Hotel recommendations for pre stay in Hawaii

[mthayer295]

We are booked on POA for 2/27. We wanted to stay at the Mandarin Oriental but I delayed in booking and now most rooms are over $600 per night. Looking for other recommendations. I read something on this board about teh Waikiki Marriott having a pre boarding desk. Do you have to book through NCL to use that? We are staying at the Hilton H. village post cruise for a conference so we wanted to try out a different hotel pre cruise.

[kimcht]

the waikiki marriot beach hotel does have an NCL boarding desk, but I dont know if you have to book through NCL or not. having just came back, I can tell you the majority of the NCL pre and post stay people stayed there, but we stayed at the radissson which was the cheapest option through NCL and it was very nice, and just across the street from the marriot so a quick walk to the beach, shopping, etc. I wouldnt make your decision on the preboarding stuff though. We went to the ship on the shuttle bus with the people who had allready pre-registered at the marriot. they got to get in a shorter line, but with only one person doing check in, so even though our line was much longer, because there were more people checking that line in, we got on the ship the same time as the pre registered people. Kim

[kittytravel]

I will recommend the waikki marriott the hotel is very nice, I was there last dec very friendly environment, they are they to help you, the rooms are big I will recommend 100% the pillows they are so soft you feel like to staying there forever. I restaurants are really pretty and I think they have spa too.

You have a choice of either a balcony overview the beach area or the overview of the mountain head which is also very nice...............

[KLynnG]

If your'e looking for a less expensive alternative you can check out the Raddison Prince Kuhio. It's one block from the beach but is very nice. When we stayed there in Feb. we booked an ocean view room & on arrival were upgraded to a Kuhio club room that included a breakfast buffet & afternoon tea. If you don't mind walikng a block you can probably save over a hundred dollars a night & still get very nice accomodations. By the way don't use one of the internet booking companies. Your best price is booking through the hotels web site.

[KLynnG]

I firgot to mention that the Prince Kuhio had NCL staff available in a conference room answering questions & doing pre booking. I don't know if this was a regular occurance or not.

[spleen93]

mthayer295 - I'm checking prices on the website right now for the Kahala Mandarin - I'm seeing a number of rooms available for less than $400/night. Admittedly, this isn't chump change but is considerably cheaper than $600/night.

 

Other options for great hotels outside of Waikiki would be the J.W. Marriott Ihilani - right next to the Paradise Cove luau area - gorgeous area and don't have to worry about hordes of people. :) http://www.ihilani.com/

 

Spleen

[Lando]

Maybe she is CDN -- $400 US would be almost $600 CDN, add in the hotel taxes and bingo.

 

Can anyone recommend a decent clean and safe hotel for less than $150 US a night, preferably within a 5 minute walk to the beach if possible.

[808lady]

I would check out the Ohana hotels. They are affilliated with Outrigger, but have their own website. I think my brother stayed at the Ohana Reef Tower for under $100. It was about 5 minutes from the beach. The hotel had no pool, but you could use the pool at the hotel next door. He and his family were pretty happy there. Hope you have a great time in Hawaii!

[vacamama]

MThayer,

Will you be renting a car pre-cruise? If so, you may be able to get a car/hotel package through a tour operator like Hawaii World. You'll have to go through a TA to book it but sometimes there a great discounts that way. The Kahala Mandarin is outstanding and worth the $600 per night but there's bound to be some deals out there.

[KLynnG]

I just checked the Raddison Prince Kuhio web site the prices are$129 mountain view room & $149 ocean view room. I'm not pushing this hotel it's just the only one I've stayed in & I thought it was very nice, staff was friendly & helpful & it was very convenient to the beach.

[applepicker]

mthayer295 - Hi from the UK, we sailed on the Star last November and again Feb. '04, the first time we stayed pre-cruise at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani about 5 minute walk to the beach, good hotel and they have an NCL desk, no problem getting to the ship. Second time we stayed at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, also has NCL desk, just across the road from Waikiki beach 1 - 2 minute stroll. Both hotels are within easy walking distance of Dukes Canoe Club (fabulous breakfasts - we ate there every day both trips). When (not IF) we return to Honolulu we will stay at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel again.

 

Enjoy your cruise. Pete

[spleen93]

I do like the Aston and the Ohana budget hotel chains - I think that they offer good value. I especially like the Aston Waikiki Beach - love the retro beachboy look and I really think that Tiki's is a good value as a restaurant. Didn't think about the possibility of thinking in CDN dollars though. :)

 

Spleen

[Sea Island Lady]

I second the Kahala Mandarian. You can get a Ridge View room for $365 during your dates. You may want to call and ask if they have a Courtyard View available (these are the least expensive rooms) or have them put you on a waiting list. The rooms are the same as the Ridge View, with a view of the entrance, patial ocean and courtyard instead of the ridge. This area can be a little noisy though.

[ladytc]

I don't know if this breaks a rule, but you can get handy assistance bidding for a room on biddingfortravel dot com. You have to do a little research, but you'll be glad when you see the savings. I did so, and am pleased with the price I'm paying for the Hawaiian Prince post-cruise. Several of the hotels recommended on this thread can be booked on priceline for less than the cost on the hotel website.

[spleen93]

We've actually recommended Priceline before here as well and Biddingfortravel.com is a good source for learning how to do it. I highly recommend reading their FAQs and doing a lot of research - you can get most of your questions answered by reading their information without posting. They CAN be a little short there - best to do your research beforehand.

 

Sheraton Waikiki for around $100/night on Priceline is hard to beat ... :)

 

Spleen

[wrldtrvlr52]

Returned recently from Hawaii on the Serenade. I agree with Spleen...we stayed three nights pre-cruise at the Marriott Ihilani. The hotel was beautiful; our deluxe ocean view room was awesome, huge! Beautiful bathrooms! And as Spleen said, you won't have the crowds of people...the beach area is great and very few people! What a relaxing time after a long flight there! We rented a convertible, drove to North Shore (had shrimp from the shrimp trucks), went to Pearl Harbor (early to beat the tour buses). There is a Hertz office on-site. We limo'd from airport, rented the car next morning, returned the car last evening and limo'd to pier. Food was excellent in the restaurants, and room service was great. Hotel personnel were friendly and quite helpful. Enjoy! Will be glad to answer any questions. Again, Spleen, thanks for your help prior to our trip!

[VOLEYMOM]

Can you tell me which area you bid on Priceline to get the Marriot or the Sheraton. I have been reseaching on Biddingfortravel and getting a little confused which area I want to bid in. Have used Priceline before in different areas with great results. Thanks for the help

Rebecca

[VOLEYMOM]

Just went back to the website and looked a little closer and found out more information. Thanks anyway!

Rebecca

[spleen93]

Rebecca - glad you found it! For those following along, the Sheraton Waikiki is in the Waikiki North district and the Waikiki Marriott is in the Waikiki South district (don't ask me why - Priceline has their own twisted logic behind dividing up Waikiki along north and south lines!). On a separate note, I believe that the Sheraton Waikiki used to be PL listed as a 4* at one point - I see now that it's listed as a resort. The other resorts in that district are the HHV (Hilton Hawaiian Village) and the Royal Hawaiian. Frankly, there's a decent disparity between those - of those hotels, I'd rank Royal Hawaiian as the top, HHV #2, and the Sheraton Waikiki #3. Don't overbid for the Sheraton ...

 

wrldtrvlr52 - if you don't mind me asking, which restaurants did you eat in at the Ihilani and how did you think the value was compared to what you paid for the meal? I've eaten at the Ihilani many years ago and remember being wide-eyed at the prices - since then, the prices have continued to go up and I have yet to go back. I've always wanted to try Azul but the prices there make me want to swallow my tongue. :) But I agree wholeheartedly about the hotel itself and the surrounding area - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

 

Spleen

[brantc1]

Glad to hear you liked the Aston Waikaki Beach Hotel. We're staying there in three weeks for the night before our cruise.

[janniebabe]

Can you tell me if they offer a wedding vow renewal? I know the Outrigger does, free of charge, just curious!

[wrldtrvlr52]

.

 

wrldtrvlr52 - if you don't mind me asking, which restaurants did you eat in at the Ihilani and how did you think the value was compared to what you paid for the meal? I've eaten at the Ihilani many years ago and remember being wide-eyed at the prices - since then, the prices have continued to go up and I have yet to go back. I've always wanted to try Azul but the prices there make me want to swallow my tongue. :) But I agree wholeheartedly about the hotel itself and the surrounding area - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

 

Spleen

 

Spleen- Sorry for the delay...those pesky family problems! We did not try Azul. We were late returning to hotel the day of our North Shore trip and elected to have room service rather than do Azul. Yes! I agree the prices at Azul seemed inflated to me. Otherwise, food quality was excellent (as were the drinks) although I felt the prices about 20% high. I did expect to pay extra...with such glorious surroundings, who could complain? I think all CC'ers OWE you a dinner at Azul for all your advice! Thanks again. Already dreaming of a return trip, this time a land trip so we can really explore the islands' beauty.

[spleen93]

Good to hear about the food quality! Maybe I'll go try one of these days (maybe when I hit the lottery) :D

 

Spleen

[vivian02]

Spleen93 is right on doing your homework on priceline and evaluating a bid through "Biddingfortravel". We got a 4* hotel right on Waikiki for two nights last year with a ocean view. The wife just couldn't figure out how I found such a wonderful place. We really enjoyed our two day precruise stay. As for taking a chance on priceline... it was worth it. Tim

 

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[mthayer295]

Thanks for your recommendation. We booked the JW Marriot. Happy to hear that they have a Hertz office there. Where did you book the limo?