As you may know, visitor arrivals to Hawaii are up and up BIG. Tourism continues to increase and with it, so does the demand for lodging, cars and space on the road and beaches.
LUVA Real Estate and Vacation Rentals would like to offer you a few tips for taking advantage of the slow season to find additional lodging opportunties, more affordable airfare, and more insider knowledge to make your time on your vacation enjoyable and less stressful.
1. When Should You Come To The Island?
Low or “shoulder” season runs from April to May and mid-August to early October.
The air temperature and water temperature is great in April and May and it’s before our rainy season of June-September. As people save their vacation time for the winter time, early fall sees a marked decrease in visitors. Our ocean temperature varies about 5 degrees from winter to summer from 77 degrees to 82 degrees..about 20 degrees warmer than the West Coast–year round.
2. Hawaiian Airfare
Airfare drops dramatically after the holidays and again in April and May. There are always deals to be had in September, when kids are back in school and the airlines are looking to woo people to the islands. Keep in mind that our humidity DOES rise after August, hence why people come in the winter! Southwest is competing with Hawaiian Air and Delta sometimes has fantastic deals.
3. Vacation Rental Cars
During the high season, the rental car companies have routinely run out of cars to meet demand. And they have raised the prices to four times what they would charge during low season. You most likely will find a better car for a better price and it will actually be there for you when you arrive if you book off season.
4. Hawaii Lodging
LUVA Vacation Rentals has a fantastic array of vacation rentals to include condos and single family homes. Again, people who are sitting on the mainland thinking about their Hawaii vacation are looking at their calendars which include time off during the winter holidays, summer vacation, and spring vacation. You will find that prices for Big Island vacation rentals in Hawaii follow those time frames of peak demand. You can spend up to 20% less by booking when everyone else is back at home at work and in school.
5. Activities to do in Hawaii
The activities such as whale watching boats, ZipLine tours, dolphin swimming, Manta snorkeling and more will fill up quickly and with MORE people during high season. If you want to avoid being in the water with a hundred other manta enthusiasts or feel the boat tipping to the side to look at whales, you may choose to time your trip differently, as well. Also, some of the tour owners will offer discount pricing to fill their tours in the off season. Call the FairWind charter boat in September for afternoon tours that sometimes are 40% off.
6. Beaches and National Parks
Do you enjoy being along a trail across a caledera in Volcanoes National Park? You are more likely to enjoy that experience, plus sitting on a rocking chair in Volcano Lodge and getting dinner reservations during off season. You may also get more time to body board and enjoy the surf when you are not fighting for the waves and the real estate on the beach and space in the parking lots with your fellow holiday travelers. Go to Kua Bay and soak up the sun and float in tourquoise waters in May and you are almost alone.
7. Restaurants
Beyond not getting the coveted ocean front seats, you are also vying for the service when you eat out in West Hawaii during our peak times. Our island only has so many people employed in the hospitality industry and service definitely suffers, although we all ask our visitors to take it all in and just look around at the palm trees and ocean. If you want great service and the best seat in the house, make your reservations at some of our fine dining establishments or simply park and walk in during low season.
8. Aloha Spirit
No matter what time of year you arrive, please remember to always show your Aloha spirit. With the increased interest in Hawaii Island over the past few years, the locals AND the environment would like your kokua. (Kindness and respect). One of the biggest assets of our island is our people, culture and living things that make it so special here. Drive with courtesy, respect the culture, pack out what you pack in, don’t touch the wildlife, wear reef safe sunscreen, be patient, and don’t trespass. We want to keep the island as a valuable experience for everyone and it all starts with Aloha.
If you have the flexibility to travel during our shoulder season, you will benefit from all of the above. You will also experience the more laid back “local” experience that is not always apparent to visitors who flock to the island during Christmas, New Years, Ironman, all of January when the island is in “holiday business” mode and there are five visitors for every one resident.
Now is the time to find lodging (check out the LUVA Vacation Rental inventory!) and check on airfare and start planning your dream trip to Hawaii Island!
