Second trip. Looking for some ways to spend less on food...without cooking.

[Mommy2Logan]

We were there in April and spent $500 a day on food for two adults and a four year old. We are going back in Sept for a quick 4 night getaway and are looking for some tips on keeping food budget to $300 a day without getting a room with a kitchen. The room we are looking at is $397 and does not have a kitchen. We also don't want to rent a car.

Here is what we we did last time: Breakfast at Ama Ama every day $100. Lunch and drinks at the pool $125-150. Dinner at Four Seasons or Roys $250-300.

We would like to keep eating at Ama, but maybe will share two breakfasts rather than order 3 breakfasts and maybe not eat there one or two of the mornings. Is there a cheaper breakfast alternative? We are open to walking down to the Marriott for breakfast if that is less expensive than Ama Ama.

For lunch I am wondering if there are some deli sandwiches we could buy across the street at the store and some fruit so that we are just paying for the Mai Tais at the pool. Do they have a deli at that store across the street?

Dinner ideas? We did not try Monkey Pod last time but are definitely interested in checking that out this time so that we are spending less on the dinners. How much will we be looking at spending at Monkey Pod if we don't go for happy hour but just regular hour? Can we eat for $125-150 for three people with tip and tax? (adults will probably have two drinks each). If we go at Happy Hour could we eat for $100? (with tax and tip)

Thank you!

 

[abdgeek]

You can definitely eat for less. If you’re open to quick service meals, Ulu Cafe at Aulani should suit your needs. The ABC store across the street also has food items that you could purchase for each meal. There is a grocery store in Aulani where you can also get things for breakfast that you wouldn’t need to cook(bagels, pop tarts, oatmeal-just need hot water, etc.). Across the street there is Monkeypod Kitchen & Just Tacos which will comfortably fit within your budget.

 

[kyton]

There is also a new Eggs n Things near Monkeypod as well. http://eggsnthings.com/ko-olina-menu/ - they look like they have meals for sharing.

 

[nkereina]

We are two adults and didn't spend nearly that much per day, but we also weren't doing the higher end meals like Roy's or Four Seasons. I would fully expect those prices to be exorbitant.

We stayed in a studio so just had a kitchenette. We stopped at Target and bought bottled water and beer, easy breakfast items like yogurt, granola bars, muffins to hold us over in the morning, and we bought deli meat, bread, and pretzels for easy lunches. The lunches worked well because by that time, we were ready for a break from the pool/beach so we spent an hour or so back in our room having lunch and relaxing. For dinner, we ate at Monkeypod twice - the happy hour was great and very affordable. We also got a pizza and garlic knots from Pizza Corner across the street which was inexpensive, and also gave us leftovers for lunch the next day.

 

[Mommy2Logan]

Thanks for all of the tips! That Egg breakfast place looks like a great option and we will definitely be going to that store for some snacks for lunch foods. We love starting our day at Ama Ama due to the view and peaceful vibe, so after discussing it, we've decided that will be the one thing we do not want to give up except for the day that we go over to the egg place someone posted about above. So store bought snacks and less expensive dinners is going to be our strategy.

 

[jodybird511]

I would also consider buying your own liquor and mixers for pool mai tais--that was a HUGE money saver for us, given that drinks around around $15 each, plus any tipping.

 

[B'rer Karen]

You can get a whole pizza, which would easily feed 3, at Ulu Cafe for $25 or so. That would make a great, economical dinner one evening.

 

[dachsie]

I haven't been there yet, but some folks have reported going to Mina's for happy hour (3-5). Will you have a car? I have found a lot of places where its not as expensive. At Maui Mikes Fire roasted chicken in Wahaiwa (on the way back from Dole Plantation) you can get a whole chicken, 2 sides, and 4 sauces for $19.95.

 

[algae]

Um, wow, that is a lot of money for food.

For breakfast, we've been getting two hot meals and some malasadas from Ulu and they're big enough to share with 3 adults. Not quite the same quality, but good enough.

For lunch, we'd head to the ABC store across the street and get stuff. They have good spam and chicken musubi, poke bowls, garlic shrimp, loco moco and a ton of other good hot stuff made to order at reasonable prices. Drinks and chips are way cheaper there also.

Then, we can splurge on A'ma A'ma or Mina's Fish House for dinner.

If you have a car, you can find lot's of good places in Kapolei that are much less expensive. Moena Cafe is pretty good. Jollibee is ok in a pinch.

 

[kyton]

Kapolei is much better for cheaper meals - Denny's and Ruby Tuesdays are awesome for cheap huge breakfasts plus there are other takeouts close by. Cheesecake Factory and Applebees are a short drive away as well.

 

[leafyeon]

There is also a new Eggs n Things near Monkeypod as well. http://eggsnthings.com/ko-olina-menu/ - they look like they have meals for sharing.

Sorry for disturbing your thread, just wanted to say thanks to the poster for recommending Eggs n Things.

 

[Deborah Cregar]

If you have a car or can Uber, there is a mall at the next highway exit that has a number of restaurants. We ordered basic breakfast items for the first morning we are there, but plan to economize on food since there are five of us for a week.

 

[alohamom]

Uber Eats will deliver from a few places in Kapolei to Aulani but I dont know if this will actually save you money once you factor in delivery and tip

 

[cedricandsophie]

The Fish house at the four seasons next door has happy hour from 3 to 5 with a few inexpensive drinks and half price appetizers that you can easily make into a meal. If you are there before happy hour ends and order before then you can sit on the terrace overlooking the lagoon as long as you want.

We always get a one bedroom with a kitchen but I rarely cook. We stop at the Safeway on the way in, if you don’t have a car just ask driver to stop for a nominal fee. We get cereal, milk, fruit, deli meats, bread, etc to make breakfast and lunch. I go up to make lunch and bring it to pool. We also get cheese, crackers, other snacks and wine for cocktail hour on lanai.

 

[alohamom]

We stop at the Safeway on the way in, if you don’t have a car just ask driver to stop for a nominal fee.

Wow-that is a great idea!

 

[alohamom]

Another thing I will add is a little trick I learned on Maui. We went one year and my hubby was pretty sick for a couple of days. He basically stayed in bed. I was kind of stuck with the kids as they were pretty small, like 4 and 6 years old-ish. So I decided to get take out at the Hula Grill. It was walking distance from the hotel and I didnt want to leave my hubby for too long. The result was a less expensive cheque because there were no drinks (we had water/soda/juice in the room) ordered and the tip was less. I ate on the lanai with the kids and it was kind of fun.

 

[heaven2dc]

If you plan to make a grocery stop on the way to the resort, be sure you do not have any perishable items since Aulani would not be able to store them until check in. But if you will be arriving close to or after check in, then you should be okay (maybe pick up an ice chest packed with ice).

 

[Mommy2Logan]

These are all great ideas! Thank you! We had not planned on renting a car since its only a 4 night getaway, but I saw on the website that during the pool renovation, in addition to the $50 resort credit you can get a one day mid-size car rental from aulani for free and a free kids airport transfer (you have to call to book with an agent to get those deals though, can't book online). So , we will have a car for one day and maybe we will use that the first day to get to the store for some lunch stuff and snacks.

 

[linco711]

These are all great ideas! Thank you! We had not planned on renting a car since its only a 4 night getaway, but I saw on the website that during the pool renovation, in addition to the $50 resort credit you can get a one day mid-size car rental from aulani for free and a free kids airport transfer (you have to call to book with an agent to get those deals though, can't book online). So , we will have a car for one day and maybe we will use that the first day to get to the store for some lunch stuff and snacks.

Wher did you read about the free car rental? I know about the $50. Resort credit, but not the car, I like that!

 

[godisney14]

We came back from a 4-night stay few months ago. As others have mentioned, the stores across the street are good places if you don't mind taking a break and walking over. You can definitely spend less than $100-$150 for 3 at Monkeypod. Island Vintage is always a place we like to go to for casual bites in Hawaii, and they have one there across the street. And I ditto the whole pizza from Ulu Cafe for feeding kids on a whim.
We drove to Aulani, and so we were able to stop by Costco, which is just about 10 minutes from Aulani.