It’s just about February here—which means the days are starting to get a little longer (it’s not dark when I get up!), but there is still a whole lot of winter left before the sun comes out to stay. That’s why I jumped at telling y’all about this fantastic deal on Hawaiian Airlines for round-trip airfares to Honolulu starting at as little as $279 (from San Francisco). That’s less than half of what airfare to the islands usually runs from the west coast. Plus, not only is this shoulder season in Hawaii (which Hawaiian Airlines rep Keoni Wagner told us is the cheapest time to travel to Hawaii), but with far fewer people traveling to Hawaii in general you are sure to be almost alone on those beaches.

Right now is also a great time to bargain with hotels. Since many of the hotels have empty rooms most nights, they would rather get a customer in a room at a lower rate than not at all. Negotiate. Tell them you’ll stay 4 nights if you can get the 5th for free, or bargain down the price if you agree to stay more nights. This strategy (especially during rough economic times) can really help. After you score your really cheap airfare to Hawaii and get a great deal on a hotel, all you’ll need to worry about is what to pack.