And I thought Disney was expensive, Hawaii planning

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.
Been to Oahu twice (Aulani). Stayed in a 1 BR with full kitchen. Got groceries at grocery store & Target. There’s also a Costco. Eat where the locals eat. We used the Diners, Drivers & Dives APP & found some good places. Go out to the North Shore where the food truck are & other attractions like Dole Plantation. Don’t get sucked in buying a $35 pineapple there. U can get one at Safeway for much cheaper. I do recommend a car to be able to venture out so you won’t be in all the tourist trappings. Try Leonard’s bakery. A MUST!!
 
If you have a kitchen and plan on food shopping get the store discount card at the supermarket. When I was there in 2003 there would be deals like at home to save $$ on your groceries. I remember a thing of OJ being $5, but with the card it was BOGO.
 
We are planning Oahu, Waikiki beach, since you have gone lots is this a good choice for a first trip? It will be 6 adults and 2 13 year old girls.

I've only been once to Waikiki (Oahu) and once to Kaanapali (Maui), but I much preferred Maui. Oahu felt more like visiting a city (with Waikiki being the glitzy part), and Maui felt a little more like what I pictured Hawaii being. the drive to and view from Haleakala was breathtaking (pack a jacket for that!). We spent more time in area that felt more rural.

But that's not to say that I disliked Oahu. Waikiki is beautiful, if highly developed. The Pearl Harbor sites are really amazing and, in my opinion, important to visit. And I don't doubt that you can find much of that rural or less-bustling feel on Oahu.

You won't go wrong with either choice. And of course lots of people love Kauai and the Big Island, but I can't speak to those.

Quick edit/addition: on Maui we stayed in a room with a kitchenette and washer/dryer. If we went back I'd pack less clothing and more dry goods, as someone else mentioned. And we shopped at Safeway and Costco upon arriving, which helped with expenses greatly.
 
I've only been once to Waikiki (Oahu) and once to Kaanapali (Maui), but I much preferred Maui. Oahu felt more like visiting a city (with Waikiki being the glitzy part), and Maui felt a little more like what I pictured Hawaii being. the drive to and view from Haleakala was breathtaking (pack a jacket for that!). We spent more time in area that felt more rural.

But that's not to say that I disliked Oahu. Waikiki is beautiful, if highly developed. The Pearl Harbor sites are really amazing and, in my opinion, important to visit. And I don't doubt that you can find much of that rural or less-bustling feel on Oahu.

You won't go wrong with either choice. And of course lots of people love Kauai and the Big Island, but I can't speak to those.

Quick edit/addition: on Maui we stayed in a room with a kitchenette and washer/dryer. If we went back I'd pack less clothing and more dry goods, as someone else mentioned. And we shopped at Safeway and Costco upon arriving, which helped with expenses greatly.
My friend has been to Hawaii a number of times. I’ve talked to her about her experiences. She highly recommends staying on Maui and taking a day trip through a tour service to Oahu.
 


Been to oahu 3 times in the last few years.On the first trip stayed a couple of days in honolulu,but after that went on to ko olina beach villas next to Aulani.Great condos ,2 or 3 bedrooms ,high end appliances and great views.Loved it there.We didn't want to go to honolulu after the first time as we weren't really impressed by it ,but Ko Olina was more of what we were expecting when we decided to go to Hawaii.
 
When we went, we purchased an Entertainment Coupon Book for Hawaii. We used it more for admission discounts to attractions than food but the money we saved made buying the book worth it. Make sure you check out what coupons are included. When we did this, all the Hawaiian Islands were in one book.
 


When we went, we purchased an Entertainment Coupon Book for Hawaii. We used it more for admission discounts to attractions than food but the money we saved made buying the book worth it. Make sure you check out what coupons are included. When we did this, all the Hawaiian Islands were in one book.
We did the same thing. This late in the year the Entertainment Books are half price too. And once you own the book, you can access even more coupons on the Entertainment website. A few years back, the book had a BOGO discount for the Polynesian Cultural Center a poster mentioned above. Between the attraction and food discounts in that book and coupons in magazines like Maui Gold we had discounts at dinner almost every night. At the airport there will be racks with free magazines. Take one of each offered and look through them all for food and attraction discounts.
 
Thanks for the great ideas will definitely check out the entertainment book.
The Polynesian Culture Center is added to our list!
 
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.
 
Yes, Waikiki is amazing. There is a lot to do, and some of it is inexpensive.

The Honolulu Zoo is small but nice, there is an aquarium not far from the zoo.
The Royal Hawaiian Marketplace has free hula and ukulele lessons a few times a week.
here are concerts on the beach frequently.
The new International Marketplace is beautiful, still around the Banyan Tree. It is a nice place to cool off. There is a great shave ice on the top floor.
The Hilton has fireworks every weekend, beautiful show that you can see throughout Waikiki.
There is a Foodland (grocery store) in Ala Moana Mall. Join the loyalty program to get the sale prices.
A local plate lunch (meat, rice, mac salad) is filling and reasonable prices. Ask the front desk where to find a good option. If you have a kitchen, or even a mini fridge, you can save money on food.

I know this is a lot, but let me know if you want more ideas. We were just on Waikiki 3 weeks ago!
 
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.
Tried to get Amazon to deliver when we were there and it would take over a week to get delivery. Order way ahead of time.
 
Resort pricing. Always crazy. Off of the resorts, most food is more expensive than the mainland, but not anywhere near that crazy. And tropical fruit/veggies grown locally are often cheaper than I can get at home.

Gas was even a few cents cheaper than it was here in California last week :crazy2:
I found it was cheaper to eat out. Pineapple is about $4 where I live at over $8 in Hawaii. Basics like milk, eggs and cheese are crazy expensive. Some items were cheaper.
 
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.
 
I found it was cheaper to eat out. Pineapple is about $4 where I live at over $8 in Hawaii. Basics like milk, eggs and cheese are crazy expensive. Some items were cheaper.

I'm not saying groceries are cheap there by any means. But they aren't as expensive as eating out all the time, especially at a resort. I spent $265 on groceries for DD19 and I for 12 days, and that was with "treating" ourselves to items we normally don't get since we were on vacation. We ate out lunch or dinner 5 times, and then breakfast the last day there, so each meal at our condo averaged less than $10- 2 people certainly can't eat out that cheap. I brought spices and a few small items with us (it all fit in a small shoe box). All the groceries were bought at Foodland or farmer's markets - I didn't bother hitting Costco, Walmart or Target since they aren't convenient to the area we stay at.

You can get an idea of prices here: https://shop.foodland.com/ and see Foodland's weekly ad here: https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://www.foodland.com/files/weekly-ads/MSW%20062619%20Oahu%20Pages.pdf Looks like pineapples are only $1/lb at Foodland this week with their card :) (which they will sign you up for at the register in seconds). Now, if you want it cut up already for you, then you'll pay (a lot) more. But if you have a kitchen, cutting it up yourself doesn't take long.
 
I'm not saying groceries are cheap there by any means. But they aren't as expensive as eating out all the time, especially at a resort. I spent $265 on groceries for DD19 and I for 12 days, and that was with "treating" ourselves to items we normally don't get since we were on vacation. We ate out lunch or dinner 5 times, and then breakfast the last day there, so each meal at our condo averaged less than $10- 2 people certainly can't eat out that cheap. I brought spices and a few small items with us (it all fit in a small shoe box). All the groceries were bought at Foodland or farmer's markets - I didn't bother hitting Costco, Walmart or Target since they aren't convenient to the area we stay at.

You can get an idea of prices here: https://shop.foodland.com/ and see Foodland's weekly ad here: https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://www.foodland.com/files/weekly-ads/MSW%20062619%20Oahu%20Pages.pdf Looks like pineapples are only $1/lb at Foodland this week with their card :) (which they will sign you up for at the register in seconds). Now, if you want it cut up already for you, then you'll pay (a lot) more. But if you have a kitchen, cutting it up yourself doesn't take long.
Thanks!
 
I love Hawaii. I got married there and have visited often over the years. I have only been to Waikiki once and had fun, but I prefer quieter places so my favorites are Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii (Big Island). My brother owns a condo just south of Kona but to be honest, it's usually cheaper for me to get hotel, air and car together than to take advantage of the cheap rate he charges me. In fact, one year he gave me a week in the condo for free as a Christmas present, but when we went to get air, it was actually cheaper for us to add on 3 days at the Hilton Waikoloa with our air than to just book the air by itself!

Having a kitchen is nice, but food is very pricey. It doesn't always save you much to buy groceries over finding basic restaurant options, especially if you share. If you can, go to local farmer's markets and things like that. In Kona, for example, you can get fresh beautiful DELICIOUS pineapples for a bargain price, as well as avocados, bananas, papayas, mangoes, and many other fruits and veggies. The most expensive thing is when you stay in a pricey resort that is somewhat secluded because the options are almost all expensive. It cost $5 for half a papaya from the Hilton Waioloa snack bar, but down the road in Kona farmer's market, we'd paid that much for 10 whole papayas. Luckily, we bought one of those cheapie ice chests and brought some things with us.

I live in CA so it's not a really long flight for me and there is usually a great rate on air (though not at Christmas time!!). It's more expensive for me to go to Disneyland than Hawaii!

I hope you have a great time! I just adore Hawaii :)
 
I've only been once to Waikiki (Oahu) and once to Kaanapali (Maui), but I much preferred Maui. Oahu felt more like visiting a city (with Waikiki being the glitzy part), and Maui felt a little more like what I pictured Hawaii being. the drive to and view from Haleakala was breathtaking (pack a jacket for that!). We spent more time in area that felt more rural.

But that's not to say that I disliked Oahu. Waikiki is beautiful, if highly developed. The Pearl Harbor sites are really amazing and, in my opinion, important to visit. And I don't doubt that you can find much of that rural or less-bustling feel on Oahu.

You won't go wrong with either choice. And of course lots of people love Kauai and the Big Island, but I can't speak to those.

Quick edit/addition: on Maui we stayed in a room with a kitchenette and washer/dryer. If we went back I'd pack less clothing and more dry goods, as someone else mentioned. And we shopped at Safeway and Costco upon arriving, which helped with expenses greatly.
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?
My friend has been to Hawaii a number of times. I’ve talked to her about her experiences. She highly recommends staying on Maui and taking a day trip through a tour service to Oahu.
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
I love Hawaii. I got married there and have visited often over the years. I have only been to Waikiki once and had fun, but I prefer quieter places so my favorites are Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii (Big Island). My brother owns a condo just south of Kona but to be honest, it's usually cheaper for me to get hotel, air and car together than to take advantage of the cheap rate he charges me. In fact, one year he gave me a week in the condo for free as a Christmas present, but when we went to get air, it was actually cheaper for us to add on 3 days at the Hilton Waikoloa with our air than to just book the air by itself!

Having a kitchen is nice, but food is very pricey. It doesn't always save you much to buy groceries over finding basic restaurant options, especially if you share. If you can, go to local farmer's markets and things like that. In Kona, for example, you can get fresh beautiful DELICIOUS pineapples for a bargain price, as well as avocados, bananas, papayas, mangoes, and many other fruits and veggies. The most expensive thing is when you stay in a pricey resort that is somewhat secluded because the options are almost all expensive. It cost $5 for half a papaya from the Hilton Waioloa snack bar, but down the road in Kona farmer's market, we'd paid that much for 10 whole papayas. Luckily, we bought one of those cheapie ice chests and brought some things with us.

I live in CA so it's not a really long flight for me and there is usually a great rate on air (though not at Christmas time!!). It's more expensive for me to go to Disneyland than Hawaii!

I hope you have a great time! I just adore Hawaii :)
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?
 

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