So I just got back from a vacation to Hawaii, specifically the Big Island with my husband, two kids,mother in law, sister in law and nephew. It is true what they say about it being expensive in Hawaii, but one can vacation frugally with a little pre-trip research and planning.
A few months before the trip I booked VRBO’s (vacation rentals). We were flying into Kona but I not only wanted to spend time there but wanted to see the whole island, so I also booked in Hilo as well which is on the other side of the island. When you are looking at $400 per night average just for a room in a hotel, we paid about $500 average for a 3 bedroom vacation rental per night. Additionally, each house came equipped with laundry facilities and a kitchen, which saved us from having to eat out for each meal or paying a bunch on laundromats. They were also very beautiful/charming in their own way with fruit trees such as lime, coconut, noni, mango and avocado and animals such as geckos, mongoose and lizards. We enjoyed a swimming pool at one property and hot tubs on both of the other two properties. The VRBO’s were well worth every penny.
As far as entertainment and activities, there are many natural attractions and things to do for free or for a nominal cost on the Big Island. We attempted to go to Akaka Waterfall which is a $15 park entry. It happened to be closed for maintenance however on the day we showed up. We had also heard a lot of great things about the Mauna Kea Observatory, however due to the air being thinner and the much colder climate, the family voted to pass on that experience. We did happen across a few beaches along the way which were beautiful, with warm water and great places for snorkeling. I bought a few snorkeling sets that I packed in my suitcase which came in handy as we visited beaches and happened across tidepools. You can purchase guided snorkeling tours but for our purposes the snorkeling gear we had was perfect. Also, if you are in the right place at the right time you may get a glimpse of one of the many sea turtles that visit the beaches. Keep in mind Hawian law requires people to distance themselves from sea turtles and touching them can result in a fine. On Wednesday nights you can visit an outdoor food market and listen to live music at Uncle Robert’s. Important note: the closest beach to Uncle Robert’s is a nude beach, for those who are or are not interested. Most of the food is locally sourced and quite good. It’s a great place to meet locals, which in my opinion was the most valuable takeaway from the trip. I have never seen so many unsolicited smiles and everyone calls themselves “uncle” or “auntie”. While waiting for my food in an outdoor market, a girl even offered me her seat and she was the one who was eating. She said “sit down auntie”. Of course I politely declined. A big part of being frugal is prioritizing and if you are going to spend a large amount of money, putting a lot of thought into what you are choosing to spend money on. For us, the activity we decided to splurge on was a submarine tour. It was a 45 minute exploration of the sea floor Kona side and viewing of a sunken ship. It was quite interesting and as I have a child that does not feel comfortable snorkeling it was a way the whole family could see ocean creatures. As everyone thoroughly enjoyed it, I can say it was money well spent. Finally, my husband and son went on a few deep sea fishing excursions where my son caught an Ono (Wahoo). It was 35 lbs and according to both of them it was quite a fight and it took a lot for Robert to reel him in. Needless to say we had fish prepared several ways for dinner thereafter. Thank you Robert! During the trip my husband told a local what he caught and that he spent $500 on the fishing tour. The local told him he would have taken him for half that and assured everyone caught something. Word of advice, when the opportunity arises talk to a local! Even if you don’t get offered a fishing trip, it can only benefit you to meet people from new places with different cultures and ways of life.
As far as souvenirs go, you cannot go on vacation without purchasing some take homes. Or at least I can’t. I had a few people on my list as well to buy for such as my house sitter, and a few of my wo-workers. Instead of boutique shopping my family hit a lot of the outdoor markets on our trip which was a two-for-one in that they usually had gift vendors as well as a farmer’s market. I ended up purchasing a couple of locally made hand bags and a dress for my co-workers as well as a bag of the world renowned Kona coffee. I think they all came out to be about $20 each. I later came to find that the local Walmart carried great souvenirs and a lot of the locally produced foods and items (at much more reasonable prices). There was a local grocery store chain called KTA Market that was also a good place to scout gifts, not to mention meals for the day.
We happened across KTA market after purchasing fruits at the local farmer’s market, to find they had pretty much everything there that they sold at the farmer’s market, just a lot cheaper.
We bought pineapples, bananas, lychees, and giant avocados –yum! The market also comes equipped with a full poke counter as well. Poke is essentially a salad made with raw fish chopped with sauces and sometimes seaweeds and other vegetables. It is so good and KTA gets fresh fish every day from local fishermen, so you know it's fresh. Not to mention I heard a lot of the locals get their poke there, which is always a good sign. Moving on to the hot counter, you can get bento boxes there as well. This may include a couple of pieces of spam musubi (spam nigiri), or cooked fish with a side of rice, etc. I’m not going to lie, prices are higher on the island than on the mainland. But, overall you can keep it under your budget if you work a little. We spent approximately $20 per person eating out at Umeke’s Bar and Grill when we got into town. We also managed to keep dinner under $20 a meal for the whole family when we prepared food in our rental.
Did we spend a lot on this Hawiian vacation? I spent much more than I anticipated, but it was so worth it! We came back with memories, and experiences that we will never forget. We could have easily spent a lot more, but again with a little planning, research and exploring, we were able to save an incredible amount in areas such as food and lodging which we were able to put towards experiences.
