Hawaii on a budget

[HeatherC]

Just as a heads up, Kauai (sp?) is a beautiful island...BUT
it is also known as the "wettest place on earth". We went here on our honeymoon and were shocked when we got there and it just kept raining! The south side of the island is much drier. There was even a sign there telling us how wet it was.

While we loved it and spent a few days touring, we left early and went and spent more time in Maui...which would be my recommendation.

You could also try myresortnetwork.com for timeshare rentals.

How long are you planning on going for?

I would love to take our kids, but I think the flight from Mass. might do me in. From what I remember, last time we flew to Dallas (5 hours) and then 9 hours from there.

Have fun planning!

 

[lucky1]

Some people don't like them, but check out Pleasent vacations (or Pleasent Hawaiian vacations), they seem to have some pretty good deals that include air, hotel and car and a lot of times will include breakfast in the hotel. Also Costco had some amazing deals too, if you are a member.

I have been to all 4 islands, my personal preference (not best budget deals)
1. Kauai -north side of the island (we went in Sept and it wasn't rainy, maybe a little in the afternoon). Spent a lot of times at tropical gardens, had the best luau at coconut grove. We also did Fern Groto. Love Liliko pies
2. Oahu north side of the island (we went in Sept and had wonderful weather). We were away from the tourists and were able to relax, we had a costco vacation at Turtle bay resort.
3. Hawaii - So much to see and do nature wise, the tropical gardens are great. Just had to drive a lot there to get to the nature areas. IT is a BIG island.
4. Maui - Just seemed too much of a party area, but they did have great beaches and some good hotels and condos. It might have been the company i was with on that trip too

Budget wise for us...
Oahu - The costco deal was the best we found. Also things are much more accessable on Oahu. Meals were more affordable (we at at Shimp shacks all the time, good hawaiian food)
Good Luck!

 

[blanq]

Just as a heads up, Kauai (sp?) is a beautiful island...BUT
it is also known as the "wettest place on earth". We went here on our honeymoon and were shocked when we got there and it just kept raining! The south side of the island is much drier. There was even a sign there telling us how wet it was.

Kauai has many micro-climates and the entire island does not get loads of rain. Mount Wai-’ale-’ale on Kauai is the wettest place on earth, but it isn't even accessible, so the fact it is so rainy is kind of a non-issue. All of the islands of Hawaii get more rain in the winter. The southern and western parts of Kauai are the dry sides, no matter the time of year. The north gets more rain, and very high surf, in winter but is incredibly gorgeous, and perfect summer destination. Summer in Kauai can be absolutely beautiful and rain should not be a factor in considering where to go, IMHO. OP, I note you are planning to travel in summer and think any of the islands would be great for you!

 

[pcrmommy]

Have fun planning! We went on the NCL Hawaiian Cruise 2 1/2 yrs ago for our honeymoon & we loved everything about Hawaii!!! Enjoy your time there & soak up all the sunshine!

BTW~our favorite place was Lahaina on Maui, we hope to take all 5 of our kids there summer 2011. It had a nice small town atmosphere, we're not big into the "resort" feel.

 

[robinb]

The words "Hawaii" and "budget" do not go in the same sentence . Hawaii makes WDW look cheap.

You can cut costs by renting a condo and cooking most of your meals. Bring (or buy there) a collapsible cooler for lunch and snacks at the beach. Find coupons for scuba gear rental. If you would prefer a hotel, then use Priceline or Hotwire. The website www.betterbidding.com will help you bid on a room.

 

[rparmfamily]

$3.33 for gas right on O'ahu and it's more on the other islands.

Milk is at least $5 but normally $7-8 a gallon. Bread runs at least $4 and normally around $6 a loaf for any stuff.

But McDonald's has a $1 menu (we would stop and pick up parfaits/apples/oj on days we got up early to snorkel, drive,etc) LOL, and Costco ROCKS for gas, groceries and their $10 pizzas.

Gas is $3.33 on O'ahu right now, more on the other islands, closer to $3.65 or so.

I think once you get airfare and where you are staying, the rest is easy LOL.

Winter is rainy season on all windward sides except Big Island, as Hilo is the wettest city in America LOL. But GORGEOUS rainbows and waterfalls LOL.

 

[findmewdw]

We were thinking about Hawaii this year for our family's vacation, but the airfare from Indy is horrible! Is there a cheaper time or value season for better airfare? We had checked into NCL cruise which is budget friendly for a family of 4, but with the airfare cost, we can do WDW much cheaper. I read one post about Kayak, I'll look into that. Any other ideas on getting cheap airfare to Hawaii? We would love to travel there!

 

[kelly622]

Aloha! We just booked an 11 night vacation for July. Family of 4 was $7000 (3 of the hotel nights were on points.) We are going to 3 islands( Oahu, Mauii, and Hawaii) and that price includes the interisland airfare. I highly recommend booking a package deal (we did it through Delta vacations.) It ended up saving us at least $300 pp on the airfare alone plus some other perks like free airport transfers, lei greeting etc. We also got a minivan to rent on 2 of the islands and free breaksfast the first morning. We are staying in high end 4-5 star properties (mostly Westins). Hawaii tourism is hurting right now and there are deals to be had. Also, continually check travelzoo.com - they have some amazing deals.

I normally like to make my own reservations and shy away from packages, but I could not get the same deals on my own. Have fun!!

 

[Stitch And Friends]

Checkout travelzoo.com and sign up for their weekly top 20 email. I see Hawaii hotels on there fairly often. Just be aware the top 20 deals tend to sell out quickly and are sometimes for for trips within the next month or two (sometimes sooner) but I have seen deals for further out.

If you are going to go to a luau, don't do one on Oahu. We went to Oahu and Maui on our honeymoon in 2006. We booked a luau for Oahu and it was awful - it was at The Royal Hawaiian hotel in Waikiki. I was so disappointed in the show and the food. When we were in Maui we talked to a few locals and they said they weren't surprised to hear that and Oahu has a reputation for horrible luaus. We went to another one while in Maui and loved it - it was at the Hyatt in Kanapali. We were told the best one is in Lahaina but it was sold out (apparently it books up weeks in advance). We told friends of ours that when they went to Maui and they were able to go to the Lahaina luau and said they really enjoyed it.

As another poster mentioned Lahaina is a nice town if you go to Maui. We drove there a couple of nights to walk around and enjoyed the shops. The restaurants there were also a little cheaper than at our hotel and hotels within walking distance.

 

[mrsklamc]

We were thinking about Hawaii this year for our family's vacation, but the airfare from Indy is horrible! Is there a cheaper time or value season for better airfare? We had checked into NCL cruise which is budget friendly for a family of 4, but with the airfare cost, we can do WDW much cheaper. I read one post about Kayak, I'll look into that. Any other ideas on getting cheap airfare to Hawaii? We would love to travel there!

Hi neighbor! We're in the same boat. Want to do that cruise, can't find a deal on airfare from Indy. We just keep watchin.' We'll be debt free other than the mortgage this year so we'll see what happens!

A friend once got $400 on Delta but it was a couple years ago and she booked MONTHS in advance.

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

4 years ago we went to Hawaii (a family of 4) for 4 weeks for $10K including airfare. It was our 3rd trip so we didn't need as much money for doing things. It was a lot of time laying on the beach and playing in the pool. My husband was on an unaccompanied tour and had a month off, so we met there. It was nice just chilling and being a family again.

We are a military family so we took full advantage of staying and the military hotels and cabins. We shopped at the commissary and cooked a lot of our own food, ate all breakfasts in the room.

We are going back next May for our anniversary and taking the kids. We are planning on going for 2 weeks and I'm planning on it being around 8K.

I love Hawaii and hope to live there someday

 

[amshowers]

We were also considering Hawaii, but changed our minds since it was a 13 hour flight and dh could only get off 8 days. I see you are in VA so consider that you will lose almost 2 days in travel. MY hubby boss has been to all the islands and recommended Maui for it's beauty. We do plan to go in the future but will make sure we have at least 10 days.

 

[Promomx2]

Okay I just found and tried to book a room at the Sheraton in Oahu, but looking at the small print. They would charge my credit card the whole 7 nights at time of booking. Do all the hotels there do that?

 

[daughtersrus]

I'm subscribing to this thread. My DD was granted a wish by Make A Wish and we'll be heading to Hawaii sometime this summer. I know that MAW will arrange the hotel and some sites but much of it will be on our own. The only thing that we've asked MAW for is a Luau as that will probably be one of the most expensive things for our family (there will be 5 of us).

Other than that, the only other thing that I know that we'll do is to see Pearl Harbor.

DD's physical therapist at Shriners suggested that we see the Dole Pineapple plantation and to go to the beach where the sea turtles are (can't remember the name off hand).

I haven't really started to look into specifics until we know the dates but I'm going to keep reading the suggestions here. My DD uses a wheelchair so our activities have to be handicap accessible. We are planing on going to the beach at least a day or two but DH will have to carry DD as there is no way that her wheelchair can be pushed in the sand.

 

[simonsmom]

once you reserve a place - mail a care package to yourself about 14 mailing days ahead of time. We cooked in a lot so I mailed pasta,rice,peanut butter,maple syrup,pancake mix,etc. mailed a huge box for about $35. It was definitely worth it! if you drink soda redeem your coke points for free 12 pack coupons. we spent a lot of money on dairy and bread. that can not be helped. but you can buy a whole pineapple for 99 cents. costco did not work out for us because quantities were so large. 60 waffles minimum

 

[PrincessTiffany]

We have been trying to plan a trip to Hawaii for our family and the cheapest way I have found to tour Hawaii is through a cruise. Norweigian Cruise Lines (ncl.com) has GREAT prices on 7 night Hawaiin island tours. It's the airfare that we can't afford. There are six of us and the airfare costs more for us than the 7 day cruise around all the islands. CRAZY! If I can ever get a good quote on airfare to Honolulu we are doing the NCL cruise.

 

[rparmfamily]

I'm subscribing to this thread. My DD was granted a wish by Make A Wish and we'll be heading to Hawaii sometime this summer. I know that MAW will arrange the hotel and some sites but much of it will be on our own. The only thing that we've asked MAW for is a Luau as that will probably be one of the most expensive things for our family (there will be 5 of us).

Other than that, the only other thing that I know that we'll do is to see Pearl Harbor.

DD's physical therapist at Shriners suggested that we see the Dole Pineapple plantation and to go to the beach where the sea turtles are (can't remember the name off hand).

I haven't really started to look into specifics until we know the dates but I'm going to keep reading the suggestions here. My DD uses a wheelchair so our activities have to be handicap accessible. We are planing on going to the beach at least a day or two but DH will have to carry DD as there is no way that her wheelchair can be pushed in the sand.

Laniakea Beach is "Turtle Beach", not too far from Dole Pineapple Plantation. Make sure to get a Dole Whip there and feed the koi. http://www.turtles.org/laniakea.htm

I think Waikiki has the sand wheelchairs, perhaps ask at your hotel if they have one?

The lighthouse hike (Makapu'u) and Waimea Falls hike are both completely paved, though they have various elevations (up and down hills) but are pretty hikes.

The Halona Blowhole has ramps, that's over by the lighthouse. I think Hanamua Bay is wheelchair friendly. Their website says they have beach wheelchairs free of charge. http://www.honolulu.gov/parks/programs/beach/hanauma.htm

Here is a link about the wheelchairs, free of charge and they also have mats available at certain beaches. http://www.honolulu.gov/parks/programs/beach/index1.htm

I'd make sure to eat dinner at sunset at Duke's (in the Outrigger in Waikiki) and make sure to eat on the deck. You may have to go for an early dinner to get a spot. It's nice anytime of day actually, go get a Lava Flow or Mai Tai.

 

[rparmfamily]

I wouldn't ship myself any food personally...unless you were bringing it in your suitcase. Our Walmarts aren't that much higher than elsewhere and Costco and Target have cheap milk $4 or so.

Your best bet for eating out is getting out of Waikiki, eating at places on the side of the road (shrimp shacks, steak plates,etc) or even grabbing a sandwich from subway and watching the sunset on the beach.

 

[findmewdw]

We have been trying to plan a trip to Hawaii for our family and the cheapest way I have found to tour Hawaii is through a cruise. Norweigian Cruise Lines (ncl.com) has GREAT prices on 7 night Hawaiin island tours. It's the airfare that we can't afford. There are six of us and the airfare costs more for us than the 7 day cruise around all the islands. CRAZY! If I can ever get a good quote on airfare to Honolulu we are doing the NCL cruise.

Our family is in the same boat with yours! We want to take this cruise, but airfare puts it over budget. We can't find airfare cheaper than 800 a person. The cruise is budget friendly, but not airfare!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Our family is in the same boat with yours! We want to take this cruise, but airfare puts it over budget. We can't find airfare cheaper than 800 a person. The cruise is budget friendly, but not airfare!

I know! The cheapest I've found airfare for is $750.00 a person - which is highway robbery in my opinion. There are 6 of us so the airfare would be about $4,500.00 - twice the cost of the cruise. That's just plain crazy! I told my husband if I ever find cheap airfare to honolulu we are jumping on it and that he may not get much notice, luckily he owns his own business