Ten days in Kauai Hawaii under $1,400 including flights, accommodations, food, and activities! Kauai Hawaii known as the Garden Isle due to its rain forest and dramatic landscapes. Its rigid cliffs make it one of the top destinations for adventurers and gorgeous view seekers. Kauai offers something for everyone but it comes at a hefty price if you don’t budget correctly. Faris and I spent 10 days in Kauai Hawaii and spent $1400 each for total costs including flights, accommodations, food, etc. This blog goes over how we budgeted for our Kauai Hawaii Vacation! Just a warning we did rough it quite a bit compared to your typical “Hawaii Paradise Vacation” so if sleeping in a camper van and grocery shopping on your vacation just seems unfathomable, then this Kauai Hawaii Cheap Budget Travel Blog is probably not for you.
This Kauai Hawaii Cheap Budget Travel Blog goes over the following:
- Flights
- Accommodations & Camper Van
- Food
- Activities
Flights
The first step to planning a budget Kauai Hawaii trip is to find a cheap flight. You can do this by planning your trip in the off season – spring (mid-April to mid-June) and fall (September to mid-December).
Tourist Peak Season
The high season runs mid-December through mid-April which is quite ironic since this is during the wet season. Tourists don’t flock to the best weather times, they flock to Hawaii during this time because of the holidays and the rainy Hawaii season is better than the weather at home.
Off-Season
This is great for you because the off season will have better weather and cheaper prices! Hawaii only has two seasons: dry season (April-October) and wet season (November-March). We recommend planning your trip for the off season because airfare is much cheaper along with accommodations and activities on the island. Also, there will be less tourists and better weather!
Leeward and Windward Sides of the Island
If you do travel during the rainy season, plan to spend more time on the leeward side (west and south) rather than the windward side (north and east). The west and south sides are sunnier and dry whereas the north and east are more rainy and windy.
Napali Coast During the Rainy Season
Just note, the Napali coast is on the windward side, the rain here brings in all the lush greens the Napali Coast is famous for! But if you do plan on hiking the Napali Coast during the rainy season, expect rain almost every day. Typically there are a few days of light showers and then one or two times a week a full on down pour. Sometimes the hiking paths get closed because of the rain.
Our Flight Time and Costs
Faris and I planned our trip over Thanksgiving in 2019, which was late November, just the start of the wet season. We did see some rain and cloudiness but for the most part we got sunny and high 80’s. There was only one day where we got rained out.
We chose to fly out of Toronto, an airport 4 hours away from our home in Metro-Detroit. We often look for flights out of Detroit, but Toronto almost always has cheaper flights. The round trip flight from Detroit to Kauai was $1,200 per person whereas the flight from Toronto to Kauai, on the same date, was only $400 per person. Sign up for our Free Travel Starter Kit to understand why Toronto has such cheaper flights and how you can use the same travel hack no matter where you live!
Accommodations & Camper Van
I’m sure you’ve heard that Hawaii can be very expensive, and I second that. Hawaii is not a cheap destination, but you can cut down on costs if you look into alternative options for accommodations!
Most people who travel to Kauai get a car to travel around the island. The total drive only takes about 2 hours and there are so many amazing spots to explore! We found the best way to cut costs was to combine our accommodations and car into one, hence the camper van!
Check out our How to Travel Kauai Hawaii in a Camper Van Blog for all the details you need to book your own camper van! The blog includes the following:
- Our Initial Thought Process
- How to Travel Kauai Hawaii in a Camper Van Itinerary
- Why Not Hotels?
- Why Choose a Camper Van?
- Camper Van Rentals
- Campsites
- State Campsites – Book Online
- County Campsites – Purchase Permit, only in person
- Private Campsites – Book Online
Food
Like everything else in Hawaii the food is expensive too and can add up quickly if you eat out for every meal. Luckily, our camper van came with a large cooler and a portable stove with gas, pots pans, and silverware. Most camper van companies will provide these items. This way you can grocery shop and get your food for a cheaper cost. Check out our How to Travel Kauai Hawaii in a Camper Van Blog for a list of recommended camper van rental companies.
Grocery Store
Faris and I only ate out 3 or 4 times and grocery shopped for the rest of our meals. You can find a Walmart in Lihue and local groceries scattered around the island. Here are some of the items we bought:
- Ice
- Yogurt
- Fruit & Vegetables
- Cheese
- Crackers
- Protein Bars
- Bread
- Sandwich meats
- PBJ
- Brats / Burgers
Cheap Restaurants
Now of course you will want to try some of the local foods and there are some cheap options! Kauai is also huge on Happy Hours you can find a Happy Hour anywhere on the island. We only went out a few times but we listed our favorite cheap options below.
- Kauai Coffee Company – 870 Halewili Rd, Kalaheo, HI 96741
- Offers free Coffee samples and Coffee Tours
- Aloha ‘Aina Juice Cafe – Hokulei Village, 4454 Nuhou St Unit 510, Lihue, HI 96766
- Massive Acai Bowls for around $8-$12
- The Fish Express – 3343 Kuhio Hwy #3, Lihue, HI 96766
- Hands down the best poke bowls, we went twice. Costs about $12-$15 a bowl
- Chicken in a Barrel – Locations all over the island
- Great chicken for two meal for about $30
- Lava Lava Beach Club – 420 Papaloa Rd, Kapaʻa, HI 96746
- This bar is actually behind Kauai Shores Hotel and they are known to have the best happy hour on the island with drink and food specials!
Activities
Kauai is a beautiful island full of nature and things to do! If your goal is to save money on your trip I recommend skipping out on the helicopter, zip lining, etc. tours. These activities can run you hundreds of dollars. Focus on what the island already provides. I listed some of our favorite free / cheaper activities to do on the island:
- Numerous free beaches – rent a surfboard for $30, read a book, grab some beers and enjoy the sun!
- Polihale Beach
- Salt Pond Beach
- Anahola Beach
- Haena Beach
- Hanalei Beach
- Hundreds of Hikes – I’ve listed some of our favorites
- Awaawapuhi Trail
- Honopu Ridge Trail
- Kalepa Ridge
- Kalalau Trail Nepali Coast – Need a permit to enter $20 each
- Waterfalls – hundreds found all over the island
- Hanakapiai Falls
- Wailua Falls
- Opaekaa Falls
It’s really hard to get bored in Kauai because it has so many inexpensive activities to do! Most budget-savvy people plan a couple hikes and then relax on the beaches. This is what we did a majority of the time!
Conclusion
Kauai Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places we have ever traveled to! It’s a great vacation spot for all types of travels because it offers beautiful beaches, trails, and views. You can relax or hike the long Nepali Coast. The only negative about Hawaii is the high cost but this should not stop you from traveling to Kauai. This Kauai Hawaii Cheap Budget Travel Blog describes how to travel to Kauai while still maintaining your budget! We hope you enjoyed this Kauai Hawaii Budget Travel blog, check out our other blogs for more travel itineraries and tips! If you are looking to rent your own Kauai Camper Van check out our How to Travel Kauai Hawaii in a Camper Van Blog.
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