My first hope for big savings was mileage award travel. We got denied there as the tickets were 40k

Our co-founder, DealBase Dave, recently returned from a Hawaiian family vacation. With some online package deal hunting (and some useful credit cards), he turned his 4-star travel forum western australia budget trip into a 5-star vacation. Here s his tips on how to do the same:
Every January big storms travel forum western australia pound our home in Northern California, bringing a year s worth of rainfall in just a few weeks. With storms looming in the forecast, we logged on and booked our dream family getaway. With a few tricks up your sleeve, you too can afford a luxury vacation travel forum western australia in 2010.
My first hope for big savings was mileage award travel. We got denied there as the tickets were 40k miles each and my 120k miles couldn t accommodate the 4 tickets travel forum western australia required. The price for direct flights was high at $567 each, but, have no fear—I remembered a vacation package travel forum western australia could offer bulk air and special hotel rates as the prices would be combined.
Success! On Expedia travel forum western australia I found an option that offered us an opportunity to stay at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea (on DealBase travel forum western australia , see some great stand-alone room packages with resort credits) for a little more than the individual air tickets would cost. Thus I could put this Hawaii 5-star hotel in play for our 4-star budget. Note: only Expedia offered the ability to bundle hotel for part of the stay with air. Booking Expedia through uPromise gives 1% rebate for a little extra savings. We also got super lucky when Pop s made me an associate travel forum western australia Premier based on his mileage traveled, this allowed us to upgrade to First Class there and back. A nice treat when traveling with children under five. (Bet you didn t know that your traveling relatives could do that with their miles!)
Hertz Gold Service delivered again, as we bypassed the tour travelers lined up and proceeded directly to our car. I use the USAA rate program (our car insurance provider) and these quasi-government rates seem reasonable. I don t want any hassles travel forum western australia or lost time picking up a car, but I did forget to combine another discount to bring my rate lower. To double dip here, I use my Costco American Express Open card, which offers 5% back on Hertz rentals. The card also gives a 2% rebate on travel and 3% on dining. Also, as a Gold member Hertz will provide seats for free, but you have to ask for this special advantage.
The Four Seasons Resort at Wailea travel forum western australia is exceptional: they understand service and go the extra mile to be kid-friendly. Our packaged deal from Expedia called for a Mountain View Room. I simply asked nicely if an upgrade was a possibility. travel forum western australia We were graciously granted travel forum western australia a double upgrade to a partial Ocean View. At a rack rate of $750/night, the package deal was now really sweet! At reception, the children were offered toys from a large basket of goodies and child-size robes and stuffed animals greeted them in our room. Additionally, the hotel s Kids for All Seasons program offers camp-like activities for children ages 5 and older and there is also a playroom filed with games, toys, and arts and crafts, which can be used free of cost. Another big savings turned out to be that kids meals (under age 5) were free in the restaurants.
The resort has lovely swimming facilities with the children s pool set aside from the adults. We especially liked that there was a shallow pool for our toddler and and deeper pool (though not much deeper) for our son who is just getting the hang of swimming. There is also a fun, little water slide that both children loved. The pool attendants also provide swim diapers (a huge win, since we had forgotten to pack those) and pool toys for the the children to share. The beach is also very family friendly, again beach toys are provided by the hotel, with chairs, towels, etc. handed out by the beach attendants.
Whether you re looking for family downtime or a full-fledged adventure, in my mind, the Four Seasons at Wailea can provide it all. Only two complaints: We still managed to drop a lot of coin on food and I disliked being charged for overnight parking travel forum western australia and Internet access.
Our next stop was a luxury condo in Kapalua . Kapalua is another beautiful resort with lots of options, especially travel forum western australia if you enjoy golf or have older children. There are great walking trails throughout the resort, including travel forum western australia a coastal trail which provided amazing views of the humpback whales. There are also three beaches to choose from all—Kapalua Bay has great snorkeling. The value play here was either renting a Villa or the The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua hotel deals. The Ritz hotel was offering a 900-square foot suite for $354/night when we were there. Since individuals own residence at the Ritz and on the resort, try other vacation rental travel forum western australia sites like ClearStay or HomeAway to get them directly from the owners. The resort also has a great shuttle service, so you could opt out of a car if you flew into the nearby airport.
Our condo, part of the Ritz Carlton Club Residence was new as of May 09. The view, spacious interior (2,300-sq. feet) and ocean front setting were spectacular. And, the full kitchen let us eat-in and drop food costs to the same as home. We found a great market nearby called Lahaina Markets . Whole Foods is opening next month on Maui so keep your eyes open for that option too. Our 3-bedroom home with a prime ocean view averaged $550/night not cheap but a great value compared travel forum western australia to owning it. The selling price is $550k for a 3-week share + $20k annual dues. The dues alone would put it at close to $1,000/night!