Hawaii Vacation for Less?
racaria8 asked:
Hi there,
My husband and I and another couple (friends) are looking to go to Hawaii in Spring of 2008. They will have a 2 yr old and we will have an almost 1 yr. old. Can someone direct me to some websites that have reasonably priced condos - homes and such in hawaii and also recommend which part of Hawaii we should stay in? Thanks so much!
Hi there,
My husband and I and another couple (friends) are looking to go to Hawaii in Spring of 2008. They will have a 2 yr old and we will have an almost 1 yr. old. Can someone direct me to some websites that have reasonably priced condos - homes and such in hawaii and also recommend which part of Hawaii we should stay in? Thanks so much!
April 21st, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Waikiki on Oahu is the most recommended areas to stay, especially you have younger kids.
The island of Oahu has the most completed listings of things for family visit. There are more stores that sells baby stuffs, so you don’t really have to bring too much on your own. Wal-mart is just out-skirt of Waikiki, about 10 min drive from the far-end of Waikiki and withing walking distance if you stay at Ala Moana Hotel.
Here are some web-sites to check out on hotels. Condos-homes aren’t too popular here.
May I suggest some activities during your stay?
Day 1 - Mon ~ Waikiki
Arrive this day, check into hotel and check out Waikiki beaches or areas (like the zoo, aquarimum, Kapiolani park) in the morning.
Then, go to Ala Moana Shopping Center (just outskirt of Waikiki) for lunch.
Opposite of Ala Moana Shopping Center is Ala Moana Beach Park.
Magic Island, part of Ala Moana Beach Park, is an enclosed area, great & safer for younger kids.
Be sure to take a great picture of Diamond Head view from the park.
Keep the first day around your hotel as you might be tired to go farther.
Check out Todai resturants for dinner. They have great seafood (mostly Japanese style) buffet.
Day 2 - Tue
Drive around the island. Visit North Shore, Dole Plantation (see the world largest maze), more beaches at Sunset Beach, Sandy beach, Bellow Beach, Ko O lina. Make this a drive day and visit as many places as you can.
Find a beach you like and come back another day.
Day 3 - Wed ~ Aloha Stadium/Pearl Harbor/Might Mo Battleship/Pearlridge Shopping Center
Go to Aloha Stadium Swap Meat/Flea market in the morning (like 7a.m is the best time). This Swap Meat is only available on Wed, Sat & Sun morning. Large selections of Hawaii gifts to take home for family & friends. Be sure to negiotiate when buying large quality.
A small fee required to enter the stadium (50 cent per head currently).
Spent about 1-2 hours in this place.
Then, process to Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial, which locate across from Aloha Stadium.
Free admission to watch the World War II documentary (about 20 min) on Pearl Harbor attack and a free boat ride to the Memorial after documentary., a donation will be helpful to the center. Surroundings are plates of history.
The documentary & boat ride is about 1 hours. However, on Wed/Sat/Sun, it is very crowded. You might have to wait a few hours before you can into the movie.
If you have a ticket for a late show, go & visit Might Mo Battleship (next door to Arizona Memorial) or do it after Pearl Harbor.
Fee required. A trolley will take you to the battle ship. Please join the guide tour as it is very informative. Went with a few friends and the history the guide told was very helpful.
Spent about 3-4 hours on the ship.
In the evening, proceed to Pearlridge Shopping Center. It is about 5 min drive from Pearl Harbor. Turn left at the traffic light at Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial exit. Right turn at Pali Momi road and into the Shopping Center. You can do great shopping there or just have dinner there before going back to hotels.
Day 4 - Thu
Take a hike to Diamond Head. Great city view. But fee required to go in. At the end of the paved path, there are a lots of stairs to climb.
Spent about 1-2 hours.
[If you want free hike and great view, proceed to the East for Makapuu. Also paved hike path, but mostly ocean view, not city view. Another free city view will be at Punchbowl National Cemetery (see Friday).]
For lunch, stop at Koko Marina. There is a Zippy Resturant which is a local delight.
After Diamond Head, go to Hamauma Bay. Closed on Tuesday. Great safe snorkeling place.
Fee required.
Spent whole afternoon.
Head back to Waikiki for dinner. There is a place called Palama Market, outskirt of Waikiki, is famous for great Korean food. Prices are very reasonable.
Day 5 - Fri
Visit Punchbowl National Cemetery in the morning. Varies wars history can be read on the wall displays. Also, take a short walk to open area. Great city view.
Free entrance. Please be respectful to the dead bury there.
Spent less than 1 hours.
Drive about 10 min down to Iolani Palace. This is the only Hawaiian Palace here. Take pictures outside the palace only. Join the Grand Tour for interesting Hawaiian history. You can watch a film too.
Fee required for touring inside the palace.
Spent about 1 - 1 ½ hour if joining tour.
Across from the palace is the famous King Kamehameha Status.
Next to the left of the palace is the Downtown Business District. Walk down Hotel Street (this street only allow Bus to drive thru, no cars allow) towards Chinatown.
Chinatown only 2-3 blocks away. Visit Little Village resturant for delicious Chinese food. Or go to Chinese Culture Plaza for good dim sum.
If you like art, visit Honolulu Art Museum which is outskirt of Downtown, towards Waikiki. Fee required.
Head down to Kakaoko Park for a great sun set view. This was once a dump site. But now a nice park area.
Find a L&L Plate Lunch for dinner. Local favorite eat out. There is one in Wal-Mart (near Ala Moana Shopping Center).
Then, head to Tantatus Mountain for a great city night view. Driving required to get up there. Free.
Day 6 - Sat
If you find a beach worth second visit (from Day 2), spend another day at this beach. If not, visit Waikele Shopping Outlet for some last minutes gifts. There are also places like Pali Lookout (great view also has hiking trail), Bishop muesum, Hawaiian Water Park (theme park for family), Kualoa Ranch Horseback riding, etc. Just a note, some locals do visit these places, so it might get crowded during weekends.
Note, Swap Meat at Aloha Stadium available in the morning.
Day 7 - Sun
Fly home.
If you have a longer stay at Hawaii, I would suggest that you visit other islands.
My favorite recommendation is Big Island (also known as Volcano Island or the island of Hawaii).
Big Island is worth at least one day trip to the Volcano. You can do a early morning flight & jump on the latest flight back to Oahu. Fly to Hilo if you want to visit Volcano Park.
Otherwise, spend another 3 day there is great.
April 23rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Ok, here is a fabulous site for condos, B&Bs, homes in all the islands. I love this website! Enjoy!
April 24th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
First off, there won’t be much that’s reasonable. The only way you will get a good deal is if you’re military or have family here. That being said, hotels run deals all of the time, so it’s best to watch expedia and the others frequently. Also, Hawaii only has two seasons Summer and Winter. Keep in mind that Winter is their best surfing season so it’s not a bad time to go. It never gets under 60 or over 95 so you won’t be unhappy with any time of year. It’s a rainforest, so it’ll rain. All of that being said…around March is a great time to go because that’s their “slow” season and the tickets are cheaper then. I’ve gotten roundtrip tickets during that time for $400, all taxes included. The best way to NOT spend an arm and a leg. You don’t have to stay in Honolulu. It only takes a few hours to get around the entire island of Oahu so feel free to stay somewhere else on the island. Honolulu and Waikiki is where the most expensive hotels and restaurants are going to be. It may be cheaper to stay elsewhere and rent a car. Good luck and *shaka*!
April 27th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Don’t be fooled into thinking that Waikiki is what Hawaii is all about. Explore other areas of the island or better yet go to a differnt island like Kauai or the Big Island.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Aloha,
Your question is a little too open. Every island has something to offer. Oahu is the cheapest place to visit and has the most to do. I’m taking my 3 year old there in June. I want to stay at the Hilton. It is expensive, but they have thier own “mini-zoo”, free hula lessons, and cheap craft projects and everything to entertain the kids. There is also a small Children’s museum in Honolulu. You might check out (vacation rentals by owner) we have heard of people getting good deals from them. Honestly, housing is pretty expensive here. In the past I’ve found the best prices can be the package deals, you know, air, car and hotel all in one.
Personally we’ve tried to drive around the islands with our daughter, but sometimes it is really hard in the heat. You know in and out of the AC into the humid day. She didn’t handle sitting in the car for hours.
I live on kauai, it is really slow here and most tours don’t allow kids under 5. So don’t plan on any sunset dinner cruises, or snorkel tours. (You’d be surprised how many people try to sign up for a tour with a **** in arms)
I like the idea of taking a cruise. For about $100 per day per person you get all your meals, entertainment and transportation around Hawaii. Some even have babysitters on board (for additional charge) and kids camp, so you can get a little break. New moms usually apprecaite a nice dinner out without the kids.
If that sounds like a lot, remember we are currently paying $3.24 per gallon of gas and up to $8 for a gallon of milk. Prices on the other island aren’t so high. Oh and all the islands now have Costco.
Good luck and have fun