Time to move on

Today we had to return our rental car to the airport and move down the road to our third timeshare condo. We weren’t renting a car for the coming week so I arranged a ride with the Avis shuttle that was going to the cruise terminal, a short distance from our condo. He kindly dropped us off at the resort entrance. Besides our luggage we had two boxes of food so we weren’t exactly travelling light! I knew there were no grocery stores nearby and without a car I had to stock up on food, wine and beer for the week. I checked-in with the front reception and was pleased that the move went smoothly, or so I thought. Then JS informed me that he had left his CPAP on the shuttle bus and was convinced it was gone forever. JS is irrational and very negative when these things happen. So back to the office I went and made arrangements to meet the Avis driver at the cruise port, a 10 minute walk. Within 15 minutes the same driver showed up, JS retrieved his CPAP and all was well in his world. We then splurged on a delicious lunch at a nearby oceanfront restaurant called Dukes.

There is a beautiful, extensive Marriott Resort next door to Dukes but the beach is public. Our condo is a ten-minute walk from here on the other side of the tracks! We’re in a two-storey townhouse with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, at least 1200 sq ft. It’s a bit dated but very clean and was my best deal yet....$199 for the full week! Of course we got hit with Hawaii’s high accommodation tax and a resort fee, another $167, but still well within our budget. The other two condos were $550 and $475/week, a fraction of their regular cost. Finding these last-minute bargains in high-priced, high-demand Hawaii has been a challenge and it’s not for the faint of heart as I was never 100% confident that I would find us a home!Read more