And I thought Disney was expensive, Hawaii planning

[kymom99]

Hawaii is on my list . Planning on taking DD for her college graduation gift.
Hubby keeps hearing Maui is the place to go for more relaxed, nice beaches and scenery. Where did you stay in Maui?

Does you friend recommend where to stay in Maui? Any advice on Island hopping? We would love to go to Pearl Harbor. Not sure how the island hopping works that won’t break the budget

Thanks for all that info. I knew food was expensive but wow! We will definitely pack some dry snacks.
What airline do you recommend from CA?

She has a time share. I will ask her what it’s called. We were actually going to stay here several years ago but we are a group of teachers and we had too many snow days. Ended up extending the school year. She was only able to get the place for a certain date. She was taking us for basically the cost of the fees. We are going to plan to go again sometime. I was so upset at Mother Nature for that little trick.
She said if you stay at her resort they have people who help you set up those excursions. I’ll ask her what the name of the resort is and report back.

 

[Etonduf]

Hawaii is on my list . Planning on taking DD for her college graduation gift.
Hubby keeps hearing Maui is the place to go for more relaxed, nice beaches and scenery. Where did you stay in Maui?

We stayed at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas. We had Starwood points (now Marriott points) so we used those instead of paying, and we really enjoyed it. The in-room kitchenette and washer/dryer made our lives a lot easier (and cheaper!) for the week, and Kaanapali is a great location. I can't speak to other areas on Maui, but I'm sure there are lots of great spots.

We did a helicopter flight that kinda stole the show as far as activities, but we also enjoyed driving up to Haleakala and going for walks/hikes at Kapalua Village walking trails (an old golf course that has been converted to walking trails). And the luau was a lot of fun.

 

[MomToOne]

We did a helicopter flight that kinda stole the show as far as activities

We did a helicopter tour in Maui once. Had an emergency landing in a field because something went wrong mechanically. While the pilot handled it very well, I won't do another one - we were lucky we were near that field at the time.

 

[MomToOne]

Thanks for all that info. I knew food was expensive but wow! We will definitely pack some dry snacks.
What airline do you recommend from CA?

I usually take Alaska, because I have their credit card and get the companion pass. But really I'd take whatever airline has the cheapest rates for the time frame I'm looking at. I haven't seen any specific pattern on who is cheaper, so I just check them all every time. Be sure to include Southwest in your shopping - they've started service from some CA airports.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I usually take Alaska, because I have their credit card and get the companion pass. But really I'd take whatever airline has the cheapest rates for the time frame I'm looking at. I haven't seen any specific pattern on who is cheaper, so I just check them all every time. Be sure to include Southwest in your shopping - they've started service from some CA airports.

I hear it’s a long flight. I usually do a straight flight when I fly. I know it will cost more but don’t like dealing with layovers and connecting flights. Last two trips one to Washington state and another to Ft. Lauderdale we took Alaska. Nice planes and cheaper. Plus I like that we got to pick our seats and sit as a family

 

[FoundMyPrince]

I purchased Go Oahu cards from Costco for all of us (6) for $1169. So far, the things I have booked come out to $1985. There are still a few activities we'll use the cards for, but those don't require reservations so I don't have them planned and priced quite yet. My airfare, hotel and car were all booked on credit card points so when we get there we just need to pay for food and souvenirs.

We did the day long tour of Oahu on the card - absolutely worth every minute! This gave us a comprehensive look at the island. Several places we drove back to and one we marked off the list to return to.

 

[kymom99]

She has a time share. I will ask her what it’s called. We were actually going to stay here several years ago but we are a group of teachers and we had too many snow days. Ended up extending the school year. She was only able to get the place for a certain date. She was taking us for basically the cost of the fees. We are going to plan to go again sometime. I was so upset at Mother Nature for that little trick.
She said if you stay at her resort they have people who help you set up those excursions. I’ll ask her what the name of the resort is and report back.

It’s called Maui banyan

 

[TnTWalter]

Hi! We have just started planning a first trip to Hawaii, looking at 12/26-1/2. Would love any budget ideas. Wondering if Amazon will ship here, have heard meals/food are expensive? Any budgeting tips/ideas appreciated. Any good planning sites? Thanks for any planning help.

hawaii forum at tripadvisor is a great resource. We did a whirlwind 17 day 3 island trip 5 years ago and are getting ready to go back 8 days to Kauai [from midwest]. They have main board and then each island has a board. Go there and explore. It's a wealth of information. 1 week = 1 island is the general rule of thumb. If I were only going to go to one, I would pick Maui followed by Oahu. Enjoy.
here's my hawaii trip report. https://tntwalter.wordpress.com/hawaii-adventure-with-extended-family/

you are going at the most expensive and popular time to travel so look to save money with food and activities. Best way to save money on air/lodging is to search for range of dates for airfare and find price you can do, then find lodging. Oahu probably will be less expensive. On all islands, you'll have opportunity to see whales at that time of year. Maui is easier to find condo rentals [like with vrbo].

 

[aclov]

I just came back from Hawaii last Thursday. We were able to find a deal with american for $280 roundtrip nonstop from Dallas when Southwest announced their flights earlier this year. I think for the first time definitely do Waikiki, there is so much to do that will keep everyone busy. I would look into getting a condo and getting a car. We were able to get a jeep for 5 days for $160 through autoslash.com. For a condo look into waikikibeachrentals.com. The rooms are at the Ilikai and are very nice with views of the beach and the Friday Fireworks at the Hilton. For your dates for a one bedroom that sleeps 5, its running between $1300-$1700 for a week. I would start looking for lodging now as I'm sure that time books quickly. I also recommend doing a circle Island tour through the Shaka app. It was $10 and we plugged it into the car speakers. It is a nicely narrated tour and has stops at different North Shore beaches, North Shore food trucks, Dole Plantation, etc and the views around the Island are gorgeous. This tour does take the entire day. They also have a Honolulu and Waikiki Tour you could buy as well through the app. Look into Kualoa Ranch, we did the 2 hour UTVs and it was so much fun! Definitely get malasadas from Leonards, it was so good.

Also recommend the Kualoa Ranch! Lots of movies and shows are filmed there:

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We stayed at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas. We had Starwood points (now Marriott points) so we used those instead of paying, and we really enjoyed it. The in-room kitchenette and washer/dryer made our lives a lot easier (and cheaper!) for the week, and Kaanapali is a great location. I can't speak to other areas on Maui, but I'm sure there are lots of great spots.

We did a helicopter flight that kinda stole the show as far as activities, but we also enjoyed driving up to Haleakala and going for walks/hikes at Kapalua Village walking trails (an old golf course that has been converted to walking trails). And the luau was a lot of fun.

This is where we stay too. My parents own a 2 bedroom lock off unit (every year) and a second 2 bedroom lock off unit (every other year), so every other year they have enough room to take the whole extended family. It is a gorgeous resort!

 

[dreamin_disney]

This is where we stay too. My parents own a 2 bedroom lock off unit (every year) and a second 2 bedroom lock off unit (every other year), so every other year they have enough room to take the whole extended family. It is a gorgeous resort!

I’m looking up this resort. Does it have North at the end of it

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

We just returned from Hawaii last week. I would highly suggest renting a condo so that you can cook some meals as a substitute for eating out each meal as eating out can be incredibly expensive.
Also, shopping at Costco at the beginning of the trip for things like bottled water, ready made pizzas, poke -- those are a budget saver too. Also only getting gas at Costco saved us $1/gallon. I recommend purchasing sandwich making items so that you can pack lunches for beach days. We brought a foldable cooler from home in our suitcase and loaded that up with sandwhiches, bottled water, flavored electrolyte tablets, and snacks. Enjoy your trip!! Hawaii is beautiful!

 

[LAS2AMS]

Your trip is going to be very expensive. You're attempting to travel to Hawaii (a) during the most busy week of the year, when restaurants and activities have little incentive/need to discount, (b) during the peak of the economy and (c) making your reservations late. Unfortunately, the Holiday premium is going to be much higher than that of WDW. Here's my take:

AIR AND HOTEL - Until the Great Recession, the best deals on airfares came through consolidators; unfortunately, those fares are no longer available. Consolidators, OTOH, can save you significant money on rooms -- places like Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, Funjet, Travel-Hawaii, etc. For example, for your dates, Hilton.com is showing ~$3600 as the lowest rate for your room (NOT including resort fee) at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHV) whereas one of the consolidators has it for ~$2900 (NOT including resort fees). Note that consolidated rates don't qualify for Best Rate Guarantee. For future reference, the earlier you begin looking (for Holiday travel), the better rate you'll get. A co-worker is traveling 12/24-1/1 (one more day than you), and in February, I helped him book a room at the HHV for $3200, including resort fee and breakfast buffet for two daily (which is $40 per adult, making it a $560 value).

TRANSPORTATION - It can take time to find a reasonable rental car rate in Hawaii, but try to decide if you need one. Parking at most high-end resorts is $40 and up, and $20 and up form most mid-tier properties. Finding parking at most attractions can be brutal, especially during the Holidays. Ride shares and busses may be a cheaper and better option; transportation from the airport to most hotels is generally inexpensive.

MEALS - The cost of food is slightly exaggerated on here. Stay away from hotel restaurants -- I mentioned that the Hilton charges $40 per adult for breakfast, but it also charges nearly $40 (including tip) for a large pizza. Plenty of lower-cost fast food, plenty of chain (Red Lobster, Outback, etc. for a minimal markup) and plenty of mom-and-pop shops with reasonable rates. Grocery store (Foodland, Safeway, etc.) circulars are online, which gives you an idea of cost (use common sense; e.g. stay away from Food Pantry in Downtown Waikiki and stockup elsewhere). One bonus is that Hawaii has tons of local produce that taste better than anything you can get on the mainland -- pineapple, bananas, onions, strawberries, corn, melons, etc. Paying $4 for a carton of strawberries that sell for 77c on the mainland sucks, but trust me, they do taste better. Invest in an entertainment book, Groupon, etc. to minimize resturant cost.

ACTIVITIES - Activities unfortunately aren't cheap. Expect to pay $100 per adult for a luau, $100 for parasailing, $150 for a dinner cruise, etc. During the Holidays, discounts are few. Best advice: plan everything out in advance.

 

[Etonduf]

I’m looking up this resort. Does it have North at the end of it

It doesn't have North in the name, but perhaps they refer to different areas of the property that way?

I believe the neighboring Westin Nanea Ocean Villas is a sister property just to the North, so maybe you're seeing a reference to that? I believe that property is similar (but newer), so is worth checking out as well.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I’m looking up this resort. Does it have North at the end of it

There are two sections to Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas. The second section is the North section, but it’s all the same resort. The south section was built first, and the rooms are a little bigger than the rooms in the North section. The North section is a couple of years newer. You can’t go wrong in either section; both sections give you access to the entire resort.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Imagine living there and paying those prices at the stores all the time.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Imagine living there and paying those prices at the stores all the time.

Except that locals don't shop at ABC Store or Food Pantry in Waikiki.

If you shop where the locals do -- Walmart, Target, Costco, Foodland, Safeway, etc. -- prices are comparable to the Mainland, except for produce. These stores don't get the volume of traffic their mainland counterparts do, so you won't find as many loss leaders (note that beverages and dairy products are typically the biggest loss leaders); depending on how you shop, this means you could pay a little more or a lot more.

The one exception is produce. Produce is expensive at local grocery stores -- if you're cooking, be like the locals and try a farmer's market. You'll likely save at least 50%. The reason, FWIW, produce costs so much is because of heavy restrictions placed by the state on imports. Thus, you won't find the cheap produce from Central America that's so plentiful on the mainland. The good news, however, is that Hawaiian produce is much better tasting than anything you could buy locally.

 

[kaddjr]

So what kind of dry goods do you pack?

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

So what kind of dry goods do you pack?

For us I packed:

boxes of Kraft mac and cheese (I figured this could stave off my husband's hunger on some days and maybe keep us from having to go out for pasta $$, which he adores)
smore's making items - graham crackers & marshmallows (we bought chocolate bars at the grocery store)
breakfast bars
oatmeal
microwave popcorn
packages of almonds & other similar nuts
tea bags & packets of sugar
chocolate Twizzlers
Tide pods
bagels (didn't get smooshed either)
flavored electrolyte tablets
& a few other items that I cannot remember at this time

Of course, everyone's food tastes are going to be their own so my list is based on what my family enjoys and what I knew that I could pack that would be eaten. That mac and cheese saved us from going out to eat two nights when I was exhausted after being at the beach all day!!

 

[scottmel]

Hi I just got back from Hawaiii too! We have gone two summers in a row and have fallen in love! we are from the east coast so it is quite the haul but worth it!

I can't offer you budget tips on hotels, I spend a lot on a hotel b/c that is important to me.
What I can suggest is using autoslash for a car rental. I spent no more than 50 on a car rental, some days 45, no parking etc b/c I picked it up at 8 AM and returned at 9 pm. I booked for every day a day at a time and cancelled what I didn't need.

Also the purchase of the SHAKA app for 9.99 is awesome! ISland tours that do not use data, just gps, great job of taking you on island tours while you drive. Helps point out spots where to stop etc. We enjoyed!