Ottakee Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 DH today said he would like to go to Hawaii next year for our 25th anniversary. We typically are very budget minded travelers....Think peanut butter sandwiches made in the back of the van in the rain at Yellowstone. We don't want to go bare bones but finances are certainly a consideration. We eat simply but like to try local mom and pop type places, enjoy nature..Drives, walks, easy hikes, etc. Not big on tourist trap type things or crowds. We enjoy the beach but are general morning or evening beach people...Not the bake on the beach type people. What are your best ideas? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 We packed a tent and camped in Maui. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Yes. I only know Oahu/Waikiki. go off season, you will need a car rental. If you stay in Waikiki, start your hotel search for places at least two blocks off beach. cheaper room and parking rates. Even better prices if you, look for places outside of Oahu/Waikiki. Drive around the island, down near the airport are empty beaches, and going the other way, past the zoo (gets you out of tourist land) local grocery stores, safeway, home depot, and mom & pop food stands, local dining places. If you ask, and really convince the people you encounter that you want authentic, cheap, good local food, they will eventually tell you their favorite places. I no longer have the fortitude to put up with this, but when I did, the first day I would attend several time shares for the free tickets. A day of sacrifice would cover all the entertainment forthe trip and cases of macadamia nuts for souvenirs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Figure out the cost of somewhere to stay, a rental car, and plane tickets. Food is a little bit more there, but not as high as other places. Eat out once per day, eat in your place for the other meals. There are tons of free hikes, drives, and scenery to see - very little need to pay extra for those things. The Big Island tends to be the cheapest, but it's not the prettiest island. If you opt to go there, most folks stay on the Kailua Kona side, but Hilo and the east side in general is prettier plus closer to Volcanoes NP - which is really cool for nature loving folks to visit. The prettiest island is Kauai - prettier to the north than south, but it's small enough you can easily go anywhere. Waimea Canyon (west) is really neat - a smaller Grand Canyon with ocean views in the distance. It's more expensive because it's the prettiest island and many folk's favorite. Oahu is a city island with a beach - very crowded, esp near Honolulu. The North Shore is cool - and the shrimp trucks - and Pearl Harbor, but other than those... other islands are better (for us). Waikiki really isn't that great of a beach... and you'll share it with a gazillion of your closest friends. If wanting that island, Kailua Beach is far better and less crowded, but then the commute to elsewhere can be annoying. The island is expensive too. Maui we've been on the least, so I'll let others answer for it. We need to get there to explore it more once we finish paying college tuitions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) Ok the camping is one thing if you are into that. Don't know if you want to do that or not. What airport are you flying out of? I know you can fly from the midwest for 25k a RT coach ticket. That is not hard to get with credit cards. That might take one credit card sign up and you have the points. But you could take out the airfare and hotels and it is a lot cheaper of ticket. Are you open to travel hacking? Do you have airline miles saved? Do you have hotel points? You can also find really low coast timeshares on Ebay. Just saw this http://carlyonpurpose.com/15-ways-budget-hawaii-vacation/ Edited April 2, 2017 by mommyoffive 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) My husband has done Maui on the cheap many times with camping and staying in public cabins at state parks. He ate lots of PB & J and SPAM. We also did one fairly inexpensive family vacation there when he was in grad school, although we were lucky to have a free condo and SUV due to work he had done before we arrived. But being able to cook most of our meals and pack picnics helped a lot. I don't think we ever paid for any attractions, there is so much to do and see for free. Even though out travel budget has changed considerably, we still like to eat at inexpensive, local places whenever we travel. One of our long time travel rules is to never eat at chain restaurants. For me, one of the fun parts of travel is reading restaurant reviews and finding the inexpensive, amazing local places to eat. Neither of us our big eaters, so we also often share meals. For airline tickets, I would look at getting a credit card now that will get you lots of points toward free tickets or car rentals, if you don't already have one you are using regularly. I'd also look into VRBO or AirBnb for potential accommodations. Personally, I prefer almost anything to a hotel, and it's nice to have a place to cook or heat up leftovers, and some place to relax besides on beds. Plus you can be in a real neighborhood away from all of the tourist stuff. My husband has been to Hawaii many, many times and never stayed in a hotel, although he's probably had almost every other type of accommodation. Edited April 2, 2017 by Frances 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Rent a car from Rent a Wreck. Or Kimo's. Half the price. Stay in low rise condos with ocean view not ocean front. If there is a common area the difference is negligible as re experience but much cheaper as re cost. We did Three weeks for the two of us for $6000 a few months ago. That's all in for condo, car and flights for 2. There are many places on Maui where the lodging for a week could cost that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackermom Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 My father was stationed there while I was in high school. When I went back years later on my honeymoon, I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to visit, and how to do it on the cheap, while island hopping. In today's dollars, we spent just over $3000, staying on 3 different islands, alternating hotels and camping. We flew in from the east coast, adjust your price accordingly. Perhaps you could get a straight flight/hotel package for a similar price, but we were looking for more of an adventure. We flew into Oahu and stayed at a modestly priced hotel near Diamond Head, a couple of blocks from the beach, with a balcony and a nice ocean view for the first two nights. We mostly recovered from our wedding and our flight, while doing a few touristy things at a leisurely pace. Then we got a cheap rental car, picked up the camping gear we had reserved and our camping permits (which were super cheap), and headed north. We stayed at a quiet beach campground, which was amazing. We did not stay on the beach for the day, as it was enough for us to have a couple of peaceful hours in the morning and evening, and we hopped in the car for side trips during the day. After 2 nights there, we turned in the car at the airport, and hopped a flight to the Big Island. We brought the camping gear with us, and got another cheap car when we landed. The campground spot we had reserved was gone, under an active lava flow! The park ranger found us another place to stay that night, thankfully, which was a cabin near the volcano park, where we went hiking the next day. The park is pretty cold at night, given the elevation, so we headed back down to the coast to tent camp the following night. We flew to Kauai next, staying at a hotel for one night to enjoy a night of relative luxury, but then repeated the tent camping with day trips, again using a cheap rental car to get off the beaten path. Then back to Oahu to return the gear and head back to real life. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 Thanks for the ideas. I am making notes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 flights there are super high 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 I vote for Kauai, by far our favorite island. You can do a day trip (on way in or way out) to Oahu if you want to see Pearl Harbor...(Oahu is way too crowded for us). Kauai is a beautiful island-- easy to get around-- LOTS of places to walk and hike (canyon and coast)... We have been there several times and have loved it each time-- but we are nature lovers! There are modest cabins and B&B's but you have to book way in advance. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) The year we went, we paid full price. However, shortly before the trip, something had happened and not enough people were going to Hawaii. The airlines and hotels dropped the prices big time. People were flying there for $200-400 round trip and the week in the hotel was about that price too. BUT, if you have a specific date in mind, that might not work out. We ate a lot at fast food. We also had an apartment style room where we could cook and do laundry. We had gotten one of those unused time shares. Edited April 2, 2017 by Janeway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Just saw this http://millionmilesecrets.com/2017/04/02/this-couple-got-13-nights-in-hawaiian-paradise-using-miles-points/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=millionmilesecrets 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 I vote for Kauai, by far our favorite island. You can do a day trip (on way in or way out) to Oahu if you want to see Pearl Harbor...(Oahu is way too crowded for us). Kauai is a beautiful island-- easy to get around-- LOTS of places to walk and hike (canyon and coast)... We have been there several times and have loved it each time-- but we are nature lovers! There are modest cabins and B&B's but you have to book way in advance. Years ago when I worked for an airline, I had a friend who was from Hawaii and from a prominent family there. I seem to remember him talking about Kauai as the Garden of Eden.... In Honolulu avoid Rush Hour traffic and the area where that incomplete elevated freeway is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 We used a costco package for Maui once and it was wonderful and ended up being quite affordable for a really nice vacation. We used miles for the tickets. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Years ago when I worked for an airline, I had a friend who was from Hawaii and from a prominent family there. I seem to remember him talking about Kauai as the Garden of Eden.... In Honolulu avoid Rush Hour traffic and the area where that incomplete elevated freeway is... Kauai is gorgeous - and uncrowded - great beaches, snorkeling, hiking - everything except the "crowd stuff." Oahu is very pretty, but the crowds... not our thing, except for Pearl Harbor, the North Shore, and Kailua Beach. People talk about snorkeling there, but much of the shore snorkeling is destroyed and Hanauma Bay has a "Butts and Bubbles" nickname to many of us comparatively... We prefer Kauai for the beauty/beaches, etc, and the Big Island for diving/snorkeling, the black sand beach, some of the eastern side hikes, Mauna Kea, and Volcanoes NP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 (edited) I have only been to Oahu, but I spent 12 weeks there during the year and a half my daughter lived there. I loved it, but other than to shop, we steered clear of Waikiki. I love the north shore for swimming with sea turtles and/or dolphins - probably one of the most awesome things I have ever done in my life. We also LOVE the beaches/coves at Ko'olina. I'm sure staying there wouldn't be budget friendly (it's where the A'ulani Disney resort is, among a few other expensive resorts), but it's definitely worth visiting. Pearl Harbour was so humbling. It's a must! We also really enjoyed the drives through the mountains, and just the overall beauty of the areas outside the city. I like that you can have a bit of both on Oahu. I LOVED the shrimp trucks and local food (poke' and musubi were my favorites - Manabu's is a MUST if you go to Oahu, and it's cheap!) I don't remember the flights being that expensive. It's been about 5 years since I've been, but we had tickets as low as $490 trip from Houston (non-stop), to $1100 round trip over the course of that year. We have talked about how we are all ready to go back. One day... Edited April 4, 2017 by StaceyinLA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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