Hale Koa Hotel?
 

We are eligible to stay at the Hale Koa hotel, and have read other posts here on the hotel. My husband and I will be traveling with our two teenage daughters, and are wondering about the size of the rooms. Can we get two rooms for the military discount? Should we rent a car? Any help is appreciated.

I think you need to speak with a military type, or better yet, simply call the hotel.<BR><BR>Since only a tiny fraction of readers here are probably 'eligible' to stay at the HK, you won't likely find many quick answers.

I'm eligible to stay at the Hale Koa but I stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village instead. They're right next door to each other. Just ask the Hilton for a Government rate - I've always found the Hilton to be less expensive than the Hale Koa. And much nicer. Good luck.

I have stayed at the Hale Koa Hotel more than 25 times - in fact, I went into labor with my son while staying there. (I was stationed in Hawaii with the Army at the time) It's an extremely nice hotel with wonderful grounds and amenities (all at low military prices) including the greatest stretch of beach in Waikiki. Also has a couple of excellent restaurants with great prices. You can't go wrong with this place, and you get the same rate for each room (based on the military member's rank) no matter how many rooms you need. Feel free to e-mail me for more info.

We stayed there last year and have decided to stay elsewhere next spring break. It WAS convenient, that's for sure. BUT we found our room to be musty and very small. A typical budget beach room.<BR>Next time we will be going further away from Waikiki and staying at another military facility that offers private 2 bdrm beach houses for approx the same price!!!! AND no tourists!!!<BR>Email me if you like.<BR>

The thing about hale Koa is that you are charged based on your husbands rank, not the room, so the cost can be quite high if he is an officer. If so you may do well to check the Hilton. You shouldn't need a car for the whole time as the bus is very good in Waikiki but you might rent one for a day or two to go around the island or to see Pearl harbor.<BR>regarding tvlPro's advice: Are you referring to Bellows or Kaneohe? While you do get a whole cottage by the beach, they can be sort of grungy and the weather over there tends to be damp. In addition, the water is subject to more jellyifsh, and it is also a long way to other interesting place to see, eat and shop. You'll need to bring all your food and cook too.. Certainly not a bad choice if you want a week on the beach, but not in the resort tradition. PS: there will be tourists. They'll just be military tourists!

http://www.bellowsafs.com/cabinpix.html<BR>Yep, it's Bellows. <BR>I checked the Hilton HV for Gov't rates during March and the best they have is 132.00 which is considerably higher that the Hale Koa.<BR>There are additional facilities at Scholfield, Barbers Point, Ft Shafter, Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Tripler and Waianae. <BR>You might want to pick up a copy of Miltary Living's Temporary Military Lodging at the PX/BX or via Aafes.com<BR>Bottom line... the Hale Koa is ok and if you are looking for something on Waikiki, it's a sure bet. We rented a car for the whole week and parking was reasonable at the Hale Koa, too. Bus service is ok but having a car was MUCH better. You have access to a small commissary at the hotel which saves you some money! If you want to buy groceries you can go down the street to Hickam.<BR>Be aware that the refrigerators at the Hale Koa DO NOT keep perishable foods cold enough.<BR>Have fun!<BR><BR>

We are booked at Bellows for 4 days in November. We're not expecting resort standards and will spend most of the time away sightseeing (North Coast, Pearl Harbor etc). A question for Corie: where is the best and nearest place to buy food? We're arriving from LA quite late in the evening and will need to stock up on some breakfast on our way to Bellows from the airport at HNL.

Hi, Caro - We stayed at the Hale Koa three years ago - and are returning there in three weeks. We liked it just fine. The room we were in would probably be considered a pretty standard hotel room, although it was larger than many hotel rooms we've stayed in. It was clean, the location is wonderful on Waikiki Beach and next door to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We loved the open, breezy, comfortable lobby of the Hale Koa and yes, you are allowed to reserve an additional room for family members traveling with you. <BR><BR>Have fun!

We stayed at the Hale Koa in 1998 and found it to be quite comfortable although certainly not as luxurious as other hotels. The beach was beautiful and the location was fine. We have also stayed twice at the Kilauea Military Camp in Volcano National Park and we absolutely love it there. We had a three bedroom cottage with a jacuzzi for $85 per night. I would like to hear more about other military housing on Oa'hu however.

Thanks so much for all of the good advice! With two teenagers, I think they'd like being at Hale Koa or the Hilton because there will be more to do (tennis, beach, shopping, etc.). Thanks again!

Sue...<BR>As I said in my reply above THE BEST place to pick up groceries is at Hickam.<BR>If you buy groceries at a civilian store you pay much more and the Hickam commissary is just off the highway.<BR>Have a look at a map for specific driving directions.<BR>We are staying at one of the new cabins at Bellows for a week in March and plan to buy a weeks worth of groceries on the way from HNL. Saved us SOOOOO much money last time.

Sue -If you're coming in really late, the easiest way to get food would be at the Pali Safeway, which will be open at that hour. From the airport, you'll be on the H-1 toward downtown Honolulu. Take the Pali exit, but turn right. Safeway & Longs drugs are about 1 block down aacross the big intersection. When you're done shopping, go back up the street the same way toward where you exited the freeway. You stay on that street (Pali Hwy)all across the island till you see the signs for Waimanalo/Kalanianaole Hwy. That will take you straight to Bellows.

Hey, Corie, you're not charged "based on your husband's rank" when you're a woman in the military! That was a pretty antiquated thing to write!

Try their homepage:<BR><BR>http://www.halekoal.com/<BR><BR>Brilliant info. We're a Navy Family; husband retired and we now have a son currently serving his country. Hale Koa Hotel is the Navy's 'best kept secret', and a bargain if there ever was one!!<BR><BR>BON VOYAGE!!..

Caro & Postal-I apologise if I assumed incorrectly. Having been in the military for a good length of time (as a female, I might add), Caro's choice of words just didn't sound like she was the service member. We're "eligible", "military discount" and not asking her morale office directly may have led me to make a sexist assumption. Sorry!

TvlPro and Lcuy, thank you for the helpful advice. <BR><BR>DawnCt - we also have 3 nights booked at the Volcano military accommodation - looking forward to it.

Be sure to check out the organized tours of the volcano and the various hikes from the park rangers. They are informative and they are free!