KA HALE NA HO`OKIPA
The House
Where Guests Are Welcome
Information about Bed & Breakfast Homestays,
Vacation Rentals, Eco-Resorts, Inns, Boutique Hotels,
and
Guided Camping Excursions
In Hawai`i
FEBRUARY
2012
Aloha & Welcome to Hawai`i:
Of course, we want you to visit with us....BUT....we do caution you to be sensitive to the fact that Hawai`i is NOT a budget traveler's destination - and never will be.
There are only two ways to get here and neither is cheap. This is reflected in the type & price of accommodations available to our guests.
In other words, we have no motels nor do we have many small urban or country inns nor lots of licensed & legal bed and breakfasts & vacation rentals like most other vacation areas around the world which can be reached by car or by bus. You definitely cannot bring your RV here because there is no place to park it.
If you're planning to stay in Waikiki and go out on fossil-fueled day trips either in rental cars or large tour buses, then one of the most important things to remember about its hotels is that most are not on the beach nor even directly across from it. However, no hotel or time-share is more than a five-to-seven-minute walk away. Therefore, go for price rather than location if you plan to stay in Waikiki.
It's important to note, however, that an increasing number of travelers - especially repeat visitors - simply bypass O`ahu altogether because they assume that everything on O`ahu looks like high-rise Waikiki - which, of course, it doesn't. There is so much to do & see & experience here on O`ahu that you'll be sorry to have skipped it.
Still, if it's your choice to go directly to Maui or Kaua`i or the Island of Hawai`i, this means you have plenty of hotel rooms and vacation rentals available - sometimes at deeply-discounted rates.
HOWEVER, for those of you who are eager to experience the Other Hawai`i here on O`ahu, there are accommodation alternatives to staying in a high-rise hotel in Waikiki or a high-end mega-resort.
A word of caution: Bed & breakfast operations and transient vacation unit rentals are not welcome in many communities outside of Waikiki proper & the high-end resort areas at Turtle Bay and Ko Olina. These non-resort accommodations are illegal and are not allowed to become legal.
Meanwhile, the City & County of Honolulu has spent a lot of time over the past two years on whether to ramp up enforcement - despite the downturn in tax revenues. No decision was reached because the policy-makers - like the general public - are split on the issue.
Still, there are volunteer B&B/Vacation Rental Police who go after these "illegal operations" with the idea of forcing them out of business by reporting them to the authorities. Any house with a rental car parked in the driveway is likely to be turned in - even if the folks visiting there are visiting family members.
In fact, the B&B/Vacation Rental Police filed a complaint against the mainland owner of an incredible beachfront property in Kailua (O`ahu) for renting it to President Barack Obama and his family three times (2008/2009/2010) during the December holiday season. The enforcing agency within the City & County of Honolulu issued at least one fine against the property owner who quickly paid it; however, the First Family did stay in the same place in December 2011 so it can be assumed that another infraction will be reported and another fine issued to the owner who will pay for fine.
Licensed B&B operators - most of whom are now living on Social Security & savings - now number fewer than 60 on O`ahu. The original number of licensed bed & breakfast operations here on O`ahu have been estimated at around 400 homes or condos.
Within ten years, virtually all legal B&B operations on O`ahu are likely to be gone forever - unless the laws are changed.
As for illegal vacation rentals, the best guestimate from reliable sources is that there are around 2400 in operation out of the 435,000 housing units on O`ahu.
It's not that these alternative accommodations operators want to run an illegal business - they are forced to because the last licensing period closed on December 28, 1989. That's not a typo - no new licenses have been issued in for over 22 years.
Therefore, if you want to stay in a B&B or a vacation rental, be sure to ask if it is legal and licensed. If it is not and you still want to stay there, you might want to consider booking a hotel room in Waikiki just in case your first choice is shut down by the City in response to complaints filed by the B&B/vacation rental police.
The situation is different on the other islands where B&Bs are often seen as a signficant way of keeping out large-scale development.
HERE ARE SOME REALLY GREAT REASONS FOR LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATIONS!!
Interested in getting to know local folks and learning more about Hawai`i's many unique cultures?
Want to get away from traffic and high-rises and spend your vacation beside a waterfall or on a secluded beach or at a working coffee farm?
Do making new friends and going on exciting adventures rate high in your vacation plans?
Is a safe place to stay just as important as convenience to shopping and urban night life?
Are you a traveler interested in patronizing locally-owned businesses which subscribe to responsible & ethical ecotourism principles?
And
Finally, would you like to save some money on lodging during your Hawaiian Dream Trip?
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If you've answered YES to any of these questions, then let us at KA HALE NA HO`OKIPA help you find just the right place to stay.
With this COMPLIMENTARY service offered to visitors, we can put you in touch with environmentally responsible small businesses located all across Hawai`i. All you have to do is send us an e-mail to biz@hoku.com and tell us what island(s) you'd like to visit, the type of accommodations you want, your general budget, and your proposed travel dates.
NOTE: There is no charge to any reservation service or rental agency either. We offer this free service in order to attract visitors who will truly appreciate what Hawai`i has to offer.
However, many reservation services will charge a small setup fee for using their services as well as collect a percentage of the nightly accommodations fee so please inquire as to what you will be paying for the service before you sign anything.
By the way, most of our referrals are members of the HAWAII ECOTOURISM ASSOCIATION, a professional association which supports strongly the principles of responsible, sustainable, and locally-owned & managed adventure travel, nature-based, cultural, health, and sports ecotourism.
The KA HALE NA HO`OKIPA Directory is an easy way for visitors like yourself who are planning a business trip or the vacation of a lifetime to find people like us without having to thrash through dozens of listings on search engines.
We look forward to working with you so that your dream vacation is NO KA `OI - The Best!
KA HALE NA HO`OKIPA
PO BOX 6366
Kane`ohe, HI 96744
Voicemail: 808/247-6366 ext.3#
E-Mail: biz@hoku.com
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