After cruise hotel

[coopster]

Hi we will have 2 nights after our cruise looking for the best area to stay in and around. Not looking for low end. looking for 4 star or better. And is it recommended to get a car rental or just  uber? 

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, coopster said:

Hi we will have 2 nights after our cruise looking for the best area to stay in and around. Not looking for low end. looking for 4 star or better. And is it recommended to get a car rental or just  uber? 

Assuming you are talking about Honolulu. If so, just Uber. Rental cars in Hawaii are at a premium right now and parking costs in Honolulu and especially Waikiki are extremely high even in normal times. You won't need a car unless you plan to drive up to the North Shore or something like that. 

 

In terms of 4 star or better its tough to do better than Halekulani. Its expensive but very nice-- truly a 5 star hotel. It has extremely nice food and beverage options including a fantastic jazz lounge as well as the House Without a Key which has great Hawaiian music most nights complete with hula dancing. 

 

The Royal Hawaiian would be my 2nd choice-- it will be less expensive than Halekulani and is directly on the beach. This would be in the 4 star category. It oozes 1920s Hawaiian glamor and sort of transports you to a different time. The rooms in the tower provide club access but I actually prefer the rooms in the older main hotel building. 

[coopster]

5 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Assuming you are talking about Honolulu. If so, just Uber. Rental cars in Hawaii are at a premium right now and parking costs in Honolulu and especially Waikiki are extremely high even in normal times. You won't need a car unless you plan to drive up to the North Shore or something like that. 

 

In terms of 4 star or better its tough to do better than Halekulani. Its expensive but very nice-- truly a 5 star hotel. It has extremely nice food and beverage options including a fantastic jazz lounge as well as the House Without a Key which has great Hawaiian music most nights complete with hula dancing. 

 

The Royal Hawaiian would be my 2nd choice-- it will be less expensive than Halekulani and is directly on the beach. This would be in the 4 star category. It oozes 1920s Hawaiian glamor and sort of transports you to a different time. The rooms in the tower provide club access but I actually prefer the rooms in the older main hotel building. 

Yes Honolulu  is correct ty.

[nikel]

8 hours ago, coopster said:

Hi we will have 2 nights after our cruise looking for the best area to stay in and around. Not looking for low end. looking for 4 star or better. And is it recommended to get a car rental or just  uber? 

 

If you want really upscale, try Espacio, right on the ocean.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Halekulani is by far the best hotel on Oahu and in Waikiki. After that, in order I'd look at the Royal Hawaiian (prefer the Mailani Tower), Moana Surfrider (in the Surfrider Tower), Outrigger Reef, Outrigger Waikiki Beach, Hyatt Regency, Prince Waikiki and Kaimana Beach Hotel (if you are okay with no pool).

[princeton123211]

3 hours ago, scottca075 said:

After that, in order I'd look at the Royal Hawaiian (prefer the Mailani Tower)

This is admittedly nitpicking but I've always found the rooms in the main hotel to be much more atmospheric than the Mailani Tower. The free breakfast in the tower's lounge is nice as are some of the club floor perks and balconies, but overall the rooms in the tower feel very bland and generic. . The tower rooms are very white and the fittings don't seem like they are as high of quality as the decorations in the main hotel. The rooms in the main hotel even feel a bit more spacious with the much higher ceilings (although a good majority of the rooms at this hotel, in the original building or the tower, are quite small). 

 

We've stayed in the tower once and haven't been back. Would rather book a suite in the main hotel for similar $$ than a tower room. Just my two cents. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

3 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

This is admittedly nitpicking but I've always found the rooms in the main hotel to be much more atmospheric than the Mailani Tower. The free breakfast in the tower's lounge is nice as are some of the club floor perks and balconies, but overall the rooms in the tower feel very bland and generic. . The tower rooms are very white and the fittings don't seem like they are as high of quality as the decorations in the main hotel. The rooms in the main hotel even feel a bit more spacious with the much higher ceilings (although a good majority of the rooms at this hotel, in the original building or the tower, are quite small). 

 

There are many tiny rooms in the Historic Wing. About the only way I'd stay in the Historic Wing now is in an Historic Garden Suite.

 

3 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

We've stayed in the tower once and haven't been back. Would rather book a suite in the main hotel for similar $$ than a tower room. Just my two cents. 

 

When was the last time you stayed in the Mailani Tower? The last refurb was a significant improvement I think.

 

I remember when the tower was built and it was mainly to house airline crews. It was quite basic back then.

[princeton123211]

On 7/23/2021 at 4:46 PM, scottca075 said:

There are many tiny rooms in the Historic Wing. About the only way I'd stay in the Historic Wing now is in an Historic Garden Suite.

Agree on both points-- I was more saying that overall the rooms at the resort, whether in the Mailani Tower or the historic building, are generally on the smaller side. 

 

On 7/23/2021 at 4:46 PM, scottca075 said:

When was the last time you stayed in the Mailani Tower? The last refurb was a significant improvement I think.

It must have been in January of 2019 now-- feels like forever ago. When we visit family in Maui we used to fly Hawaiian from JFK nonstop to/from Honolulu and we would make a 2 night mini vacation on Waikiki on the way home. This year past year we flew direct Maui from Seattle when we went in Oct and January so haven't been back to Honolulu in a while. 

 

We had gotten a complimentary upgrade to the Mailani Tower through American Express. Impressions when we got to the room was that it was small, it seemed very generic with predominantly white walls, and the bathroom (tub/shower combo) wasn't as nice as the ones in the historic hotel that have been renovated to just have a glass shower. We called down and were moved to a full Garden Suite which was very nice. They still allowed us to access the Mailani lounge. The biggest downside really was the loss of the lanai but it was made up for with a ton more space with the living room and enormous closets. 

 

Like I said-- its a very nice place and this is nitpicking-- but you had asked so thats the background. I would still recommend to the OP to check out Halekulani if their budget allows. 

[Ashland]

Stay in an ocean front room at the Outrigger Waikiki...It's a great location and upscale enough for two nights. Taxi or Uber to get to hotel. Easy to walk around this area once you check in or the city bus works great.

[coopster]

thank you all for your recommendations 

 

[jennybenny]

@coopster,I agree with @Ashland. The Outrigger Waikiki is a great location. Nice beach and chairs you can rent there. The kids love playing in the ocean, I spend my time at the pool and we enjoy Dukes right there. We walk or Uber wherever we need from there.

[Casshew]

Question about the chairs...  the loungers on the property (pool or elsewhere)  they are free, right?   Just the beach is for rentals?

 

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

7 hours ago, Casshew said:

Question about the chairs...  the loungers on the property (pool or elsewhere)  they are free, right?   Just the beach is for rentals?

 

At which hotel?

 

PS, for the OP, Halekulani has reopened. It is the best hotel on Oahu, prices to match.