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Waikiki

jerseyjk

By jerseyjk,
in Hawaii

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jerseyjk

jerseyjk

Posted
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We're flying Saturday evening for our POAl Sunday departure. I had planned on simply kicking back on Waikiki for the morning and then wandering over to the ship some time after lunch.

 

I've heard from a few friends that Waikiki is way touristy and too crowded. My question of the Hawaii gurus is whether I could spend half a day relaxing on Waikiki to shake off any lingering jet-lag or is it a place to avoid at all cost? I should mention I'm not looking for a secluded beach all to myself (I deal with the northeast coast beaches all summer so I know about crowded beaches) but is it really really crowded?

 

The secluded beaches can wait for some of our port stops. ;)

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npeters

npeters

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Waikiki beach can get very crowded, but you'll be able to find space, especially on a Sunday morning. I wouldn't worry about it. The beach areas that get really crowded are in front of the hotels and bars, but walk a few yards and you'll sure to find lots of space.

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Merry_Sea_Witch

Merry_Sea_Witch

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I can't imagine NOT going to Waikiki when visiting Honolulu. It's a favorite place of ours. Shouldn't be too crowded on April l. Go for it!

 

I agree - Waikiki is part of the Honolulu experience. Would you go to NYC and miss Times Square or Miami and miss South Beach?:D Besides Waikiki is not allways packed with bodies espcially if you go early in the morning. Like the other poster said just avoid the parts in front of the bars, you can allways find a little nook and cranny to relax. I have a little beach area to the Sheraton side of Halekulani (take the walkway across from Waikiki Parc) where I can allways find a spot to relax part in the sun and part in the shade. OOPS now every body knows!!!!:eek: On 2nd thought you can take a nice walk all along the beach from Hilton Hawaiian east past the zoo and there will be some place to park your self!:)

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GreytRacer

GreytRacer

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This webcam has a great picture of the beach.

http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/cameras/waikiki_beach/waikiki.htm

 

If you right click on the image, you can click on zoom for a larger picture by clicking on full screen.

 

 

Thanks for this link! Now I go and check what's happening in Waikiki three times a day. It's my way of dealing with 0 degrees!

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FutureDRWorldTraveller

FutureDRWorldTraveller

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I spent 10 days in Hawaii (all on Oahu) last summer with a local.

 

AVOID WAIKIKI! It is a NIGHTMARE. Best bet is asking a taxi driver to take you to Kailua Beach. It is more local with a beautiful view of some islands, There aren't beach chairs but bring a towel and enjoy!

 

My friend and I went down to Waikiki for maybe 3 hours. We did enjoy the Aqaurium (not very expensive and has an audio tour included) and ate lunch at the Cheesecake factory.

 

My favorite place in the summer was the North Shore- loved Waimea Bay! It is VERY still in the summer and has a big rock you can jump off!

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KikiKruiser

KikiKruiser

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I spent 10 days in Hawaii (all on Oahu) last summer with a local.

 

AVOID WAIKIKI! It is a NIGHTMARE. Best bet is asking a taxi driver to take you to Kailua Beach. It is more local with a beautiful view of some islands, There aren't beach chairs but bring a towel and enjoy!

 

My favorite place in the summer was the North Shore- loved Waimea Bay! It is VERY still in the summer and has a big rock you can jump off!

 

Sorry to disagree but.......I am from Hawaii and it pains me to think a firsttime visitor to my home would be told to miss part of what makes Honolulu and O'ahu so unique. Good or bad, crowded or not, Waikiki is a part of the island that helped make Hawaii so famous. Sure its overbuilt and sure there are too many tourists but Waikiki is the most famous beach in the world, thats why all those people are there! Like I said before, I dont think a New Yorker would tell a visitor to avoid Times Square, or a Florida native telling someone to avoid South Beach (both can be much more nightmarish if you hit them at the right times:eek: ). Just dont go to Waikiki when the most crowds are, go early in the morning for example and at least experience for a little bit. Take the free cultural walk and learn the history of Waikiki. Then go to the other beaches around the island for the "outer island" feeling.

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beachchick

beachchick

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We love Kailua Beach. It's an absolute favorite for swimming and relaxing. But IMO it is not worth the taxi cost (it's easily 15 miles o/w from Honolulu) or the effort (unless you have a rental car) when you've got only one day on Oahu.

 

I disagree that Waikiki Beach is a nightmare. We stayed there the week before Christmas and had a great time. We would not do so again, but that's partly because we prefer to stay out of the hustle and bustle and just visit Waikiki for a day or evening. And it was extremely crowded by the Christmas weekend--especially because we were at the Royal Hawaiian and the two football teams (Go Bows!) playing in the bowl game were staying at the RH and the Sheraton Waikiki (next door). If you're not there during peak times, it's likely to be well populated, but not wall to wall. Even if it is crowded, the water is warm and usually very calm, and the people watching is great.

 

(I visit to Oahu just wouldn't be the same without a mai tai at the RH Mai Tai Bar or Duke's, or both.)

 

beachchick

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npeters

npeters

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As another transplanted local, Waikiki is NOT a nightmare! While Kailua is a very beautiful beach, that's all you're going to get there as it is in a very residential area. I find Waikiki a lot of fun and go there even though I'm a local. In fact, my favorite beach is on the far end of Waikiki, Kaimana (some know it at Sans Souci) Beach. Great for people watching. I also go to Ala Moana beach, another local favorite, but for a first-timer, I would never miss Waikiki. If you look past all the tourists and kitchy stores, the beach and view of Diamond Head are unforgettable. Also, the Moana (the rocking chairs on the lobby verandah) and Royal Hawaiian hotels (old Hawaii glam) are great to walk through.

 

Kailua is very far from town (in fact, when I lived in Honolulu, we only went to Kailua beach occasionally as the beaches in town were closer and provided more than just "going to the beach") so unless you have a car or want to spend big bucks on a taxi, save it for another trip when you have more time to do a "circle island" tour.

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FutureDRWorldTraveller

FutureDRWorldTraveller

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Sorry to disagree but.......I am from Hawaii and it pains me to think a firsttime visitor to my home would be told to miss part of what makes Honolulu and O'ahu so unique. Good or bad, crowded or not, Waikiki is a part of the island that helped make Hawaii so famous. Sure its overbuilt and sure there are too many tourists but Waikiki is the most famous beach in the world, thats why all those people are there! Like I said before, I dont think a New Yorker would tell a visitor to avoid Times Square, or a Florida native telling someone to avoid South Beach (both can be much more nightmarish if you hit them at the right times:eek: ). Just dont go to Waikiki when the most crowds are, go early in the morning for example and at least experience for a little bit. Take the free cultural walk and learn the history of Waikiki. Then go to the other beaches around the island for the "outer island" feeling.

 

I didn't miss it I spent half a day down there. Ate lunch at Cheesecake factory, went to the aquarium and looked at then looked at Waikiki. It was just too crowded for me. We did go by at 1pm so maybe it was more crowded that in the morning but I went to Kailua, Waimea, Sunset, and White Plains and had much more fun at each of those!

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Brownies52

Brownies52

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Another place you can check out web cams on Waikiki beach are the Sheraton Hotels. They each have web cams that you can control and see behind the hotels including the pools, patios, and beaches. You may have to wait your turn at the controls, but most everyone such looks around at the sites.

Another way to escape to Hawaii. http://www.seehawaiilive.com/ms-cam.cfm

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