heading out there may 5 for about 9 days or however long the $$$ holds out...
so we've got scooters and car rentals on lock-down. however, hostels are a bit more tricky.
i'm wondering if you can pay for one person and sleep two without anyone being the wiser- like in a hotel room. i have no idea how hostels work.
also, need good food ideas that wont bankrupt us.
mmm that's pretty much it, but any money saving tips would be appreciated. thanks you guyssss

3/9/2008 9:33:00 PM

I lived there for 18 years, which island are you heading to? I can give you all kinds of advise on what to do/where to stay.

3/9/2008 9:44:27 PM

im heading to maui on may 6th

3/9/2008 9:50:01 PM

For scooters mopeds direct is the cheapest, and they have mechanics on staff so at least they are serviced regularly. I wouldn't trust most of the scooter rental places, super sketchy.

Ganki sushi is good for a quick not too expensive meal, also go to Chinatown and get something there. Stop at a plate lunch place as well.

Honolulu advertiser has a good list of places at http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/specials/bestrestaurants04/restaurant

3/9/2008 10:16:07 PM

Hang ten big kahuna.

3/10/2008 8:46:40 AM

we are going to oahu... we'll be in waikiki for a few days- then we head to the north shore. halp!

3/10/2008 10:06:07 AM

Yup, mopeds direct is close to Waikiki

http://www.mopedsdirect.net/

I literally walked away from some of the scooter places because of the sorry shape the things were in, or the stupid restrictions (some of them limited you to 20 miles a day or something and you weren't supposed to take them out of downtown). Also, lock it up! Scooter theft is a HUGE problem. Also, get and use a helmet. People drive like shit there, don't want your brains on the pavement.

Take some SPF 50 too. You burn WAY faster there, use the 50 so you don't spend your vacation peeling and miserable, and you can still get a nice tan on the last couple of days. Most people underestimate the sun and ruin their vacation. I got a tan with the spf50, but I am

Hanauma Bay is great. Sharks cove is less crowded. If you plan to snorkel more than once, go ahead and buy a set now so you don't have to worry about it while there, or use the questionable rental stuff.

I have a waterproof reusable camera you can have if you want.

3/10/2008 10:49:48 AM

Quote :

"i'm wondering if you can pay for one person and sleep two without anyone being the wiser- like in a hotel room. i have no idea how hostels work."

i suppose it depends on the hostel...it's very easy to do if you have several people together and the hostel has small(er) rooms set up (if you have 8 people and they're 6-people rooms, this is easy and they'll never know)

but if they're 20-people rooms and you have 8 people, it'll be pretty obvious...in weeks of bouncing from hostel to hostel in europe, i NEVER saw two people sleeping in the same bed, but i'm sure it happens...i've never used american hostels before, so i don't know

3/10/2008 11:22:28 AM

woo! go bows

3/10/2008 11:30:01 AM

Awsome thread, I got the idea bout a month ago to go to hawaii but was going to hold off on doing anything about it till after the summer but sense this thread came up...... i was thinking about going to hawaii for 2 weeks over christmas by myself, unless i can convince a friend to go with me. Its pretty much a long shot but i found some tickets for ~ $500 (that seemed pretty cheap, right?) and I just wanted to bring a tent and camp on the beach and get food from the grocery. Going to the aquarium and mabey ziplining were the only activities that i really want to do that my cost $

this would obiously be a very budget based trip, is this way to unrealistic? and anyone have any suggestions or ideas for a trip like that?

3/10/2008 12:41:12 PM

Jen, what island are you planning on doing this on? Camping on the beach on Oahu is not an option. There's a large homeless population due to the cost of living, the only beaches you might be able to get away with it at are already turned into tent camps by the locals, and you'd have to have a car to get there, plus the those areas are where you'd likely be given a rough time. I was told to not go to certain areas of the island unless I was with someone from there.

Try to sublet a room from a student going home for Christmas, or plan on staying in a hostel.

3/10/2008 2:35:25 PM

^
yeah what she said. basically if you get away from the touristy areas of waikiki it gets pretty sketchy. according to dog the bounty hunter, i lived in one of the worst drug towns on the island.

[Edited on March 10, 2008 at 2:37 PM. Reason : .]

3/10/2008 2:37:17 PM

Haha, I spent 3 months in Honolulu, sublet a room in section 8 housing next to a "massage" parlor and titty bar, still cost $500 a month to share a 1br apartment (at least I got the bedroom).

3/10/2008 2:51:44 PM

Quote :

"i'm wondering if you can pay for one person and sleep two without anyone being the wiser- like in a hotel room. i have no idea how hostels work. "

unless you just get private rooms, its not going to be possible. hostels are cheap as hell anyway (at least here in the continental US), whats another 20 bucks a night?

3/10/2008 11:14:24 PM

Hostels in Honolulu are more like $25 to $30 a night per person a night.

With 2 people it can't be that much more to get a motel room. Check Kayak and the comparisons they offer, there are some rooms for $60 to $80 a night. Cheap motel can't be worse than a hostel.

[Edited on March 11, 2008 at 12:32 AM. Reason : :]

3/11/2008 12:28:12 AM