If i know someone who will be racing kona this year and wanted to look into going out there to support (and probably volunteer), 1) how much would that trip cost in total (if i tried to keep costs on the low end), and 2) what resource could i check out for planning the trip (logistics)? Thanks for any thoughts!
How about you check out how much plane tickets are from where ever you are. Then look up hotels in the area wherever you want to stay and for how long you want to stay. Then equate food costs and acar rental if you desire one… Then you’ll have it! Not so hard huh?
- what resource could i check out for planning the trip (logistics)
Could you ask your friend what his travel logistics are?
Also, do a search for Kona accommodations on this site, you will find a lot of threads on the subject.
My wife and I planned our honeymoon around the 2006 Ironman in Kona (only spectating, not participating). We spent 10 days on the Big Island. Our tickets were free using frequent flier miles, and we stayed at moderately priced hotels (we also camped 2 nights and rented a house for 2 nights). Including food, entertainment, and rental car the trip probably cost us about $3000 - $3500. I don’t think we were doing it “on the cheap”, but we didn’t splurge for a lot of fancy meals or shows either. While in Kona we stayed at the Keauhou beach resort. Through Expedia, our rooms were only about $150/night.
If you have time, make sure you schedule a few days to explore Volcano’s National Park, explore the Puna coast (south of Hilo), and drive up to Mauna Kea and tour the telescopes. There is a lot to see on the Big Island other than the Kona area (and much less crowded too).
Mark
So I am going and participating. One of my friends is going, we are flying United, we both had miles and had the option of either going free or upgrading to business free. We opted for the upgrade. Roundtrip from east coast was just over $600. Flying into honolulu for a night, 4 nights in kona and back to honolulu for 3 nights. Kona hotel is like $500 before we split. Nothing booked for Hono yet.
Don’t know where you’re flying from but I recently found non-stop from Newark to Honolulu on Continental for $525. Hop over to Kona was $150 so with taxes all in it was $725 for airfare to Kona. Didn’t look into rooms.