pb_and_j

Just curious... I frequent another board where people tell other people not to bother going to Hawaii unless they're spending $7000+. Kinda ridiculous.

Useful info:
Overall Cost? (try to include food & activities and everything)
How long?
Which Islands?
Traveling From?

pb_and_j

I'll start:

$5000
10 days
BI/Maui/Oahu
NE US

travleis

I think your agenda in asking this question is all wrong.
If you don't want to spend a fortune on a vacation, you shouldn't. And if others do spend a fortune, that shouldn't diminish your vacation.

If most people in your neighborhood spend $100,000 on a car, does that mean you can't enjoy a nice $25,000 car?

I will agree that ANYONE who claims that it is necessary to spend $7000 on a vacation in Hawaii to make it enjoyable is nuts. I know people who love to backpack who don't spend $1000 and have a great time in Hawaii.
To each his/her own.

But polling people to see what they spend is not necessary to prove this point.
You get out of your vacation what you put into it in terms of ATTITUDE. You can spend $5000 per night on the penthouse suite at the Maui Four Seasons and have a crummy vacation if you're a snivelling whiny malcontent.

HappyLC

On our last trip of 17 nights, we spent over $8000 for 5 people. That was going to Maui and the Big Island, with a day trip to Lanai. That amount is highly misleading, however, since we only paid for 3 hotel nights, and did not pay for airfare from the mainland (used mega points for both). We had rental cars, a few excursions, and a couple interisland flights, but most of the expense was meals. We like to go to nice dinners, and our children all order as adults.

I would never tell anyone not to go to Hawaii unless they had an expensive budget, however. A condo and the ability to cook most meals would go a long way to making the vacation affordable - and Hawaii would be worth it!

Gellers

Well, let's see. We're spending about $3500 for 8 days on Maui and B.I. this June. That includes airfare from Los Angeles, plus 8 nights at nice hotels (we enjoy nice accomodations).

We'll probably spend another $700 or so when we get there. Our package includes daily buffet breakfast, which fills us up for a good part of the day. Dinners can indeed be pricey, but we usually split entrees, plus we are vegetarians (which cuts costs considerably). We don't spend lots of money on activities, we usually just drive around and sightsee by ourselves--maybe rent some snorkel gear. We may possibly splurge on massages at the hotel spa. To cut costs we usually get a bottle of wine and some snacks for our hotel room at the grocery store--but we do blow some cash on frou-frou drinks. (Hey! It's vacation!)

You can have a lovely vacation for less than what we paid. We booked late so airfare was high--we got gouged a little with that. And you certainly don't need to splurge on the hotel if you don't want to. There's tons of price ranges available and a lot of properties to choose from.

BoulderCO

We always seem to spend around $5,000 for a 9 night trip even though we use FF miles for airfare. We tend to splurge on the hotels - paying around $300-350 per night and around $100 a day for meals on average. We usually do around three major activities on the trip at about $100-150 per person per activity (golf, snorkle cruise, spa, etc)

Kal

Too much yet not enough! 8-)

fdecarlo

That is kinda ridiculous. $7000? For how many people? That's the first question. Luxury, superior, standard or economy? Which and how many activities? Etc.

Our last 10-day trip last January (two people) to one island (BI) ran:

Airfare (from Calif): $900
Room (superior): $1200
Car: $335
Food + Activities: $1500

Total: just under $4K.

bonniebroad

Using the Entertainment Book and AAA for hotel discounts, going at the best time for low airfares (NOT December through April 15), figuring $100 per day for food, $100 a day for car rental and activities, plus some for shopping, we always spend at least $6000 for two weeks. But you would not have to spend that much......... there are hotels perfectly clean, pleasant and well-located, no frills, that one could stay at for half of what we spend on a hotel. We could cut our food budget way down, if necessary, and you don't have to buy all that *stuff* to take home. ...... We travel from the Southeast.

Rusty

fdecarlo, where do you stay that you get a superior room for $120 per night (including taxes and any other charges I assume). What hotel or resort? Beachfront? In Waikiki?

bk3

Hmmm I went to Kauai for a week and Oahu for abit 3 days in Oct 2002 and iirc paid @$100/ night for an ocean front room at the Aston Islander (thanks again Kal) and a really plush 1 br Aston condo highrise in Waikaiki three blocks off the beach. Total $1,000.

Rented a Mustang convertible in Kauai for @$200/wk and the same in Oahu for @$35/day (Total @$300)

Used my FF miles to go from NYC first class but these days you can get from NY to HNL for less than $400 r/t. Oh yeah I did spring $100 for the r/t flight btwn islands. (Total $100)

The biggest ticket expense there was the helicopter ride (probably @$75ish?) and then meals, all good but none fancy. Hell I even got me a Safeway card so I knowed I saved some $$$!

All, in all I came in well under $2,000 for a 10 day trip. Hmmm, me thinks it's time to get back there!

Rusty

Bk3, the expenses you itemize total $1400 without air, food, helicoptor ride or anything else. How did you possibly keep the total under $2,000? And for how many people?

mimilou

We are going to Oahu in October.
For airfare and hotel for 8 nights for 2 people total is $1660 (from the Northeast).
Car rental will be $230 total for that time period.
Each of us will be bringing about $500 to spend. Hotel room has kitchenette and will be doing much of our eating/cooking from there. Spent ten days in CA last summer and spent far less than that on food.
As far as activities...not going to be paying much for any activities. Will be doing some sightseeing, but most of our time will be spent surfing.
$160 each person for bringing surfboards on plane.
So that works out to about $1605/pp.

eileen

Obviously, you can do it for all different amounts. We are a family of four going in July -- 3 nights Oahu, 7 nights Maui. Our biggest expense -- airfare - $2900 total direct Newark to Honolulu and then another $500 interisland. We paid about $200 more to get a direct flight, with two kids it's worth it. We have traded a timeshare into Maui so that is significant savings but we still estimate the total trip at about $8,000 and that is not going luxury. So it is definitely a fairly expensive destination but it's mostly the airfare that makes it so (at least from the East Coast).

RenDen

Hi, we just got back from Oahu during spring break at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, ocean front, jr suite, Alii Tower, 7 days 4 people. our total came to $6,000. of course thats airfare, car, food, movies in the room, games, internet, gifts for everyone, dolphin quest for 2, snorkeling etc. I have to say we had the time of our life.. yeah a little costly, but worth it.

riggsie

We just returned in March from 7 days on Maui. 2 adults and 2 children. Air Car, Condo-Kaanapali, 4 excursions, spending money and food $5,200.00. Next time we will have 2 skymile tickets and will stay for 10 days.
3 days Honolulu, 7 days Maui.

bk3

ok sorry if my math skills were a bit off last night...

I went solo so if I had gone with another person, since most of the overhead (room & car) coulda been divided making it a really cost effective trip.

Still, I found Hawaii to be quite reasonable pricewise. Hell, it's cheaper to fly from NYC to HNL than it is to fly to Tucson. And iirc there's not so much ocean in Tucson.

I really need to get back to Kauai

abbekit

9 days in March on Oahu and Kaui, two adults, total spent $2350.

FF miles to get to Honolulu so only paid for interisland air plus econmy size car rental. 2 nights Royal Hawaiian Hotel, booked on Priceline. A week at a beautiful huge condo that we traded for in Princeville so I'm including my total cost of my annual maintenance fees, trade fee, RCI membership as part of that cost.

We travel frugally and use the condo kitchen for most meals (except of course while we were in Waikiki), this time had an incredible view from our lanai so also used the condo for most happy hour drinks.

Activities were free because we spent our time hiking or beach hopping.

I'm also including the cost of things we bought, like shirts and CD's while we were there. And I've included our airport parking costs here at home and our petsitting fees (we can't travel without that so I always include that in my travel planning).

Jenn

My family of 3 has been 3 times. Always
seems to end up at $5000.00 for the week
with air, hotel, food etc. But we have
a great time and do anyting we want while we are there.

Sarah

hike, soak, bake )in the oven and on the beach), sail, eat and then wake up the next day for another hike.

Never spend what your friends suggest. I am sure people that go once do that. I started going to Hawaii regularly when I figured out that the Jersey Shore (THAT'S NEW JERSEY) was two thirds more expensive for a condo rental. Hawaii? Ocean City New Jersey? Hawaii? Ocean City New Jersey?
Which would you pick??? I think I made the right choice.

So funny, at our last rental on Kauai the care takers told us that there steadiest client was a boardwalk vendor from Ocean City NJ. They came every January through February. I can't imagine too many Waikiki trinket vendors affording the East Coast for two months. I had to laugh.

How much do I spend on each trip, depends on what mr economy is doing. There are hotels for every budget on every island. I find the rental car to be the biggest poket eater. Hotels, condos and food can all be bargained down. The rental cars seem to be pretty standard in price with Alamo being the cheapest.