The greatest hardship posed by a trip to Hawaii, at its best, means having to choose between white, coral, green, or black sand beaches; rainforests or volcanic peaks; or the world's best surfing beaches versus the world's best swimming beaches. At its worst, however, it can mean jostling for blanket space on a sliver of imported tan sand hemmed in by high-rises and honking automobiles.
Many of the cheapest deals for spring are peddling the latter, on Honolulu's Waikiki Beach. Dig a little further, though, and you'll find paradise for a few extra hundred dollars, on the more serene beaches of Kauai, the Big Island, and even parts of Maui. Even some of the touristy Waikiki deals are cheap enough to act on -- if only so you can rent a car, once you get there, and drive the 28 miles every morning to the famous monster surf beaches on Oahu's north shore, or its pristine windward coast. Nevertheless, we'll start with the best values and end with the cheapest deals; most are for travel from the West Coast.
The highest quality package for the money comes from Expedia (tel. 800/397-3342; www.expedia.com). Round-trip air and five nights on a lushly landscaped, 35-acre beachfront estate on Kauai are $822 from San Francisco. Castle Kiahuna Plantation sits on the lavish gardens of a former plantation manor house. You'll stay in low-rise wooden buildings on a golden sand beach on Kauai's dry, sunny south shore, known for good swimming and water sports. Rooms have large lanais and full kitchens, to help you bring down your food costs. And the property gets almost unanimous praise from Trip Advisor's user reviews; any complaints stem from the lack of air conditioning at this deliberately low-tech property, an homage to old, 19th century Hawaii. The price is good for travel through June 30. Taxes aren't included on this or the following Expedia deals.
Another great package comes from Pleasant Holidays (tel. 800/742-9244; www.pleasantholidays.com). Five nights at the Outrigger Kanaloa Kona on the Big Island start at $975 from Los Angeles. You'll stay in spacious, bungalow-style condominiums with large lanais, near the rocky coast along Keauhou Bay, on the Big Island's sunny, leeward side. The price is valid for travel from April 20 to May 26 for Wednesday and Thursday departures. For this, as well as the following Pleasant Holiday packages, you'll fly on ATA and pay an additional $42 round-trip on air taxes and fees.
Both Pleasant Holidays and Expedia have cheaper deals. The bargain with the most flexibility is Pleasant Holiday's nonstop air special to Honolulu, which is only $299 from Los Angeles, for flights on Monday through Thursday from April 11 to June 9. From Honolulu, you can try to find cheap, beachfront cottages for group stays on the undeveloped, coral-sand beaches of the wet, fertile windward coast, bordered by the peaks of the Koolau Range. Even the legendary surf beaches of the north shore are only 28 miles away from the capital. There, too, you can find affordable cottages on the beach for group stays (most sleep at least six, which helps bring down the price). See Oahu Vacation Rentals (www.oahu-hawaii-vacation.com) for a list of properties.
The cheapest air-hotel package also comes from Pleasant Holidays. If you don't mind staying on Waikiki, round-trip air and three nights are $299 from San Francisco. You'll stay at the 2-1/2-star Ohana Maile Sky Court, a high-rise with a fifth-floor sundeck and pool. The price is good for Monday and Tuesday departures from March 24 to May 17. From Los Angeles, air and five nights at the same hotel are only $502, for Wednesday and Thursday departures from April 6 to May 26. (From New York, air and five nights at the Ohana Maile Sky Court are $747, from April 20 to May 18.)
From Pleasant Holidays, air and three nights in Maui are $319, at the two-star Ohana Maui Islander, on the west coast. The hotel is in a residential neighborhood, a short walk from the bustling Lahaina Harbor, the old whaling seaport, which is congested and overdeveloped, but rich with history. In April and sometimes May, it's also good for humpback whale watching, from McGregor Point, when the wind is still and the water is glassy. User reviews for this place aren't great, but for this price, who could complain.
Expedia's spring specials include air and five nights at the three-star Kamaole Sands Maui Condo for $644. The complex is right across from Kamaole Beach Park III, a golden sand beach known as Kam III on Maui's south shore. The price is good for travel through June 30. The place gets good user reviews, though this particular beach, while lovely in itself, is crowded and backed by suburban sprawl.
Through Expedia, air and four nights are $664 at Marc Kona Bali Kai, on the Big Island. You'll stay in modest, 2-1/2-star oceanfront accommodations, with a sand beach one mile away. Six nights at the four-star Sheraton Maui Resort, on the four-mile long Kaanapali Beach (one of Maui's best), are $928. The Sheraton sits on one of the best stretch of sand, near Black Rock, where a nightly torch lighting and cliff dive ceremony take place. Snorkeling is great in the clear waters at the base of the rock. The price is good for travel through June 30.
Click "Hawaii Last Night Free" on Expedia's home page, for a full list of discount packages on six islands. The page is unusually easy to search, organized by island, which is great if you have a favorite in the archipelago.