Author Topic: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?  (Read 7810 times)

paulstache

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Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« on: May 20, 2015, 09:21:37 AM »
Hey guys,

I'm recently engaged! I'm trying to figure out an affordable way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon. Any suggestions? Any tips on the best island to stay on for affordability?

lukebuz

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2015, 09:26:18 AM »
Go for a Caribbean Cruise instead.  Will cost 1/3 the price, and you'll still get beaches and oceans and all that.

FrugalShrew

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2015, 09:39:12 AM »
I had some friends that went through Costco. I'm not sure of the exact prices, but it would be worth checking out.

boarder42

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2015, 09:43:02 AM »
I like kauai.  I would have each of you get the Wyndham CC's.  This will get you 10 nights here.

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/hawaii/koloa/wyndham-koloa-landing-at-poipu-beach-wyndham-grand-resort/hotel-overview

Then you get the AA credit cards from Citi.  each card should get you 2 RT's they cost 35k points each.  and you will get 50k points from each card.

Then you each get the barclay arrival card.  and Citi Capital One venture cards.  This will get you points worth ~2k towards travel.

Use these points to get your rental car for free i use hawaii jeep rentals and end up with a jeep for 10 days at a cost of around 300-400 bucks.
These points can also be used to offset any resort fees.  Or if you want to eat a fancy romantic dinner at say the St. Regis. Kauai Grill. Use this card and since its a hotel restaurant should log as travel.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/property/dining/attraction_detail.html?propertyID=189&attractionId=15912

now all you have to pay for is food which you can cook in your bad ass kitchen in kauai ... and your gas to get around and any adventures you want to do.

Then you each get the barclay arrival card.  and CitiCapital One venture cards.  This will get you
« Last Edit: May 20, 2015, 10:56:53 AM by boarder42 »

boarder42

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2015, 09:48:50 AM »
My wife and i are flying first class to hawaii next march - coach on the way back - dates were locked so the flight choice first was less points than coach. cost is 11.20 per RT to use the points

we are staying 5 nights here - free
http://www.grandwailea.com/
2 nights here - free
http://www.sheraton-maui.com/
2 nights here - free
http://maui.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
and 1 night here - 170 way pricey!! but we wanted to stay one night in hana
http://www.vrbo.com/256976?utm_campaign=VRBO_TRV_INQ_HASC_replied_PPS&utm_content=propthumb_image_o_lprop&utm_term=20150330&utm_source=SYS&utm_medium=email

Our rental car is covered as above
The Resort fees for the hotels are covered as said above.

10 days in hawaii is gonna cost us 1k including scuba diving etc.

travel costs are practically free.

oldmannickels

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2015, 10:01:06 AM »
I already booked my honeymoon to Hawaii with a budgeted cost around $5k for 2 weeks. I used hotel points to book a free stay in Honolulu when we get there for jet lag purposes. There are discount car rental companies that are significantly cheaper than any of the chains on the island. I'm AirBNBing the rest of the time beachfront on the North Shore of Oahu and in Kauai averaging out to about $125 a night. Used points for an inter-island flight to Kauai. Plan on cooking a lot and staying out of tourist traps. Budget includes excursions we really want to do like taking a zodiac to secluded beaches in Kauai. There are tons of free hikes and places to go snorkeling and if you are a surfer its pretty amazing and you can rent a board for dirt cheap or buy a cheap one at Costco.

For the flight out we're using Hawaiian Airlines and didn't use points, but they have a mid-tier class that was only slightly more expensive than coach where you get extra room free drinks and what not so we splurged for that. I think total flights from Philly were $1500.

Will be my 3rd trip to Hawaii and by far my favorite place to go.

Isriam

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2015, 10:13:11 AM »
kauai is my favorite place.  i took the Norwegian cruise that hits every island for a day or so.  We hated honolulu.  I found Hawaii to be no different than any other vacation place like San Diego or Miami honestly until we got to the big island and kauai.

SuperSecretName

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2015, 10:26:28 AM »
open up a few credit cards, meet minimum spend, travel for free.  it really is that simple

fartface

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2015, 10:48:26 AM »
Wow, Boarder, here I thought I was a pro for getting air + hotel free to Vegas this summer (Frontier Airlines MC + Barclays Arrival bonuses).

You got this sh!t dialed down!

boarder42

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2015, 10:57:47 AM »
Travel hacking course... and that wyndham deal is just so damn good right now.  Thinking about going again in 2016 now to kauai with my parents maybe in the fall.

paulstache

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2015, 08:56:46 AM »
boarder,

did you get all of that stuff free/cheap from the links you put? If so, that is amazing!!

notredame232

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2015, 04:01:18 PM »
I'm going to kauai in september with my girlfriend for almost free

we each got a united card - covered flights for $11/ea
each got hyatt card - covered 4 nights at the grand hyatt in kauai

probably using 66k hyatt points for two grand club nights at the hyatt as well
(bonus from chase ink business card)

boarder42

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #12 on: May 24, 2015, 05:27:12 AM »
boarder,

did you get all of that stuff free/cheap from the links you put? If so, that is amazing!!

Yep all free

ltt

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #13 on: May 24, 2015, 06:15:43 AM »
Tutu's house looks wonderful!!

MoneyCat

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2015, 07:33:23 AM »
We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon a few years ago and stayed on the beautiful, relatively rural island of Maui at the Royal Lahaina Resort.  We had a tower room which had a kitchen and refrigerator, so we were able to save money on meals by making a run to the supermarket in Lahaina using the resort's free shuttle bus.  We paid for the "Royal Experience Package" which included a breakfast buffet each morning, two mai tais per day, an evening cocktail cruise with unlimited free drinks, and two tickets to the wonderful on-site luau which included dinner and drinks.  That worked out to be very reasonably priced when all was said and done.

chasesfish

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2015, 08:27:36 AM »
boarder,

did you get all of that stuff free/cheap from the links you put? If so, that is amazing!!

Yep all free

I was going to reply, then this post completely intimidated me!

catccc

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #16 on: May 24, 2015, 07:36:17 PM »
We honeymooned in Hawaii for 5 weeks in 2008.  I honestly can't remember what the total cost was, but I can tell you we did it pretty frugally.  We spent about 1 week on each of the 4 major islands.  Accommodations were half camping and half hostels or similarly priced rooms.  We did splurge on a luau in Maui, and booked a helicopter on the Big Island (lava!) but our reservation got "winded" out, and it was our last day on the island.  Everything else was done on the cheap, and it was an amazing time.  Car rentals were cheapest through AAA at the time, and we used Hawaiian Airlines for the inter-island flights. 

BUT we weren't going for fancy cocktails, cruises, and cushy sleeping quarters.  We were there for beauty, nature, and adventure.  Moonbows (stupid name, neat phenomenon) and sunrises at Haleakala, long hikes to green beaches and snorkeling (no need for big boats and $100+ day tours, just grab your gear in Captain Cook and hike in from road) on the Big Island, breath taking waterfalls, canyons, and impossibly muddy trails in Kauai.  That kind of thing.  It was an amazing trip, if this type of stuff is up your alley.

These days, with kids, we find ourselves opting for the Caribbean.  Shorter flight for us since we are on the East Coast.  Turks and Caicos, specifically.  But we don't do much there.  Just laze around on the beach with the kids and cook simple meals in our rented beachfront condo.  DH and I want to take the kids to Hawaii, but we actually want to do stuff there, so the kids have to be willing and able to appreciate it.  (They are getting closer at 4 & 6, but I think another couple years would improve the experience for everyone.)

Also, Boarder definitely spent less than us for "nicer" accommodations, but I'm a travel hacking weenie.  We did stay 1 or 2 nights in Hana at Waianapanapa State Park, which I think was $10-$15/night.

paulstache

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #17 on: May 26, 2015, 11:44:29 AM »
boarder, how did you get to stay at the grand wailea for free? Is this based on past purchases?


Thanks for all the help!

kpd905

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #18 on: May 26, 2015, 12:09:28 PM »
I'd go 2 x United Mileageplus Explorer cards at 55k miles each.

Then 2 Hyatt cards for 4 free nights in a $400+ hotel.  A Citi Hilton Reserve card for two weekend nights in another $400+ hotel.  Then maybe a Barclays Arrival or two for $440 toward any travel expense per card (airfare, hotel, car rental).

Mr. Green

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #19 on: May 26, 2015, 01:27:07 PM »
If you don't have points to help you with your costs, and you're considering O'ahu (where Honolulu is) I recommend Tradewinds-U-Drive for an affordable rental and Turtle Bay Condos on the North Shore. You can rent a studio condo there for $580-720 a week! Then you have your own kitchen and there's a grocery store just down the road. The North Shore is only about 45 minutes away from Honolulu but it gets you away from all the tourist-y stuff, if that's what you're looking for. We stayed there at the recommendation of a friend (her parents owned one of the condos) in 2005 and we put the whole vacation together for 3 grand. And we were 20 and 22 trying to rent a car. I'm sure flights have gone up but the condos are still pretty cheap! Though there's still the standard laundry list of taxes and fees hotels/resorts add on to the base price. I think it's almost 15%. Yikes!

www.turtlebaycondos.com
« Last Edit: May 26, 2015, 01:31:26 PM by Sir Hikes-A-Lot »

Axecleaver

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #20 on: May 26, 2015, 01:57:31 PM »
I lived in Honolulu for a year in 2013, so I learned a few things about travel to and from.

One trick I really liked, fly to Las Vegas from anywhere in the US, which is usually pretty cheap. The flights into Vegas are kept as cheap as possible to get people into the Strip. Stay one night if you like, but not required. Take Hawaiian Airlines from Vegas to any of seven different Hawaiian airports direct.

See, Hawaiians are crazy for Vegas. They love their gambling, and there isn't any in the state. So there are tons of cheap roundtrip flights to and from Vegas. I got my wife to Honolulu through Vegas for $250 round trip this way in 2013 - compare to $1200 for a typical Delta flight from JFK.

Whatever you do, make sure to get out of Waikiki! That's the tourist ghetto, the rest of the island is unbelievably beautiful.

Avis in downtown Honolulu has $19/day rates during the weekend.

Eat tuna as often as possible - poke is awesome. We had it about six days a week. Some other nice treats: mango, apple-bananas, and local pineapple (most is now imported), and local beef raised on the big island. Avoid: milk, cheese, chicken. These things are imported.

Gumbo1978

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #21 on: May 28, 2015, 06:02:34 AM »
I'm heading to Hawaii for a week next September.  The flight for my wife and I and 3 nights in Honolulu are covered by my company (a confirment ceremony for a designation I'm working on).  I plan to spend another 3-4 days on another Hawaiian island (not sure where yet).

I was looking at the Wyndham card, but looks like they have some pretty restrictive blackout dates.  I could not get the hotel deal mentioned above for the dates I wanted using rewards.  Just a heads up for anyone else looking at trying it.  Best to put in your dates and click the "Use Wyndham Rewards" checkbox to see if it is even an option before applying for their card.

Bob W

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #22 on: May 28, 2015, 12:34:57 PM »
If it hasn't been mentioned check out Richmondsavers.com.  There is a whole post on doing this for free.    But I would opt for the Cancun scene if it was a honeymoon.  Hawaii is essentially pretty boring --- pretty but boring.   At least in Cancun you can hang with lots of young folks who are there to have a good time. 

Axecleaver

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Re: Best way to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon?
« Reply #23 on: May 29, 2015, 06:49:47 PM »
Re: Hawaii is boring.

I was never bored there. In Honolulu, there's a thriving night life. Chinatown is very active, a little gritty, though. I never felt unsafe, but I'm a big guy with a beard- very little makes me feel unsafe. There are a few (expensive) clubs. Lots of little places with drinks and decent cigars. And the local people really are tremendously friendly, if you're respectful and friendly yourself.

Like a lot of beautiful places, you can spend a lot or you can spend a little and check out the local scene. Kakaako is really happening right now, with "Eat the street" (a food truck festival) happening every week or two. There are art walk events and tons of local things happening. "Duck Butt" is great for the Korean night life experience (lots of Karaoke in private rooms). beerinhawaii.com has a lot of good recommendations if you're into craft brews. "Real a Gastropub" was my hangout while I was on island, I spent many evenings hanging out with the owner Troy. Really great staff with a ton of training.