PenguinTraveller

Hi scottca075, I love trying new foods while travelling, so I will be taking note of your suggestions. Being of Chinese descent, I love char sui baos so I will be on the lookout for manapua now! I've noticed you have provided lots of tips and recommendations on various questions posted on this Hawaii board. You are a wealth of information which is greatly appreciated as we get closer to our September cruise to Hawaii. Take care and thanks again! Shari

Hi nikel, Oh right, I forgot to mention the lack of balcony/lanai. We did think about whether we wanted a balcony or not before finally deciding to book. The least expensive rooms offered a mountain or city view so we went with that since there are no balconies. If we miss having a balcony, then we'll know for the next time we visit Waikiki.

Hi scottca075, I admit we were getting overwhelmed with the number of hotels to look at and we decided to narrow our search by looking at boutique hotels. VIVE was mentioned on a few "best boutique hotels in Waikiki" lists and the price was more affordable than others that were mentioned. We liked what the VIVE offered with the exception of not having a pool. Since the VIVE is a short walk to the beach we decided a pool wasn't a necessary feature for us. I can't explain it, but even after checking out other hotels, we kept getting drawn back to the VIVE (maybe their website designer should get a bonus, LOL). I wouldn't be surprised if once we are in Waikiki we'll see many hotels we may want to check out if/when we return (such as the Park Shore Waikiki that you mentioned in an earlier post).

Hello, Fellow Canadians here, so we feel your pain when it comes to the exchange rate! For our post-cruise hotel in Waikiki, we booked the VIVE Hotel Waikiki. We have not stayed there before, but there were many good reviews on TripAdvisor. The few negative comments had to do with noise from the street (depending on location of your room) and the rooms being on the smaller size (no big deal for us after spending 11 nights in a small cabin, LOL). VIVE is a boutique hotel that is a short walk to the beach (per their website), offers a deluxe continental breakfast and free use of beach amenities such as towels, mats, chairs and umbrella. The daily resort fee is waived if you book directly through the hotel. Obviously, the rates are charged in US $, but the website allows you to choose Cdn $ to give you a better idea of the cost. There are various price options, including an AAA/CAA discount. https://www.vivehotelwaikiki.com/