Spending Money For Hawaii??

[Dannielle]

Hi Everyone,

My FI and I are honeymooning in Hawaii in December and last night were talking to FI's dad about how much spending money we would need.

He suggested $1000 every day (we are going for 14 days!). FI and I nearly had a heart attack, no way in the world can we swing anything close to that

We are coming from Australia and have already paid for our airfares, accommodation and transfers.

How much roughly would you be taking?

Would appreciate any/all suggestions!!!

 

[elrohwen]

That is ridiculous! I've never spent $1k a day on a vacation, even if I include my hotel and car rental in that amount. If you're just talking spending money, it will be far, far less.

DH and I just got back from a weekend trip to an expensive city and we spent, on average:
$20 a day for breakfast (of course, if you get free breakfast in your hotel you wouldn't have to spend anything, but DH wanted to get "real" breakfasts)
$40-50 a day for lunch (this was including a beer for each of us and an appetizer; you could obviously go cheaper if you wanted by just grabbing a sandwich and bottle of water for less than $10 per person)
$100-150 a day for dinner (we went out to nice dinners at expensive places since it was only a weekend trip - if you're going to be there for a while, of course you'll have some nice dinners, then some nights where you stop at a little dive bar/restaurant and get something simple and yummy for only $50 or even less if you're not spending money on alcohol)

So even if I take my max food spending per day, I'm at $220 for two people. Now, if you add in things to do, you might spend an extra $100-300 in fees depending on what you want to do. If you're going to sit on the beach you obviously won't spend a lot, but then you might want to take a fishing trip that costs $150 per person, so it all evens out.

I'm not much of a shopper, so if you think you'll want to shop while you're there, budget for that too.

Even being totally frivolous and pretending that you'll eat three huge meals a day at really nice restaurants (which is impossible, because after doing it for 2 days I'm fit to burst Haha), and go on excursions and activities every day, I don't see how you can spend much more than $500 per day averaged over the course of your trip, even in an expensive place like Hawaii (unless you're buying $200 bottles of wine with dinner and spending tons of money on clothes and souvenirs or something). And if you're frugal, and happy to hang out on the beach with some umbrella drinks and appetizers, you can spend much much less.

I hope this helps!

 

[taovandel]

I second Everything above.

$1000 a day is ridiculous and not realistic at all.

 

[Octavia]

I agree with El, too. Hawaii isn't cheap, but it's not THAT expensive unless you're in the ultra-posh areas or are spending freely without any regard for the budget.

 

[Haven]

$1,000 a day is an insane amount of money! We spent $3,400 TOTAL for a 10 day trip to Ireland, and that included airfare and lodging and eating and EVERYTHING!

I would go onto the travel forums for Hawaii on fodors.com and ask for feedback about daily spending money in Hawaii. People are really awesome over there, and you'll get a lot of great information.

Have a great honeymon!

 

[tyty333]

When we went to Hawaii we either had a nice lunch out or a nice dinner out. We never did both in the same day
(calorie wise its just too much to do both in one day). Also, its nice to find some of those hole-in-the-wall kind
of places where the locals eat (good food at good prices). I'm not sure how much we spent on food but it was
probably less than $200 a day except maybe 1 or 2 days out of the 13. Of course this was 11 years ago.

 

[honey22]

OMG! That seems crazy. I always budget over and above crazy-like but I would top it at $400 per day and that's allowing a fancy dinner each night.

 

[TravelingGal]

Ditto the others. Especially since the Aussie dollar is strong right now.

 

[Imdanny]

I live in Hawaii. My goodness. You're welcome to bring $1,000 a day and spend it. It's not like our economy wouldn't appreciate it, but that's an unnecessary figure. Around $200 or $300 seems far more reasonable to me.

It's probably best to add up the things you want to do (eg. take a helicopter tour, eat in a nice restaurant) and come up with a figure that's realistic for you.

If you spend $1,000 a day, you'll be doing some high end shopping. Some people do, but I wouldn't call that an amount you "need" to bring.

 

[Dannielle]

Thanks for all the feedback- its my first time overseas so I am clueless!

FI is exchanging $2000 today and by the time the honeymoon comes around we might be able to swing another $2000-$3000. We also have a credit card but we would only use that in an extreme emergency.

Thanks everyone!

 

[kenny]

It totally depends on your income and the lifestyle to which you are accustomed, and your vacation experience expectations.

I'd imagine the minimum (after hotel) might be $15 per day for food from McDonald's, for a person who is happy to stroll the beach, enjoy nature and people watching, swim in the sea and window shop walking distance from the hotel.
Maybe another $4 if you want to splurge and take the bus.

There is no maximum.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

When my "family" vacationed in Honolulu after I graduated, the total bill came close to 6k for a week. But there were 6 of us. So, 6 roundtrip tickets, a rental car, a large condo, lots of touristy adventures (snorkeling, private surf lessons, pineapple plantations) and shopping.

 

[Astra]

I live in Hawaii.

I envy you

DH and I spent around $200-300/day when we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

 

[geckodani]

We spent about $2500 TOTAL for spending money on our Honeymoon in Maui. That doesn't include airfare and hotel, but DOES include everything else, including food, shopping, snorkeling trips etc. $1,000 a day is craziness.

If your hotel offers breakfast included - take advantage of it. We once managed to eat a HUGE meal in 15 minutes because we were going to be late for snorkeling trip, but we didn't want to miss out on a free meal, LOL. The wait staff (who were used to us taking our time) were cracking up and boxed up a bunch of stuff for us to eat on the road. It wa sweet.

 

[MagsyMay]

Well since I just got back from my honeymoon in Hawaii (Kaua'i) a week ago and just tallied up the damage, I will add my experience. We were there for 6 nights/7 days and spent a grand total of approximately $1900 which was a bit more than I had hoped. However, about $650 of that was for a helicopter tour, so had we not done that, it would have been a bit more reasonable.

We stayed at the St. Regis where food options were pretty pricey, so take that into consideration. We went out to dinner every night (whether at the hotel, or nearby restaraunts in the mid-high price range) but did not drink a whole ton (we were too tired!), which kept costs down a bit. We tried to have smaller lunches just because we are not huge eaters in general, but I imagine if we'd gone out for every lunch, it could be much higher!

We did minimal shopping, other than a few souveniers/gifts for family etc. too. $1,000 a day is really high in my opinion, but I'm sure there are ways to spend it if you wanted to, ha!

 

[TravelingGal]

Well since I just got back from my honeymoon in Hawaii (Kaua'i) a week ago and just tallied up the damage, I will add my experience. We were there for 6 nights/7 days and spent a grand total of approximately $1900 which was a bit more than I had hoped. However, about $650 of that was for a helicopter tour, so had we not done that, it would have been a bit more reasonable.

We stayed at the St. Regis where food options were pretty pricey, so take that into consideration. We went out to dinner every night (whether at the hotel, or nearby restaraunts in the mid-high price range) but did not drink a whole ton (we were too tired!), which kept costs down a bit. We tried to have smaller lunches just because we are not huge eaters in general, but I imagine if we'd gone out for every lunch, it could be much higher!

We did minimal shopping, other than a few souveniers/gifts for family etc. too. $1,000 a day is really high in my opinion, but I'm sure there are ways to spend it if you wanted to, ha!

Sounds like we were there at the same time!!

 

[zoebartlett]

I'm not sure I could even spend $1000 a day on souveniers if I TRIED. That's crazy!

We tend to spend most of our spending money on food, as I'm assuming most people do.

My husband doesn't like the free continental breakfast that a lot of hotels have, so we always go out for breakfast rather than eat where we're staying (unless they have "real food," as my husband puts it).

I'd say we spend roughly $120-150 on food daily, and that includes snacks throughout the day. We don't really drink, so we do save a lot of money by just ordering sodas/juice instead of alcohol. ($20-25 for breakfast, $30 for lunch, $60-80 for dinner -- just ballpark guesses here).

We tip the chamber maids a few bucks each day ($3-5) for taking care of the hotel room.

Other than that, excursions (if you do any tours, etc.) will cost a lot, but the prices vary, dependng on what you'd like to do. II've never been to Hawaii, so I can't comment on that.

We've gone on international trips before and spent about $3200-$4000 for a week's vacation, not including airfare. Sure, depending on what you want to do, you could spend more. There's no way we could ever come close to spending $1K on a daily basis though.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for all the feedback- its my first time overseas so I am clueless!

FI is exchanging $2000 today and by the time the honeymoon comes around we might be able to swing another $2000-$3000. We also have a credit card but we would only use that in an extreme emergency.

Thanks everyone!

We've changed some money but we've also used credit cards as well so there was a paper trail of our transactions. If you do this, just make sure to call your bank and let them know that you're planning a trip to Hawaii and you will put some purchases on your cards during your time there (and mention the dates). That way the bank doesn't get concerned when they see a lot of "random" purchases made far from home.

I can't remember if you can use debit cards internationally. I feel like we did but I'm not sure. We preferred not to carry much cash.

 

[Imdanny]

I live in Hawaii.

I envy you

DH and I spent around $200-300/day when we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

Oh you shouldn't! It has it downsides like anywhere else.

 

[Dannielle]

Thanks everyone!

Unfortunately breakfast is not included at either of the hotels but that is ok because FI has special dietary requirements so usually likes to organise his own breakfasts.

FI can't drink alcohol and I might have a cocktail here or there but I'm not a big drinker either so we should not spend to much there I suppose.

I am quickly trying to save some personal money to shop and stores we don't have here (like forever 21, sephora, Victoria's secret) apart from that, we won't be buying anything or bringing back many/any souvenirs. That way it won't eat out of our food/activities money.

The main things we want to do don't seem to expensive, like attend a luau, snorkel, hire pushbikes and explore, hire jet skis etc.

My other question is in regards to tipping (we don't tip in Australia). Who do we tip and how much? Is it everyone we come in contact with or just certain people?

 

[zoebartlett]

Tipping...

It's customary to tip anywhere from 15-20% when you eat in a restaurant.

We (my husband and I) usually leave up to $5 per day in our hotel room for the hotel staff. It's their tip for cleaning the hotel room and changing the sheets.

You may choose to tip any service providers you may encounter. My husband and I went jet skiing and I went parasailng with my sister on a family vacation to Key West a couple of years ago. We tipped the guy at the place we rented the jet ski at, and we also tipped the men who took us parasailing. I can't remember what we gave them, but I think 15% is fair.

ETA: If you have someone help you carry your bags to the hotel room, you may want to tip him/her a few bucks.

If you take a taxi anywhere, it's also customary to tip the driver (We rarely take cabs, but I think my husband tips about 15% of the fare. I think.)

 

[Allison D.]

I'm thinking your FI's dad may have missed that you've already allotted for accommodations, car rental, etc.? Even then, $1k a day is steep, but I'm wondering if that's what he meant?

 

[NakedFinger]

I'm thinking your FI's dad may have missed that you've already allotted for accommodations, car rental, etc.? Even then, $1k a day is steep, but I'm wondering if that's what he meant?

Ditto. I was talking to my SIL about Hawaii and she said she spent $12,000. She gave me the budget of $1,000 a day as well, but she factored in hotel room, meals, travel and excursions in that number.

I am happy to get advice on this thread too though, because we plan to go in December as well!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I just got back from Hawaii and that seems steep. You could easily spend that much a day in Hawaii, but it is not necessary. With flight, hotel, dining, and activities, it looks like we spent $3000 for a 7 day, 6 night trip for the both of us. We did a lot of fine dining which increased the total amount significantly. We did one luau at about $100 per person (included dinner and drinks), one surf lesson, and one guided tour. We rented a car for 2 days and explored the island on our own, and the rest of time time was spent at the beach, pool, or shopping (although we did not buy much).

 

[Octavia]

Zoe's tip advice is good, but aside from restaurants and bars, you have some flexibility. For example, when I was on Maui a couple years ago, I took a windsurfing lesson and just paid the quoted price -- no tip necessary. And when the hubs and I take cabs, we don't calculate tip percentages, we just round up to a whole dollar amount (i.e. if the fare is $6.38, we just give $7 and don't ask for change). Tips are usually appreciated by any service provider, but I wouldn't stress too much about the amount unless it involves good, drink, massage or beauty services, things like that.

 

[MagsyMay]

Well since I just got back from my honeymoon in Hawaii (Kaua'i) a week ago and just tallied up the damage, I will add my experience. We were there for 6 nights/7 days and spent a grand total of approximately $1900 which was a bit more than I had hoped. However, about $650 of that was for a helicopter tour, so had we not done that, it would have been a bit more reasonable.

We stayed at the St. Regis where food options were pretty pricey, so take that into consideration. We went out to dinner every night (whether at the hotel, or nearby restaraunts in the mid-high price range) but did not drink a whole ton (we were too tired!), which kept costs down a bit. We tried to have smaller lunches just because we are not huge eaters in general, but I imagine if we'd gone out for every lunch, it could be much higher!

We did minimal shopping, other than a few souveniers/gifts for family etc. too. $1,000 a day is really high in my opinion, but I'm sure there are ways to spend it if you wanted to, ha!

Sounds like we were there at the same time!!

That's so cool!! Wonder if we saw each other!?

 

[elrohwen]

Zoe's tip advice is good, but aside from restaurants and bars, you have some flexibility. For example, when I was on Maui a couple years ago, I took a windsurfing lesson and just paid the quoted price -- no tip necessary. And when the hubs and I take cabs, we don't calculate tip percentages, we just round up to a whole dollar amount (i.e. if the fare is $6.38, we just give $7 and don't ask for change). Tips are usually appreciated by any service provider, but I wouldn't stress too much about the amount unless it involves good, drink, massage or beauty services, things like that.

I agree with this. At restaurants I always tip 20% unless the service was bad - in expensive areas 20% is becoming standard, but many people still tip 15%.

For a cab or something, I usually just give a few extra dollars over the fare.

At a bar, I typically do $1 per drink or so, no matter how much the drink costs.

For excursions, I've given tips if the leader was very good, but if it's just average I don't think you necessarily have to tip. I'm also more likely to tip if it's clearly someone's small business that they put a lot of time and effort into, rather than a large corporation running a tour where the tour guide just showed up for work and lead me around. It's really up to you.

For hotels, I don't usually tip for someone to clean my room. I suppose I should, but I never have - probably because I stay in cheapy hotels where the service isn't great anyway. If someone carries your bags up to the room, or handles your bag in a van to the airport or something, it's customary to tip $1 or so per bag.

For spas or other similar services, 15% is usually standard.

 

[athenaworth]

We've been to Hawaii a lot, and although I think $1k is pretty steep, I wouldn't say $200 would be enough too. I think that $500 is reasonable if you want to have foo-foo drinks by the pool, snacks, a nice dinner and maybe a little left over for some shopping. it sounds like a lot, but if you budget for that much and then not spend it, at least you won't have to worry about finances while you're there.

Have a great time! What island(s) are you going to?

 

[Astra]

I live in Hawaii.

I envy you

DH and I spent around $200-300/day when we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

Oh you shouldn't! It has it downsides like anywhere else.

I don't careeeeee