Hawaii at $100 a day + tip at Frommer’s

Some longtime readers know that Beat of Hawaii was, in some ways, spawned with the help of the man considered the father of modern travel, Arthur Frommer. He started promoting Beat of Hawaii when our website was only four months old. That was 15 years ago, and the rest is history.

Arthur Frommer became known for his travels when in 1957 he published the groundbreaking guidebook “Five Dollars a Day Europe”. But remember, that was back when phone calls cost a penny, and that was a different world.

The genesis of today’s post is partly in honor of Arthur Frommer, who is now 93 years old. As you may know, BOH editors befriended Arthur and his daughter Pauline and appeared on the New York-based travel radio show Frommers. Also, at the end of the month, we celebrate the Beat of Hawaii edition for 15 years.

Hawaii with $100 per day equals $10 per day based on 1,957 dollars.

A dollar in 1957 is worth more than 10 dollars today. So for comparison purposes, our $100 a day Hawaii is $10 a day Hawaii based on those 1957 dollars.

To get the most bang for the buck, we chose a hotel with a kitchenette and good reviews. After looking at many options in comparable price ranges, we settled on the Kuhio Banyon Hotel, a moderately priced, rated property in Waikiki.

7 night vacation in Waikiki with two people sharing:

The total cost for a week on Oahu was $736, or just over $100 per day.

1. Accommodation: We looked at Kuhio Banyon Hotel with a kitchenette (using booking.com). The total for 2 is $962/week or $481/week per person.

2. Food: $30/day with two meals cooked on site and a budget restaurant, for a total of $210/week.

3. Free or low cost activities: Go to the beach, hike to Diamond Head, find free music and hula to start.

4. Bus transportation: $6/day x 7: $42/week. Turns out Oahu is the only island where bus transportation makes sense instead of a rental car. For just a little more, you can have unlimited bus travel throughout your week-long stay.

What about Kauai, Maui and Big Island?

In most cases, you will need a rental car, which will significantly increase your costs. If so, look for the best deals and try Discount Hawaii Car Rentals, Priceline, and Autoslash to compare. Airbnb can be another good source of budget accommodation. Also try Booking.com for more ideas. When you stay at budget properties, check reviews, map the location to see how far you are from the beach, and make sure you’re protected if the accommodation isn’t as advertised.

How to create your Hawaii trip with $100 a day.

1. Did you get the best deal? Try calling the hotel directly. The hotel rate we found above was on Booking, and there may be additional savings possible by going to the hotel.

2. Many Hawaiian restaurants offer discounts for early morning meals or on certain days of the week. Tip: Make lunch your restaurant meal, as it’s usually cheaper than dinner.

3. Cheap airfare. Travel on air routes with high competition. During Cyber ​​week, we had airfares as low as $91 each way, including taxes and fees from West Coast gateways. There will be more airline ticket sales with similar prices.

4. Travel during off-peak times. This is still a great travel tip. Visit in late summer instead of midsummer, fall (except Thanksgiving), and January through early June (except Spring Break).

5. Book within the last sixty days to get great deals on airfare and accommodation.

6. Plan flights and accommodations in Hawaii at the same time so as not to be surprised by the price of either being too high for your budget.

7. Find free and inexpensive activities in Hawaii. Hawaii excels in this area. From hiking to beaches with snorkeling, great swimming and spectacular Hawaii sunsets.

8. In Honolulu, The bus is the cheapest at $3, even coming from the airport if you don’t have much luggage. Or travel all day for just $7.50.

What are your top tips for staying close to a $100 per night Hawaii vacation budget?