Visiting Oahu on a Budget
Palm tree photo uploaded by Go Card USA
Hawaii is a notoriously expensive place to vacation. All of those Mai Tais and stays at fancy resorts certainly add up, but I managed to spend 10 days in Hawaii for less than $1,500, including airfare, hotels, and food. Here’s how I did it:
- Hotel. My boyfriend and I landed a room for $90/night at the Royal Gardens Waikiki using Priceline. Don’t be afraid to low ball your bids, because we discovered that they had even cheaper (but not quite as nice) rooms available, too. We also stayed at some modest, but very hospitable bed and breakfasts on the Big Island. If you’re willing to do a little digging and stay somewhere that’s slightly off the beaten path, there are lots of deals in Hawaii.
- Food. We set a budget of $40 per day for each of us, but we didn’t use up all that money on several occasions. It helped that some of our hotels and B&Bs had breakfast included. The quality of breakfast varied, but one place had an especially impressive spread with fresh guava juice, coconut muffins, Kona coffee, and other Hawaiian specialties. On days when breakfast was not included, we had an inexpensive breakfast right in Waikiki at Seaside Bar & Grill or Eggs’n Things. Some of our activities, like the Makani Catamaran afternoon sail, also included food or drinks.
- Transportation. I had a travel voucher with Delta Airlines and they had the deal on airfare from Boston to Honolulu, so we flew Delta. We had originally planned to rent a car on Oahu, but we actually discovered that you can get around pretty well using TheBus. We took the Roberts Hawaii shuttle from the Honolulu Airport to our hotel, but our return trip was so early that we opted for a cab on the way back. The hotel concierge surprised us with a limo, which turned out to be the same price as a cab!
For more on budget travel on Oahu, see these posts:
Cheap Eats in Oahu (Local Cuisine Edition)
Cheap Eats in Oahu (International Cuisine Edition)
Planning a trip to Oahu? Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the Go Oahu Card.
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I’m planning on visiting in May or Aug 2008, which is the best time and some good but low price accomadations…..in Oahu? Thanks much. Will be our first vist…
Hi Camenee,
The weather is gorgeous in Hawaii year round, but it could be slightly cooler in May (highs of 78 instead of 80). We stayed at the Royal Gardens Waikiki and were very happy with their budget accommodations.
Your best bet for an inexpensive hotel room is Priceline. Start off with a really low-ball bid (but with a few stars so you won’t have to stay someplace too terrible). Then gradually add a few dollars and expand your search criteria. Have a great trip!
Susan
$1500 for 10 days?! Wow! Do you have any tips on using TheBus? I’ve been trying to get a hold of a complete bus map (for my trip to oahu in july ‘08) but the ones on thebus site show separate routes.
Hi Maria,
I only used TheBus a few times, but our hotel’s concierge was able to give us instructions on how to get where we needed to go. She was a lifesaver! Hopefully you’ll have an equally helpful concierge. And be sure to carry lots of one dollar bills, because they don’t give change.
Susan