Budget Hawaii Tips?

[Green Tea]

1) Our cousins run a business on Kauai for over 30 years.
2) We alternate Kauai for London every-other-year.
3) As people have mentioned, Hawaii is expensive.
4) But, look around for deals.

5) Places & Purchases you usually cannot find deals.
. . . gasoline and diesel fuel
. . . rental cars
. . . milk & soda pop
. . . fast food
6) Places & Purchases you can price shop for deals
. . . clothing
. . . tours
. . . sit-down meals
. . . souvenirs
. . . public transportation (bus)
. . . taxis (can frequently be bargained)

NOTE:
Overall, one just buckles down and figures that Hawaii will be costly.
If we wanted cheaper, we would do Miami or Orlando.

1) Why do you
2) Number and
3) Bullet your
...posts
a) ?



OP: I went to Kauai several years ago and found food to be really expensive, both in restaurants and in grocery stores. On the Big Island, I thought things were pretty much the same as stateside. Maybe if you stay away from the typical tourist places and shop and eat where the locals do, it might be a little less expensive.

 

[chaselovesnemo]

Shark's cove is gorgeous at sunset. I would skip Hanauma Bay altogether. There are better beaches that are free and less crowded. Be prepared- beaches in Waikiki are CRAZY. At peak season there are literally 6 inches between you and the person on the next beach towel, and the entire beach is covered with people. NOT enjoyable in my opinion, although the night life there is fun. Your kids will love the Dole plantation, and as mentioned already, do not miss Matsumoto's shave ice in Haleiwa! Be sure to get ice cream in the bottom of yours (or beans too if you're adventurous) Ahhhh. I"m craving some right now.

If you're on the North Shore around breakfast time check out the Hukilau Cafe. Delicious banana macadamia pancakes and all kinds of other stuff.

It is definitely worth making a walmart run for beach mats, beach towels, snacks, etc, using them for a week, and leaving them there. Less luggage to bring and carry home and much cheaper than buying at other small stores in the area.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Subscribing. Great thread.

 

[TLPL]

Don't forget to check out Aulani, You can't call yourself a Disney Fan and go to Hawaii without checking out the new Disney Resort!!!

 

[MEM]

So, I'm finding out that the two words "Hawaii" and "budget" may not belong on the same page, let alone in the same sentence . DH has a conference in October in Honolulu, and we've all (me and our two boys, ages 5 and 7) have decided to tag along. Since this is sort of an "extra" vacation, we'd like to try to not overspend, but we also realize that this is probably a once in a lifetime type trip, so we want to see/do the most important stuff. DH's company is paying for the hotel for 6 of the 8 nights we're staying, so our hotel bill will only be around $500. DH's company is also paying for his flight. I've found flights for us for $500 a piece during a 24 hours fare sale, so we did pretty well on flights. When it comes to entertainment and food, I'm getting stuck on the best way to save money. I've ordered the Hawaii entertainment book, and I've also looked at the Go Oahu card. Has anyone used either of these discounts in Hawaii? What did you think? We're also trying to figure out when we need to rent a car. We're trying not to rent for the entire time b/c parking at the hotel alone is $24 a night. We've also found out that renting something as simple as beach chairs and an umbrella can run you $60 per DAY !! Anyhow, any money saving tips would be appreciated. Every penny counts . --Katie

We're planning a trip to Aulani in 2012 and that sounds like a great price for flights! What city are you flying out of and how did you hear about those flights?

 

[Green Tea]

Beat of Hawaii has a list and a facebook page that lists FABULOUS air deals. They often list west coast fares about $150-180. East coast of course more, but if any airline has a short term sale, they will be the one to let you know. Great site.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

i don't remember. I want to say that we used them for the Missouri, the Atlantis submarine, maybe the water park whose name escapes me, and Chuck E Cheese. (Before you laugh, my younger daughter chose this for her birthday activity and us parents just sucked it up and took one for the team lol!).

If they had a PCC coupon, we would have used it. We did notuse it for the luau as we had picked a other luau to do and with 2 small kids on the verge of collapse, the day was long enough with just the tour of the grounds. So I don't know how they would handle an upgrade

I recall the EG being recommended to us and was surprised at the number of coupons we were able to use. Our trip was in October, so we definitely spent less than the regular price on it.

Thanks for all the replies, guys! You have some really useful information!! It sounds like The Bus is doable to Hanuama Bay and Diamond Head Crater, and maybe we should rent a car or take a taxi to Pearl Harbor. We're arriving on a Friday, around lunch time there (of course it will feel much later to us!). I'm thinking on Saturday, we should rent a car, go to Pearl Harbor, and then make a stop at Walmart for beach gear, breakfast stuff and some lunch items. That way, we'll be stocked for the week. DH's meals will be covered, so DH and I can try to "share" some meals, and then we'll just have to pick up the tab for the kids. Anyone know of places that have portions big enough to share?

Also, we'll probably rent a car for Thursday and Friday (the two last days we're there when DH's conference is over) so that we can go to the Polynesian Cultural Center one day and drive to the Dole Plantation and Northshore and Waimea Falls one day.




Which coupons did you use? Did you use the one for the Polynesian Cultural Center, and if so, did you use it to upgrade to the Luau? TIA for any input!!




Thanks for all the great suggestions! It sounds like if I'm buying more than just a few things, it's worth the car rental $$ to go to Walmart instead of the ABC store. I'll definitely check out those two restaurants!! Do you know how they are with food allergies? My DS is allergic to eggs and nuts (we're having him specifically tested for macadamia nuts before we leave, so we'll know how cautious we need to be with those). Thanks so much! --Katie

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

A note on the swap meet at Aloha stadium.

Don't presume thE first booth with that souvenir you see is the best price. Shop around.


Also, don't presume all the offerings are cheaper there. We were keeping mental notes of the cost of various souvenirs and some items were MORE expensive at the Swap Meet. I think some of the vendors count on you not realizing it. It has been a few years. So I could no quote which souvenirs. The key is to just be aware.

I tried to stick to souvenirs that I could not find in town. And making sure the vendor I chose was offering it for the lowest price. I am not a haggler.

 

[ekatiel]

We're planning a trip to Aulani in 2012 and that sounds like a great price for flights! What city are you flying out of and how did you hear about those flights?

We're in Houston, so the flights are from IAH (Houston's big airport). I actually happened upon an unadvertised 24 hr. fare sale that Continental/United was offering. I think someone from above was looking down on me . I didn't even know it was a 24 hr. fare sale at the time, I just knew that every other time I had checked prices, they were in the upper 700's for flights. I actually put our tickets on "72 hour fare lock" which cost me $14, since I wanted to make sure DH was on the same flights as us and had seats next to us. By the time his company's cruddy travel agency got around to booking his ticket, his fare was $770. As soon as they booked his, I went ahead and purchased ours, which were still on fare lock, so we got them for $500. I was pretty happy!!! My best advice is to check fares often, and when you see something good, jump on it! --Katie

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Shark's cove is gorgeous at sunset. I would skip Hanauma Bay altogether. There are better beaches that are free and less crowded. Be prepared- beaches in Waikiki are CRAZY. At peak season there are literally 6 inches between you and the person on the next beach towel, and the entire beach is covered with people. NOT enjoyable in my opinion, although the night life there is fun. Your kids will love the Dole plantation, and as mentioned already, do not miss Matsumoto's shave ice in Haleiwa! Be sure to get ice cream in the bottom of yours (or beans too if you're adventurous) Ahhhh. I"m craving some right now.

If you're on the North Shore around breakfast time check out the Hukilau Cafe. Delicious banana macadamia pancakes and all kinds of other stuff.

It is definitely worth making a walmart run for beach mats, beach towels, snacks, etc, using them for a week, and leaving them there. Less luggage to bring and carry home and much cheaper than buying at other small stores in the area.

Enjoy your trip!

Sharks Cove and Three Tables are our favorite place to snorkle, but the OP is going in October. I think the waves would be too choppy and dangerous on the North Shore then.

OP, always check beach conditions. October is the start of big waves on the North Shore.

 

[ekatiel]

Sharks Cove and Three Tables are our favorite place to snorkle, but the OP is going in October. I think the waves would be too choppy and dangerous on the North Shore then.

OP, always check beach conditions. October is the start of big waves on the North Shore.

Do you think we'll be able to do surfing lessons on the Northshore then? We've got a coupon from the entertainment book, and the place is rated really well on Trip Advisor. I thought surfing lessons would be super fun!

For those recommending the Disney Resort, I wish we could check out the new Disney Resort, but the two nights we are paying for the hotel are also the two full days that DH has off from the conference, so we're planning on heading to PCC one day and to the Northshore the next. Not much time to spend at the resort those two days, so we'll probably stay put. I know the food allergy thing would be easier at the Disney resort! Hopefully, we will run into some nice, food allergy educated chefs during our trip. --Katie

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I'm sure there would be plenty of surfing lesson options. Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach are huge surfing spots on the North Shore.

 

[crisi]

Do you think we'll be able to do surfing lessons on the Northshore then? We've got a coupon from the entertainment book, and the place is rated really well on Trip Advisor. I thought surfing lessons would be super fun!

Surfing lessons, even with a coupon, will not be budget. Do get reservations - many places do book up. Surfing lessons were fun (we did ours in Lahaina), but surfing is a LOT of work, and its very difficult for "larger" people - particularly those who are a little older. My husband "barely" got up. I got up, but got too tired to paddle after three runs. My daughter managed to ride little waves - she is still a 65 lb girl - only my son - twelve years old an a pretty darn good snowboard/skateboard - was really "surfing" - the rest of us were tourists on surfboards. And it took a second private two hour lesson before he was really surfing. By they time we'd dropped $500 on surf lessons.

You want the "little waves" to learn to surf on - not the big North Shore in October waves. But there is probably a good spot to learn.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Another fun place is the Buddhist Temple on the Windward side of the Island. There are several koi ponds and fun places to explore. They have the large bronze bell that the kids can ring, etc.

If you are a Lost fan, it was used as the Korean home of Sun's family...

 

[ekatiel]

OK-- Darn you guys for mentioning Aulani!!! It made me want to look it up, and now I'm trying to figure out how we can finagle our plans so we can stay our last two nights there!! It looks WONDERFUL!!! I'm going to talk to DH about it this evening, and then check the rent/trade point board to see if there's even availability. --Katie

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Listen to this week's podcast. They do a full review of Aulani.

 

[coastiewifern]

Wow great info. We are hoping to go to Hawaii in summer of 2012. Airfare is the biggest problem for us. We are looking to fly from FL and man it is expensive. We have friends we can stay with on Oahu for a week so that will help. Then we'd like to hop to another island. I am going to check out beat of Hawaii for airfare. I have it on a watch on another site but it rarely goes down.