When I was a little kid I would hear about people going on vacation to Hawaii. They would return with a tan wearing a cool Hawaii 78 t-shirt and a puka shell necklace.
Later, when I was a teenager, my favourite TV show was “Magnum P.I.”. It took place in Hawaii and every week I would watch Tom Selleck race around Waikiki beach in his red Ferrari.
Somehow, someway, I knew I had to get to Hawaii one day…
The above picture was taken last week while I stood on Waikiki beach. I didn’t make it to Hawaii until I was in my 40′s but have gone every May for the past two years. And you know what? It’s everything I had dreamed it would be. It’s a safe, clean, tropical paradise with a friendly local population.
I had been told for years that it was very expensive in Hawaii and that was one of the reasons I waited so long to go. A quick check on Expedia shows that flight and hotel from Vancouver for a week would cost $1,576 at the 4 star Hilton Waikiki (based on double occupancy). If you wanted to go cheaper they list some 3 star hotel packages for just under $1k.
Once there, I found that I didn’t spend any more money than I would at home. Our hotel room had a fridge in it that I loaded up with beer and food from the grocery store. At the funky Wailana Coffee House across from our hotel I could get eggs, bacon and all you can eat pancakes for under $10.
At around 4pm each day we would wander into town to take advantage of happy hour. At the P.F. Chang’s in Waikiki you could get beers for $3 and amazing Asian fusion food for $4-$7. At the Cha-Cha-Cha Mexican restaurant you could get chicken nachos that were big enough to feed three for $10.
You don’t have to be a guest at the hotels to enjoy their beach front bars. At night you can wander down the beach and watch all the shows and live music that the hotels put on. You can watch from the beach for free, or grab yourself a table and order a drink.
The whole point of saving and investing is to live a prosperous life and create rich experiences. I hope one day you find yourself wandering down Waikiki beach with someone you love!
I’m well travelled myself and I always stock my room with groceries and cook myself. I also take advantage of food cooked by the locals rather than expensive restaurants. I have eaten some amazing food around the world for so cheap. I’ve never been to Hawaii mate but It sounds like you had a great time. Did you get that tan? Cheers Mr.CBB
Funny, I found Hawaii cheaper than Vegas. Vegas has this reputation of being a cheap party place in the middle of the desert. I went 2 years ago and they had taken the fridges and the coffee makers our of the rooms so that you had to buy food in the hotel. The Starbucks in the lobby was about 50% more expensive than the ones on the strip!
Vegas doesn’t appeal to me at all.. blah..I’ve been to places like India, Thailand, Iceland, Nepal, Portugal,Spain,Japan etc and I have learned so much from the cultures. I thrive on these types of trips although since moving to Canada I’m happy to say I’m glad I did it all when I was young. I’m not a destination all inclusive type either. Don’t get me wrong I like the beach but if I”m going to spend money on a tripI”m not wasting my time on a beach..I can do that here in Canada. Hawaii has always intrigued me. I would love to try the food there I heard it’s amazing.
It’s just a cost thing. People can fly from Vancouver to Palm Spring or Vegas for a week quite cheaply when they just NEED to see the sun. I am sure we would all rather be flying off to Spain instead though.
Waste your time on the beach???!!! The beaches in Hawaii are heaven! Unlike the cold slimy beaches I grew up on here in Canada, covered in rocks and logs with freezing water and dark clouds overhead. My best day was spent on the white sand, palm trees and warm waters of Waikiki learning to stand up paddle board.