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Lei It On Me: A Whole Hawaiian Vacation from Under $500!

August 3, 2004 -- Though travel to Hawaii has picked up tremendously and is back to near the levels of pre-9/11, bargains are still to be had. And what deals they are! From an extraordinary vacation out of New York to a roster of free meals, activities and savings of $120 to $160 per couple, now is the time to say "Aloha!" (Hello, not Goodbye).

Escape from New York

This will go fast, so jump right in if you're interested. Liberty Travel has a five-night Hawaiian vacation with roundtrip air from New York (Newark) for just $499 per person. You'll stay at the very nice OHANA Maile Sky Court, with air transport on American or Continental. The offer must be booked by August 18, 2004, for travel from September 1 through November 15, 2004. You can also upgrade, if you like, staying at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach for $799 per person, and there are also seven-night packages available. A list of their best deals is located here. For full details and to book, contact Liberty Travel at www.libertytravel.com or phone 800/447-1353.

Free Luaus

Funjet Vacations, which offers air service on many airlines (American, Aloha, ATA, Continental, Delta, Hawaiian and United), has a fee luau program going for bookings from now through September 15, 2004, with travel from now through December 15, 2004. Savings of $120, $156 or $160 are available, depending on the deal chosen. You have to book a minimum four-night package in Hawaii, with a total reservation amount of $1800 per booking or more, and then you get the "free" luau meals, which normally run from around $60 to $80 per person. Two luau meals is the maximum per reservation.

One luau is at the Paradise Cove on Oahu (savings of $160 per couple), with island games, local crafts, and dining on a traditional feast accompanied by a fire knife dance. Enter the promotional code HNLLUAU when booking this. Another is to the Royal Lahaina for an Imu ceremony, buffet dinner, cocktail and a Polynesian show (code OGGLUAU); a third on the grounds of Kamehameha's former estate on the Big Island with demonstrations of royal court procedures, arts and crafts, and Hawaiian buffet with fire knife dance again (code KOALUAU); a fourth at Smiths Tropical Gardens on Kauai with cocktails, dinner, Imu ceremony and songs and dances from Polynesia (code LIHLUAU).

Contact Funjet at www.funjetvacations.com or through your local travel agent.

Free Meals & Activities

If you book a five-night, land-only package at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's North Shore with Pleasant Holidays, you get a whole list of free meals and activities provided you travel between August 23 and December 1, 2004. In addition to your room, you get breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; all non-alcoholic beverages at certain restaurants; free snorkel equipment for an hour a day; payment of your $12 resort fee daily; one 30-minute tennis lesson for two guests per stay; an hour of free tennis court use per day; access to the resort fitness center; free parking; all taxes and tips per day; and choice of one of five activities per guest per stay (18 holes of golf, one helicopter tour for 20 minutes, one surfing lesson for 45 minutes, one spa treatment, or one horseback trail ride for 45 minutes). Prices start at $1260 per person, double occupancy, land-only, and include the room, fresh flower lei greeting, daily Dollar Rent a Car, hotel taxes, and the above items.

The price is lower at the very posh Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island, provided you travel between September 1 and 30, 2004. Pleasant Holidays has a Buy One, Fly Two special airfare for this booking, in which the first person pays the regular fare, a companion getting free round trip fare from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Honolulu. (The short hop from Honolulu to the Big Island is not included.) Four-night, air-inclusive holidays from LAX or SFO start at $1007 for the first person and $748 for a companion, a savings of $597 per couple. With the deal you get a room, fresh flower lei greeting, daily Dollar rental car with a free upgrade from compact to midsize, and all hotel and car rental taxes.

For both deals mentioned above, contact the organizers at www.pleasantholidays.com or by phoning 800/448-3333.


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