Wedding Hawaii on a budget....help!

[Sabine]

Okay, FI and I are definitely rethinking going to the Caribbean for our honeymoon. I studied abroad in Barbados while I was in college and FI came to visit me, and we''re starting to feel like most of the places we wanted to go in the Caribbean would be very similar.

Now we''re really leaning towards Hawaii. I''ve looked through a lot of previous posts about Hawaii, and they were helpful in narrowing down what we want. I think we''d really like to go to either Kauai or the Big Island. But the problem is we have a very minimal budget, and I''m not sure we can make it work.

Moment of truth: we''re looking to spend a total of about $4000 on the honeymoon, including flight, hotel, food, and drinks. We''re interested in taking tours, sight seeing, hiking, snorkling than partying/night life. Do you think Hawaii is doable on that budget? We''re flying out of Pittsburgh in July btw, and looking to spend about a week on the honeymoon. Any suggestions on how to go about planning this trip would be appreciated...suggestions on places to stay? Would it be better to go to a travel agent to help us find deals, or are the flight/hotel packages found on sites like travelocity and orbitz better? Any other tips on how to keep costs down?

Thanks!

 

[Independent Gal]

Do you have to go in July? I wonder if flights will cost more then...

Hawaii is rather difficult on a tight budget. hmmmm...

What about somewhere else beachy but less expensive... Goa? Someone on here recently said it's amazing there.

ETA: Oops, if you're only going for a week, it might be much more doable! I'd assumed two weeks for some dumb reason.

 

[musey]

You can definitely do a week in Hawaii on $4000. It won't be the swankiest hotels and restaurants, but that's not what matters in Hawaii, anyway!

Check out this recent thread where I talked about budgeting for HI:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-much-should-i-budget-for-our-2-week-honeymoon-in-hawaii.64534/

ETA: We did two weeks on three different islands for $5400 in May/June (high season). Which island are you thinking? One week is enough for two islands, but probably not more. If I were picking only ONE, I'd go for the Big Island or Maui (leaning toward Maui)--but that's because I like the specific outdoorsy stuff they have to offer. If you've never been to Hawaii, the Big Island is great because it has a little bit of EVERYTHING. It's half volcanic desert, half LUSH rainforest... there are cities, but they don't necessarily compare to Honolulu. We found the best snorkeling at The Place of Refuge near Kona on the Big Island.

Maui, on the other hand, has my favorite place in the world: Hana. It's not for everyone, but it's DEFINITELY for me! Almost constant waaaarrm rain, beautiful and lush greenery, and the most picturesque 50/50 salt/fresh-water swimming hole I've ever seen. So, since I've seen the Big Island already, I'd go to Maui just for Hana. But again, if you've NEVER been to the islands, The Big Island is my recommendation.


I highly recommend the Revealed Series, these were our lifeline on all the islands. Written by locals. They'll never lead you astray!

For booking, I looked at EVERYTHING (sidestep, kayak, cheaptickets, etc.) but ended up doing my booking mostly on Orbitz and **VRBO.com** (excellent site: Vacation Rentals By Owner... all apartments, condos, homes, good prices).

I'll post more if I think of other things...

 

[Sabine]

Thanks IG and Musey!
Musey, which island did you stay on most of the time? Could you suggest any mid-range hotels on Kauai or Big Island? Also, am I dreaming to think I might find a mid-range hotel near the coast? I just did a quick search, and I found some really cheap hotels, but they all seem to be inland.

 

[musey]

Date: 9/29/2007 1:04:19 PM
Author: Sabine
Thanks IG and Musey!

Musey, which island did you stay on most of the time? Could you suggest any mid-range hotels on Kauai or Big Island? Also, am I dreaming to think I might find a mid-range hotel near the coast? I just did a quick search, and I found some really cheap hotels, but they all seem to be inland.

Define mid-range?

In this last trip, we did 5 days on Oahu, 4 days on Maui, and 5 days on the Big Island. I went last winter, also, and we spent 5 days on Oahu, 5 on Maui, and 4 on Kauai.

I actually can''t recommend stuff for Kauai because I wasn''t the "planner" on that trip, but I still strongly recommend checking out VRBO.

For the Big Island, we stayed at the Hale Ohia Cottages in Volcano and at the Outrigger Royal Sea Cliff in Kona. Those actually happened to be my two FAVORITE hotels I''ve EVER stayed in!

 

[blondie23]

have you ever considered renting a condo for a week instead of doing a hotel. if you rent a condo you can go to a local grocery store and buy breakfast and lunch foods and then go out for dinners. also, i''ve found condos that run from $900 a week instead of $1600 in a hotel...just a thought

 

[Skippy123]

Kauai is totally doable on that budget. Here is a link to the condo we rented. It was wonderful! Here is the link http://www.kauaiproperties.com/rentals_detail32.html

I think it cost us approx $3600 total not including food or entertainment for 2 1/2 weeks. We stayed at the fancy resort in Princeville before so we did something different this time. This place had a huge garden tub in a huge bathroom; tommy Bahama furniture and it is located in the Princeville community. The best snorkeling on the island is Tunnels and Ke'e beach in my opinion. We also would look at waterfalls on Mount Waialeale from the huge bay window. I loved that condo!!! Check out airfare first and then look at that condo; I think the car rental for 2 1/2 weeks through Alamo was $300ish dollars. You don't want a jeep because they are expensive and gas is super expensive. We had a jeep on the Big Island and in 5 days we spent $200 in gas so just another tip to save money. I will come back and check to see if you have anymore questions. We usually book our flight through expedia. Best wishes.

Also, which island do you want to do? Here are some of my hawaii pics if you want to check out Kauai https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-was-your-trip-skippy.63700/

The big Island pics on page 5 last 4 pics. Also Kauai pics https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/travel-eye-candy.61276/page-5

 

[Sabine]

Thanks again girls! Condos look like they might be a good option, although I have to admit, this is my first time planning/booking a big trip, and since I''ve never stayed at a condo before, it''s one more element that is making the worrier in me worry becasue I know even less about what to look for online.

Skippy: your previous thread is part of what made me think Kauai would be wonderful! And the condo you stayed at is gorgeous! Was it on the shore? Was the beach there nice, or did you have to drive to go to any of the nicer beaches? I''m still trying to find a map to show where the plantation at princeville is. We definitely want to rent a car and go exploring on whatever island we go to, but we''d also like it to be on a beach in case there are days where we just aren''t up for excursions.

 

[littlelysser]

I think Kauai is a GREAT honeymoon destination! We just got back a few weeks ago, and I miss it LIKE CRAZY!

I''ve been to the Maui, Oahu, the big island and Kauai, and Kauai is my favorite island by FAR. It is so natural and beautiful and just amazing. The other islands, Maui and Oahu in particular, are so touristy and built up...but Kauai is AWESOME. Sigh. I want to go back.

And I think you could TOTALLY do it on your budget. The nice thing about a condo, budget wise, is that you can make some of your own food - and not eat out every meal. Which gets spendy, believe me! There''s even a costco on the island.

Btw, we flew out of Pittsburgh too! Small world!

Anyway, there is a great website tripadvisor.com, where people post reviews of hotels and condos all over the world. We found it to be a great tool when we were planning our trip to Kauai. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt based upon those recommendations.

The reviews and candid photos are fantastic and really give you a good idea of each place. I''ve found it be invaluable!

And Kauai is wonderful for excursion and adventure type stuff. There is hiking all over the island, amazing snorkling, Waimea Canyon is fantastic...the Na Pali coast is MUST SEE. It is just such a wonderful island. And a lot of the activities are free... Sigh. I want to go back right now.

On other word of advice - any chance you''d consider going a bit later? We went the beginning of September and it was super uncrowded and WONDERFUL. We made friends with a waiter at our hotel and he told us that summer and december are his least favorite times on the island...because there are KIDS everywhere...However, if you go in September, not a lot of families...kids are all back in school.

Ok, last bit of information...there are two different climates on Kauai. The Northern part of the island tends to be more tropical and lush - and it gets more rain. The Southern part of the island is much drier. We stayed on the Southern part of the island and it rained for about an hour one morning. The rest of the time is was BEAUTIFUL!

But yeah...Kauai...wow. It is fantastic!

 

[littlelysser]

Oops...forgot to add that EVERYTHING is cheaper in September. Including airfare and hotels...

 

[Skippy123]

Littelysser "Sigh. I want to go back right now." I am feeling the same pain you feel. Sometimes I close my eyes and think about it or look at my pictures. hehee


Sabina, awe thanks; I am glad you liked the pictures. I have been to Hawaii half a dozen times and seen all of the islands except Lanai and Molokai. Kauai is my favorite because there is so much beauty on the island. You will not be bored at all; there is so much to see and do. Okay to answer your question Princeville community is up on a cliff. The condo was not on the ocean and even the Princeville Resort does not have the best beach. Actually that area that has the best snorkeling (Ke'e and Tunnels past Hanalei) is 5 - 10 mins away by car. I think they Hyatt is very luxurious from dining there but you might ask what that beach is like since I heard the current can be rough. I love the north shore because we love to snorkel. The south shore is Poipu and lots of people stay there and there is snorkeling so you may check out the Sheraton or Embassy too. We saw more fish life and turtles up in the North Shore. You might check out the Marriott too because I like the beach and it is halfway between the North Shore and Poipu.

 

[musey]

Hawai''i is seriously addictive!

One of my friends is an Oahu native and gets to go there 4-5 times a year. So jealous!!!

 

[Sabine]

Littlelysser and Skippy: Wow, now I feel like I have a much better idea of what the island is like. FI definitely wants to be near a beach, so it sounds like the south shore of the island might be more what we're looking for to stay at, and then we could do trips from there. I'll definitely check out tripadvisor! Thanks!

ETA: Littlelysser: since you flew out of Pittsburgh, would you mind telling me how many stops you had, where your stops were, and how long the trip took overall?

 

[littlelysser]

Skippy - the beach in front of the Hyatt is Shipwreck Beach. Really lovely beach, but not good for swimming. There were some folks out there, but they were pros! The surf was pretty rough.

Sabine - We flew USAir. Horrible experience. If you can, I might try to avoid them...

Anyway, we flew from Pittsburgh to Phoenix, Phoenix to Oahu, Oahu to Lihue, Kauai. That trip probably took 15 hours. On the way back we flew Lihue to San Francisco to Philly to Pittsburgh. That trip took about 20 hours. It stunk.

I''m not going to lie, the flight was NO fun. It took a while...but it is totally worth it.