Budget summer vacations from Honolulu: Molokai

by Brenda Yun on


If you made the journey all the way across the Pacific to Honolulu and promptly determined that the hustle and bustle of the busy city is not for you, you might want to consider heading to an outer island. While the more popular islands of the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai offer unique ecological and cultural sights, the island of Molokai is the most laid back and local of the bunch. Its hub, Kaunakakai, is just a lazy little country town that resembles Oahu’s Haleiwa town but is even smaller.

With tons of outdoor exploration to be had and the island’s fascinating history surrounding Father Damien, Molokai is a must-see for adventurers willing to blaze their own path into rarely charted territory.

Getting there

  • By air: There are daily flights out of Honolulu to Molokai’s lazy Hoolehua airport (MKK).
  • By boat: You can also take the ferry over to Maui and back. Ferries leave twice a day between Kaunakakai and Lahaina.


The Sights

  • In Kalaupapa National Historical Park, you can take a memorable three-mile mule ride around the island’s northern peninsula. The seascapes and vistas on the peninsula are absolutely breathtaking. You can also learn about Molokai’s well-documented leprosy colony and visit Father Damien’s gravesite and church.
  • Take a boat along Molokai’s northern shores to view the world’s tallest and most breathtaking cliffs.
  • Drive to the east until you reach the end of the road. There, sacred Halawa Valley awaits you, with hiking paths through lush tropical forests. The impressive, double-tiered Mooula Falls is a perfect place to rest your feet and have lunch.
  • Visit the town of Kaunakakai for a tasty of laid-back town life. Peruse the gift shops and boutiques along the main drag, Ala Malama Avenue, or stroll along the state’s longest pier, where local fishermen and tour boats call home.

The Food

  • The Saturday market in Kaunakakai (8 a.m. – noon) is a surprisingly lively affair for food lovers and souvenir shoppers.
  • If you’re looking for some tasty bakery delights, head to the famous Kanemitsu Bakery in Kaunakakai. Its onion-and-cheese bread will fill any void in your belly.
  • The Kualapu’u Cook House (at 102 Farrington Avenue) is a charming little local eatery in Ho’olehua. Customers continue to rave about its brunches and all around hospitable hosts.

Where to Stay

  • Camping is popular at various sites on Molokai, but all require either a permit or minimal entry fee. The most popular site is the Palaau State Park in the central part of the island (call #808-567-6618 to obtain a camping permit). Papohaku Beach Park (which fronts Hawaii’s longest white sand beach) and One Alii Park on Molokai’s west side has restrooms, drinking water, outdoor showers, grills and picnic facilities (call #808-553-3204 for $3 permits per person, per night).
  • The Pu’u O Hoku Ranch near Kaunakakai is an old-style Hawaiian lodge with a separate cottage and grove house. The entire ranch sits atop a hill with breathtaking ocean views and is surrounded by lush forest and tropical gardens. Rooms start at $120 per night.
  • The Castle Kaluakai Villas on Molokai’s Maunaloa coast offer more resort-like accomodations that start at just $110 per night.

Check out more budget summer vacations here!

Pets stay free – The five best pet-friendly budget hotel chains

by Annie Scott on

If you’re a pet lover and haven’t visited Petside.com, you totally should! They have all kinds of information and news about our furry little friends. Their most recent endeavor? Naming the Top 5 Pet-Friendly Budget Hotel Chains!

“Keeping costs low is a top priority for pet owners as they make summer travel plans this year,” says Joshua Fried, the Director of Petside.com. “We are thrilled this list provides so many affordable options for pets to have their summer vacation, too.”

It turns out that a lot of hotels don’t charge any extra fees or even require a deposit! Keep in mind that budget chains are more often than not franchises, which means rules and regulations can vary. Be sure to call up the particular one at which you’ll be staying to verify their policy.

So, who among the budget chains turned out to be the most pet-friendly? Click through our gallery to find out (phone numbers included!)
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Got hotel points? Now is the time to use them!

by Scott Carmichael on

Hotel award availability has long been the kind of thing that made actually getting to use your hard earned hotel points nearly impossible.

This Summer is different, and for reasons I’m not entirely sure of. I’m going to guess that hotels are seeing record low bookings, and are perfectly happy to get any guests.

Most of the large hotel chains have a ton of award availability, and a lot of it is available for dates that have historically been impossible to redeem on.

Even the upcoming memorial day weekend shows plenty of availability, and to make things even better, there are plenty of free rooms in cities that are usually filled to capacity for major events (like Indianapolis).

So, if you have any spare hotel points lying around, now is the best time ever to start using them – forget that whole “staycation” thing. Gas is still relatively cheap, and if your only expenses will be food, entertainment and gas, then you’d better have a good reason to stay home.

Scared of losing your job? JetBlue extends their “Promise Program” till the end of the year.

by Scott Carmichael on

We covered the JetBlue “promise program” back in February, and since the economy is only slowly starting to show signs of recovery, the airline just announced that they’ll extend their promotion till the end of the year.

Essentially, the Promise Program means anyone who loses their job before taking their trip will get a full refund of their fare. The promise applies to regular JetBlue airfare as well as JetBlue Gateway vacations.

Of course, the airline will need some proof that you really did lose your job, and you’ll need to keep a close eye on some of the fine print involved. Sadly, the deal only means you can cancel the trip and get your money back, not take the trip and get your money. Still, it is probably better to get that cash back and plan a staycation, than take a trip you know you will no longer be able to afford.

All the details of the JetBlue Promise Program, including the required forms to cancel your trip, can be found at their promotion web site.

Feeling more confident about booking a great summer getaway? Click here to see the destinations included in the JetBlue 300,000 summer seat sale! Fares start at just $29!

Swine flu symptoms? Next holiday in Mexico is free

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s a bummer to get sick on a vacation. Anyone who has been holed up in a hotel with the chills or worse instead of out enjoying the trip that you paid for can vouch for that. Illness isn’t great for tourism either. Mexico tourism has hit the skids because of H1N1 virus, aka, swine flu. Folks in the Mexico tourism industry have begun to cook up ideas to entice tourists to head south. Here’s one.

In an effort to make amends, and woo tourists into thinking that a little swine flu is worth the risk, three hotel chains: Real Resorts, Dreams and Secrets are offering a screaming deal to anyone who has swine flu like symptoms within eight days after they get home from their Caribbean coast vacation. According to this Daily Mail article, if you arrive home and get sick, you get three years of free vacation fun in Mexico. The eight day limit, I suppose, is to keep people from blaming any old ailment they acquire days, weeks or months later on their beach holiday.

There’s a couple of hitches with this plan. The U.S. is still recommending that people not travel to Mexico unless they really have to and several companies have canceled trips. But, still, it’s a creative odd reverse of what is usually the case of what people want from a vacation.

Most people head to Mexico, or anywhere else for that matter, hoping to NOT get sick. In this case, getting sick is like hitting the lottery. I wonder how many people will be disappointed on the ninth day after they have returned home and wake up without one ache and pain–not even a twinge. Not only do you NOT win three years of free vacation, but you have to go to work. Most people will end up heading to work. Probably all of them. Mexico’s Health Minister has reported that out of the 2,000 registered swine flu cases, only two have been from Cancun.