in less time than you think is possible!
Costing less money than you think is possible!
Seven days away from my husband, kids and home! Seven days of blissful me, myself and I time!
Seven days on Oahu/Hawaii!
Seven days, seven meals, seven trips for $200.00 (not including air fare and accommodation)!
Impossible?
Nope, let me show you how.
Now you have three choices:
-Watch this video and leave the blog.
- Watch this video and scroll down for more information
- Don't watch the video and scroll down for the information. The choice is yours.
Whatever you do, enjoy!
Prelude to the trip:
Hawaii has been on my bucket list for 30 long years! And all because I listened to a German pop song when I was a teen. This song describes the mediocre living of a mediocre couple in a mediocre town with no adventures experienced ever! When I heard the words for the first time I promised myself to never, ever live a life like these guys! And guess what: So far so good. My life has been anything but mediocre and I have been travelling quite a bit over the last 30 years- but not to Hawaii.
Wanna' listen to the song? Here it is.
Blame it on my former locations (Europe), my children (three), my circumstances (used to run my own coffee shop); Hawaii has been out of reach for me.
Is it fate that we live in Vancouver today? It literally is a hop, skip and jump away from Hawaii (5 flight hours to be precise).
I needed to get the last destination of this song out of my system - for this reason and no other I kissed my family goodbye and left to Oahu.
I chose Honolulu, the home of Magnum PI, the backdrop of Hawaii Five- 0. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. I didn't see myself somewhere on Maui. I will do that with my family. I wanted more than just chilling on the beach!
The only reason I went on my own is: I like myself! I like my company, I trust my instinct, I can rely on Christina to have a good time, anytime and anywhere.
Let me break down what I did and how you can do the same if you want to!
Ticking items off your bucket list is the best feeling ever, and who doesn't want to feel happy, accomplished and proud?
This is what I did:
PLANNING
I sat down with my husband and decided on the dates.
ORGANISING
I booked my ticket via expedia for $ 383.00 from Bellingham to Honolulu. My airline was Alaska Airlines
I don't collect air miles, go figure. Use yours and you can fly for a nominal fee or get there for free.
ACCOMMODATION
I booked my room with Airbnb.
You can chose from private accommodation in over 180 countries. You can rent a couch, a room, a whole apartement, a house or penthouse. And all this for the fraction of a hotel accommodation!
I needed a place to sleep which is central, clean and safe. I do hotels with my family; when it's only me I am OK with a room somewhere.
My hostess lived in the Manoa area, close to the University of Honolulu.
The room cost me 55.00/ night = $385.00.
Because I booked for the whole week I only paid 50/night.
There is a small fee for Airbnb though.
My husband drove me to Bellingham (no parking fees, hurrah). Be careful! The price from flying e.g. Seattle might me cheaper, but you need to drive there (calculate your time) and need to park your car. Some hotels in America offer to keep your car for free if you stay one or two nights with them.
HEALTH INSURANCE
I recommended it. Hospital costs in the USA can cost you an arm, a leg and your house.
For this trip I honestly forgot about it. Too bad, all went well though. As a general rule I never focus on the accidents which could happen - I only focus on the fun things I want to experience!
Once on the island, I took the bus! Yes, I traded being independent with my time.
But then, who was waiting for me? I had nobody to cook for, pick up or drop off!
The bus system is phenomenal. The busses run mostly on time, they are safe, clean and the airco blows your mind, literally speaking. Take your jacket!
You see places, villages you normally wouldn't see. You don't need to worry about parking fees, no headaches looking for a parking spot either.
Each ticket costs $ 2.50 regardless of where you want to go.
If you want / need to change the bus ask for a transfer ticket when you get in.
Each ticket is valid for 2,5 hours!
The major bus terminal in Honolulu is at the Ala Moana Shopping Centre!
My travel expenses for the whole week were $ 40.00.
SAFETY
Everybody on Oahu is chillaxed! Even the tourists in Honolulu are relaxed!
You will find lots of hobos sleeping and living on the grass stretches along the beaches in Waikiki. All they do is sleep, chat. They don't bother you, at least they didn't bother me!
Police and independent security agents patrolling the beaches and the city day and night.
VALUABLES
Make copies of everything (passport, credit cards, Id). Leave one set at home and one set at your accommodation.
I only carried $ 40.00 in cash with me and one credit card! Just in case...
I left my money, camera and phone inside my bag, covered the bag with one of my sarongs and left it unattended on the beach while I went for a swim!
MEALS
My absolute favourite place to eat in Honolulu is this little, no frills, delicious, super fresh, home made joint
Diamond Head Market / Deli Bakery!
These scones filled with cream cheese are to die for ($3.00)
Their lunches or dinners are plentiful, delicious and so inexpensive. This one cost me $9.00:
Another great little find on Monsarrat Avenue is the South Shore Grill.
Their Fish Tacos are a must try. On Tuesdays you will get two pretty big ones for $5.00 and drinks are $1.00!
Three independent parties told me about this little Portuguese bakery in Honolulu.
Just by chance I passed it one evening and tried their famous Malasadas, a deep fried sweet pastry, similar to our German "Berliner".
I ate breakfast at my Airbnb accommodation, snacked on these babies
and ate dinner. It was so hot I drank more than I ate!
STAY HYDRATED
I left the house with two bottles filled with tap water (good and safe to drink). Everywhere you go you will find water fountains. And when I say everywhere I mean everywhere.
These ABC stores are grandiose. They carry everything you ever need and their coffee is super nice and only costs a fraction of the ones at Starbucks. McDonald's has their $1.00 drink deals running. If I fancied a coked I paid my dollar and drank as much as I wanted. If you keep the cup any McDonald's will give you a refill - at least that's what their staff told me!
WATER SPORTS
Surf lessons are offered all along the beaches in Waikiki and everywhere else. The further you wander away from the Hilton's and The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the cheaper the rentals and lessons become.
To take a boogie board out costs between $20.00 and $45,00. Guess which one I took!
A private surf lesson will set you back $ 120 - 160.00 per hour.
I booked a group lesson with 5 other guys and it cost me $40.00 (which I put on the credit card).
Take a look at some of the day trips I took:
Manoa Falls: (most popular and easy hike in Honolulu)
Pearl Harbour, standing on the USS Arizona Memorial:
Waikiki Beach:
Haleiwa Beach, North Shore
And when you are here make sure you stop at Matsumoto! THE place in Hawaii (or on the planet) to eat shaved ice! I tried the rainbow cone and yes, it is phenomenal!
Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay
And this is what happens if you hang around on the island for long enough: You turn into an angel!
Angels by the Sea is a cute little souvenir shop in Waikiki. It's the kind of shop we women can fall in love with!
We are in charge of the decisions we make; either in our personal or business life. Hawaii, like everything, can be as pricey or as inexpensive as we want it to be! ALOAH!
I hope these photos / video has motivated you to get your travel destinations checked off your bucket list...it's bad enough it took me 30 years- it shouldn't take you this long, regardless of where you want to go to.
And here is part 1, just in case you missed it!
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