A Hawaii vacation is a great option any time of year, but there's no doubt it can get expensive-especially if you're planning to go with a larger group. For example, hotel accommodations for a party of twelve on Oahu can easily exceed $18,000 for a two-week stay-and that doesn't begin to address food costs. Plus, hotel stays tend to place you more in the middle of the typical tourist traps.

A cheaper alternative, and one that will likely give you a more “authentic” experience in Hawaii, is to find an Oahu vacation rental home. There are many homes on the island available for short-term rentals, many of them lavishly furnished and well-maintained by the owners. They range in location from mountain views to tropical garden views, with a large number of beachfront properties as well-and they range in size from small apartments to sprawling houses, able to accommodate large groups for a fraction of the cost of a hotel. You won't have room service, but you will likely have a well-appointed kitchen-and cooking your own food will save costs as well.

One great feature of staying in a vacation rental on Oahu is that you are more separated from the tourist stuff, giving you a more up-close view of the “real Hawaii”-and of course, you can still do the tourist stuff, if you want to.

The thing about vacation rentals is that they are often privately owned-which also means that although there are plenty of them available, they're also more difficult to find. Oahu Vacation Rentals (www.oahu-hawaii-vacation.com ) is a site that simplifies your search, serving as a go-between for you and the renters who list with them. Oahu Vacation Rentals isn't a realtor or a property manager; rather, they provide listings to help you connect with the people who want to rent their vacation homes to you. The listings on their site are wide and varied; some are cottages for two people, and some are huge homes that can house up to 20. Understandably, rates and terms vary as well; some rentals offer nightly rates, and some require a minimum stay of up to a month. But with this many options, you are more likely to find just the right place for you, your family or your clan; and chances are you'll be able to pay less, and stay longer, than if you tried to go to a hotel.

If Hawaii is your vacation destination this year, you owe it to yourself to see whether an Oahu vacation rental is the right choice for you. With all the beauty Hawaii has to offer, you want to experience it up close and personal, anyhow-and maybe experience it longer.

Oahu Vacation Rentals
from Pacific Islands Reservations have been individually selected by
Ingrid Carvalho to make sure they measure up to her exacting standards
for vacation and holiday
accommodations.