Honolulu hotels-where to stay?

[babyjmomma]

Hello--looking at cruising from Honolulu next fall, looking for ideas for pre and post cruise hotels ... any suggestions? I know I could let the cruiseline handle it, but it seems like you normally get a better deal doing it on your own, with that and flight too...

Any help is appreciated!

[judyf]

Check otu hotels.com and see what they offer and and at what prices and then go from there. I booked with them and was very happy with what we got at the price we paid.

[Lionesss]

I have been in Hawaii 7 times, never on a cruise, but just traveling.

Besides looking for value you might want to consider two things, location or quiet.

If you want to be within walking distance of the most things to do then stay at the Hilton Hawaiin (SP)

the beach, shopping and night life is close at hand.

If you want to rest and just do the beach, stay by a resort by the zoo. We stayed at the holiday inn. The bus was a quick cheap ride.

Oahu is a long strip of activites, and really no matter were you stay you will have a good time.

It is weird here though I could never get used to the sun setting so early because the islands are at the beginning of the time zone.

Good luck

[Lionesss]

I guess i should have proofed before I submitted

It is Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Sorry

[ama-sam]

Before our cruise we stayed at the Embassy Suites. We are Hilton credit card holders and used our bonus points, which got us two free nights. The location was not on the beach, but only a short walk away. It was on the Beach Walk with lots of shopping and food choices.

Our room was clean, and well appointed - with a microwave & mini fridge in the entry; a dining room table, living room (with balcony), separate bedroom, also with a balcony and a roomy bathroom. Plus the pool (there was a view of the Pacific) was lovely and the staff were always helpful when we had questions.

Two bonus reasons to recommend this hotel:

• free made to order breakfast daily
  
• free managers special each evening (free drinks, including alcohol, and snacks)

[rho88]

I agree with the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Very nice place and close to everything. OMG i want to go back...

[beachchick]

While I agree that the Hilton Hawaiian Village is an excellent choice, it is not IMO within walking distance of "most things to do." It's within walking distance of several things in Waikiki and, of course, all of Waikiki beach. It is not within walking distance of many of the primary tourist attractions (such as Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, Chinatown, Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, etc.).

 

babyjmomma: This is a frequent question, and there are several long threads devoted specifically to the subject of where to stay in Waikiki. May I suggest that you try an advanced search on this forum only for "waikiki hotel" and "honolulu hotel" (you could also try "oahu hotel," but I don't think that will get you as many helpful threads). Go back only about 3 months to start and then 6 months or further if necessary. Don't use the "plain" search on the "Search this Forum" option, but choose the "Advanced" option because the plain search goes back forever and often results in the white screen of doom.

 

beachchick

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Another vote for the hilton hawaiian village here! I love it.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

We have stayed at the HHV several times and love it. We are trying the Embassy this trip for most of the reasons given above. The HHV is at the far or Ewa end of Waikiki. It is very nice, but check their website on the status of ongoing construction of a new tower. If you stay there, you will be about a long two blocks from the best breakfasts in the world at Eggs'NThings. We espcially enjoyed gathering at the HHV Tapa bar to listen to music by Dennis Ah Yek. Good advice to do a search here, as some of the hotels in Waikiki look much better in their web site photos than they do up close! In any case, enjoy. Aloha.

[Oakview]

We were in Honolulu in March for a POH cruise and stayed at the Moana Surfrider. It was a bit pricey but our friends stayed across the street at a place booked by the TA as requested in their price range. They came to our hotel and enjoyed the ambiance of the Moana and the location on the beach smack in the middle Waikiki.(then hated to go back to their room) It is the oldest hotel in Waikiki and is gorgeous. It became a Westin property a few weeks after we left but our stay pre and post cruise made the trip even more enjoyable and memorable.

 

Upon check in a lovely hostess served us mango juice at the front desk and presented us both with beautiful leis. Our friends did not get one lei the whole trip. The room overlooked the courtyard , the hawaiian dancers under the immense Banyan tree and ocean. As we sat on our chase lounges on our balcony at dusk listening to the beautiful music unwinding from our flight we felt we were part of a dream.

 

It comes down to budget and priorities. Our friends didn't want to spend as much on a hotel and got what they paid for. Not to say there aren't more economical hotels that are nice but to me the experience and memories you make with a special place count for a lot. We stayed in an historical landmark while our friends were in a hotel that could have been in Anywhere, USA. It's all about priorities.

[14ersco]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites on 11/9 and 11/21. Advantages over HHV are the same number of HHonor points required (40,000), but Embassy offers snack food and drinks (great Mai Tai's) in the evenings, a complete breakfast buffet, free internet and fax, one free 30 minute long distance call, and a refrigerator in the room. We requested a corner room and on our last night got one; three balconies and view of the ocean.

[JohnL1935]

I vote for HHV and I'll tell you why. There are 25 acres to stroll around and it seems that no matter where you walk, there is something to look at--penguins, ducks, fish, waterfalls and the ocean. There are restaurants all over the place and lounges with free Hawaiian performers each evening. On Friday they have a fireworks show and a luau type of dancing show around the main pool. There are many upscale stores all around the towers and it is an experience to just browse through them--they are open late at night. There are stores selling pizza and ice cream or hambergers at an open air restaurant on the beach. This contrasts to most hotels(in Waikiki Beach area) that have a few stores in the lobby and several restaurants opening to the beach. There is also an ABC store on the grounds to buy beer, soda or any other necessity you may need. The downside--HHV is expensive!!

 

John L.

[papillons4u]

Hi all.. what time DOES the sun set in HAWAII?????

[rho88]

While I agree that the Hilton Hawaiian Village is an excellent choice, it is not IMO within walking distance of "most things to do." It's within walking distance of several things in Waikiki and, of course, all of Waikiki beach. It is not within walking distance of many of the primary tourist attractions (such as Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, Chinatown, Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, etc.).

 

 

beachchick

 

It would be kind off difficult to find any hotel that is within walking distance to Pearl harbour and Waikiki at the same time. However at the Hilton or in the Waikiki area there are numerous tour buses that goes to anywhere on Oahu. Anyways I'm sure around 90% of hotels on Oahu are in the Waikiki area. The only thing close to Pearl Harbour is the army barracks :)

[14ersco]

This past week the sun set about 5:50. Also on Fri. 11/9 we watched the HHV fireworks from the Embassy; they were at 8.

[beachchick]

It would be kind off difficult to find any hotel that is within walking distance to Pearl harbour and Waikiki at the same time. However at the Hilton or in the Waikiki area there are numerous tour buses that goes to anywhere on Oahu. Anyways I'm sure around 90% of hotels on Oahu are in the Waikiki area. The only thing close to Pearl Harbour is the army barracks :)

 

Of course. What I was trying to convey is that the HHV is no more walkable to those attractions than any other hotel on Waikiki beach (or around the Kalakaua "strip"). I guess what I wanted to say was that, IMO, it's incorrect to state that the HHV (or any hotel on Waikiki beach) is within walking distance of "most things to do" because none of them are. To me, that's not the reason to choose HHV. There are many excellent reasons to consider it, that's for sure, but it is not the only wonderful choice.

 

beachchick

[win1]

Hi there,

Just a correction but Pearl Harbor is a U.S. Naval Base.

 

Winnie

[WV cruiser]

We are in a Honolulu hotel at the moment awaiting our 7 day sail on POH tomorrow.

 

Sun is setting around 5:38 this week. Tonight is was simply GORGEOUS!!! We were having dinner at the Top of Waikiki(which I would HIGHLY recommend and I don't recommend restaurants often) as the sun set. It's a revolving restaurant and we were revolving at the perfect spot for the complete view.

 

I was a hotel industry executive for over 15 years and have seen it all around most of the world excluding the far east.

As far as hotels go, while I've stayed at the HHV and it is nice and sort of is a "compound" unto itself, I prefer to stay on the other end of the main Waikiki strip. It's the area with the main beach, lots of restaurants, shopping, etc.

 

First, go to kayak.com and do your search ... it will search all the other sites like expedia, travelocity, orbitz among others. That way you can quickly see what hotels are available for your dates. Once you pick hotels you're interested try going to their direct site to book - most offer the best deal there if you book online.

 

If I could stay ANYWHERE in Waikiki and price was not important, these would be my top five:

Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian, Westin Moana Surfrider, Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort, Sheraton Waikiki

 

If you WILLING to pay, but don't necessarily want to spend a fortune, my top five would be:

Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort, Sheraton Waikiki, ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel, Outrigger Reef on the Beach, Hilton Hawaiian Village

 

If price was a DETERMINING factor, my top choices would be:

Aqua Waikiki Wave, Waikiki Parc, Wyland Waikiki, Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort, Hilton Hawaiian Village

 

If you're not set on being RIGHT in Waikiki, try the Aqua Palms & Spa for a great hotel and price.

 

I hope this helps!

[farmgirl63]

Where is the restaurant Top of Waikiki located?

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Tammy

[WV cruiser]

Top of Waikiki is a evolving restaurant sitting atop the Waikiki Business Plaza. It is at 2270 Kalakaua Avenue and sort sits right across the street from the Royal Hawaiian and Sheraton Waikiki. You take the elevator to the 18th floor and then two sets of escalators to the top.

 

We were actually heading to have dinner at another restaurant last night and passed the Top of Waikiki building and saw an "early-bird" special sunset dinner offer. We hadn't eaten since breakfast because we had gone to the International Marketplace and then spent the rest of the day at the beach. So, we looked at each other and said "Why not?"

 

In the end, I had the 14.95 coconut-encrusted Mahi Mahi special and for $7 added a wonderful salad with a honey vinaigrette and mango/pineapple sorbet for dessert. My partner ordered from the regular menu and had lamb three ways and then added an a la carte salad. We also split a bottle of Sebastiani Chardonnay 2004.

 

We own and run a restaurant and have become very discerning as to what and where we eat. We see the tell-tale signs of whether a place practices good food safety and that's important to us - we don't want to get sick on vacation if we can avoid it!

 

As we went up the escalators, the signs were promising as the entire experience was newly renovated. The restaurant itself has been open since 1965 and I was a little afraid it would be too much of a tourist trap, very dated with tour quality food and lousy service. I couldn't have been more wrong! If I had ben right, we would have left and gone on with our original plans. But it was nice to be the beneficiary of this great dining experience.

 

All in all, it was truly wonderful!

Excellent food, great service and a view that can't be beat!

Top of Waikiki is now on our short list of not-to-miss restaurants when we're in Honolulu. :D

[farmgirl63]

Thanks for the information! We'll see if we can't add that to our list of places to eat!

 

Tammy

[Lauraloha]

This maui local girl loves the Waikiki Parc. Walking distance to the Beachwalk, where there's morning coffee, walk across the alley to Waikiki Beach (in front of Halekulani, the fanciest hotel in Waikiki) and the rooms are divine. Super hip and cool. No tropical outdated whatnots......

 

Love it.

 

Laura