1. It sounds like Condos. or private home rentals are the way to go for you and there are many available on all of the islands. The Hawaii Convention and Visitor's Bureau website lists many on their accomodations database:
www.gohawaii.com .
www.vrbo.com and
www.vacationspot.com also have many listings. <BR> <BR>2. I would suggest limiting yourself to 2 islands but whether or not you should do 3 depends on how active you want to be. Remember that you lose the better part of a day when island hopping when you add-up all the time getting to and from the airport, getting your rental car, packing and unpacking, checking-in and out, etc. <BR> <BR>3. It sounds like you should probably spend around a week on Oahu (the island that Pearl Harbor is on). Some things I would suggest off-hand: <BR> <BR>-hiking Diamond Head (although this may not be for the 70 yr. olds), <BR> <BR>-going to the Pali Lookout, <BR> <BR>- Hanauma Bay, <BR>-Punchbowl Cemetary, <BR>-Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown, <BR>- Viewing sunset from Sheraton Waikiki's 'Hanohano Room' <BR>- Senator Fong Plantation <BR>- North Shore <BR>- Sunset cruise <BR>- Pineapple fields <BR> <BR>The Waikiki Sunset and Waikiki Banyan condos both have 2 bedroom units and generally seem to get good reviews but neither one is right on the ocean, though they are not more than a few blocks away and do have ocean or mtn. views. Both are considered in the moderate price range for Waikiki. The only condos in Waikiki directly on the beach is the Waikiki Shore. The Aston Waikiki Beach Tower is directly across from the beach and is a AAA 3-diamond property. Both offer spectacular ocean views and both are quite expensive, although it pays to inquire whether they are available w/ the Entertainment rate. <BR> <BR>There are quite a few private home and apartment rentals available in the Kailua, Lanikai and Kanehoe areas on the Windward side of Oahu. Many of these are excellent values compared to Waikiki and many have ocean views or are right across from the beach. Be aware, though, that the Windward side of the island is the rainiest and that the rainy season is from Nov. through April. Here are a few two-bedroom units you may want to take a look at: <BR> <BR>-Beachside Bungalows- 1 block to Kailua Beach, full-kitchen <BR>
http://beachsidebungalows.com (also
http://vrbo.com/vrbo/3899.htm) <BR> <BR>-Kaneohe, 2/2, spectacular setting- b/w mtns. and ocean, full-kitchen <BR>$125/night (5 night minimum).$800/week.$3000/month. <BR>
http://www.hawaiioceanfrontrental.com <BR> <BR>-Bamboo Inn- ocnfrnt, mtn. views <BR>
http://www.bambooinnhawaii.com/index.html <BR>2/2, full-kitchen, 100/650, 120/800 <BR> <BR>- Kailua & Lanikai Beach Vacation Rentals <BR>
http://kailuabeach.net <BR> <BR>There are some condos. on the western side of the island but for some reason, they don't seem to be widely advertised or publicized. This website
http://www.hawaiicondosbyowner.com/index.htm lists some 1 bedroom and studio units that look like excellent values. I don't know if there any 2-bedroom available. <BR> <BR>There are also some condos on the grounds of the Hilton Turtle Bay Resort on the N. Shore, as well as some home rentals on the N. Shore that may be good for you. The N. Shore does not get as much rain as the windward side. <BR> <BR>*- The Entertainment card, available for $30- at
http://www.entertainment.com can get you 50% off the rack rate at many accomodations throughout Hawaii. See the website for details and keep in mind that people here have said that there are properties that participate that are not listed on the site or in the book, so it pays to call directly to ask if a specific property is participating. <BR> <BR>(To be Continued...) <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>
