Updated September 23, 2018
As we continue to explore the island of Oahu, here are a few more tips on how to stretch your dollars a little further.
Take the bus
If you’re on Oahu, you can go almost anywhere by taking the local city bus. However, the further away from Honolulu you go the longer it will take. It takes about an hour to get to the Windward Coast and at least two hours or more to get to the North Shore. But it can be done if you plan accordingly. It’s only [$5.50/person for a day pass or $2.75 for a one-way.] $2.50/person to board the bus and that includes two transfers that are good up to two hours after your first boarding.
Mopeds and Car Rentals
If you do have a little bit of money and want to rent some wheels, we have a couple recommendations on how to still keep it within budget.
You can rent a moped. They’re cheaper than a car and they’re so much fun. Just down the street from the Polynesian Hostel is a place called Hawaiian Style Rentals. They’ll hook you up with everything you need, plus a map and tips on where to ride. Before you go, ask us about their 10% off coupon. We got them in the office.
Want a car instead? If you plan your trip just right, you can get [special weekend rentals from] a rental for the whole weekend for around $45. Enterpise. has a weekend special where You [can] rent on a Friday and return on a Monday [and prices start at $12.99/day.] for only $9.99/day. But it’s only at a certain location and you have to book it online. Come to the front desk and we can help you with that.
The Free Stuff
There’s hula shows going on almost anywhere on the island and are usually free. These give you a chance to observe the Hawaiian dance and music. The dances are performed every day inside International Market Place, three nights a week at the Hula Mound on Kuhio Beach, and various days throughout the week at the Royal Hawaiian Center.
And speaking of Royal Hawaiian Center, they have free cultural programming almost every day of the week. These are lessons in which you’ll be able to learn the ukulele, how to make leis, and learn how to hula. And it’s all free.
Pearl Harbor is also high on everyone’s list. There’s plenty of Pearl Harbor tours you can purchase. But there’s no need when you can visit Pearl Harbor yourself for free. Entrance to the grounds and the museums are all free. And a visit to the Arizona Memorial is also free. But make sure you go early so you can get your hands on the free Arizona tickets.
If you’re into museums, you can also visit the Army Museum on Fort DeRussy. It’s free and will tell you the military story of Hawaii. And it’s still located in Waikiki, so you can easily walk to it if you wanted.
And of course, let’s not forget about the fireworks. Every Friday night at 7:45pm, the Hawaiian Hilton Village puts on a magnificent fireworks show. And it can be seen from pretty much anywhere along Waikiki Beach. But if you do want to walk down to the Hilton, you’ll be able to see their hula and fire dancing show that happens right before.
And TONS more…
Yes, Hawaii can be expensive. But as you can see, there’s tons of free stuff you can do and lots of ways to cut back on your budget. Just be creative, do some research online, and get suggestions from hostel staff. There are probably more ways to save money that we haven’t even mentioned, but the tips in these past two posts are the big ones.
And if you haven’t read Part 1 of this post, you can click here.
Image by: parade.com
