Oahu is a Value

Many visitors to Hawaii avoid Honolulu, and the island of Oahu, like Sourdough Alaskans avoid eating pink salmon! In doing so, they miss out on some of the best parks, beaches, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, surfing, food, and entertainment in the islands...and most of it, a great value. The other island destinations in Hawaii will cost you additional $muchodinero$ for airfare, car rental, food, and lodging. Angel and I love the island of Kauai, but two weeks on our favorite island costs us as much as a month on Oahu. On Oahu you won't need a rental car. The safe and efficient city bus system will take you anywhere on the island for $2.25. A month-long bus pass is $40. A shuttle to and from the airport will cost you $10 per person each way. A cab will be about $30-$35 each way for up to four people. Dining out is dirt cheap, to outasight expensive, depending on your tastes. The most expensive meal we had this trip was dinner for four at Dukes, with drinks and tip...$150. Most of my individual dinners were between $8-$12. When Angel arrived, the cost of our evening meals for two ranged between $20 and $30. We bought fruit, bread, deli meats and cheeses, for lunch. Breakfast consisted of local fruits (papayas, pineapple, and bananas), cold cereal or instant oatmeal, and coffee/tea. All groceries were purchased at a large supermarket within walking distance of the condo, Sam's Club, or Costco. For in-house use, we spent about $100 on soft drinks, tonic, limes, coconut rum and margarita mix. The rental car was $325 for two weeks. Gas was another $100, or so. The spacious, two-bedroom condo was less than $2000 for our portion, for nearly a month. This was discounted from the usual vacation rental price of $1000 or more a week, as we rented for a three-month block with two other families (we split the time between us December 15 through March 15). If you crunch the numbers and throw in your airfare for two, you will see that a month on Oahu,for a couple,is doable, without breaking the bank or maxing out your credit card. If you budget carefully, you should be able to afford a couple of new swim suits and a pair of flip-flops! Now, for a family, or a couple with more expensive desires...well...that's a different story. Plan early, and shop the internet for deals on flights, hotel, and car.