Last Friday’s Coffee Break featured Kauai Visitors Bureau. Maile Horner, Director of Marketing, gave a great presentation on the island of Kauai and what makes it such a unique destination. We received many great questions, which I provided below with Maile’s answers. If you have any additional questions please leave a comment below or e-mail Maile at mhorner@hvcb.org. To view the recorded version of this webinar, please click the link at the bottom of this page.
Q. What are the hotel prices from May to August?
A. The prices of the hotels are going to depend on the properties. We have some hotel properties offering rates as low as $100 a night and the prices go up from there. Most of our properties are offering specials, such as incentives, and that is where you are going find the best deals. I have never seen lower prices than those being offered now. If you are looking at a specific property please feel free to e-mail me at mhorner@hvcb.org and I would be more than happy to help you with the information you need.
Q. What are your agent websites?
A. Our travel trade website is http://travelagents.kauaidiscovery.com or you can also go to www.KauaiDiscovery.com.
Q. I have heard there is a new inter-island airline available. Would you be able to provide the name of it?
A. Certainly. The name of the airline you are referring to is Mokulele Airlines. It is actually a very nice airline. They have 70 passenger jets that run 4 times daily in and out of Kauai. I must say they are also a very comfortable ride. I definitely recommend checking them out.
Q. For first time visitors, what would you recommend for tours of all the islands- ground with air or cruise?
A. I could honestly argue either point. If your client wishes to do island hopping I think the cruise ship is great for that. The only problem with that is that it only gives them a quick sample of the island. If they choose a cruise I would encourage your clients to do an excursion either with the cruise or on their own. Make sure they go out and see something rather than just hangout around the ship. On a side note, any clients you are sending to Kauai PLEASE book their rental car ahead of time and as soon as possible. With the economic down turn many of the rental companies do not have as much inventory as they have had in the past. So it is very important to make these reservations ahead of time to ensure your client will have a rental car.
Q. Can you discuss briefly the wedding requirements for Kauai?
A. Our wedding requirements are pretty simple. We require you get a wedding license through our state building. They recommend making an appointment and giving them at least 2 weeks notice. You can simply make an appointment by calling them. The cost of the wedding license is $65. There is no blood work required. Once you have the marriage license you just need to get married by an ordained minister or judge within 30 days.
Q. Are there scooters or motorized bikes available to rent? What is the best way to get around the island?
A. Yes we have bikes and scooters available to rent. The bicycles would be really great on the path I spoke about earlier. I am a little hesitant on the scooters and mopeds for getting around on the island. I personally recommend a rental car; our roads are not exactly moped and scooter friendly. Rental cars are definitely the way to go to get around the island.
Q. When is Kauai’s rainy season? Is February a good month to visit?
A. We have great weather all year round. Our “rainy” season is typically the winter months of December, January and February. Although, this February we had phenomenal weather. We are actually half of where we should be with rainfall. Everyone should keep in mind with a tropical island most of our rainfalls with the trade winds are usually centrally located in the island. The hotels and condos are actually on the coastal lines. You have to expect a little bit of rain but it is very rare it will rain the entire time unless there is a storm system over the island. Other than that you will find sunshine among the island J
Q. Where do you pick up the bike path and how long is it?
A. The bike path picks up at Mid Gate and is about 7 miles. They are actually in the process of extending it. It is absolutely wonderful and I recommend going if you visit Kauai.
Q. Is Merrimans open or is there an opening date?
A. Unfortunately we do not have an opening date at this time.
Q. Is the website http://travelagents.kauaidiscovery.com the best place to find the latest and best island specials?
A. Island specials would actually be found from the partners themselves. We do not have a spot right now, at least for travel partners, with this information but is something we are working on. We are working on compiling a list of our members to see what kind of incentives they offer our travel professionals now, such as booking incentives and commission. That is something definitely in the works. As far as getting just general specials I would expect the partners to tell you more about that. It is a great time to contact them because just about everybody has a special going on right now.
Q. Does the MahaloMonth.com site have offers for agents on the island of Kauai for April/May?
A. Yes they do. This is our give back (thank you month) to all of our travel professionals for their wonderful support. It is also a great way for you to get up to date on all of the islands. For more information please go to the website www.agents.gohawaii.com and click on the banner that says “Discover the Sights…” Click on that and you will then see a press release that will talk about Mahalo Month and will direct you to the website mahalomonth.com.
Q. What part of Kauai has the best beaches?
A. Great question! I am going to refer you to the website www.kauaiexplorer.com. The website gives you daily beach updates and provides you with all the information you need to know. We have 43 beaches on the island of Kauai and each one is different and good for different things. Some are great for snorkeling, some are great for swimming and others are great for surfing. So please check out www.kauaiexplorer.com. They provide you photos and tell you which ones provide lifeguards. They also talk about our current and tides, which is very important when you are talking about an island. Specifically the north-shore of any of the other islands are going to get a really big surf during the winter time. So if you have clients who want to do a lot of swimming you are going to want to send them to the south-shore in the winter. It also goes the other way around. In the summer time the south-shore seems to get the bigger surf, so you will want to send your clients to the north-shore for snorkeling in the summer time. You can of course always view the daily updates on the website to know what beaches to go to. We also provide a Kauai beach guide, which provides a map of all the beaches and includes information on the tides.
Q. Where can I view this seminar again?
A. We recorded it and posted it on MailPound.com. To view please click here.