Honeymoon in Hawaii

We will get married in Hawaii, and it will be our 3rd Hawaii trip. We chose Oahu because we will leave our adult kids with our younger kid, and Oahu is more for young people. Where for honeymooners I would strongly suggest Maui or Kauai. Those two are very peaceful and clean, and people are very friendly. Besides, they have a few hidden beach, which is very nice for couples.


It all really depends on individuals. I
When I was there with dh and our toddler, we spent about $200-250 per day just for food, drink, snacks, shaved ice, and coffee/tea (we don’t drink alcohol, btw). We didn’t go to fancy restaurant, just regular local restaurant or known food shacks but everything cost more in Hawaii.
Car rental is not expensive but the gas is. However, Hawaii islands are small, so we didn’t spend that much for transport.
There are a few free entertainments, but I didn’t enjoy much. They are not bad though. The helicopter ride, sailing, the luau are expensive but I highly recommend, especially on special occasions.
Free: The beach, snorkel and see the turtles, drive up the mountains and hike to see the sunrise. Read tons of information on Google. Depending on what your interest, they have museums, local shops, farms, gardens, hiking trails (some lottery based and with a fee), and many more.
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Your best savings in Hawaii (any island) will be to rent a place with a kitchen, so you can eat some meals in. Groceries will give you sticker shock, but eating in is still cheaper than eating all meals out. Visit the farmers markets and fruit stands for some of your food.

Car rental for the islands in general is a necessity, but Oahu probably has the best bus system, so you might get away without a car there, as long as you choose accommodations with the bus routes and walkability in mind.

Beyond food costs (which will be way more expensive than you are used to), all of the other vacation costs have the same ways to splurge or budget as on other vacations (don't buy souvenirs, seek out free cultural events, look for low-cost museums and gardens and tours, etc., enjoy the freely available natural beauty, walk everywhere you can).

It depends where and what in Oahu you wanna do. A car rental is helpful for sure. I did a bunch of ubers and public transportation when there and I was lucky it didn’t cost me as much as car rentals and parking and gas cause I had a ton of promotional codes.


Hotels in Hawaii are expensive esp because of resort fees so I think Airbnb is a nice idea

When we were planning our honeymoon to Hawaii (Maui and Kauai) we booked all Airbnb's or through VRBO. Hotels were much more expensive. Our honeymoon will ultimately have to be cancelled now, though.

I think it’s also a great idea to book only refundable stuff or add travel insurance in case another wave comes.