Book your hotel and rental car early. Book a hotel that allows changes. The price dropped three times when I booked my hotel, and I was able to modify the reservation to a lower rate.
If you are booking any stay in Hawaii, you will realize the grand total to book any type of room on the islands can double with fees. A three-night stay for $600 will usually double to $1200 when you try to book it in Maui, Kauai. If you are just visiting Oahu/Honolulu/Waikiki, you have the best variety of hotels, rental car and shopping options since it’s the main island. The island of Oahu has the best prices on everything for the entire state of Hawaii. As long as you have a car, you really can stay anywhere of your choosing on the island. Just be sure to accurately calculate all your option times to get to the Honolulu international airport when you are leaving.
Misertravel stayed on Waikiki beach every night and made round trip flights to the other islands and was able to see the entire island of Maui and Kauai by flying to each island early in the morning and returning to Waikiki at night on the last flight. The Hawaiian airlines flights were $40 each way and my hotel in Waikiki was $160 per night with fees. For example, the lowest cost one night stay on Maui was just under $600 per night with all the fees. You will find more options in Oahu/Honolulu/Waikiki.
You need a rental car. Keep checking the rental car rate you booked since the price sometimes drop. Lately, the ‘pay now’ rate on rental cars on third party website is extremely lower than the actual company. Read the reviews from Google from actual customers that rented cars there. Hawaii has a lot of sand, don’t forget to clean inside your rental car before returning it. It’s a good idea to take a video of the car inside and out when you pick it up. Make sure to fill up the gas tank before returning.
Park the rental car at the hotel and don’t leave any valuables in your rental car
Pack your snacks and drinks and go to the supermarket for additional items.
If you plan on going to the lounge in any of the Hawaiian airports, don’t get your hopes up. All they have is beverages, nothing special. Commuting to each island is a fast and an easy process, but not for all. There are huge, and I mean huge lines at the security check. This is why I recommend getting TSA pre – check.
Aquatic life and rocks
While driving through Oahu, I came across many natural treasures. The mini beach had a lot of snails. When you see snails or any aquatic creatures in Hawaii, do not handle them, you could hurt yourself or the animal. The beach also contained a lot of volcano rocks. I picked some up to get a closer look, and then put them down since it’s disrespectful to take them with you.
Jollibee
I was feeling hungry, so I decided to stop at a Jollibee. If you like fast food, I recommend you try to stop at a Jollibee while you are in Hawaii. The experience was surreal. I’ve never had chicken that was made with love like Jollibee’s. The chicken was juicy and came with gravy which makes the flavor 10 times better. I encourage you to get the spicy chicken rather than the original, it has a lot of flavors.
Common Sense
Do not litter or bother the animals in Hawaii. There are a lot of chickens, ducks and birds in Hawaii. While they are pretty docile and comfortable with locals. Do not bother them. There are also signs in Hawaii that say not to litter hence, you shouldn’t be littering anywhere in general. Try not to drop any trash anywhere, they take littering very seriously and you can be fined up to 500 dollars.