20 Secret Bargains of Maui for Under $20

You'd do best to pass up the treasure hunts, pirate parties, and other children's activities of the top hotels, for they come at a pretty price: the cost of two adjoining rooms. For smart, budget-conscious families traveling to Hawaii, the condo is the key. In Hawaii, one-bedroom condos -- and there are thousands of them -- are usually large, always equipped for cooking, and most often refreshingly priced, sometimes costing considerably less than $80 a night if you stay for a week, far below what you'd pay in a hotel. Apart from price and space (a cramped hotel room can seem smaller every day with active children), the specific advantages include a full kitchen (saving you dollars on meals), laundry facilities (generally right inside your unit), and extensive free recreational opportunities (swimming pool, tennis courts, picnic tables, barbecue areas) on the property. Most units have a pullout sofa bed in the living room so you won't have to pay for an extra bedroom for the kids. I've scoured my beloved island-state for large, inexpensive, comfortable condos capable of accommodating an entire family cheaply, and as close to a beach as possible. Here are some island-by-island picks: Big Island of Hawaii On that huge sea -- surrounded land harboring Volcanoes National Park, black lava beaches, and actual Hawaiian cowboys, the best selection of affordable one- and two-bedroom condominium units is undoubtedly that of Hawaii Resort Management (P.O. Box 39, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745; 800/622-5348 or 808/329-9393; konahawaii.com). It currently offers more than 200 condominium units in its inventory, with daily, weekly, and monthly rates starting as low as $70 a night for a one-bedroom that sleeps four, just a short walk to the beach and complete with air-conditioning, full kitchen, pool, and ocean views. It also offers two-bedroom/two-bath units right on the beach, starting at $95 a night. An alternate source? Knutson and Associates (75-6082 Aln Dr., Suite #8, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740; 800/800-6202 or 808/329-6311; konahawaiirentals.com) has several budget condominiums in their rental pool, starting at $525 a week for a one-bedroom in an oceanfront complex with pool, washer and dryer, and ceiling fans (no air-conditioning). Or seek out Sun Quest Vacations (800/367-5168 or 808/329-6488, sunquest-hawai.com) for its budget condos starting at $80 a night or $480 a week for one-bedroom units. Maui On ever-more-popular Maui, Bello's Maui Beach Homes (P.O. Box 1776, Kihei, HI 96753; 800/541-3060; bellomaui.com) represents seven different condominium complexes in Kihei, most with pools, ocean views, washer/dryers, and air-conditioning, which start as low as $55 in the off-season ($70 in the high season) for a one-bedroom garden unit within walking distance of the beach. In the West Maui area, contact Maui Beach Front Rentals (256 Papalaua St., Lahaina, HI 96761; 888/661-7200 or 808/661-3500; mauibeachfront.com). Although the company represents a broad range of properties, it does have some deals for this pricey area, like one-bedroom units (with full kitchen, swimming pool, washer and dryer, barbecue facilities) starting at $89. Two other small budget complexes on the west side, offering excellent rates for families, are: Hale Maui Apartment Hotel, (P.O. Box 516, Lahaina, HI 96767; 808/669-6312), with one-bedroom units that sleep up to five starting at $100; and Hoyochi Nikko (3901 Lower Honoapnlani Rd., Lahaina, HI 96761; 800/487-6002 or 808/669,-8343; mauilodging.com), with one- and two-bedroom units starting at $85. Kauai Kauai Vacation Rentals (3-3311 Kuhio Hwy., Lihue, HI 96766; 800/367-5025 or 808/245-8841; kauaivacationrentals.com) represents a variety of condos and homes all over the island. They have affordable one-bedroom condominium units in the popular Poipu area starting at $725 a week and two-bedroom, one-bath condominium units in Kapaa, a short walk to the beach, for $700 a week. Families interested in the Coconut Coast might want to go directly to the Wailua Bay View condominium (320 Papaloa Rd., Kapaa, HI 96746; 800/882-9007; wailuabay.com). Not only is it located right on the beach, but rates for four people are as low as $110 a night. The property has a swimming pool and barbecue facilities, and all the units are one bedroom with a queen bed, queen sofa bed, full kitchen, washer and dryer, and air-conditioning. And finally, those on the very most frugal of budgets who still want to experience the sun and waves that border the costly resorts of the South Shore should contact Kalaheo Inn (P.O. Box 584, Kalaheo, HI 96741; 888/332-6023 or 808/332-6023; kalaheoinn.com), located just a 12-minute drive from the golden sands of Poipu Beach. This newly renovated, family-oriented inn has full kitchens, TV/VCRs, free games and beach toys, and laundry facilities, with one-bedroom units starting at $55 and two-bedroom units from $75. Oahu On bustling Oahu, especially in the highly sought-after Waikiki area, there are no independent property rental firms representing an inventory of budget-priced condominium units. However, there are numerous older low-rise apartment buildings offering good value within a block of Waikiki Beach. Aloha Punawai (305 Saratoga Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815; 808/923-5211; alternativehawaii/alohapunawai) has large one-bedroom units (which sleep up to five persons) just a half a block from the beach for $95 single occupancy and $10 per additional adult, with children free. These basic, comfortable units (immaculately clean) have small but complete kitchens, private baths, individual lanais, televisions, and coin-operated laundry facilities. Just down the block is a similar older apartment/hotel, Kai Aloha (235 Saratoga Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815; 808/923-6723; e-mail: kai.aloha@gte.net, with full kitchens, air-conditioning, phones, televisions, daily maid service, and coin-operated laundry facilities. The one-bedroom units start at $85 for three people and $95 for four. For larger, more luxurious units with added amenities (pool, exercise room, sun deck, volleyball and basketball courts, and putting green) two blocks from the beach, contact Paradise Management (50 S. Beretania St., Suite C207, Honolulu, HI 96813; 800/367-5205 or 808/538-7145; e-mail: pmchi@gte.net, which manages the Royal Kuhio condominium in Waikiki. These nicely furnished one-bedroom units (with free parking, a plus in crowded Waikiki) start at $105 a night. Family touring & meals Some other approaches to low-cost family vacations in the islands: Book a rental car when you book your condo. "I know it sounds exaggerated, but car/air/condo packages can save you from 25 to 40 percent," says Margy Parker, executive director of the Poipu Beach Resort Association. Most condominium booking agencies have package deals with a four-door economy car for around $150 a week. Food in Hawaii is expensive. Bring a duffel bag from home filled with packaged items for breakfast, lunch, and snacks (cereals, peanut butter, tuna, and paper goods). Then hit the farmer's markets, which are available on every island, and buy fresh tropical produce to augment your groceries. The visitor's associations on each island (see below) can direct you to the closest farmer's market and other discount food outlets (like day-old bread sales at bakeries). For eating out, think picnics rather than restaurants. Kammy Purdy, the executive director of the Molokai Visitors Association, says that as a mother of four, she has often livened up family vacations by planning a trip to a different scenic spot (beaches, hills with panoramic views, waterfalls, etc.) for a lunch or dinner every day. Don't waste a day of your vacation -- plan ahead. "The biggest problem I see is that people wait until they arrive to start finding out what activities are available," says James Metcalf, owner of Hawaii Resort Management. "I talk to thousands of people and it is surprising how many don't do any research or planning in advance." Metcalf suggests contacting the local visitor's bureaus for voluminous information about the island you plan to visit. Look for free or nearly free activities. Check with the local visitor's bureau, the local library, or the local newspaper for family activities in the community. Pick up free visitor publications, not only for their listings of activities but also for their money-saving coupons on everything from macadamia nuts to snorkel gear rental. More information A wealth of information is available from the local visitors' associations on everything from free hula shows to finding ripe papayas at the closest farmer's market. For information statewide, contact the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, 2270 Kalakaua Ave., Suite 801, Honolulu, HI 96815, 800/GO-HAWAII or 808/923-1811, gohawaii.com. For island information, contact: Big Island Visitors Bureau, 250 Keawe St., Hilo, HI 96720; 800/648-2441 (recording only) or 808/961-5797; bigisland.org. Maui Visitors Bureau, 1727 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku, HI 96793, 800/525-MAUI or 808/244-3530, visitmaui.com. Kauai Visitors Bureau, 4334 Rice St., Suite 101, Lihue, HI 96766, 800/262-1400 or 808/245-3971, kauaivisitorsbureau.org. Also the Poipu Beach Resort Association, P.O. Box 730, Koloa, HI 96756, 888/744-0888 or 808/742-7444, http://www.poipu-beach.org/. Oahu Visitors Bureau, 733 Bishop St., Suite 1872, Honolulu, HI 96813, 888/GO-HONOLULU or 808/524-0722, visit-oahu.com. Jeanette Foster is a Hawaii resident (of 25 years) and co-author of numerous best-selling guidebooks to the islands.

The islands of Oahu and Maui might be better known, but the Big Island is probably the most dramatic and "real" slice of Hawaii left to the traveler. Not only is it home to the fire goddess Pele and her tumultuous lava craters that have been erupting since the early '80s, it also is where the Polynesians from Tahiti first landed over a thousand years ago, and where King Kamehameha the Great was born in 1758. Captain Cook, the great explorer who discovered New Zealand, Hawaii, and parts of Australia, was killed here by islanders in 1779. No wonder Hawaiians even now refer to the Big Island as having great "mana," or spiritual energy. Most tourists come to the Big Island (bigisland.gohawaii.com) to see the fiery furnace of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (nps.gov/havo), where you can at times witness lava streams gushing into the Pacific and fly over the actual craters in a helicopter. But the rest of the island is worth exploring too, from the snowy summits of Mauna Kea at nearly 14,000 feet, to the desert-like Kohala Coast where whales love to frolic, to the cool slopes of South Kona where the world-famous Kona coffee is grown on family-owned farms. The whole island is nearly four times the size of Rhode Island, so give yourself some time to see it all. But where to stay, you ask? Don't worry -- beyond the mega-resorts, with their fancy rooms and fancy prices, you'll find a plethora of cheap digs around the island. (Although one mega-resort, the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, is offering cheap rates since it is going through a major renovation and retrofitting, with rooms up to 47 percent off until Dec 21.) But let's concentrate on the smaller gems around the island. Starting from the low end of the scale, a great local secret is the Pineapple Park hostels located on either side of the island. Believe it or not, hostels are actually very hard to come by in the hotel-dominated Aloha State, and these two no-nonsense inns are kept clean and friendly by Annie Chong Park (who speaks fluent Korean and some Japanese and runs a beach equipment and kayak rental outfit) and Louis Doc Holliday (who is "full of fish tales and tangled yarns of old Hawaii"). Their Kona-side inn is near Kealakekua, and their Hilo-side inn is near the town of Volcano, and both have communal living rooms and kitchens, video libraries, high speed internet access, laundromats, and are located at a cool 1,500-foot elevation. "VIP" rooms are $85 and come with private bath, lanai, and breakfast for two, while $60 private rooms come with shared bathroom. If you are really roughing it, go for the $20-a-night bunk bed dorm rooms. Info: 877/865-2266, pineapple-park.com. Bed and breakfasts are also harder to find in Hawaii than other states, since getting a B&B license here can be a hassle. But that's not to see they aren't some beauties: The Hale Aloha (800/897-3188, halealoha.com) has rooms starting at $80 queen bed with private bath, and until mid-December it's having an "Aloha Special" of $10 off during the slow period (refer to the special when making your booking). Hale Aloha (meaning "House of Aloha") is nestled up on a sloping mountainside in South Kona, among coffee plantations and macadamia nut orchards. It's very private and quiet, accessible by a long dirt road, and offers sweeping views of the coastline. The house is huge and spacious, and there's a seven-person outdoor hot tub and plenty of lanais with hammocks to wile away the afternoons. Owner Johann Timmermann says, "It's still very rural here, away from the built-up hotel areas, and has that special feel of what Old Hawaii used to be." A mainstay in Hilo on the eastern side of the island in the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel (800/367-5004, castleresorts.com) along the serene shoreline of the town. From now until Christmas, they are offering rooms for $86 (normally they're $140). The place has a swimming pool, sundeck (be warned -- Hilo is the rainiest city in the U.S.), and views of the bay and the long breakwater that was built to prevent tsunamis from devastating the town (which has happened more than once in Hilo's history). A mainstay of Kailua-Kona town on the western side of the island is King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel (800/367-6060, konabeachhotel.com), located right in front of the finish line of the famous annual Ironman International Triathalon, and fronts the only sandy beach in the area, as well as an authentic oceanfront Hawaiian temple. The 460-room hotel also features three restaurants, tennis courts, swimming pool with a whirlpool spa and sauna, a Hawaiian activity center, beauty salon and the only air-conditioned shopping mall in Kona! Its "Paradise on Wheels" package for $148 gets you a mountain-view hotel room, compact rental car, breakfast for two, 10 percent dining discount for parties up to 10 at any of the hotel restaurants, free local telephone calls, free hotel parking, and free tennis court usage. (Normal room rates alone are about $135.) Going more upscale, the Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort (800/462-6262, ohanahotels.com) is next to one of the best snorkeling spots on the island, and features ancient Hawaiian fish ponds on its property. A stroll through the gardens is a lesson in native trees vital to Polynesian life: ulu (breadfruit), kukui (candlenut), and hala (pandanus). There's also a replica of King David Kalakaua's beach cottage, and the remains of three heiau, ancient Hawaiian temples. With its Fun is Fundamental program, you get a garden views room for $119 (normally $189), and a scratch-and-win card for instant prizes. The hotel can add on car rentals $26 a day until the end of the year. So be it a pineapple park or a king's hotel, you are sure to sleep right without breaking the bank on your next trip to this magical island.

In their new book, Cinema Treasures, Ross Melnick and Andreas Fuchs celebrate classic theaters, from old to new (see Cinematreasures.org for more info). We asked them to pick seven around the country that still show films. Make any necessary detours--because there's definitely more to a glamorous night at the movies than cup-holder armrests. Cape Cinema, Dennis, Mass. Built to resemble a church in nearby Centerville, the colonial exterior belies the pulsing art deco inside, including a 6,400-square-foot Rockwell Kent mural. At its 1930 opening, the theater promised, "We shall endeavor not to waste your time or insult your intelligence by offering mediocre films." Indeed, it continues to showcase the best of art house cinema. 820 Rte. 6A, 508/385-2503, capecinema.com. Paramount Center for the Arts, Peekskill, N.Y. The Paramount--built in 1930 "in the glorified treatment of the English Elizabethan"--has morphed into a true center for the arts, but films are still shown Thursday through Sunday when there are no live events scheduled. Busts of Julius Caesar and Dante Alighieri are part of the show. 1008 Brown St., 914/739-2333, paramountcenter.org. The Senator Theatre, Baltimore, Md. Since he purchased the theater that was once part of his grandfather's Durkee Enterprises circuit, Tom Kiefaber has put all of his time, money, and sweat into this 65-year-old art moderne classic. Attended over the years by local cinephiles--including directors John Waters and Barry Levinson--the Senator books mainstream films like Star Wars but doesn't shy away from controversy, having recently played both A Dirty Shame and The Passion of the Christ to packed audiences. 5904 York Rd., 410/435-8338, senator.com. Oriental Theatre, Milwaukee, Wis. At its 1927 opening, the $1.5 million Oriental was the crown jewel of the Saxe Brothers' circuit. Eight porcelain lions guard the lobby, while the auditorium houses six larger-than-life Buddhas and 26 dragons standing on 26 elephant heads. After also hosting rock concerts in the '70s and '80s, the Oriental was converted by Landmark Theatres into a three-screen cinema in 1988. The 1926 Kimball Theatre Pipe Organ is played before 7 p.m. shows on Fridays and Saturdays. 2230 N. Farwell Ave., 414/276-8711, landmarktheatres.com. The Panida Theater, Sandpoint, Idaho On opening day in 1927, owner F. C. Weskil dedicated his theater "to the people of the pan-handle of Ida-ho." (Hence the name.) Its audience deserted it during the early '80s, then rallied to make great renovation efforts. Rumor has it that Weskil's ghost walks the aisles. 300 N. First Ave., 208/263-9191, panida.org. Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood Hollywood, Calif. The ultimate in wide-screen presentation in 1963, the Dome has a geodesic ceiling of 316 interlocking hexagonal concrete panels (with a lone octagon on top). In 2002 Pacific Theatres opened 14 spacious "black box" auditoriums right next door. Just like the classic Dome, ArcLight Cinemas has since set a new standard in moviegoing, with a cozy café, a bountiful movie boutique, and special events and exhibits. 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., 323/464-1478, arclightcinemas.com. Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara, Calif. After passing the freestanding ticket booth and a fountain, you enter a faux Spanish courtyard with twinkling stars on the auditorium ceiling's night sky and 3-D villas along its walls. Get there early: Not to save a seat (there are more than 2,000), but to gawk at what architect Joseph Plunkett dreamed up on a napkin seven decades ago. This first-run movie house is also home to the Santa Barbara Symphony. 1317 State St., 805/963-4408, metropolitantheatres.com.