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Two weeks in Hawaii had been somewhat of a dream for our family for several years. Since we’re not zillionaires, though, it seemed way out of reach. I mean, just one week in Hawaii costs plenty. So, two weeks in Hawaii on a semi-budget seemed even more distant.
What does semi-budget mean, you ask? Semi-budget travel is budget-conscious travel, with a splurge here and there!
After we returned home from a trip to southeast Asia, I asked my husband where he wanted to vacation next. He half-jokingly said (as he’s mentioned before) that two weeks in Hawaii would be great, fully knowing that it probably wouldn’t be financially feasible. Furthermore, he wanted to spend two weeks in Hawaii mostly relaxing and hanging out, which is not normally what we do on vacation. We are usually go, go, go, and wanting to see and do everything.
So, as I love planning travel (including the challenge of it), I took up the task and started looking at options.
Here we go!
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- How much is a trip to Hawaii for 2 weeks?
- Airfare to Hawaii
- Lodging on Oahu
- Rental Car at Honolulu Airport
- Result of Hawaii Trip Research
- Family Activities on Oahu
- Grocery Shopping in Hawaii
- Restaurants & Snacks in Hawaii
- Other Hawaii Trip Costs
- Travel Insurance for Hawaii Trip
- How much does two weeks in Hawaii cost?
- Is 2 weeks in Hawaii too long?
- Read more about our trip (& Pin for later!):
- What to Pack for Two Weeks in Hawaii
How much is a trip to Hawaii for 2 weeks?
First things first. Let’s talk money. Our 14-night trip cost, for our family of four, was less than $5,800!
I’m going to break it down into all the categories below, but for now, there’s the starting point.
Hawaii on a budget, well, semi-budget, right?
Airfare to Hawaii
Total Airfare to Oahu (round-trip) = $44.80 ($11.20/person) (used miles for award travel; used this Explorer credit card to book the reservation, which meant no bag fees)
The three largest upfront travel expenses for two weeks in Hawaii are usually airfare, lodging, and a rental car. First up is airfare, because you gotta get there first, right?
After a bit of research, I found that our family of four could fly to Hawaii for $44.80. It’s true…$44.80! I could definitely go for that.
But, how in the world? The answer: airline miles.
We used United miles to cover the airfare for all four of us. We each had to pay a fee of $11.20, which totaled $44.80.
How did we accumulate enough United miles to fly to Hawaii for (almost) free? We used this card and this card (Explorer) to rack up bonus points, as well as points for our normal purchases.
If you don’t have miles or points saved up yet, subscribe to Scott’s Cheap Flights or Dollar Flight Club for fantastic airfare deals curated just for you!
So, that was taken care of! Airfare…check! The next task was to find lodging.
Lodging on Oahu
Total Lodging Cost on Oahu (14 nights in 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo rental, including taxes & fees) = $2,811.38 (~$200.81/night)
We were going to the island of Oahu and wanted to stay in the Ko Olina area. This is the area where Disney’s Aulani Resort is located. Disney’s Aulani costs approximately $484/night for a standard room, at the very least (as of this writing). In peak season, currently the rate can be as high as $714/night. Without question, that is out of our semi-budget price range! Even with airfare totaling $44.80, Aulani was not going to happen.
So, I did some research and found lodging in Ko Olina, with more space, for $145/night, before taxes and fees. For Hawaii, $145/night is pretty good! And I don’t know about you, but $145/night is way more palatable to me than $714/night or even $484/night.
So, lodging was taken care of! On to the rental car.
Rental Car at Honolulu Airport
Total Car Rental on Oahu (2 weeks, including $181.65 in unexpected taxes & fees!) = $474.45
I began the search for a rental car and soon found a way that we could pay about 50% of the total cost for our full-size rental car (well, before those unexpected taxes and fees…grrrrr).
How did we make that happen? Well, we had some unused American Airlines miles sitting around. By booking the rental car through American, I was able to use the miles we had and just pay the difference!
When booking a rental car for your trip to Hawaii, only book what you really need. Car rental companies in Hawaii will try to lure you with convertibles, luxury cars, huge SUVs, etc. Can they be fun? Yes. Will you pay a ton for them? Yes.
We rented a standard full-size sedan and were unexpectedly upgraded to a small SUV, and it worked perfectly for us.
Our kids were old enough on this trip that we were able to use mifold grab-and-go car booster seats. If you’re still in the full car seat stage, check out The Family Voyage’s post for all things car seats!
Total Gas for Rental Car on Oahu (2 weeks) = $56.91
Since a good chunk of our trip was spent relaxing right where we were staying in Ko Olina, we didn’t have to fill up the gas tank very much at all. As such, we didn’t spend a whole lot on gas!
Well, this semi-budget trip was surely shaping up nicely!
Result of Hawaii Trip Research
I presented these findings to my husband, and he could hardly believe that I had found a way for us to spend two weeks in Hawaii on a semi-budget! He gladly supported moving forward with these travel plans for airfare, lodging, and a rental car.
And move forward we did!
Now on to our actual trip expenses that weren’t all reserved ahead of time.
Family Activities on Oahu
Total for Activities, Recreation, and Entertainment on Oahu = $680.64
There’s no shortage of things to do on Oahu with kids. Of course, they range in price from free to hundreds of dollars, so if you’re trying to stay within your 2 weeks in Hawaii budget, choose wisely!
Hawaii’s beaches are known around the world for their sand, sun, and surf. They’re also FREE! Here’s where to take your family for some amazing beach days with tame surf.
An inexpensive but fun activity is riding the Hawaiian Railway Society train.
Too many splurges can bust your budget for two weeks in Hawaii. Our two main splurges were:
- Pearl Harbor Historical Sites = $149.00
- Dolphin Encounter = $439.77
Grocery Shopping in Hawaii
Total for Groceries on Oahu = $541.86
Oahu has Costco…several locations, in fact. Besides stocking up on staples for our two weeks in Hawaii, the Costco in Kapolei had some fabulous snack foods that we can’t find at our SoCal Costco.
We also grocery shopped at Foodland in Kapolei, where the cashier signed us up for their “locals” deals, to save a little money! Some of our favorite grocery items in Hawaii are:
- apple bananas
- pink guava bread
- Roselani ice cream
Restaurants & Snacks in Hawaii
We do have some favorite restaurants and snacks in Hawaii. I’ve listed *some* of our faves below each category. You can also read more about our favorite foods in Hawaii.
Total for Breakfasts Out on Oahu = $57.93
- KOA Pancake House (mac nut pancakes, mac nut waffles, Hawaiian sweet bread French toast, and bacon!)
- Boots & Kimo’s (Banana Pancakes with Kimo’s Macadamia Nut Sauce)
Total for Lunches Out on Oahu = $124.05
- Marukame Udon & Tempura (go here – brave the long line and eat their food!)
- Plate Lunch (meat, rice, macaroni salad – M&M BBQ is our fave)
Total for Dinners Out on Oahu = $154.86
- Highway Inn (authentic Hawaiian food)
- Hula Grill Waikiki (two words: Hula Pie)
Total for Snacks on Oahu = $230.01
- Banan Truck (tasty dairy-free, fruity way to cool off)
- Matcha Cafe Maiko (the best matcha I’ve ever had…whether drinks or ice cream!)
- Leonard’s Bakery (one word: malasadas)
- Shave Ice (“shave ice” in the continental U.S. doesn’t compare – this is the real stuff!)
Other Hawaii Trip Costs
Every trip inevitably has some additional costs. Here’s the detail of the other items we spent money on for our two weeks in Hawaii.
Total for Airport Parking at LAX = $180.68
Total Parking Fees on Oahu = $19.00
Total for Souvenirs on Oahu (including one splurge, the photos from Dolphin Encounter) = $132.66
Travel Insurance for Hawaii Trip
Total Trip Insurance for Hawaii = $226.00
Last, but not least, is trip insurance. For any trip where you’re spending your hard-earned resources, travel insurance should be top of mind. Non-refundable rates can be enticing, but they’re just that: non-refundable.
Although policies can cover lots of travel situations, consider adding “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage, because you can then, literally, cancel for any reason. It’s often only 75% reimbursement of costs, but that’s way better than zero!
How much does two weeks in Hawaii cost?
Grand Total for Two Weeks in Hawaii on a (Semi) Budget = $5,735.23 (~$1,433.81/person) (for 2 solid weeks in Hawaii!!!!!)
There it is! That was our actual cost of two weeks in Hawaii.
This post estimates a 10-night stay in Hawaii for a family of 4 similar to ours at $14,200.
Our 14-night trip cost was less than $5,800!
This was an amazing trip! It wasn’t the cheapest trip ever, but we built in a bunch of our semi-budget travel goals and made it happen. In comparison, the most standard room (1-bedroom, 1-bath, no breakfast) at Aulani for 14 nights would cost at least $8,000, all by itself. Add in airfare, rental car, food, and everything else, and the trip cost would have been well over $12,000!!!!! We beat that many, many times over!
One other way to save is to travel to Hawaii during off-peak times. Airfare will be cheaper, and lodging will be cheaper. This can work especially well for families that homeschool.
We had a fabulous two weeks in Hawaii, and we can’t wait for our next fabulous semi-budget travel experience!
Is 2 weeks in Hawaii too long?
Two weeks in Hawaii might be too long for some people, but not for us! We had been to Hawaii for one week in the past, and it just wasn’t long enough.
When you’re planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget, overall, it can cost more to go for just one week. Airfare will cost nearly the same whether you’re going for one week or two. The cleaning fee at a vacation rental can be divided up over more days for a longer stay, which reduces the cost per night.
Also, when planning a family vacation to Hawaii on a budget, the longer you stay, the easier it will be to eat in more, thus saving some money in that way.
Our goal was to have lots of beach days, pool days, and general relaxation days. By spending two weeks in Hawaii, rather than just one, we definitely achieved that goal.
When you’re investing so much in airfare and using vacation time, it’s best to maximize your time and make the most of it.
Read more about our trip (& Pin for later!):
Pearl Harbor with Kids
Our Favorite Place on Oahu
Best Beaches for Kids on Oahu
Best Food Finds on Oahu
Sea Life Park Hawaii with Kids
Sun Sensitivity Hawaii Edition
Hawaiian Railway Society Oahu Train Ride
What to Pack for Two Weeks in Hawaii
Without going over on the baggage weight limit (weigh your luggage to be sure!), take all the things you need to Hawaii. Yes, there will be familiar stores available to you for some essentials, but things will be more expensive than they are in the continental U.S.
The normal prices you pay for things at Target? They are priced higher in Hawaii.
So, looking for a packing list for two weeks in Hawaii?
Download our FREE Ultimate Packing List. It’s the packing list that we’ve used for southeast Asia, Hawaii, Iceland, and everything in between!
If you love the sand and sun, but your skin is just a wee bit sensitive to all the sunshine, check out my sun sensitivity post that’s focused on Hawaii!
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Very interested to hear about how you were able to get that airfare price! Sounds like a great trip!
It was a combination of things that made it happen! It was a great trip, Pam!
I almost don’t believe that airfare! Wowza! Your trip looks fantastic and you budgeted like a boss! You go girl. :o)
Thanks, Tiffany!
Impressive! Amazing what you can find when you are motivated, right?
That’s for sure, Pam!
Good for you! There is always a way to make your dream trip happen.
Wow that airfare price is cheaper than I could fly when I worked for the airlines. Way to go!
i love that you did this on a “semi budget”
Yep! That’s the goal!
Wow! Can’t believe you got all that on such a great budget!
Yep, it’s true!
Is there somewhere on this post that shares how you got the airline deal and where you ended up staying?
I just did a major update on the post. Hopefully, your questions have now been answered!