Hawaii Budget Advice

[nena]

My family of 4 just went in July 2011. DS is 13 and DD is 9. We did a Stars and Strips tour to Pearl Harbor and the Missouri. Then the tour went to the cemetery, but that was too long for us so we went back to the Hotel for a late lunch. We also enjoyed: Polynesian Culture Center, Paradis Cove, shopping at the Pro Bowl flea market and 2 days at the Beach (boogie Boarding). DS took 2 surfing lessons. $40/hour wasnt bad, but then they take GREAT pictures and you can easily get suckered into buying them.
We also renewed our vows at our Hotel which was FREE, but then again, they took GREAT pictures that were REALLY expensive but we still bought because they were beautiful. My family spent our down time walking the beach, shopping and enjoying the pool.
One week was just enough time to enjoy OAHU.

 

[kaywoody]

I would second the idea of doing Oahu first for a day or two and then Kauai. We were married on Kauai and then spend 5 more days in Kauai and then a couple of days in Oahu. We were so disappointed after the slower more beautiful pace of Kauai. We stayed in Waikiki- we can see the big city back home. There are some fun places to visit on Oahu, but do it before you go to Kauai and get spoiled!

 

[Fly4free]

Don't forget if you island hop you probably only need to buy a 1 way inter island ticket pp. You should be able to fly into Honolulu and depart from Lihue.

I was recently pricing flights from HNL-LIH, as I am considering the same trip you are. I found airfare for under $90 pp.

I would recommend a few days in Oahu then at least 6 days in Kauai. I have been waiting since 1993 to go to Kauai though. I had to change my honeymoon plans due to the aftermath of hurricane Iniki.

 

[disykat]

We love Oahu because there's such a variety of things to see/do. I like Waikiki, but only for a short time. We spent most of our time in the Kailua/Lanikai Beach area.

 

[azlaura]

I have done a 3 night stay on the north shore and then a week in Maui. I have also done 5 days on Maui, 5 on Kauai, we also did big island and Maui each for 5 days......we love Maui but we also loved the north shore of Oahu. I was only 21 on Kauai and was bored.... Our next trip is 4 nights on north shore and 6 on Maui ....no matter what you choose you will have a great time. Our Oahu trip we decided not to stay in Honolulu because it was a big city and loved the North Shore, we still did Pearl Harbor, 30-45 minute drive there but worth it!

 

[chris1gill]

You could split the difference and try Maui. Direct flight to Maui are a little more reasonable. And I think most of what you want to do is available on Maui.

If you are trying to go on a "budget" trip - don't Island hop. That will add almost $1000 to the trip in a blink.

I agree about Maui, we've been 4 times. We've been to HNL twice, stayed in the Ko'Olina section. 3 days was enough to see what we wanted, but we were there for a week. Maui had so much more to offer. It has everything from the bustle on some beaches, to a volcano to a rainforest and beyond.... It has it all. Kauai was another place we were glad we went but don't intend on going back to...

 

[DisneyCher]

I guess I'll be in the minority here. I liked Oahu and staying in Waikiki. I liked the fact that I could be on the beach in the morning and then walk around the city later in the day. Yes, it can be crowded. But I like the big city atmosphere (Like walking around NYC, too). I've driven to the North Shore, done the hike up Diamond Head, visited the Dole Planatation and Sea Life Park. If you stay in Waikiki, visit Leonards Bakery for some awesome Malasadas (cream filled Portuguese donuts)

With that said, I like the calmer aspects of the other islands also. I haven't been to Kauai, but I like Maui and Hawaii also. Maui gives me the hustle & bustle feel a little in that I can relax on the beach and then go Front Street for the restaurants, shopping and nightlife.

I'm going in Feb. and will stay 5 nights Maui and 5 nights on Oahu at Aulani. This will be my first visit to Oahu where I haven't stayed in Waikiki, so I'm curious to see how I like it.

Terri

I lived in Hawaii, on Oahu, when I was a kid and just got back from a 10 day vacation there and we ended up cutting a bunch of plannedstuff because there was so much to do! We stayed in Waikiki and while the beach did get crowded, we really liked it. It was my husband's first time in Hawaii, and he loved it as well. If you want quiet, there are places to go that do not involve heading off to a different island for sure!

And I second the recommendation for Leonard's, but the true malasadas do not have a filling - they are "jelly doughnuts that don't have any jelly." The filled ones are called malasada puffs, and while they are good, the original ones are superior.

 

[DisneyCher]

Thanks for all of the advice so far. If we stayed on Oahu, it would be before Kauai and mainly to see the sites. Not to hang out at the beach. We would see Pearl Harbor memorial, Dole plantation, North Shore, diamond Head. Then move on to Kauai. But do you think that is necessary? Or would we be happy with spending the whole time on Kauai? Is 10 days on Kauai too much?

In addition, we live in Chicago. So we don't mind the busy city life.

I don't think the flights from Chicago to Kauai are that much more expensive (than Chicago to Oahu) to compensate for the additional flight from Oahu to Kauai if we decided to stay in Oahu for a few days. I have to research how much the short interisland flight would be.

Maggie

Honestly, I think Dole Plantation is a waste of time, especially given how far inland it is and how expensive the pineapples are. Thirty minutes ther ewas MORE than enough for me and DH. If you want a Dole Whip, get one at the International Marketplace in Waikiki or at the Hilo Hattie's store on Nimitz.

Disamond Head was a tough hike, but a great view, and I also really enjoyed the zoo and the aquarium. Pearl Harbor actually has a few attractions there - the USS Missouri, the Arizona and the Bowfin submarine. If you are into military history, plan a full day there. Hanauma Bay was beautiful snorkeling (and where I saw two sea turtles up close and personal). We did a luau, but I thought it was really lame and woulnd't bother next time we go.

 

[maggiew]

What are people's thoughts on 3 nights at Waikiki Marriott and then 7 nights at Marriott Ko Olina. I guess the new Disney resort was built next door to the Marriott.

I haven't decided yet on which island. It will come down to airfare, I guess. We prefer not to island hop and waste the time and energy.

Maggie

 

[wvjules]

Personally, I would do a split stay between Kauai and Oahu. Five on each island would be good. Or maybe you could do 6 on Kauai and 4 on Oahu.

We are getting ready to leave in a few weeks for Kauai (5), Maui (5) then Oahu (3). DBF and I have already spent 2 weeks on Oahu (I was sent there for work) so we were ok with skipping it. However, this time DD16 is coming and she'd love the fast pace of Waikiki. Plus, I can't imagine taking her all the way to Hawaii and NOT seeing Pearl Harbor.

As for island hopping, our flight from Kauai to Maui is early in the morning then our flight from Maui to Oahu is after 9:00pm. We scheduled them that so they wouldn't really mess with our days.

16 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!

 

[lucky1]

Our first trip to Hawaii was to Kauai and we fell in love. We stayed in the Northside at Hanalia Bay Resort. Loved it there and when we not at the pool, Beach, we were hiking, visiting botanical gardens, Copter ride to see Waimia canyon and other items, going to fern grotto, doing a couple of Luau's and taking a snorkel trip on the west side of the island. We were hooked. We then went to the Big Island and didn't have as good of time, we felt like we were always driving somewhere, then I went to Maui and wasn't the same feeling as Kauai, which just seems so laid back and relaxing even with all the "touristy" things we did.

Our last trip we went to Oahu and stayed on the Northside at Turtle Bay. We had another fantastic trip. We hung out at the beach and Pool and went to North Shore to watch the surf. We did the Touristy things.

SO in a nutshell we Love Kauai and we found Oahu can be fantastic too, we just decided not to pick the Honolulu side to stay. These are our favorite Islands, I think you can't go wrong with either island.

 

[punkin]

When we went, we did Oahu and Hawaii. If you have 10 days, I think you should split the trip and do 5 days in each, flying into one and out of the other. I really enjoyed Oahu and am kind of confused why so many people hate it.

 

[maggiew]

The thing with Marriott points is that if you redeem 4 nights worth of points, you get the 5th night free. So if we did a split stay, it would have to be 5 nights Oahu and 5 nights Kauai. I could probably stick a night at the end of Kauai with a free night cert I get with my Marriott credit card.

Maggie

 

[Bearvet]

We loved Oahu and I think with teens they'll like being where the action is! We have not been to Kauai, but it might be a bit slow-paced for their liking.

We spent 1 week on Oahu and would have liked more time. We did the following:
1 day - Polynesian Cultural Center (full day and great night-time show - we did the luau there also)
1 day (Weds) - Pearl Harbor then stadium swap meet
1 day - snorkel Haunama Bay and sight-seeing up that coast up to Byodo-In Temple
1 day - Dole Plantation (it's worth it 1 time) up to North Shore - snorkel (wonderful!) turtles, hiking to falls, shrimp truck
1 day - Palace ans Bishop Museum, then beach
1 day husbands golfed, we shopped

I'm sure teens would love surf lessons and there are various boat rides/sunset cruises to go on. We enjoyed the bustle of Waikiki and the beach was nice. The Entertainment Book had some good coupons in it.

We also spent 1 week on Big Island (our favorite) and 1 week on Maui, for a total of 3 weeks. Island hopping was really not bad at all. Stayed in condos so could eat breakfasts in and pack lunches for the day which saved a lot of money. We got our cars through discounthawaiicarrental.com - very reasonable prices using major vendors (Alamo, etc).

With teens, I'd do 5 days Oahu and 5 days Maui personally.

 

[amomofboys]

We, too, are headed to Hawaii from May 27-June 8. We are staying in HNL from Jun 1-8. We wanted to see lava so we were thinking we would go to the big island from May 27-June 1, but someone told me there was no lava flowing, so we should go somewhere else. We have 2 boys, ages 15 & 11.
Any suggestions?

 

[C-CMom]

... but someone told me there was no lava flowing, so we should go somewhere else... Any suggestions?

Hi,
IMHO, the Big Island still has LOTS of very interesting things to see, including "old" lava flows, even if lava is not flowing currently. The prior lava flows are very visible on Google Maps, satellite view -- very cool, huge area of black. Just really neat to see. The crater and Thurston Lava Tune is nice to tour. Black sand beach is surreal. Snorkeling can be excellent on the island - our favorite was "Two Step" or Honaunau Bay, can be tricky to find the right spot to enter, get some info on it before you try. The Kona airport itself is completely adorable.

That said, your "somewhere else" could be good, too...

Have fun.

 

[loafer74]

Ok here are some must do's. First hit every shrimp truck you can along the north coast , we hit them all , got one plate and split it among us so we could try them all , loved it.

GO TO TEDS!!!!!! Do not pass Teds Bakery in Sunset Beach without stopping every time you drive by stop and eat , you will not regret it , your waistline might , but you wont.

If you do go to the beach go to the beaches on the North Shore. Not crowed if you stay away from the major sufing areas , and so tranquil and beautiful.

If you like nature and like to see places you have watched in movies go to Kualoa Ranch , its is beautiful and when we were there we got to see them shooting a scene from Lost in the distance, plus saw sights from it and many other shows and movies.We did the self guided tour and took our time getting through.

 

[jsmith]

Part of the reason your airfare is so high is the time of year-we go back and forth regularly and i got DEN-HNL flights for 365 pp round trip in Nov last year. Realizing that because of your girls you have to go in the summer. You can have an amazing vacation no matter which island or lslands you choose-they all have wonderful qualities. I think a split stay is a good idea-we have done that a number of times. I have heard Ko Olina is nice-but its kind of isolated from so you will be doing alot of driving to see things and the traffic on Oahu is a bummer-we usually stay on the windward side which is quieter and away from the crowd on Waikiki but still have to deal with the traffic if we want to come into the city for a nice dinner or something or to go to Leonards.
We LOVE the big island-its a much different atmosphere than Oahu-and for the poster who was asking about lava-volcanos are fickle things and just because there is no lava now does not mean there will not be any in June-and in fact the usgs observitory site says there are active flows today. You can google hawaii volcano observatory-they update daily. Lava or not the big island is awesome and definately worth a visit.
You are basically going to have to decide what your family wants out of your vacation-not what someone else tells you is the thing to do and make your decisions based on that. We are an active family and being able to be im the water, snorkel,hike, and just hang on the beach are much larger drivers for us than where we stay although hubby and i are foodies so good restuerants are important too. We are also military so i wont comment on hotels since we always stay in military lodging.

 

[Green Tea]

Kauai is so wonderful. The airfare is always going to be expensive, but the beauty will make you forget the extra dollars to go where you really dreamed of visiting.

 

[ElenaRN]

We have been to Hawaii many times, thanks to friends living there.

Every island is, of course, beautiful. I don't think you can go wrong anywhere.

That said, we absolutely love Maui. It's the island I always recommend to everyone.
I think it is the best of both worlds. There are tons of hikes, waterfalls, beautiful beaches, Haleakala, the road to Hana.. I could go on forever.