Okay, so you’ve got your heart set on a luxury Hawaii beach resort experience…and then you see the prices!! Yikes. 

I’ve got a few tricks for saving money on hotels in Hawaii…my #1 favorite way is “travel hacking.” I’ve been able to stay at some of the swankiest places in Hawaii for FREE by using credit card points. It’s not uncomplicated, but totally worth it (in my opinion). I’ve written a pretty comprehensive guide on my process for that here. 

How to Save Money on Hotels in Hawaii

But besides that, there are three big things I do to save money on hotels: 1) Split my stay, 2) Pick the best time of year, and 3) Pick the best specific dates. 

Let’s get into the details…

Split Your Stay

Most people that are traveling all the way to Hawaii, while wanting a beach vacation, also want to SEE Hawaii (totally different from places like Mexico where you’re mostly there to lounge). If this is you, I suggest splitting your trip and spending the first part of your trip at a more affordable place while you do the majority of your activities and exploring. Then move to a nice resort for the last part of your trip to spend a few days just relaxing and “being on vacation.” 

On one of my last trips to Maui, I went with a friend who had never been before so we planned to do a lot of things but we also wanted the big Maui resort experience. We spent the first three nights at an Airbnb on the north shore and did the Road to Hana, sunrise at Haleakala, the upcountry, the north shore, etc. and then moved to the Four Seasons for three nights and did…nothing. 

Just kidding but we really only stayed around the resort doing the beach, the pool, the spa, the tennis, the shopping, the eating. You know. We actually did an early morning snorkeling trip that picked up right near the resort too. You get the idea. It was the perfect trip. We got EVERYTHING we wanted from a Maui vacation and ended up saving a lot of money. 

So it’s not all or nothing when you pick a place to stay. 

Choose the Best Time of Year

Hawaii’s peak season is summer and the winter holidays. There’s really not an off season in Hawaii because the weather is pretty perfect year round and there’s so many international visitors, but the winter months (after the holidays) and the spring months are usually less than peak season. And the end of August (when the kids go back to school) up through the start of the holidays is slower as well. 

Now here’s my secret: the end of August through September is when you’ll find the absolute lowest resort prices of the year. People in the tourism industry call it “couples season” because family travel dries up considerably. Demand is down and prices reflect it. So if you’re dreaming of staying at a nice resort on the beach, but can’t quite stomach the prices you’re seeing during summer or peak winter months, have a look at mid August and September (even through October sometimes). 

Pick Your Dates Strategically

The price of any hotel can change pretty drastically throughout the month and even the week. While September is pretty much the cheapest you’ll find rates for any resort in Hawaii, there’s still a lot of variation within that month and at other times of the year. 

When you’re looking at a specific place, pull up the monthly price calendar where you can see the price for every single night (I do this in the Marriott Bonvoy app, in the sidebar of Google Search in the “Compare Prices” section, etc.)

The prices throughout the month can fluctuate a LOT so if you cherry pick the exact dates of your stay it may be the difference between being able to afford staying at that particular hotel or not. 

Why does the price fluctuate so much? It could be demand pricing meaning dates around holidays or peak travel times are more expensive or it could mean that standard rooms are all booked for certain nights and all that’s available is a suite. 

Remember: If the standard room category (aka the cheapest) is sold out for just one of the nights you’re searching for it’s going to bump you up to the next available category for the whole stay which usually means a significant amount of money.