Oahu on the super cheap..

I am stopping in HNL from 7/18-20 and right now my plan is to go up to the north shore and just rent a board and sleep in my car or a hostel or camp for a few days, soak up some rays, and then come back to the mainland.

I'm coming back from ICN (Korea) and won't be able to lug a lot of stuff like a tent with me - any suggestions? On hostelworld.com I only saw one cheap place in Haliewa (which looked awesome - $30/night), but it was a 3 night min stay and I only need two nights. (Any others???) Is there anywhere I can rent camping equipment on Oahu? Or should I just pony up the $90 for the hostel? Any issues with just sleeping in my rental car by night and surfing and beach bumming it by day? Think I can pick up a cheapo $30 tent in Malwart or CostCo and just ditch it or hand it off to an FTer when I leave?

Sorry if these seem like lazy, cheap, unresearched questions, but everything I see for good deals on accomodations, etc is near Waikiki and I don't want to be down near all that hustle and bustle. And since I'm blowing most of my moola in Korea, I won't have a ton to spend for the short stop in Oahu.

I'd appreciate any tips! I can repay you for them with stories of misadventures of my idiocy upon my return.

peace,
~Ben~

I'll give you credit if you sleep in your car overnight--just make sure to find a safe place as there are occasionally rental car break-ins. You'll also likely find the surf to be on the South Shore during that time of year. The winter is when the waves pick up on the North Shore--so don't be too disappointed if the waves are flat to a foot or two.

Not the expert on hostels, but I do know that there's a large concentration of them in Waikiki. If you do end up staying in a hotel and still want to be on the North Shore, the Turtle Bay Resort is something you might look into. Also, camping at designated beach parks overnight requires a permit. More info on that here.

You can usually Priceline a 3* in Waikiki like the Radisson Prince Kuhio for around $55 per night. Will that fit your budget?

Right - need a permit, but camping is free AFAIK at a lot of places. Thanks for the link!

I think that the Turtle Bay Resort will be out of my price range for this lil stopover since I'm not trying to make a real vacation out of it, but just want to bum around for a few days before heading back to work on the mainland. Thanks for the heads up about the North Shore surf that time of year. I still don't think I want to end up around the crowds of Waikiki, so maybe I'll check out Makaha or something - good waves there in July? I'm an amateur surfer at best and just want to have some fun on the cheap for a few days and get away from it all. Sounds like camping is the way to go if I don't want to be in Waikiki or spend more than $40 a night.

I would really hope that, haole or not, some ice-head wouldn't smash my window for something while I'm sleeping *in* the car!

peace,
~Ben~

They will smash in your window, occupied or not, haole or not. The beaches and "campgrounds" on the Waianae are completely overrun with ice dealers and homeless, chances are you'll see dealing even in the middle of the day. If you park your car unattended during the day, even at a popular beach, you have at least a 10% chance that it will be broken into. If you park it there at night, that percentage approaches 100%, even if you're in it. I agree with the Priceline idea, you can get a good room at a pretty good hotel (the Radisson) for $55, and you'll pay way more then the $110 for 2 nights at the Radisson when you have to pay the insurance deductable for the punched out lock or broken windows on your rental car.

I agree...check biddingfortravel.com and there are plenty of basic hotel winning bids around Waikiki in the 40-50/night range - much cheaper and safer than the camping route. Spending time in Hawaii is all about relaxation - not worrying about a brick flying through your car window while you sleep.

Or if you're super cheap, try the Shower Tree Mini-Hotel. A room will cost you $32 per night and it's within a mile of the airport (right next to the Alamo car rental lot). I can't vouch for the quality or spaciousness of the rooms, but I have used the Shower Tree twice to take a shower before redeye returns to the mainland and the showers were very clean.

"Salve! Classis proletarium frugalis est?! Hui.. Adsessum. Caesar si viveret, ad remum daresis. Die dulci fruere."

Have a great time in Hawaii. Try some spam sushi from a 7/11 store, think it would be better to have some type of room instead of a car for sleeping. I did Bed and breakfast once on 3 of the islands - very nice why don't you see what might be available on the North Shore.

Forgot almost all of my high school Latin - can you give us a translation?

"Hello! You're back in economy class?! Well, take your seat... If Caesar were alive, you'd be chained to an oar. Have a nice day."

peace,
~Ben~

Not sure what the name of the hostel was in Haleiwa with the 3 night min. but I found this one- http://www.backpackers-hawaii.com/ and it looks pretty good. I can't vouch for it personally because we're lucky enough to have 'family' on Oahu who we can mooch off Slippahs is right about the surf though, however the North Shore is a very relaxing place to get away from it all and especially quiet during the summer. Enjoy!