Hawaii's 10 best cheap hotels

These hotel rooms across the Hawaiian Islands are comparatively inexpensive, but still provide safe, comfortable accommodations. These choices will go easy on your wallet, freeing up your dollars for more important expenditures, like luaus and helicopter rides over volcanoes. Some even offer ocean views, while others free breakfast. Here are the top 10 cheap hotels in Hawaii.

OAHU

Best Western The Plaza Hotel
3253 North Nimitz Hwy.
Honolulu, Oahu HI 96819
808-836-3636

Located less than a mile from the Honolulu International Airport, this hotel offers a smoke-free setting, many amenities and a friendly staff. The hotel encompasses a main tower with twelve floors and more than 274 rooms. Each room has one or two beds, air-conditioning, color cable TV, microwave and refrigerator; local phone calls are free, as is high-speed Internet access. Some pet-friendly rooms are available. Read a complete hotel review of Best Western The Plaza Hotel.

Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach
400 Royal Hawaiian Ave.
Honolulu, Oahu HI 96815
808-954-4000

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This smoke-free property features 307 guest rooms and 94 one-bedroom suites, all equipped with flat-screen TVs, high-speed Internet, refrigerators and coffee makers with complimentary coffee. Wi-Fi Internet access is available in public areas. When you're not hanging out on nearby Waikiki Beach, you can enjoy the pool deck with two swimming pools, fitness center or spa. On-site Spada Bar & Restaurant offers casual Italian fare and is open for breakfast and dinner with outdoor patio seating. Additional guest amenities include a business center and an entertainment room with a 65-inch flat-screen TV and two Xbox game stations.

MAUI

Aston Maui Lu
575 S. Kihei Rd.
Kihei, Maui HI 96753
808-879-5881, 877-997-6667

This is one of the oldest resorts on Maui's south shore. Founded in 1958 by Canadian Gordon Gibson and named after the yacht he sailed across the Pacific, it was for years a favorite with long-stay guests escaping the cold during the winter months. There have been recent room renovations, the grounds are tropically landscaped and the staff friendly. The swimming pool, shaped like the island of Maui, is a whimsical touch; the property's coconut grove is said to be the oldest on the island. If you're looking for a real bargain, this is it. Ask for the oceanfront rooms located across the street, if you want something totally private with a smashing ocean view. The property also offers free parking and tennis, and many rooms come with refrigerators.

Napili Village
5425 Lower Honoapiilani Rd.
Lahaina, Maui HI 96761
808-669-6228, 800-336-2185

Nestled among the numerous vacation rentals in and around popular Napili Bay, this budget-oriented property attracts long-term visitors (typically from Canada or Europe) interested in reasonable prices and simple amenities. Napili Village is not hard to locate near tree-lined Lower Honoapiilani, and it is walking distance to the beach and shopping. Restaurants and recreation are easily found in nearby Honokowai and Kapalua. Read a complete hotel review of Napili Village

BIG ISLAND

Manago Hotel
82-6155 Mamalahoa Hwy.
Captain Cook, Hawaii HI 96704
808-323-3451

More than just a budget inn, this property is a landmark and continues to offer simple, affordable accommodations to island visitors and residents. Located in Captain Cook with views of the ocean and the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, this charming property seems to have been plucked from a side street in small town Japan. A wing was added in the 1970s, bringing the room total to 64. Rooms have simple furnishings and either private or shared baths. The tatami room offers a traditional setting and serves as a gathering place for locals. The restaurant is also a gem, providing breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is a collection of simple and authentic regional dishes with Japanese flair. Locals in the know drive miles for the inn's famous pork chops.

My Island Bed & Breakfast Inn
P.O. Box 100, Old Volcano Rd.
Volcano, Hawaii HI 96785
808-967-7216, 808-967-7110

Located in an upland forested area about 45 minutes from the Hilo Airport at the edge of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the village of Volcano, this property offers six simple bed-and-breakfast rooms. Three rooms with shared baths are in a late nineteenth-century, missionary-style home surrounded by botanical gardens and a lush, fern-filled jungle. The other three rooms are garden units with private baths and entrances. There's also a collection of private houses, which are ideal for families, located both on and off the seven-acre grounds. The all-cedar Sauna House is a relaxing hideaway with a fireplace and sauna room. The Forest House stands in a native ohia forest and has a wood-burning fireplace, a full kitchen, a library and a washer/dryer. This lodging is known for its more-than-you-can-eat breakfasts.

Naniloa Volcanoes Resort
93 Banyan Dr.
Hilo, Hawaii HI 96720
808-969-3333

This 315-room, no-smoking resort, located on the water along scenic Banyan Drive on Hilo Bay, greets visitors with a large airy lobby done in a bright pastel color scheme. Just three miles from Hilo Airport and a 45-minute drive from the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, this property is a favorite of inter-island business travelers, as well as tourists on affordable overnight visits to the volcano. Amenities include a good-size swimming pool, 24-hour guest services desk and complimentary airport shuttle. Paradise Spa offers oceanfront exercise facilities and a whirlpool, cold plunge pool, sauna and steam room. There are two restaurants on the property, Sandalwood and the Polynesian Room. Ask for a room above the fourth floor to get the best location overlooking the bay. Complimentary hi-speed Internet access is offered in guest rooms and Wi-Fi access in public areas.

Shirakawa Motel
956040 Mamalohoa Hwy.
Naalehu, Hawaii HI 96772
808-929-7462

Located about 90 minutes from either the Hilo or the Keahole-Kona Airport, this motel is casual, plain and far from beaches, shopping and activities. It's for the more adventuresome traveler, who would like to experience the true aloha spirit of an earlier time in a plantation-era village. Mrs. Shirakawa rents out twelve rooms in a building next to her house. Most rooms share the bathroom at the end of the hall. A few have kitchenettes. Read a complete hotel review of Shirakawa Motel

MOLOKAI

Aqua Hotel Molokai
P.O. Box 1020
Kaunakakai, Molokai HI 96748
808-553-5347, 800-535-0085

This is a popular spot for visiting neighbor-island residents, and it takes a certain type of tourist to really enjoy the unique charm of Molokai. There are no swanky restaurants, no freeway on-ramps and no hip bars and clubs. The town of Kaunakakai is small and simple with lots of island charm. Hotel Molokai is located along the shore just two miles outside Kaunakakai. Views of Lanai and winter migratory humpback whales are delightful in this almost always sunny location.

The 53-room property is a complex of wooden, Polynesian-style A-frame buildings standing dramatically at the edge of the ocean. Although the rooms are fairly modernized with telephones and cable TV, the grounds retain their early twentieth-century, shaded-and-dreamy tranquility. All units have private lanais, and some have kitchens. Complementing the experience of this budget hotel is the Hula Shores Restaurant and Bar which is just about the only entertainment spot on Molokai. The on-site activities desk can help arrange everything from unforgettable mule rides, waterfall hikes and more.

KAUAI

Kauai Sands Hotel
420 Papaloa Rd.
Kapaa, Kauai HI 96746
808-822-4951, 800-560-5553

For those on a budget, this simple hotel is located on six landscaped acres near the Coconut Plantation Marketplace, six miles from the airport and the capital town of Lihue. All of the 200 rooms have mini-refrigerators, air-conditioning, cable TV and balconies. Some have partial ocean views or kitchenettes. The hotel offers basic, convenient accommodations, particularly for travelers more interested in actively exploring Kauai than lazing around a resort pool. It's also one of the state's few hotels owned and operated by Hawaiians.