We were just there over spring break. If you have never been there, it is incredible. People are friendly, weather is perfect, snorkeling is breathtaking. Since the tickets we so expensive from where we live (flying out of Cleveland, Ohio) We stayed for 2 weeks and about 5-6 days on each the main 3 islands. Rather than having to buy round trip tickets 3 times, it was a money saver that way. Flights between the Islands were $100 each way, (for those that don’t know, you cannot sail between islands) (It is much farther than you think it would be) What shocked me the most was the cost of food there. Not so much in restaurants, but in stores. Eggs were $5.99 per dozen!!!!. AT WALMART!!! On the big Island, we stayed in a cottage and figured we would just eat breakfast before we day tripped for the day. $70 later, we had just enough food for 3 of us for 5 days. But you have to remember, Hawaii imports everything, they have no industries there, so shipping things in is expensive because of the location in the middle of the Pacific. Lodging was much more affordable than I thought it would be. I know this probably sound extravagant, but my 40 year old husband was diagnosed with stage 4 lung failure 9 years ago, and months later my 6 year old son was diagnosed with leukemia. We started saving air miles at that point and decided if we ever made it through, we would take the trip of a lifetime. 8 years later, my son is in remission and my husband had a double lung transplant. After not taking a vacation in 7 years (the previous one was my sons Make A Wish trip). Any way, I digress. After many years on Hip2Save, Learning to be frugal, and ways to save, traveling, shopping, eating out, etc. We were able to make the trip happen. Airmiles, Go City Cards, Eating off the beaten path, staying out of tourist traps, and hanging and befriending the locals is where its at. Yelp had wonderful benefits also, if you check in to the restaurant, free appetizers, discount, etc. are waiting for you. We took many snacks with us from the mainland and made snacking cheap. It really is an affordable vacation if you just take your Hip2Save knowledge with you and plan, plan, plan. Thanks again Hip2Save!!!
