Dine for LE$$ in Hawaii

Food can be expensive in Hawaii but with a little planning, you can eat great for LE$$. Here are a few tips for saving money in restaurants and beyond.

1. Look online for printable coupons for restaurants. Check out valpak.com and
http://www.ecouponshawaii.com

You can also find coupons for activities, hotels, car rentals, etc. on these websites

2. Look for sunset specials at restaurants. You can often find great prices and the best view of a sunset by eating earlier in the evening at an ocean front restaurant. Check out the restaurants earlier in the day to find out what is offered, at what price and during what hours. For example, if you are taking a stroll on the paved walkway along Kaanapali Beach in Maui, you can look at the menus that are posted by various restaurants all along the walk. If they have a sunset special, it is usually listed along with the regular menu.

3. Stock up on tourist literature at the airport. There are usually racks and racks of information that is available very close to baggage claim. If you are traveling with someone else, save time by having one person wait for the luggage and the other person look at the literature that is offered. Many of the magazines and pamphlets will have coupons for restaurants. You can often find some of this literature at various places around town but the airport is usually the best place to find the most extensive assortment of literature all in one place. TIP: Look through them quickly to see if there are good coupons and take two of those just in case you fall in love with a restaurant and/or find a really good deal and want to go back to the same restaurant again.

4. Have a picnic at the beach. Go to a grocery store and pick up some local foods and head for your favorite spot on the beach. You will save money while dining someplace that you cannot dine when you are at home.

5. Go to Costco. If you are visiting Maui and are a member of Costco, you can get stop off there on the way to your hotel. There is a Costco very close to the airport. Get some terrific Hawaiian pineapples to eat on your lanai. You can also get some muffins to eat for breakfast along with the Kona coffee you may be lucky enough to have in your hotel room. It makes a great continental breakfast that is low cost and convenient. Costco also has Hawaiian macadamia nuts that you can eat as snacks and/or give as gifts to friends when you return from your vacation.

6. Get an entertainment book. It sometimes pays to get an entertainment book if you will be visiting several islands. It contains coupons for restaurants and fast food. It also has coupons for activities and sightseeing. If you time it right and your vacation corresponds with when the entertainment book is about to expire, you might catch one of their specials such as $10 for any entertainment book. You can even "pay it forward" at the end of your vacation by giving the rest of the entertainment book to someone at your hotel who is just starting a vacation.