Hawaii Condo Rentals For The Greatest Vacation Of Your Life!

Hawaii is the youngest and largest of all the islands in the Hawaiian Chain. The island is commonly known as "The Big island", to eliminate confusion with Hawaii, the state. The interesting thing about Hawaii is that the island continues to grow thanks to Mount Kilauea. Mount Kilauea is an active volcano in hawaii Volcanoes National Park which continues to spew lava into the ocean creating more land. The Big island is not known for its beaches as the other islands are, but Hawaii Condo rentals offer a lot more than others. The Volcanoes National Park is the centerpiece of the island and attracts many visitors every year to admire the wonder of an active volcano that has been continually erupting since 1983.

In the center of the island you will find Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, two dormant volcanoes and the also the highest point in Hawaii. Mauna Loa has been classified as the largest volcano on earth. Mauna Kea, its neighbor, is the tallest point in Hawaii at 13, 796 feet and when measured from the base to the summit, the tallest mountain in the world. While Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, Mauna Kea has another 20,000 feet which is buried underneath the ocean bringing its height to 33,000 feet. This is a wonderful place to stargaze at night or admire the island from above. With the island's location in the Pacific, it contains the southernmost point of the United States. Known as Ka Lae or Southpoint, it also the site of an unusual beach. Papakolea is a green sand beach and only two are known to exist anywhere in the world, the other being in Guam. The journey to the Green Sand Beach is difficult, but if you are up to the challenge, it is well worth the trip from your Hawaii Condo.

The island has three other National Parks which include Pu'uhonua Honaunau, a sacred burial ground and home to the Royal Chiefs of Hawaii. A Hawaii rantal on

the Big island is also a great place to go whale watching when the migrating season pushes them from up north to the warmer waters of Hawaii. Quick Tips/Suggestions: Highway 200, otherwise known as Saddle Road, crosses between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. If you are looking at the map and you want to cross from one side of the island to another, it may appear that Highway 200 is the quickest route.

However, Highway 200 has so many curves and dips that it nearly impossible to go faster than 30 miles an hour. It is more advisable to take the longer route and go a lot faster.

If you plan to visit the Green Sand Beach, be advised that due to the conditions of the road leading to the beach, that many car rental companies forbid you to take their cars on the road. If you do in violation of the agreement, they can void your contract. Clear it with the car rental company before proceeding. The Big island has two major airports, Hilo and Kona, the two major cities on the island. The only way to get around the island is by car. There is limited transportation in the two major cities. The roads on the Big island follow the coastline. The only road that cuts across the island, Highway 200, should not be used except for visiting Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea. The drive from Kona to Hilo is about a 100 miles and takes about two hours.

How Pricing of Vacation Packages Has Affected Hawaii's Economy

Hawaii vacation packages

Hawaii's visitor numbers are continually improving and the volume of Hawaii vacation packages sold by travel agencies, airlines, hoteliers and destination marketing companies is growing. Tourism, Hawaii's number one industry, is leading Hawaii's recovery out of the recession.

A recent survey done by Hospitality Advisors, LLC shows steady improvement in Hawaii's tourism. The company found statewide hotel occupancy averaged 75.7 percent in August 2010, a 6.3 percent increase over comparable period last year.

These numbers are also reflective of the growing confidence of airlines that serve the Hawaii market. Hawaiian Airlines is expanding its routes both domestically and internationally, most recently adding a flight from Las Vegas to Maui as well as launching service from Japan and from South Korea within the next few months. Alaska Airlines is expanding its routes to Hawaii; while Allegiant Air will be launching service to Hawaii from smaller cites on the US mainland, starting in 2011.

This recovery, led by improvements the state's ability to sell air travel, hotel rooms and Hawaii vacation packages overall, is helping to keep the state's unemployment rate figures down. Hawaii's unemployment rate currently stands at 6.4 percent, while the US national average rate stands at 9.6 percent. This is in dramatic contrast to other destination areas like Las Vegas, where unemployment is currently around 14%.

However, some are arguing that the news is not all that good for the Hawaii visitor industry by citing average room rate prices continue to be relatively unchanged. They claim most visitors to Hawaii book their holidays because they are attracted by heavily discounted pricing and that such discounts on Hawaii vacation packages are not good for the tourist industry in general, presumably because airlines, hotels and car rental companies are making less money.

Others believe that discounted Hawaii vacation packages are good for the tourist industry as a whole and that those who focus exclusively on the average price of a Hawaii vacation packages are missing the big picture. An increase in the sheer amount of tourists is beneficial to Hawaii because more packages are being sold and because of the spin-off benefits in other part of the economy served by the travel market. This includes increased spending on meals, souvenirs, tours and activities and so forth.

There's another important argument in support of the benefits of maintaining lowered pricing on packages, at least for the time being. Due to the recession, other major tourist destination areas that compete with Hawaii, like Florida, the Caribbean and Mexico, are struggling to maintain their share of the "fun and sun" market. As we head into the peak winter season, these traditional competitors to Hawaii are under a lot of economic pressure to lower their own vacation package pricing even more so than they are right now. So any increase in Hawaii vacation packages could exacerbate tourist losses to these alternative destinations to Hawaii.