but cheap: Three Waikiki hotel deals

No matter how I try to focus my Aloha Friday columns, such as yesterday's about cheap, kid-friendly activities on O'ahu , a few readers always want to share advice I've "forgotten" -- sometimes it's on the last page they didn't get to (yes, I did suggest taking The Bus), sometimes it's on a topic I specifically excluded for brevity (despite the seemingly infinite capacity of the Internet, my editor doesn't allow encyclopedically long columns), but more often it's something I've already written about. Oh well, that's the beauty of the comments section: We can all chime in, and I do often learn something I didn't know (or already write about.) It's what I also love about doing this blog: I get a chance to hear from all the other "Hawai'i Insiders" out there. Mahalo for sharing your Hawai'i mana'o with us!

One thing I heard loud and clear yesterday from readers: Anytime I'm writing about family travel, or discount travel, or both, they want to know about cheap lodging alternatives to resorts. And apparently I need to always, always mention that if you stay in a condo, you tend to have more space and a kitchen to cook and save on meals. True -- although commenters suggesting this rarely mention that at least with Waikiki condos, you are also likely to be farther from the beach, and the pool may be small or nonexistent. And as another commenter noted: Not everyone likes to cook on vacation. (Our usual compromise with kids: make-our-own breakfasts using a microwave and minifridge; picnic lunches with sandwiches from ABC or mixed plates from homemade mom-and-pop local eateries; tapas-style dinners with poke from the local market; and yeah, the occasional restaurant splurge.)

So with that, the most long-winded intro EV-er: It's hard to beat the current $59-plus-tax nightly rate at the Maile Sky Court , good through Aug. 21. Sure, you're on Kuhio Avenue and closer to the Ala Wai Canal than to the beach, but your ocean-view room in the budget high-rise hotel (now managed by Aqua) includes one queen or two twins, A/C, cable TV, coffeemaker, microwave and mini-fridge (and the hotel does have a pool and hot tub.) The maximum occupancy for these smaller rooms is three, so if the kids are old enough, you can book one for them and one for you and still spend much less than at the typical resort hotel (which might not have the microwave/fridge option.)

If you're traveling between Aug. 11 and Dec. 22, Aqua is offering a first night of $10 for three-night (or more) stays at all of its 13 O'ahu properties and its individual locations on Maui, Kaua'i and Moloka'i, part of its 10th anniversary special. The fine print: Book through July 15, prepayment required.

Maui stores selling discount activities? | Daily Deals in your City

I was in Maui and saw many stores selling discount activities. In Lahaina, there seemed to be one of these places every other store. (eg. Zipline fun for $ 85 while regular price: $ 120; Luau at the Hyatt for $ 20 when the regular price is $ 85). How do these things work? They sound too good to be true.

Do they all involve something like listening to a 90 minute timeshare presentation? Or are they simply good deals that travelers should take advantage of? Thanks!

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