Don’t fall over at the average Hawaii vacation cost. Accommodations is now at least five times more than typical Hawaii airfare. Don’t get priced out of Hawaii vacations.
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81 thoughts on “Have You Been Priced Out Of Hawaii Vacations Too?”
I usually go to Hawaii for 5-6 wks in the winter & am a retiree on a fixed income. I have always been a frugal traveler, but as I see fewer yrs in my future I planned to do a 3 month splurge while my body still works. The sticker shock this yr is devastating. It looks like I will have to scrap my three months and trade it in for 2-3wks if that. The cost has nearly Doubled in one yr!!! Hawaii has become too expensive for the middle class, esp the fixed income retirees. My money will go further in Mexico.
Sorry, I don’t understand your delemma.if you’re staying for three months, you wouldn’t need to stay in a hotel or an STR. Except for the car rental, everything else would be normal prices, which are about what they are in any popular big city (I live here).
So, come ahead.
Its sad and frustrating. I live here on Kauai and can’t afford to travel inter isle. Its cheaper to take a vacation to Vegas! Obviously, different ammenities but just as much to do. HI residents would like to travel to neighboring islands but its crazy expensive. We basically pay same as the tourists. “Kamaaina” discount rates are so rare to find and not much cheaper. Hoping there will be a price break soon.
Vacation rentals are still cheaper than Hotels. You can buy leis at the grocery store and it is still cheaper. Beach towels, trinkets and souvenirs are still affordable if you go to Walmart.
I am not too sure about the vacation rentals being cheaper than hotels these days. The fees and charges, including cleaning, booking, taxes, rental site surcharges such as AirBnB’s, etc are pretty high.
The property taxes charged to owners of short term rental properties have increased exponentially, over owner occupied property taxes, and are being passed on to vacation property renters.
In addition, the huge jump in real estate values have seen many properties being sold and the prices paid then require the new owners to greatly increase the vacation rental rates.
It all adds up to costly accommodations that may previously have been a more budget friendly option.
All true, but the rise has been in tandem with hotels. Just go to, say, Wailea in Maui and look at the hotel prices and compare them with some of the very nice short-term rentals with twice the space and number of bedrooms. Even with all the service and cleaning fees, they don’t even begin to approach the 4-figure per night hotel prices.
All true, but the rise has been in tandem with hotels. Just go to, say, Wailea in Maui and look at the hotel prices and compare them with some of the very nice short-term rentals with twice the space and number of bedrooms. Even with all the service and cleaning fees, they don’t even begin to approach the 4-figure per night prices of hotels.
My husband and I have been coming to Hawaii for 50 years – and loving it until now.
Next year we’d like to spend 2 weeks on the Big Island.
So far we’ve been able to get one week in Kailua/Kona thru our timeshare organization. It doesn’t seem likely that a second week will become available, and it will cost us over $4000 if we have to pay for it ourselves. Since we’ve invited family to join us, we have no choice and must come up with the money.
We can’t afford this. So, unfortunately, this will probably be our last trip.
The only remaining option is Molokai, where we have our timeshare. And, luckily, we know a resident on that island who rents us an old car for $40 a day. This is so sad.
Look at Paniolo Gardens on the Big Island.
We have looked at the options. If you live on the west coast it’s hard to beat fly times to Hawaii as compared to other locations. Those who live on the east coast will probably look elsewhere. If you know how to look, you can still find decently priced options but, it’s nothing like it was. I can remember in 2019 finding a rental car with Discount Hawaii Car Rental for 595.00 for a month well, that’s gone. After many years we are still in love with the place. I’m not sure that foreign travel is going to help Hawaii because, foreign currency is badly devalued against the dollar. We look forward to our return soon.
Aloha
Buy a $10 or less toaster at K mart and have bagels with peanut butter (or cream cheese if you get a room with a mini frig). Some fruit, and you are set for breakfast every day. Then donate toaster to housekeeping or a thrift store before departure.
In 1975, we bought a timeshare because we loved Kauai and knew that when we were retired we wouldn’t want to pay to go there. We’ve added a little to it over the years and are now able to stay 3 weeks on Kauai. We eat in a lot (it has a full kitchen), the grocery prices have gone up but are bearable. We can usually get air by transferring extra timeshare points to airmiles. A lot of people don’t like timeshares and yes, we have to pay maintenance fees,but it has worked for us for close to 30 years.
We still save alot of money traveling with a group and sharing a condo with 2 other couples but the prices for everything are going through the roof, especially since we are Canadians. This may be our last trip to Hawaii because of the cost – we will be traveling to the Caribbean for the next few years as you can get way more bang for your buck and each island country is completely different from each other.
Thanks for the info- it sure seems way pricier than five years ago on the Big Island. Airbnb type accommodations are way cheaper especially if you shop around. Cook most of your own food, buy beverages from Costco. Activities can be cheap or free. You don’t have to do tours- rent kayaks, go snorkeling, hanging out on the beach, hiking, biking. We are doing 3 weeks for what one week “moderate” cost in this article.
We have a condo/car booked thru Costco travel for this coming January. The cost 2 years ago for a 14 day stay was $3700, now for same days it is $7500. This may sadly be one our last trips due to the cost. Understandably food costs are high but it is everywhere.