Hawaii Anniversary Ideas: From Budget to Bucket List
Part of our date ideas by island hub and dating in Hawaiʻi guide.
Photo: Waikiki Sunset (2874917167) by Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Short answer: the best Hawaiʻi anniversaries match the plan to the person, not the price. Below are ideas in three budgets: free, mid-range and bucket list. Several have kamaʻāina (resident) perks that make them cheaper for people who live here. Hours, fees and rules come from each operator's own website. Check them again before you book.
Free and low-cost ($0–$100)
Sunrise on Lēʻahi (Diamond Head). According to Hawaiʻi State Parks, Hawaiʻi residents get in free with a Hawaiʻi ID or driver's license. Non-residents need a reservation and pay $5 per person plus $10 per vehicle. The monument is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with last entry at 4:30 p.m. The 0.8-mile summit trail is steep, climbing 560 feet from the crater floor, and passes through a lighted 225-foot tunnel to a fire-control station completed in 1911.
A lighthouse walk. The Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail is a paved 2-mile round trip that climbs to about 500 feet, with no entrance fee. There's no water or restrooms, so pack both. Humpback whale season runs November through May, peaking January through March, so a winter anniversary might come with whales.
A royal afternoon. On Kamaʻāina Sundays, once a month, ʻIolani Palace offers free self-led audio tour tickets to Hawaiʻi residents. Tours run Tuesday through Saturday the rest of the time, and reservations are highly recommended.
A market-to-kitchen date. Buy ingredients at a farmers market, then cook something together you've never made. Or recreate your first date. It costs nothing extra and means more than most dinners out.
Single in Hawaiʻi? Free to join, no card needed.
Mid-range ($100–$500)
Dinner somewhere you've been saving. Our restaurant guides cover Honolulu, Maui, Kauaʻi and the Big Island. On the Kohala Coast, Brown's Beach House at the Fairmont Orchid serves oceanfront dinners daily from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with live entertainment.
Snorkel Hanauma Bay together. Hawaiʻi residents with valid photo ID get into Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve free and without a reservation during public hours, according to the City and County of Honolulu. Every visitor watches the preserve's educational video on each visit. It's closed Christmas and New Year's Day. Add a snorkel rental and lunch and you're in the mid-range.
A night away on your own island. Stay at a small inn on a part of the island you rarely visit. Our boutique hotels guide and romantic hotels guide have options.
Bucket list ($500+)
Sunset and stars on Maunakea. Mauna Kea Summit Adventures, which has run tours since 1983, lists its sunset and stargazing tour from $330 per person, before taxes and booking fees. The tour lasts 7.5–8.5 hours, is for ages 13 and up, and includes hooded parkas, a hot supper and a ride in a 4×4 van. If you drive yourself, the Center for Maunakea Stewardship says to stop first at the Visitor Information Station. The summit road is 4×4 only, and summit hours run from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Respect the mountain's cultural significance as well as its altitude.
An inter-island weekend. Book a special hotel on another island, such as the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, the Four Seasons Maui or the Hāna-Maui Resort. Our inter-island travel guide and Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi weekend guide help with the planning.
Make it personal
- Return to where you met or had your first date, and bring something from that day.
- Write each other a short letter to read at sunset. Our sunset spots guide can help you pick the place.
- Try something new to both of you, like a trail, an island or a dish, so the day becomes its own memory.
More ideas by island: date ideas by island · Oʻahu · Maui · Hawaiʻi Island · Kauaʻi.
Planning checklist
- Two weeks out: book anything that needs a reservation, like a dinner table, a tour or a hotel night. Non-resident guests need Diamond Head and Hanauma reservations too.
- One week out: check the weather pattern and the park-notice pages, and have a rainy-day backup. Our rainy-day date ideas help here.
- The day before: pack water, sunscreen, a light jacket for upcountry or the summit, your Hawaiʻi ID, and a card for card-only parks.
- On the day: put your phones away for at least one part of the plan. That's usually the part you'll remember.
FAQ
What's a free anniversary idea in Hawaiʻi? A sunrise hike up Lēʻahi (Diamond Head), free for residents with a Hawaiʻi ID, or the free Makapuʻu Lighthouse Trail in whale season (November–May).
How much is a Maunakea stargazing tour? Mauna Kea Summit Adventures lists its sunset and stargazing tour from $330 per person, before taxes and booking fees. It's for ages 13 and up.
Thinking of a lei for the day? Our lei etiquette guide covers how to give one and what to do with it after.