What Is the Cheapest Way to Vacation in Maui?
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to vacation in Maui, you’ve come to the right place. I visited this dream destination in my broke college days without having to resort to staying in bug-infested motels or doing a work exchange. It’s more than possible to visit Maui on a budget without sacrificing your comfort. Continue reading to learn how!
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Visiting Maui on a Budget
Planning a trip to Maui often results in individuals counting down to their last penny to see if they can swing the cost. It is not an unknown fact that vacationing in the Hawaiian islands costs far more than crashing at your local Motel 6. Alongside these well-known realities, Maui is often depicted as the most expensive of the islands. But when my aunt stumbled upon $400 roundtrip airfare to the island, I was in no mood to mess around. We booked our flights, and I instantly began scheming up ways to save precious dollars in other areas.
Looking at the prices of hotels and simple meals proved to be discouraging during my first attempts, but I soon happened upon a few deals that would fit the budget of a then-22-year-old. Given my budget at the time, I was dead set on discovering the cheapest way to vacation in Maui. If you find yourself in similar financial circumstances but don’t want to let your dream trip pass you by, continue reading to discover some ways to cut costs and, as a result, support the locals more efficiently.
Visiting Maui for the first time? Don’t miss my ultimate guide to the island for first-time visitors!
The Ultimate Guide for Your First Trip to Maui: Everything You Must Do
Is Maui Affordable?
Maui is seemingly expensive, and living costs there have risen exponentially, especially for the indigenous peoples who were raised there. However, tourism continues to boom on the island. At the same time, vacationers often end up spending way more than they bargained for prior to arrival. To prepare for this shock and avoid spending more than you can afford, you’ll need to strategize on how to save money.
From my personal experience, I would vouch for the fact that Maui is affordable, but only if one searches for humble accommodations, hidden local eats, and low-cost activities. After handing money over for your flight and accommodations, there are various ways to avoid high costs and travel economically. It might mean passing on the ribeye steak in a fine-dining establishment and, instead, standing in line at a local food truck to split a bowl of huli huli chicken straight off the grill. Personally, I’d take this authentic experience over a curated upscale restaurant any day of the week.
It takes conscious decisions to avoid spending your life’s savings on a short-term trip. Maui may give off the impression of luxurious resorts and epicurean cuisine. While it does offer those travel experiences to those well off with their money, the true locals and the travelers who care to dig deeper into its matter recognize it as a surfer’s paradise where locals can make their own rules in their day-to-day schedules. If you take my approach to travel, you’ll come to find that Maui can be made affordable without having to sacrifice your comfort or your cravings.
How to Stay in Maui for Cheap
Flights and accommodations are the costly twins of travel. Often the most necessary ingredient of your trip, these elements are where many budgets go to die. As was mentioned earlier, my aunt and I found an incredible deal on airfare, as Southwest Airlines had recently begun flying there and happened to announce a 50%-off sale for travel dates through the end of September to early November. Flights, in general, happened to be cheaper on these off-season dates, and as we later learned, October is one of the best times of the year to travel to the islands for discounted rates and lesser-crowded attractions.
Despite our luck with airfare, we didn’t come across flash sales for accommodations. Instead, our early-on searches revealed rooms going for one grand or more per night. After some more digging, however, we found two suitable options that met our needs.
Maui Banyan Basic by AEI: This condo-hotel is located across the street from a local hotspot for surfing. At the time, we were able to book this property for $256.50 a night. In comparison to the five-star resorts located a mile or so down the road, this budgeted stay was our knight in shining armor cost-wise. Included in this room was a full kitchen, living and dining area, bedroom and bathroom, patio space with an ocean view, free parking on the premises, and close proximity to locally-owned restaurants. Although the price of the room adds up at the end of one’s stay, it is easily affordable when split between guests.
Check out the prices for a similar property here.
Maui Seaside Hotel: After returning our rental car, we stayed in this modernized hotel located minutes away from the island’s airport. Between its newly painted murals and chic pool framework, the lodging proved to be more than efficient, as well as within walking distance from the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center. From here, travelers and locals can purchase a $4 all-day bus pass to take to various locations on the island, again saving money that a rental car would have eaten up. While this hotel charged a bit more at $310.50 per night, it was still hundreds cheaper than our other options. If you’re wondering how to stay in Maui for cheap, the aforementioned hotels will come in handy in serving that goal.
Click here to book your stay at the Maui Seaside Hotel!
How to Do Maui on a Budget
Cheap Transportation Options in Maui: Aside from hotels and flights, you’ll also want to consider other economical ways to visit Maui. Transportation is necessary to reach various destinations on the island, and although the public bus can help meet this need, its routes do not accommodate each tourist’s itinerary. Unless you stay in a hotel that offers transportation or you book a tour with this add-on, renting a car will be your most convenient way to get around the island. For us, this meant renting a convertible for a few days of our trip. Not only was this a cheaper option than many of the other rental cars up for the taking, but this type of car was more aesthetically pleasing in my eyes.
With that being said, a rental car is convenient to have on the island. If you’d like to see prices for rental cars, start your search below!
Eating on a Budget in Maui: Your budget in Maui will also rely heavily on the dining choices you make. Drinks and food have escalated prices on the island, especially as you approach tourist-heavy areas. We reduced these costs by purchasing alcohol at one of the many ABC Stores, grabbing a few groceries to keep in our kitchen, and avoiding overpriced restaurants. To learn more about the specific food joints we enjoyed, read my guide on eating on a budget in Maui!
What Is There to Do in Maui for Free?
Once you’ve sorted out the various overhead costs associated with traveling, all that’s left to do is enjoy your time on the island. Upon stepping off the plane, you’ll begin to be marketed an abundance of touristy activities and paid tours. A few of these might fit into your budget, but there are plenty of things to do in Maui for free that will give you a better feel for what life there is like for the locals.
Visit the Beaches With Your Snorkeling Gear
Tourists visit the island and throw all their money at a snorkeling excursion when their money could be better spent elsewhere. This isn’t to say that snorkeling isn’t fun, but there’s a much cheaper way to enjoy Maui’s marine life than embarking on a half-day tour. If you have access to a car and have previously ordered snorkeling gear online, you can drive yourself to one of many snorkeling sites dressed in colorful coral and dancing with fish and the occasional sea turtle.
My favorite of these was Honolua Bay, which offered free parking and a jungle-like trail to the water. As we snorkeled to the coral hotspot on the right, we saw a sailboat was just finishing up a group snorkeling tour. Had we gone that route with our plans, we would have ended up spending at least $100 each. Instead, we were able to experience the same sights for no cost. We continued this trend for the rest of our stay, lugging our lightweight snorkeling gear to the various beaches and rumored snorkeling havens, spotting sea turtles and colorful marine life. The pre-trip investment in our snorkeling gear paid off in significant ways, especially as that same gear can be used for future trips.
Explore Shopping Districts
Lahaina Harbor and Paia Town are two towns with a mix of touristy and local, sustainable stores. Lahaina Harbor may take the cake when it comes to name-brand stores, but Paia Town sticks out for its mix of small businesses and locally-sourced inventory. You might be tempted to spend some dollars, but this is a cashless activity for those content with doing a little window shopping.
Segments of the Road to Hana
The Road to Hana is a well-traveled journey curving through a rainforest climate. This road became popular due to the hearsay of its various waterfalls and other natural marvels along the way to the town of Hana. As more tourists began catching wind of this activity, locals and officials began thinking up ways to monetize the expedition. Although this toll-free road requires none other than gas money to travel on, there are various pull-off spots that necessitate cash, such as Twin Falls, Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach, and the Pipiwai Trail inside Haleakalā National Park. I have an entire detailed guide written on the Road to Hana that answers all your pressing questions, and although I do recommend a few of the activities which require entrance money, there are plenty of sights and smaller trails that you can explore free of charge.
Luckily for budgeted travelers, Maui is a visual island. Although it has its fill of costly sites, it offers an equivalent amount of local digs favoring your financial goals. As you visit Maui, the number one thing you’ll want to do is take in its natural beauty at no cost. Enjoy it as the locals do, and you’ll return home with a satchel of authentic memories and Aloha spirit.
Are you planning a trip to Hawaii soon and wondering what is the cheapest way to vacation in Maui? Share this post with your potential travel buddies and begin turning this prospective adventure into actuality.
