How much spending money do you bring to Hawaii?

Question

We are planning a Hawaii trip for 4 people in April 2009 (or when is the cheapest time to go to Oahu). We are going to stay on the island of Oahu. One of our main interests is the Pearl Harbor museum. How much spending money should be bring per person? How much does food costs? What it there to do on this island or is it easy/inexpensive to travel to the other islands? Im totally clueles. I am trying to find as much info on the web that I can but not all of it is straight forward. Would it be cheaper to stay on another island and just travel to the museum? Any experienced advice would be great!

Answer 1

Depending on the number of days, bring some cash but bring your credit card, it will come in mighty handy.  I went on a cruise around the islands so I don't know how much the food costs on the islands, we ate our meals on the ship.  It is hard to predict all your expenses ahead of time.

Answer 2

YOU COULD BRING THOUNSANDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GO BEING RICH! WOOOOOOOO AND YA I KNOW IM WIERD

Answer 3

oh since its about 4 people it wont be alot depending on ur money situation  well it 3 of us went this april and we spend a total of 2000 dollers on food hotels gifts shopping not including airfair so good luch take at least 3 all togeter well not including air fair

Answer 4

I'm the only member of my family born and raised on Oahu, so I've spent many years showing my relatives around. I'll try to answer your questions from both my perspective and theirs.

"How much spending money should we bring per person?"

- Spending a day on Oahu is like spending a day in any big American city. The amount of money that you'll need all depends on what you want to do. The beach is free, restaurants and supermarkets are pretty comparably priced to restaraunts anywhere else in the US, and museums and other tourist traps will be usually $30 or so per destination.

- The only thing that's really more expensive in Hawaii than in the rest of the country is gas, because it has to be shipped out to the middle of the ocean.

- Whenever I'm home I spend anywhere from $20 to $40 per day depending on what I'm doing. $20 is for just eating. $40 is for eating, driving, and maybe a movie. For tourists I'd recommend at least $75 a day, because you'll probably see a lot of souvenirs that you're interested in. Nature, of course, is always free.

"How much does food costs?" - See above

"What is there to do on this island or is it easy/inexpensive to travel to the other islands?"

- It's very easy to get to the other islands. It's not nearly as cheap as it once was, but it's still pretty affordable. Flights leave Honolulu International all day every day going to Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. The longest flight, to the Big Island is only about 45 minutes including runway time. I strongly recommend visiting Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island for one day each, but book a tour for each visit! The outer islands aren't nearly as urban as Honolulu, and you really need someone who knows where things are to take you to the points of interest as you'll just wander aimlessly on your own. You don't need an expensive private tour, either. There are a lot of tour companies that will drive you around the islands on small buses for a very reasonable price. Go to one of the many information counters at Honolulu International when you arrive on Oahu and tell them you want information about outer island tour companies. They'll give you more pamphlets than you'll know what to do with.

- I highly recommend Haleakala on Maui, and Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Any tour of Kilauea (our active volcano) will be breathtaking.

- Oahu is definitely the place to be for most of your trip, however. It's the most populated island, our State (and former national) capital, and has the most tourist destinations. Pearl Harbor is very easy to get to (a 20 minute drive from Waikiki outside of rush hour). Other than that, I recommend Biship museum, Iolani Palace (where Hawaii's monarchs reigned), any luau on the North Shore (ask your hotel concierge), Hanauma Bay (will take your breath away), and a nice drive all the way around the island (only takes a couple hours).

- You have to eat at least one meal at Sam Choy's as well. It's gourmet Hawaiian style food and is absolutely delicious. There's also a small restaurant called the Crouching Lion Inn that I've always liked near the north shore, but it can be difficult to find.

"Would it be cheaper to stay on another island and just travel to the museum?"

- I want to just say "no", but I suppose it depends on what you want from your trip. If you want to spend that vast majority of your time on the beach just relaxing, then Maui might be good for you as it's much less crowded than Oahu. Oahu would definitely be cheaper, though, and there are plenty of places all over Oahu where you can just relax on the beach. If you hate crowds, I'd get a hotel away from Waikiki or the Ala Moana area. Waikiki beach during any afternoon is absolutely covered with people. Go to any beach on the east side of the island, though, and you'll be fine.

I'd also like to give some general advice...

A lot of people think that Hawaii is a paradise and that nothing could go wrong there. This is not always true. Waikiki can be dangerous at night, especially for Haole (caucasian) tourists who are seen as easy pickings. Do not walk around Waikiki when it's really late and the streets are relatively empty. I'm local and I still take a lot of caution if I have to do that. Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown can also be dangerous at night. There's nothing happening there that you will want to see anyway, but I feel I should warn you just the same. After dark, stick to driving rather than walking and stick with restaurants and tourist destinations. I do not want to scare you, if you just use your head you'll be totally safe. Just remember, the US held Hawaii's last queen hostage for several months and stole her kingdom and there is still a lot of animosity as a result. If you go way out of the beaten tourist path and find yourself in a situation that seems odd, leave. This is the same advice people will give you when visiting a foreign country. Hawaii is part of the US, but it's very, very different than the mainland.