About Cheap Hawaiian — The Ohana Behind Your Hawaii Adventure

Everything starts with Jeff. A former resident of Lahaina, Maui, Jeff Gitlin has spent more than 25 years working in Hawaii’s tourism and entertainment industry. He didn’t come to Hawaii as a tourist — he came to build a life.

Over two and a half decades, Jeff produced live shows across the Hawaiian islands, the kind of experiences that bring Hawaiian culture to life for visitors from around the world. He taught lei making, led hula dancing workshops, conducted torch lighting ceremonies, hosted star tours under the dark Hawaiian skies, and shared the rich history of the islands with thousands of guests. He learned from the land, from the people, and from the culture — and that deep, firsthand experience informs every recommendation we make.

Jeff saw an opportunity to use his years of connections and insider knowledge to help travelers get better deals on the tours and activities he knew so well. That’s how Cheap Hawaiian was born — not in a boardroom, but from a genuine love for the islands and a desire to share them with everyone.

Our Co-Founder: Craig Halye

Jeff’s vision needed a world-class marketing partner, and he found one in Craig Halye. With over 35 years of experience in marketing and brand strategy, Craig brings the business acumen and strategic thinking that has helped Cheap Hawaiian grow from a small startup to a trusted name in Hawaii travel. Together, Jeff and Craig built a company that combines deep local knowledge with smart, traveler-focused service.

Our Team

We’re a team of under 10 — and we like it that way. Every person on our team shares a genuine passion for Hawaii, its culture, its music, and its people. We’re not a call center. When you reach out to us, you’re talking to someone who cares about making your trip extraordinary.

We speak English, and we speak aloha.

What We Do

Cheap Hawaiian sells tours and activities across all four major Hawaiian islands. We work with a carefully vetted network of trusted local tour operators to bring you the best experiences at discounted prices. Whether you’re looking for a snorkeling cruise on Oahu, a volcano hike on the Big Island, a helicopter tour over Kauai’s Na Pali Coast, or a sunset luau on Maui, we’ve got it — and we’ve got it for less.

We also build custom vacation packages for groups of all sizes, from intimate couples’ getaways to corporate retreats and family reunions with 400+ guests. We handle the logistics — hotel pickup, airport transfers, island-hopping coordination, tour scheduling — so you can focus on making memories.

Our Values

We’re an ohana, and we operate like one. We believe everyone deserves to experience the magic of Hawaii. We believe in honesty, transparency, and treating every guest the way we’d treat a family member visiting the islands for the first time. We believe the best travel experiences come from local knowledge, not algorithms. And we believe that “cheap” doesn’t mean cutting corners — it means using our 25 years of relationships to get you the best possible price on experiences that are genuinely worth your time.

Mahalo for trusting us with your Hawaii adventure. We can’t wait to help you plan it.

— Jeff, Craig, and the Cheap Hawaiian Ohana