We took our long-planned trip to Hawaii from January 11 through 21. As it was an expensive trip by our standards, we wanted to cram a lot into it. The statistics:
Islands: 3 (Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai)
AirBnBs: 2 (Honolulu and Kona)
Hotels: 3 (Volcano Village, Lanai, Honolulu)
Total Cost: $4,740.00 (Accommodations = $1,047; Food = $1129; Transportation = $1,847; Entertainment= $49; Miscellaneous = $668)
That total takes into account that Tanya’s flight was a frequent flyer ticket and mine was deeply discounted due to a voucher. We also spent an additional $511 to island hop on Hawaiian Airlines. A rental car is a near necessity and probably cheaper than a succession of Ubers.
We had only two moderately expensive meals, both on the big island. The first cost $120 and we took some friends out that we had met up with. The other was just a nice restaurant. Taking out how much we spent on shave ice and fruit and water and malasadas, our meal cost was about $710, or about $13.50/meal/person. Some of our most expensive meals were breakfasts at a place called Cinnamons. The rest of the the time, we tried to eat local. We ate poke several times, loco moco, Thai and Vietnamese, and seafood.
As for accommodations, we tend to favor AirBnB over hotels. Having said that, AirBnB did not have a lot available when we were going. The most expensive place we stayed was the last night at the Courtyard Waikiki for $230, including valet parking. All others were under $100/night.
Of course, you can always wring some costs out of miscellaneous expenses as we bought water shoes and a few shirts and various other things.
Overall, this trip: the intro to Hawaii, there's not much i would change. I wish we would have gotten on the water (our Napoli cost boat tour was cancelled due to weather).
What would we do next time? I think we would probably stay on Oahu. Explore Honolulu and the cultural attractions. I think we would get out on the water. I would love to try sea kayaking or a catamaran. I would also take a surfing lesson if the weather and my nerve held.
What did we do?
Day 1 Oahu: Drove to Sandy Beach for the sunrise. From there, we continued around Oahu, stopping at a variety of beaches and roadside stands. This took all day. At sunset, we were on Waikiki.
Day 2 Oahu: Drove to Lanikai Beach for sunrise, then breakfast and a Farmers Market. We hiked Waimea Falls and then Diamond Head.
Day 3 Hawaii: We flew to Hawaii, landed in Kona and drove to Hilo for lunch. We then drove to Volcanoes National Park. With the government shutdown and eruption, we could see everything that was open in the afternoon. Dinner in a forgettable Thai restaurant.
Day 4 Hawaii: Drove to the black sand beach for sunrise, then breakfast at the southermost restaurant in the US (according to the sign). We hiked to the green sand beach. Not worth the arduous trek in questionable footwear in my opinion. And on to the AirBnB in Kona.
Day 5 Hawaii: Captain Cook in the morning. A state park beach after lunch.
Day 6 Kauai: We flew to Kauai and drove out to Hanalei. It rained, so we didn’t do much other than drive. We bought the famed Sugarloaf Pineapple (aka the $16 pineapple) and stayed at the Tiptop Motor Lodge.
Day 7 Kauai: Our Napoli boat tour was cancelled. We drove to Waimea Canyon, stopping at overlooks and hiking along the way. We continued on to the Napoli coast and did some hiking.
Day 8 Oahu: We flew back to Oahu and went to the north shore and just messed around, explored Honolulu.
Day 9 Oahu: We drove around Oahu andHonolulu, up into the mountains and around the University. We flew out that night.