Hawaii Sightseeing Discounts Available With New Program

Ed and Lynn Hogan, owners of Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, have spent more than 30 of their 60-some years visiting and selling Hawaii. So they not only know and understand the mature traveler’s Hawaii, they understand the importance of the senior travel market.

Their company, which sells only Hawaiian travel , has always catered to the senior market with special rates, discounts and other incentives.

With the needs of the older traveler in mind, they have created a program called the Makua Club ( makua means “elder” or “wise one” in Hawaiian). It features added-value amenities such as hotel and car rental upgrades , and discounts on sightseeing tours.

And it’s free to join. All that’s necessary is proof that one member of a couple is at least 60 years old.

The club is not touted as offering discount travel. But a club-offered upgrade from a standard to medium, or medium to superior room, can amount to a savings of from $80 to $200 or more for a weeklong stay.

So it can be a financial boost, as well as a jump from perhaps a hotel room with a parking-lot view to something more attractive, plus added size and comfort in a rental car.

There are other, smaller incentives as well.

A Makua Club package includes a complimentary beach towel, a fruit basket or champagne, a $25 gift certificate for use in purchasing optional tours, a travel guide and discounts on local attractions. All are offered per room, not to each individual visitor.

Restrictions are few and basic. The Makua Club package is not offered in addition to any other hotel or rental car discount. Club discounts and upgrades are only good to Dec. 19, 1991.

A word of caution: Some other hotel discounts might be better deals. For example, Hilton’s Senior Honors program probably offers a better discount at Hawaiian hotelsms. And several other Hawaiian chains, such as Outrigger and Sheraton, as well as individual resorts, have individual senior discounts from 10% to 20%, which may be better buys. What the Makua Club does offer that’s special is access to more than 40 properties around Hawaii.

And membership in the club brings with it other options for saving money, including a choice of air-inclusive tours or land-only holidays with the special Makua Club upgrades included.

Travelers who find buying the land portion of a Makua Club vacation the best deal can combine it with other airline discounts, such as frequent-flier tickets or senior coupon books.

But the Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays airline fares usually are a pretty good price. In this case, it’s wise to comparison-shop.

For more information, contact a travel agent. Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays works primarily through travel agencies, rather than individual travelers.

The Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico is inviting all couples who honeymooned at the San Juan Hotel in 1950 to “Recapture the Memory” with a special deal in June.

Couples are invited to stay for three nights in an ocean-view room at the 1941 rates--$14 a night, plus a bottle of wine and free photo to mark the occasion. The only catch: You have to be still married and have some proof of the 1941 honeymoon stay. If so, call Maria Perez at (809) 721-0303 for more details.