We are going on our first family vacation where we are not visiting family or friends. I have been wanting to go to Hawaii since high school graduation, which was eons ago! We're going in April and I am soooo excited!!!! 
DH, DD, and I are going to two islands: Oahu for two nights (3 days) + Kauai for a week. We're staying in a hotel room in Oahu with a mini fridge. We're staying in a condo on Kauai with a full kitchen.
We found great rates for those accommodations and now we're brainstorming ways to keep the food costs reasonable. DH's birthday will be while we are there and we have a gift card to one of his favorite restaurants. They have one on Oahu, so that'll be dinner one night.
We have a travel rewards Visa and we have enough points for a free $50 or $75 Visa Gift Card. I need to check on that and order it soon. That can cover the other dinner on Oahu.
What types of food do you buy for hotel rooms for breakfasts? Hearty enough to last until lunch, but no heat required. Also, we only need enough for two mornings on Oahu. We'll be flying between the islands and cannot bring drinks or messy or refrigeration-required food (flight times are short, but check-out & check-in is another matter). Dry, easy food could travel with us between the islands.
What kind of meal plan would you create for a week in a condo where you do not know EXACTLY what pots/pans/baking equipment/spices/etc will be available prior to arrival? We're looking for some ideas. We discussed pasta and red sauce as an idea. We usually cook from scratch, but will go with more store-bought items to keep the costs and time lower. Purchasing flour and spices and such for only a week doesn't seem frugal in the long run. We could bring some spices from home, though, but don't have a plan at the moment. We'd like to keep the number of ingredients to a minimum, but not have the exact same meal more than twice. There is a Costco on Kauai and we are members, but we're not sure those quantities would be appropriate.
We don't have any dietary restrictions other than I am allergic to ginger and cilantro.
Thanks for any tips!
DH, DD, and I are going to two islands: Oahu for two nights (3 days) + Kauai for a week. We're staying in a hotel room in Oahu with a mini fridge. We're staying in a condo on Kauai with a full kitchen.
We found great rates for those accommodations and now we're brainstorming ways to keep the food costs reasonable. DH's birthday will be while we are there and we have a gift card to one of his favorite restaurants. They have one on Oahu, so that'll be dinner one night.
We have a travel rewards Visa and we have enough points for a free $50 or $75 Visa Gift Card. I need to check on that and order it soon. That can cover the other dinner on Oahu.
What types of food do you buy for hotel rooms for breakfasts? Hearty enough to last until lunch, but no heat required. Also, we only need enough for two mornings on Oahu. We'll be flying between the islands and cannot bring drinks or messy or refrigeration-required food (flight times are short, but check-out & check-in is another matter). Dry, easy food could travel with us between the islands.
What kind of meal plan would you create for a week in a condo where you do not know EXACTLY what pots/pans/baking equipment/spices/etc will be available prior to arrival? We're looking for some ideas. We discussed pasta and red sauce as an idea. We usually cook from scratch, but will go with more store-bought items to keep the costs and time lower. Purchasing flour and spices and such for only a week doesn't seem frugal in the long run. We could bring some spices from home, though, but don't have a plan at the moment. We'd like to keep the number of ingredients to a minimum, but not have the exact same meal more than twice. There is a Costco on Kauai and we are members, but we're not sure those quantities would be appropriate.
We don't have any dietary restrictions other than I am allergic to ginger and cilantro.
Thanks for any tips!
I can start with a whole chicken and create a handful of meals: roasted chicken with veggies and salad; chicken enchiladas; chicken pot pie; and a variety of soups (plus extra bone broth for the freezer). That is a lot of variety and works well at home where we have most of the basic ingredients and receive the fresh produce in our CSA. My pot pies and soups are never the same twice since I use whatever produce we have. I don't know how to translate that to a one-week stay in a condo where we need to reduce variety for frugality (waste and financial). Got any tips for that specific idea? Any tips for a different theme of the same premise?
