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Hotels Overview

The 2 1/2 mi stretch of sand known as Waikiki Beach is a 24-hour playground and the heartbeat of Hawaii's tourist industry. Waikiki has a lot to offer -- namely, the beach, shopping, restaurants, and nightlife, all within walking distance of your hotel.

Business travelers stay on the western edge, near the Hawaii Convention Center, Ala Moana, and downtown Honolulu. As you head east, Ala Moana Boulevard turns into Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki's main drag. This is hotel row (mid-Waikiki), complete with historic boutique hotels, newer high rises, and megaresorts. Bigger chains like Sheraton, Outrigger, ResortQuest, and Ohana have multiple properties along the strip, so it can get a little confusing. Surrounding the hotels and filling their lower levels is a flurry of shopping centers, restaurants, bars, and clubs. As you get closer to Diamond Head Crater, the strip opens up again, with the Honolulu Zoo and Kapiolani Park providing green spaces. There's a handful of smaller hotels and condos at this end for those who like their Waikiki with a "side of quiet."

Waikiki is still the resort capital of this island and the lodging landscape is constantly changing. In late 2006 the Waikiki Beach Walk opened on 8 acres within the confines of Beach Walk, Lewers and Saratoga streets, and Kalia Road. It comprises a multitiered entertainment complex, cultural center, hotels, and vacation ownership properties, all accented by lush tropical landscaping. Also, KoOlina Resort and Marina, about 15 minutes from the airport in West Oahu, looms large on the horizon -- this ongoing development already contains the J. W. Marriott Ihilani Resort, Marriott Ko Olina Beach Vacation Club, and some outstanding golf courses, but it is slated, over the coming decade, to see the construction of an extensive planned resort community and marina, an aquarium, dozens of restaurants and shops, more hotels, and extensive vacation-ownership rentals.

Casual Windward and North Shore digs are shorter on amenities but have laid-back charms all their own. Oahu offers a more limited list of B&Bs than other islands because the state stopped licensing them here in the 1980s; many of those operating here now do so under the radar. If you can't find your match below, contact a reservation service to make reservations at one of Oahu's reputable B&Bs. The good news is, legislators on Oahu are taking another look at this industry, and it's possible that B&Bs will flourish here again in the next decade.

For a complete list of every hotel and condominium on the island, write or call the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau for a free Accommodation Guide.