Planning a trip in June. 3rd thru 19th are approx. dates, 3 people maybe 5. Looking at 3 islands. Kauai, Big Island, Maui or Oahu. Leaning toward Maui been there done that Oahu. When I say cheap I mean $100 and under per night, bare bones. Just need a clean bed, maybe a kitchenette. Don't plan on being in the room alot. Have even considered State Park cabins. Will be taking picnic lunches, cooking breakfast in room etc.. Not into the big tourist scene I'm a hang with the locals, off the beaten path kind. Thanks in advance.

I went to the Big Island in 1999 on a similar budget and had a great time. In Kona we stayed at a small hotel right on he water... nothing fancy at all, but great views and a fantastic breakfast. I think it was called the Kona Tiki Hotel. In Volcano we stayed at a bed and breakfast, Carson's Volcano Cottage for about $100 a night. Going to Hawaii on a udget is definitely doable!!!

We stayed at the Radisson Hotel in Kauai - Lihue area. It was $135/night with the Entertainment discount card which is easy to get.
It is a hotel, not a "locals" place but we loved it. Just an option.

For the big island..

In Hilo..Private room at Arnotts Lodge $60...fine.. check out their web site.

In captain cook Manago Hotel $55 per night.

You might try ( skyauction.com ) you bid on packages or per. nite. It can be daunting but there are some great deals if you persist. nick

See if you can find the travel book "Hidden Hawaii". I used this about 15 years ago (hope they still print it!) and they feature just the kind of thing you're looking for.

Have a look at www.hawaiicountry.com.

I just stayed in Hilo at the Dolphin Bay which is clean with kitchenette for less than $100 a night.

I took a tour with Arnott's and met with guide at the lodge and think the lodge is aimed at college age crowd as it was very "hostel" like. Don't know your age, but just so you know it had a more communal feel to it.

I was barely in the room @ Hilo but thought it was very comfortable, and it includes all the tropical fruit you want from the garden.

Also FYI I stayed in Oahu via priceline for $102 a night. My reservation was for Sheraton Wakiki, but, they were full so I was upgraded to 5-Star Royal Hawaiian (The Pink One).

Our final night in Oahu we splurged on an Oceanfront Room at the Pacific Beach with a incredible view of the water ($180)

Someone I know also mentioned that there are cabins in Hana located near a black sand beach in Maui. They are supposed to be rustic but very inexpensive and you need to book early.

The cabins are at Waianapanapa State Park just before Hana and they are very cool. Very rustic, but the locaton cannot be beat and they are cheap!

Aloha Beach Resort in Kapaa (east shore) on Kauai, halfway between North Shore beaches and Poipu, very close to airport. We were there in August and paid an internet rate of $60/weeknight for a garden view room, $95/weekend night. The room had a refrigerator, coffeemaker, and air conditioning (a big plus in the summer; a lot of condos don't have a/c). Because of the refrig, we were able to store milk for our cereal and sandwich fixings and drinks for picnics. Decent, quiet hotel walking distance to Lydgate, near Safeway and Coconut Marketplace. The room was a good size with 2 doubles or queens plus a double sofabed. When we checked out, we were charged $60/nt for our entire stay, which included a weekend night. I would stay here again.

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. One more question did you book everything yourself or go thru a travel agent. Looking for best value.

I book everything myself,airfare, condo,and car. I find it easier than dealing with a travel agent and cheaper too.
My husband and I like to travel economically,[okay we're cheap]. Doing it this way means we can go to Hawaii twice a year.

I book my own travel. Just kept checking airfares and scored $325 RT from SF on major airline (AA). Booked Hilo, BI hotel myself on website, and Used Priceline and Cheaptickets.com for my Oahu accommadations.

I book everything myself. I like doing the research and the vacation is more pleasing to me this way. I am amazed at how much you can save by spending a little time looking into things and following other people's leads. Have a great trip.

Attention sfgrace: how did you score the great price on that hotel, internet or direct phone call. sounds like my kind of place

Go to their website abrkauai.com. Click on reservations and fill in the fields. I was just there and filled in the dates of 12-26-03 to 1-2-04 just to see what would come up and the same rates for a garden view room came up: $60 p/weeknight, $95 p/weekend night (plus total tax of $59.90). Now that's an even better steal considering the high season dates. Good luck.

I went with www.makena.com. We are going on November 8-15 2003 and we got a two bedroom condo across from Kamaole Beach II (no ocean view, but all the basics, w/d in apartment, kitchen accessories, towels, tv&vcr, pull-out couch. All this for $95/night. It's the best deal I found and I was searching a LOT.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I searched around for the best flights for a while, but when I tried with a travel agent, Kahala travel in San Diego, she was able to get me the same price on airfare that included the rental car for a week. So I went with her since she got such a great deal for me.

Might be of some interest... on way home tonight, passed a magazine stand and saw the new issue of Budget Travel cover has a feature on Hawaii. Didn't read it, but you may want to check it out.