Hawaii on a Budget

Hawaii, known for its beautiful beaches and tropical island vibes, is also known to be one the most expensive places to visit in the US. However, with the pandemic hitting, it has become a much more affordable place to check out. Not only has flight prices dropped down, but since the economy relies heavily on tourism there are many discounts currently for those looking to venture to the island. *Note this is for those who enjoy more active, adventure holidays, rather than just staying at a resort and focused on Oahu. And being someone who loves to find deals and find a way to make the adventure as cheap as possible, here are some tips on how to make it to Hawaii and stay in Hawaii on a budget.

1. Flights

Contrary to popular belief, flights, especially right now, are reasonably priced. When I bought my tickets back in December it cost $400 roundtrip. While flights have slightly increased, it is still possible to find flights for around $500-$600 roundtrip, depending on when you desire to travel, and where you are leaving from. You can check out my blog post on tips for finding affordable flights. But if you are willing to have a layover in LA, San Francisco or Seattle you can expect to find reasonably priced tickets to get there. May I also recommend you purchase a ticket to Oahu, which has the most amount of flight options, and then island hop. Once you are on one island, it is quite easy and cheap to hop to other islands. 2. Lodging The most expensive thing besides the flight will be lodging. And while there are several deals being offered at the hotels, those really wanting to experience Hawaii and/or travel on a budget the best options for you are camping or staying at hostels. If you are traveling with a big group, you can also look at renting an Airbnb as a group.

- Camping

If you want to have a unique experience and save as much as possible during your stay, consider camping. The Hawaiian government has set up a site for all information surrounding camping on all the islands, as well as the city of Honolulu has a site for all city run campgrounds. In Hawaii you cannot just pitch a tent anywhere, and due to the high homelessness population, it is best you don’t attempt to. Many of the campsites are government run and are available from Friday until Wednesday morning. You can read all about how to book a campsite, what type of campsites there are, and costs on my posts here. *Stay tuned for a blog all about camping in Hawaii*

- Hostels While I opted to camp during my stay on Oahu. Another popular and affordable option is hostels. Most hostels offer options from rooms with several other people, to private bathroom spaces. These are quite popular options and are a great way to meet people if you are solo traveling. There are not a lot of hostel options in Hawaii, but you can find most of them on Hostelworld.com. I recommend looking at either Backpackers, located on the North Shore, or The Beach Waikiki Botique Hostel by IH, located in Waikiki.

3. Eating Food can get rather expensive, especially if you choose to go to the famous restaurants, or eat out the entire time. And even if you decide to eat in and make meals, it can still add up due to the high cost to import different products. But to help with offering a few different options for each type of travel, let me break this section up into 2 different groups with restaurant/meal options and grocery stores.

- Restaurant While I made most of my meals, I did venture out a few times to try new foods, and even attempt to try as much as the local meals as I could get. Here is a list complied from my favorites, recommendations from people I know, as well as recommendations of what to get.

Waiahole Poi Factory – Poi & Kalua Pig Ono Hawaiian Foods Helenas Tamura’s Grocery – Poke bowl Nico’s – Poke Bowl Leonard’s Bakery – Malasadas Matsumoto – Shave Ice Rainbow Drive-In – Loco Moco Kono’s – The ‘Bomber’ Burrito Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck – Garlic Shrimp Chun Wah Kam – Manapua & Pork Hash Duke’s Waikiki – Hula Pie Maitai Bar – Maitai Dole Plantation Store – Pineapple Ice Cream Kamehameha Bakery – Poi Donuts Sugio’s – Garlic Chicken Cinnamon’s – Hawaiian Omelette, Guava Chiffon, Crab Hash L&L Hawaiian BBQ – Chicken Katsu Kalapawai Deli

- Grocery stores A neat thing about Hawaii is its closeness to Japan and other Asian countries. This has even influenced the different grocery stores that are on the island. So apart from Walmart, and typical mainland stores, there are few other grocery store options to choose from, and they offer affordable prices and even some different options than if you just went to the nearest Walmart. My favorite one was ‘Don Quijote’, additionally, on a lot of the corners in Waikiki there are convenience stores to pick up little basic items you might need.

4. Getting Around While many venture to Oahu, and other parts of Hawaii, to go and chill at the resorts. Those who stay at the camp sites, or wish to explore the island, need to find ways to move around. While at first, I was planning on just Ubering everywhere outside of Waikiki and taking public buses while in the city, after evaluating costs, it actually ended up being best for me to rent a car.

While gas can be a bit expensive on the island, getting a small compact car will not leave you broke, even with a trip around the island. Not only did I find this the best option, it allowed for flexibility on what I saw on the island. And outside of Waikiki, parking is quite easy to manage, with a lot of places offering free parking and parking on the side of the road. Another option, depending on where you are staying is arranging a day tour to the north shore or a hiking trail. However, these can get quite pricey quickly, and if you are multiple people, the price of the car rental would be cheaper than individually paying for a tour.

5. Things to Do The last component for traveling to Hawaii is what to do once there. With options such as surfing, sky diving, snorkeling, or scuba diving, it can quickly add up. However, Hawaii also offers a lot of options when it comes to being in nature, from beautiful beaches to incredible hiking trails and you can even try a snorkeling trip or surf lesson in there without breaking the bank. While I was there I mainly focused on seeing as much of the island as possible, hiking, and exploring the beaches and tidal pools. Here are my recommendations of the different type of activities you can do.

- Hiking My main goal while in Hawaii was to hike and see as much of both the interior part of the island and the beautiful beaches that lined the coast. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains, I was unable to complete all the trails I had hoped to. But I was still able to do some pretty incredible trails, and find some breathtaking views on the trails I managed to do. Hiking in Hawaii offers such a unique experience and it is one of the best budget friendly options on the island.

Here are the top hikes that I recommend you do if you find yourself in Oahu with good weather. Each of the trails offers some different views of the island, from views of the interior and of the ocean, as well as different difficulty levels. Stay tuned for a write up on a breakdown of the trails listed.

Stairway to Heaven (the Legal route) Koko Head Makapu’u Point Lighthouse and Tidal Pools Maunawili Falls Lanikai Pillbox Pu’u O Hulu Waimano Ka’au Crater Pali Notches Crouching Lion

- Beaches

Hawaii is known for its breathtaking beaches. A perk of visiting Hawaii, compared to other places, is that there is no such thing as private beaches. Meaning, the 180 km of coast that exist is open to everyone. All over the island there are different type of beaches, from the calm beaches on the east side to the surfing beaches to the north of the island and the calm cove beaches in the south great for snorkeling. But no matter what kind of beach you are looking for Oahu has all different types, and it is an inexpensive way to spend the day. Having driven around the island, here is a list of beaches that I highly recommend visiting, as well as what they are great for.

Lanikai Beach – calm, blue water

Hanauma Bay – calm, ideal for snorkeling. Even has a small hike that you can take to get an overview of the beach and the bay.

Waimea Bay – Great surf spot, but also great for non-surf goes

Waimanalo Beach – Great for bodyboarding and body surfing

Yokohama Bay – great for relaxing

Kailua Beach – gentle beach a mile north of Lanikai Beach

Ehukai Beach – known for the famous Banzai Pipeline. Great spot to watch surfers.

Kawela Bay – also known as Turtle Bay is a calm beach area that is known for the place to spot the famous green turtles.

- Other Activities

While the beach and hiking are not only some of the most affordable ways to spend your time on the island, they are must dos while on the island. But if you are wanting to experience something else here is a list of some other activities that you can do while visiting that wont parse break the bank.

Snorkeling – if you are interested in doing some snorkeling while in Oahu, head to Hanauma Bay and rent some snorkel gear for the day.

Surfing – while this is not the cheapest thing to do while in Oahu, if you have a bit of money to spend and are interested, you can get surf lessons starting at around $80 for the day. I used North Shore Surf Girl, which was an incredible experience. Even managed to stand up a few times during the lessons.

Waikiki – Not only can you go check out the beach on Waikiki, but you can stroll along, visit some historic sites, such as the famous ‘pink palace’, find some great eats, and even doing some shopping if you desire.

Island Tour – If you are not sure where to check out, or you don’t have a specific beach in mind, consider driving around the island and just stopping along the way. You can find some cool hidden gems, get away from all the tourist spots, and maybe even enjoy picnicking or grabbing a bite to eat in another part of the island.

Dole Plantation Shop – While there is not much to do at the Dole Plantation Shop, it is worth taking a quick stop at and seeing this extensive store. Can even pick up a souvenir or two if you so desire.

Historical Sites – Along the island there are various historical sites you can check out, including Pearl Habour, Hanaiakamalama – Queen Emma’s Summer Palace, Bishop Museum, Kaniakapupu Ruins, Nu’uanu Pali Lookout.

So, if you are looking for your next getaway to be Hawaii, but not quite certain how to manage it on a budget, or looking to do something besides just staying out the resort, I hope this list can help to make that trip a reality.