The Hawaii Traveler

If you’re lucky enough to take a longer trip to the islands, or if you’re interested in saving a little cash during your trip (and who isn’t?), or you want to take advantage of the fact that your accommodations include a kitchen, you might find yourself with the urge to eat more than a few meals in, instead of at restaurants. This works great when you’re traveling with “keikis” (Hawaiian for children) who have no interest in fine dining, and who, what with the excitement and time change, have a tough time staying awake past 5:00 PM. (Frankly, I have that same last problem.)

Where to Shop?
The small, mom and pop shop groceries are hit-or-miss in terms of price and selection. The exception to this are the shops affiliated with the Hawaiian chain of stores known as Foodland/Sack n Save. These stores offer the Maika’i savings card that can end up saving you a bundle. Just ask for a Maika’i card at customer service or one of the registers, and those products marked with the Maika’i savings sign are marked down at checkout. I keep my Maika’i card in my wallet between trips, both so that I don’t forget to pack it, and because every time I dig my wallet out of my purse, I’m reminded of some of my best times ever.

If you have a Safeway Club Card, bring it along, too, as there are Safeway locations on the major islands: Kaua’i, Maui, Ouahu, and the Big Island. Visit the Safeway Web site for exact locations and directions.

There are COSTCO locations on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and now even Kaua’i, which, to some travelers seems counterintuitive, and frankly, not very Hawaiian. However, COSTCO isn’t just useful for those who need forty pounds of nutmeg and a set of steel belted radials. If you’re feeding a party of four or more, it makes a lot of sense to make one COSTCO run at the beginning of your stay, especially if you’re planning on making a trek to Hana, for instance, or some other far-out destination, where the retail grocery experience is limited, to say the least. Except for Oahu, which has more than one location, the warehouses are near the airport, which makes for a convenient stop, depending on how willing and able you are to shop after what may have been a long, hard flight.

If you’ve decided to wait until arriving to buy diapers for the little ones on-island instead of schlepping them along (and I don’t blame you) COSTCO is where the prices on such goods sting less. It’s my experience that you can buy enough frozen meats, bread, condiments, and fruits and veggies for the whole crew’s entire trip for less money than you will on a single meal from a convenience store or private supermarket–not that you won’t need to patronize whatever’s closest to you when you need it. If you’ve forgotten your swimsuit, want your own boogie board, or want to buy little beach buckets and shovels for the keikis, this is the most cost effective place. And It’s a good place to grab a slice of priced-right pizza to go, sit at one of the picnic tables out front, and plan your next sightseeing attack.

Conservation and Sharing, Even on Vacation
We’re not all professional meal planners, especially after a week or two of soaking up the aloha and turtle watching. It’s life; everyone has ended up with more food in the fridge than they could eat before the end of their stay. So if you’re on Oahu and find yourself with the dilemma of having a lot of food left over the day before you take off, Aloha Harvest gathers quality donated food and delivers it free of charge to social service agencies feeding the hungry on Oahu. If you’re staying at a resort with on-site concierge or management, ask them if they have a means to distribute your unused goods to those who can use them. The islands and it’s people will say “mahalo” for it.

Photo by flickr–The Consumerist

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