Budgeting for your Hawaii Vacation
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:25 — 24.0MB)
On the latest Hawaii Vacation Podcast, hosts Aloha Bruce and Lanai Tabura offer some important tips on budgeting for your Hawaii Vacation to make the most of savings and special offers.
Bruce says the timing of your vacation is key, as demand for flights and accommodations are likely to increase quickly as the COVID vaccine becomes more available and the pandemic fades. Lanai says now is the best time to book, as prices are likely to increase as the summer approaches.
Lanai offers some of the best times of year to plan a Hawaii vacation when demand is typically lower than during peak seasons like the Holidays, Spring Break season, and summertime. Bruce notes that you should know what you want, whether it’s a budget, mid-range, or five-star experience.
Bruce also notes that you should plan on how you expect to eat: on-the-fly, sit-down meals, or fine dining for example. Lanai says planning when to take tours and helicopter rides and such is important, and that it is usually best to take those tours early during your Hawaii vacation.
Bruce and Lanai dive deep into the pricing of various Hawaii flights for several mainland locations. Bruce offers insight on booking through Southwest Airlines and special pricing available from Hawaii routes. The conversation moves to the average price of accommodations at Hawaii hotels and notes some surprising pricing changes at some properties.
Lanai offers his expertise about budgeting for Hawaii restaurants during your vacation, noting that there are many “hole in the wall” places that have a casual dining atmosphere and price range with world-class cuisine. Our hosts mention the famous Liliha Bakery, Mediterraneo, Roy’s, and others and what you can expect to pay.
Our hosts offer details of the Deal of the Week and offer the promo code before moving on to answering some podcast viewer questions. They respond to a question about potentially bad weather during a Hawaii vacation. “Don’t worry about it,” says Lanai. Unless there is a major storm, inclement weather in Hawaii passes quickly. “Just wait.”
Bruce and Lanai discuss another question about cell phone reception in Hawaii, which is excellent in all but the most remote places. Bruce says that most Hawaii hotels have quality Wi-Fi reception and jokes that he knows all of the best hotels for Wi-Fi service.
Bruce fields another question about how much spending money you should have. “How much do you to spend, Brother?” Lanai jokes. He says cost of drinks and cocktails at hotel properties are expensive everywhere in the world. Bruce says $250 per day is enough to be comfortable “with a good cushion” for incidentals. Lanai offers what to expect to pay for drinks at a hotel or resort bar.
Our hosts answer a question about bringing car seats for children, and Lanai suggests bringing a small traveling car seat that is easily covered.
Answering another viewer’s question, Bruce and Lanai agree that flying first-class interisland is needless because the flights are an hour or less. Bruce offers his insight on flying trans-Pacific first-class and says, ultimately, “Go for it!