O'ahu - Hawaii 3 days to do savings!

O'ahu Go Pass - Huge Savings - Recommended 3 days itinerary 

Do you have to use it consecutively? No, you just have to use within 2 weeks from the first day you use your pass



Do you have to print it out? No, you can just show it on your smartphone




Do you need reservations for some? Yes, the O'ahu Go Pass will list which ones need reservation - especially for the Catamaran (a month or two in advance, we called 2 weeks in advance and it was not available) however, there are places that are not as crowded - one example: Polynesian Cultural center, we came on a Wednesday and we did not have reservations for the Luau and they said they could accommodate (i.e., weekdays for example - weekend, may be best to make reservations as it would be more crowded)








Day 1: 





1st stop: We started with Kualoa Ranch (we made reservation the week before we left), we got there at 9 AM and got on the tour at 10:15, it took about 90 minutes.  There is a restaurant on site,so you can get breakfast (it's like a cafeteria style setup so you can just pick what you want and pay, at lunch, they setup a buffet that you can opt for instead of you don't want to buy a la carte - $17.95 (Nov 2015 price).






2nd stop: non O'ahu pass stop, however I suggest a stop along the way:  checking out north beach along the way to the Polynesian culture center, there are a couple of good eats along here, i.e., Shrimp shack food truck - check into Yelp and you get 10% off (here is a link to my Yelp to see all my food reviews in O'ahu) and Ted's Bakery for amazing crème pies and the famous crab and bacon sandwich.

3rd stop: the Polynesian cultural center (this is the one place that you can opt to go twice with the pass - this is also the bonus luau that you can make reservation in advance or if you are planning to go during the week, you can just show up that morning to make reservation, we opted not to do the luau here but it would recommend it if you want to spend an entire day here, lots to do and it's a ton of fun for everyone in the family.  Additionally if you skip the 2nd stop. This place has a ton of food options (food trucks, stands, hot dogs, rice plates, etc..)






4th stop: Waimea Valley - there is a restaurant here as well. If you haven't eaten.  Here you can opt to pay an extra $6 per person to get a golf cart round trip tour of the valley or $4 one way. I can see why some people opted for this, we walked for a bit before we saw the waterfall (its about a mile).






5th stop: Dole plantation - you must get here by 3pm if you want to be able to do all 3 places (pineapple express, explore the garden and race the maze to find all the clues) Also-I would recommend getting one order of waffle cones or waffle bowl or just a bowl - it's plenty for 2-4 people and a little savings as well, as a cone is $5.50 without toppings, $5.95 with and a waffle bowl, two times the size,  comes with pineapple and a topping of your choice for $8.95

So all this would have cost you two O'ahu pass in one day.







Day 2: 



We did Pearl Harbor - the USS Arizona to start, this requires a time slot and they were very precise with their start time and end time. I was truly impress with how well they coordinated this USS Arizona Memorial. 


Then we took a bus to USS Missouri then the Aviation museum, all this takes about 3+ hours if you are streamlining it.


Otherwise, it's about 5 hours.  There are food on site and snacks at pretty much every location.


All this separately cost $60+



Day 3:





NOTE: We skipped a couple of days before doing day 3, we spent the day at the resort at the beach and the pool.  The pass does not require usage consecutively just within two weeks from day 1.




1 stop: We went to Sea Life which is the Hawaii version of Sea World but significantly smaller and was not very crowded, great for kids and adults alike (just make sure to get a bug spray with SPF - mosquitoes are so bad).  See my packing list for Hawaii for all the products that I bought.













**NOTE: since you will be on your feet a lot, I would recommend getting a good pair of Teva. I brought my Nike sneakers but it was so humid that I ended up wearing my Teva that I bought back in college and they were amazing, my feet did not sweat or get all hot from wearing sneakers all day.  I was comfortable and happy to how well these Teva withstand the terrain and I can get dirty or wet and can just simply rinse it off.  The ones I have are the original which are not quite as comfortable as these hurricanes (I bought 2 pairs since I returned from Hawaii for half of the cost of the original that I spent I think a $100 back in college).  I am attaching the link to Amazon of the Hurricane that I bought (it comes in many colors).  I also bought another pair of original just because it is more delicate in appearance to wear with my summer dresses for my upcoming cruise - stay tune for those tips).

                                      

How to save on your Hawaii vacation

O'ahu go pass - available at:

1.  Costco (4 days pass)
2.  Groupon has a 3 days pass (sometimes 20% off) or
3. O'ahu pass website - signing up on their website (get $10 off) -3,5,7 days pass

3 days though Groupon cost is around  $133 per person which is a great deal considering any Luau in Hawaii is at least $89.


Pearl Harbor has 3 different areas if you buy them all separately, it's about $60+, Kualoa ranch (movies filmed here: Jurassic Park, 50 first dates, Journey to the end of the earth, Lost, etc) by itself is $109 (so even if you just go to Luau and Pearl Harbor - you are still saving $30, if you any other, like the Kualoa Ranch, now you are saving $139) Dole plantation - 3 admissions to 3 sites (maze, garden and Pineapple Express), and much more.

The O'ahu card get you into 30 places around O'ahu (which includes 1 of the 4 bonuses,  Luau at the Polynesian cultural center, Jeep rental for the day, swimming with Dolphins at sea life (***note: make sure you get a bug spray with spf, I walked out of there with at least 10 bites that swelled up like a burn mark for days after*** you can buy this at a Walmart or target, I will take a picture and share shortly)  or the Germaine's Luau) and also discount for some selected shopping.



Recommendations to do each day with O'ahu pass

Restaurants in the area worth trying

Places to stay: you can reach out to a Marriot vacation club to see what deals they will give you for being willing to sit through a sales presentation about 90 minutes of your time and at the end of it, you get a $50 voucher to use at all the restaurants in the area (see below).  Some are $199 for 3 week nights for studio room, you can opt to buy more at a certain rate, maybe slightly more for the weekends). Check out this post about Marriott Ko 'Olina (tips and savings for this resort)

Flights, book well in advance or another way to save is if you are willing to connect to another city or either buy a separate flight out of that city instead of buying a round trip that may cost more.



Food: places like vacation clubs have kitchenette and kitchens, buy a week worth of food at a Walmart or Costco (Costco also sells gift cards to restaurants in the area that you can get for $79.99 worth $100-so that is $20 dollar saving if you want to go out to eat in the area), if you are drinkers, better to just buy a couple of bottles to have in your room and have a cooling insulated cup to refill and use around the resort.  Or if you really want to try the food at the restaurants at the resorts, go there for lunch if open or go to their happy hour, additional you would get a premier Marriot club card that would save 5%-10% off restaurants on site or nearby.  

Another way to save is joining apps like Foursquare or Yelp that when checking in, may give you %10 off the total bill or give you free appetizers or desserts.

 Additionally, Hawaii has a couple of different charity programs where restaurants in Hawaii support that would give you 10%- 15% off participating restaurants however, I had a very bad experience with Hawaii Perks so I am not sure if they are truly legit to recommend here.

Packing for Hawaii

Travel Tips for Honeymooners !

Travel Tips for Honeymooners

1. When you pack, pack 1/2 in each other's suitcase - just in case one gets lost.



2. When you travel to a beach destination, bring your own snorkel gear. When compared to purchasing on the island, buying at home can be half the price and often even less than renting them.



3. In a a carry-on pack one outfit, your bathing suit and any prescription medications, just in case your luggage is lost or you have to wait to check into your room.



4. When you rent a car, take a picture of any dings or scratches so you won't get charged or have any difficulties.



5. If you are looking for a great lunch at a great price, here's a unique idea: try a local culinary school's extraordinary meals prepared by student chefs.



6. If you are on a budget, split your cash into envelopes, either by day or by budget for shopping, activities, gifts, etc.


7. Research using food network or travel network or even other bloggers for local restaurants and unique finds for your destination(s).



8. If you are going to a large resort complex, bring along some walkie-talkies to keep in touch with one another on the property. Many cell phones don't work internationally or charge extra fees.



9. Leave plenty of time for romance and relaxation! Don't plan to much or move around, switching hotels. Moving around means a lot of packing and unpacking, checking in and out and waiting for transportation, just sit back, relax and enjoy your sweetheart.  (we opted to do a cruise to Hawaii because we wanted to see all the different island without the hassle of having to hop on a flight with our luggage and fly to the next island..more to come our honeymoon to Hawaii islands on a cruise).



10. Let everyone know where you are registered, ask your wedding party to help by posting your registry information to Facebook, emailing all your contacts or you can print out announcement cards to distribute out showers/parties.  (We used theknot.com and also post on our Facebook group).