Searching for package deals, hotels or condos?

The internet is the best source for information when looking for places to stay, flights and car rentals. Here are a few travel search engines that I have looked at:

www.orbitz.com - They do have a price assurance program. Once you book on Orbitz, they start tracking to see if another Orbitz customer subsequently books the same flight or hotel reservation on Orbitz at a lower price. If that happens, they'll issue a refund for the difference. Amounts range from $5 to $250 per airline ticket or $5 to $500 per hotel reservation.

www.Expedia.com

www.bing.com

www.travelocity.com

www.pleasantholidays.com

www.applevacations.com

www.tripadvisor.com - one of my favorite sites to look at reviews of hotels, things to do and restaurants.

www.vrbo.com - one of the best rental sites for condos and homes on the Big Island. Make sure you look at the Kohala Coast area for rentals. This includes rentals at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hapuna Prince Hotel, Mauna Lani, Waikoloa and Puako. These are probably the best areas to look at for rentals. I would try to avoid the Kona area. There has been a lot of vog in this area from the active volcano south of the island. Kona is also a 45-55 minute drive to the Mauna Kea Beach resort.

A great book, that I have mentioned before, is "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" the ultimate guide book. Has everything about the Big Island that you ever wanted to know.