Hale Koa Hotel for military in Waikiki
 

ANYONE stayed here/been here? I don't care about whether it is fancy or not...is it clean? Staff nice? Is it overrun with screaming kids?

My family has proposed to stay Xmas 04 and my father qualifies to stay at Hale Koa.

There will be 9 of us so wasn't sure if it would be a better deal to just rent a house or could we find rooms just a nice with a better location than Waikiki???

I am guessing he will be paying for 3-4 rooms depending upon whether he makes my husband and I bunk up with my sister and her boyfriend.

Rates will be $86-160 depending upon room location.

We used alot of there facilities in January. Couldn't get into a room as it was a last minute trip. The public rooms are great. Ate a lot of meals in their restaurants. Great pool and beach. I have been told that the rooms are quite delux. Plan on making restervations for next year. You can make them one year ahead. Loved the place.

Alise,

We stayed at the Hale Koa about 4 years ago. We enjoyed it very much. The hotel is quite large, right on the beach with restaurants and snack bar on the premises. The food is good and oh, so reasonably priced!

We had a room with 2 beds. It was clean and was OK. Not on par with Hyatt or Hilton, but certainly adequate. A tab bit snug for our family of four.

The bathroom is very small, just big enough for a tub, toilet and sink. Just outside the bathroom door is another sink and mirror which is opposite the open closet area.

There are plenty of families who use the Hale Koa. If you're going PCS to Hawaii you might end up there for a few weeks until your base housing is available, so yes there are kids. Don't remember any noisy kids though.

Tell you dad to call and find out exactly how soon you can book it, so you can make sure to get your preferred view.

Any specific questions, post again and I'll try to answer.

Was just there May 12-19. It's my understanding that the service person can only get one extra room and only 4 are allowed in a room. There were 5 of us and we had to get 2 rooms.
We stayed in the older tower - the rooms are as someone else above described. We had the "garden view" 5th floor but you can see the ocean from the balcony. We've stayed here 3 times. I think it has the best location in Waikiki because being next to the park you're not looking straight into other hotels and that area of the beach isn't crowded. Plus, it definitely has the best pool area. The lobby is huge and has lots of seating areas. There didn't seem to be many kids around.

I've stayed at the Hale Koa many times in the past 20 years. In fact, I went into labor with my son in 1984 while staying there! (We lived on Oahu then) He's very proud that his birth certificate "home address" reads Hale Koa Hotel, room 419!

As for location, I don't think you can do any better. If it turns out you can't get all the rooms you need there, check out Waikiki Shores down the beach about 250 yards, as they are condos with individual owners and right on the beach. Another option is a cabin on Bellows AFS beach over on the windward side, favorites for those stationed in Hawaii.

The Hale Koa has a wonderful pool area on the beach with a couple of snack bars, as well as an "adult" pool farther back off the beach. Their small fitness center is excellent, there's a coffee/expresso/capuccino cart in the mornings, and muffins and bagels for sale in their little store. The PX (post exchange)store is much larger and has a great selection.

Breakfast in the cafe (Koko's?) is just wonderful on the balcony that overlooks the trees and then the ocean. There is also a very good place for dinner - can't remember the name. They also offer a luau (not great) and various shows. All the prices are lower than you would encounter outside of the Hale Koa.

In short, the Hale Koa would be my first choice, followed by the Bellows AFS cabins, but Bellows is in a pretty backwoodsy area while Waikiki is close to everything.

Feel free to write to me at [email protected] if you want more info.

Thanks so much for the replies! My father must not know that there is a cap on how many rooms you can get.

It is right next door to the Hilton and we get points with them on a regular basis so I might suggest that option to him if he can only get 2 rooms.

I pulled up the Hale Koa website and they say they have discounted rates with neighboring hotels.

You can only book 365 days out. I will have to pass the info along to my mom.

I don't think they have really planned this too much yet but it sounds like they will have to decide in the upcoming months.

I know we get lower priority b/c we are DOD and not active duty ...plus they want to go at a popular time.

It's funny how people get differing views on subjects. DeeDee doesn't seem enthusiastic over the Hale Koa, but I happen to think it's the absolute BEST in Waikiki. The rooms are large, at least in the Ilima Tower, which is the newer tower, and the baths are more than adequate. The public areas and the grounds are what sets the Hale Koa apart from the rest of the Waikiki hotels. The lobby is fantastic, the larger swimming pool is unbelievable, and the various restaurants, a lot of them, are all great. Prices are fabulous, THERE'S NO TAXES ON ANYTHING PURCHASED IN THE HOTEL, as well as no tax on the hotel room rates. What you see is what you pay. In addition, the PX has a nice range of articles for purchase at tremendous prices. There are tennis courts, walking trails,basketball courts and lots of other amenities, which cannot be found in any other place in Waikiki. You can have a picnic on the grassy area immediately in behind the beach, with barbeques all over the area. There are benches and places to just look at the ocean, and this is before you reach the lovely LARGE beach. There is a paved walking area between the beach and the grassy area, which reaches past the Hawaiian Village on one side, and up to the Outrigger Reef on the other side, with benches along the way. To say it's a hotel is an understatement. In reality it's a resort. If one wants, one can spend all their time without leaving the Hale Koa. The two main restaurants are first class, and their Sunday Brunch is the best. As you might believe, I think the place is fabulous. I've been going there for many years, and i have no volition to visit any other hotel in Hawaii. I've been to some, and none compares. The only problem is that you must make your reservations early. I'm sure you will absolutely love the place. One more thing. You will fall in love with the lobby. Another thing--covered parking costs only $4 per day. Another thing (I keep remembering good stuff), the best buy is the Garden View rooms in the Ilima Tower. There's much more, but I must desist.

One more thing--- I'll be there from Sept 4 thru Sept 18.

Here is another vote for the Hale Koa! Don't forget the affordable dinner shows as well! Another great value if you are planning on the Big Island and a couple of nights in Volcano National Park is the Kilauea Military Lodge. The cabins have all been redone. We had a three bedroom cabin with a jacuzzi, an extra bathroom, fireplace and corion counters for $89 per night....and no tax. Location is everything and being in the park was terrific!

Is there a website for the Kiluea Military Lodge??? that sounds interesting

The web site is www.kmc-volcano.com I am sorry, I referred to it as a lodge. It is a "camp".

Topping for Elvis...

You're lucky you qualify to stay at the Hale Koa. My brother-in-law is retired military and we've been trying to talk him in to a family trip for years! It's a perfect location, you won't be disappointed. You might already know this, but we took a family trip to Disney World and stayed at a military hotel there. Green Gables is the name--my brother-in-law was able to get us all rooms for $69. Free transportation to all Disney parks, discount passes, and a few freebies I've forgotten. The hotel is very nice with big rooms. If you ever want to consider that option, email me for details.

The WDW Resort name is Shades of Green. It is in the middle of the WDW resorts, and Has It's own Golf Course. It is open to members of the Armed Forces ,Retires And DOD Civilians your rate is base on your Military /civilian Grade .Also Open to the Armed forces ,Retires and DOD Civilans is The Armed Forces Vacation club . It uses RCI timeshares All over the World They Have some In Hawaii. They charge $259 a week for a weeks stay thats $37.00 a night I Have used them several times all first rate in Spain' Crete,and Malta Go to the Website afvclub.com lots of people in the military Don't know about this ! and you Don't have to Buy a timeshare the govt, rents the space for you .

If I am not mistaken... Shades of Green has recently completed a rennovation.

Shades of Green is still in the middle of their renovation but they will arrange a stay at the Contemporary Resort where they are currently head quartered, and other Disney resorts for a reduced price. State and local taxes apply.

My parents have stayed at the Hale Koa many times and love it. I do know that you can't just book as many rooms as you want and drag your friends and family along - Hilton right next door is beautiful, but pretty pricey. There are a few other hotels close by that probably are a little less expensive.

To my99999-
There is NOTHING less expensive than the Hale Koa, for what you get, anywhere in Hawaii.

my99999 was referring to the Hilton.
For military personnel there are less expensive options.
I for one, will not stay there again.
The rooms were a bit stuffy and claustrophobic... but as I said, it may have been the area of the hotel.
We plan to stay at Bellows next time!