Here's an example of our Hale O' Honu'ea vacation rental in Hawaii, showing quotes for the same dates across three different booking websites.
First lets start with the lowest quote - what you would see if you tried to book with us direct from our Houfy website listing
Here's the VRBO quote for the same week; same nightly rate, same cleaning fee, same state tax, but notice that extra "Service Fee":
Here's the Airbnb quote for the same week. Airbnb doesn't let us show the mandatory Hawaii state taxes that have to be charged on accommodation, so the nightly rate on Airbnb is inclusive of taxes for our Airbnb Hawaii listing:
Have you ever wondered what you get for paying that service fee? It's as high as $499 on Vrbo, and as much as 20% on Airbnb. Are you "Booked with Confidence" or do you feel like "Anyone can belong Anywhere" because you paid that fee?
How can you book direct? A great place to start is a hosting website like Houfy or local listing sites where there are no hidden traveler service fees. But these sites are newer and don't have the reach and volume of listings that are on the big OTAs. So what do you do if you find a great place on an OTA site that you think is perfect for your trip?
So my Savvy traveler friends - Book Direct - and Enjoy the money you save when you do - maybe it can pay for an extra night stay or an extra adventure!
If your travels bring you to the Big Island of Hawaii, we hope you find us and book direct! Notice how we have our name and signature photo on each site? Happy travels!
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The Fairways is a gated community of town homes in Mauna Lani Resort. Here at Hale O' Honu'ea, we have a keyless entry lock. You will receive the gate code as well as your personal front door entry code 7-14 days prior to check-in, after your final payment is received. You will also receive a pdf guide with your full check-in instructions for easy printing or saving to your mobile device during your stay.
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Many of the mainland flights land before our check-in time. This is the perfect opportunity to head down to Kona for lunch (if you're flight is really early) or shop for your vacation supplies. For any of these recommendations we suggest you check their current hours on the web. Keep in mind that groceries and sundries generally cost more than on the mainland, and that the state of Hawaii has banned the use of plastic bags. Hale O' Honu'ea provides a supply of reusable cloth
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Some would argue that Ironman put Hawaii on the map, but there are many other multi-sport events offered on the Big Island. We have events all year for the traveling athlete to experience. Here's just a few for the month of March:
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