When luxury is out of the question, you can have a semi-luxury vacation with this hack.
If you’re a “price is no object” traveler, you won’t want to bother with this post. If you’re someone who has no interest in staying in a four- or five-star property for any part of your trip, you probably won’t be interested. Otherwise, this approach to a semi-luxury vacation makes sense.
If you’re in the middle — trying to keep costs down while still having the chance to be pampered or experience the amenities of a deluxe resort — there’s a hack I’ve used myself and recommend to clients in that situation. This works especially well for anyone going just to one Hawaiian island (though it could work in several destinations, including resort destinations and urban areas). It’s a split trip, or what I call a “semi-luxury vacation.”
In this case, it’s generally not splitting between two destinations. Anything involving another flight will probably take most of the day, by the time you deal with rental car dropoff, airport security, and getting transportation at your destination; you’re talking hours without delays.
If you’re on one island in Hawaii, for the example used in this post, switching hotels isn’t (usually) that difficult. And I recommend it sometimes for clients trying to maximize their vacation dollars who still want a taste of luxury.
Keep the taste of luxury by splitting your trip — have the fun and sightseeing early and the luxury later.
In many cases on a week’s vacation, you may have some sightseeing planned, whether it’s a long day’s drive or activities that will keep you busy for several hours. This includes everything from hiking to ziplining to shopping. And if you’re busy most of the day, it may not matter as much to return to a fancy hotel at the end of the day.
So here is my suggestion. Start out at a more inexpensive hotel or resort, and do your last few days at somewhere really nice where you can do nothing but hang out at the pool or the beach and, if you want, have cheerful staffers bring you food and drink.
The start-out-less-expensive hotel is important, if you can, for a few reasons.
One, my sense is that most people want to get their must-do sightseeing early. This is while you’re most excited about being somewhere new, or somewhere you haven’t been in a while. It works even somewhere where you have a favorite all-day activity, like a boat or a hike or other excursion (and if weather matters you don’t want to wait and take the chance it can’t happen.)
Save the best for last.
The second issue is that it’s always hard to go from being pampered back to basics. Even returning to semi-basics is difficult. So, if you can, save the best for last.
Another thing to check, if you have a dream hotel/resort, is check for “Night free” promotions. It may not be obvious, and not all hotels offer this, but many deluxe properties, depending on the season, might offer third, fourth or fifth night free. So you might be able to afford more than you think (The third night free is actually especially common in deluxe urban properties.)
And actually, both for myself and clients, I’ve booked trips that start out in both New York and London at a modest property. I spend the last two or three nights at a top property with fancy breakfasts and world-class bars and restaurants.
Tangentially, if you’re interested in the idea of splitting your trip, a travel agent may especially make sense for the deluxe part of it. At this point I’ve helped countless clients who might book something inexpensive themselves. This works from an Airbnb-type rental to a cheap hotel or something with points, for those who want to end their vacation on a high note.
Travel advisors have deals for hotels.
Travel advisors may not only be able to suggest a property, we’ll know which ones might have promotions. We also may have deals travelers can’t book on their own, via programs like Marriott Luminous/Stars, Hyatt Prive, Four Seasons Preferred Partners etc., that can include upgrades, free breakfast and other bonuses.
Again, this won’t work for every traveler, and for families with children it may be especially stressful to move. On the other hand, when traveling with children, the option of moving to a property with attractions like fancy pools, water slides, and kids clubs for the children on the last days of your vacation could be just the ticket. Some properties, like Four Seasons and Auberge Resorts, may INCLUDE kids activities for free, which can save on costs. So parents and grandparents can relax, too.
And isn’t the point of any vacation to come back relaxed?
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Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
